s a tradition that this room
was fitted up as a library in 1472. The present fittings, which I shall
have occasion to mention in a subsequent chapter, were put up when the
library was refitted and stocked with books after the Restoration[249].

These four examples--at Lincoln, Salisbury, S. Paul's, and Wells--are
typical of Cathedral libraries built over a cloister. I will next notice
some that were detached.

[Illustration: Fig. 43. Plan of the Library at Lichfield Cathedral.

From _History and Antiquities of Staffordshire_, by Stebbing Shaw, fol.
Lond. 1798, Vol. 11. p. 244.]

The library of Lichfield Cathedral[250] stood on the north side of the
cathedral, west of the north door, at some little distance from the church
(fig. 43). It was begun in 1489, when Thomas Heywood, dean, "gave L40
towards building a library of brick," and completed in 1493. It was about
60 feet long by 15 feet wide, approached by a flight of stairs. As the
Chapter Order (9 December, 1757) which authorised its destruction speaks
of the "Library, Chapter Clerk's House, and Cloisters," I suspect that it
stood on a colonnade, after the manner of the beautiful structure at
Noyon, a cathedral town in eastern France, at no great distance from
Amiens.

This library--which I have carefully examined on two occasions--was built
in pursuance of the following Order of the Chapter, 16 November, 1506.

Le 16. iour de Nouembre audit an, l'affaire de la
Librairie se remet sus. Le sieur Doyen offre cent francs
pour cet oeuure. Et le 20. iour de Nouembre, ouy le
Maistre de Fabrique et Commissaires a ce deputez, fut
arrestee le long de l'allee qui meine de l'Eglise a la
porte Corbaut; et a cet effect sera tire le bois a ce
necessaire de nos forests, et se fera ladite Librairie
suiuant le pourtrait ou patron exhibe au Chapitre le
sixiesme iour de Mars 1506. Le Bailly de Chapitre donne
cent sols pour ce bastiment, a condition qu'il en aura
une clef[251].

This library (fig. 44) is, so far as I know, an unique specimen of a
library built wholly of wood, supported on wooden pillars with stone
bases, so that it is raised about 10 feet above the stone floor on which
they rest, probably for the sake of dryness. There is a legend that a
market used to be held there; but at present the spaces between the
pillars have been filled in on the south side. The one here represented
(fig. 45) stands on the north side, in a smal