Peterborough – Peterborough Cathedral (Civil War Damage)

Peterborough Cathedral was badly damaged by marauding Civil War Parliamentary troops in 1643. They wanted to remove all traces of the catholic faith and they destroyed much of what they could get their hands on, including the library, vestments and the cathedral’s records. They also destroyed tablets and memorials, with this being one of the memorials which was attacked.

I’m slightly surprised that this memorial was never removed after it was so badly damaged, but it’s a real piece of history to see what’s left still in place. The memorial belonged to the wealthy Orme family, who had been given land in the city by King Henry VIII in the early sixteenth century. The family decided not to restore the memorial when the Monarchy was restored, although there is a drawing in existence of what the memorial used to look like.