DURHAM, ENGLAND—The Independent reports that archaeologists from Durham University and the Auckland Project have found traces of a large chapel built by Prince-Bishop Bek in the early fourteenth century at northeastern England’s Auckland Castle. Fragments of the chapel suggest the 130-foot-long structure had fine masonry walls, a delicate stone vault, stained glass windows, and a black plaster floor. The researchers also recovered part of an enamel and copper sacramental bowl dated to the fourteenth century, and an image of a kneeling medieval monk that may represent St. Cuthbert. The chapel was destroyed in the 1650s following the English Civil War by Sir Arthur Hesilrige, a Puritan and parliamentarian military commander who purchased the castle after it had been seized by Parliament. “Our excavation of this huge chapel has shed additional light on the immense power and wealth of the Prince-Bishops of Durham—and has helped bolster Auckland Castle’s reputation as a fortress of great importance in the history of England,” said John Castling of the Auckland Project. Hesilrige’s conduct was viewed as so extreme that it helped to discredit Cromwell and his government and bring about the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. To read about the English Civil War, go to "After the Battle."
