The Date of Beverley Minster and its Role in the Development of Northern Gothic in the Late 12th and Early 13th Centuries

Abstract

Drawing on close archaeological examination, a study of masons’ marks and especially new dendrochronological data, this article defends and develops Christopher Norton’s argument, published in 2009, that Gothic construction at Beverley Minster commenced soon after a well-documented fire in 1188. This dating was widely accepted until the 1860s, but since then there has been widespread consensus amongst scholars that Gothic construction at Beverley began no earlier than 1220. This radical re-dating disassociates Beverley with Lincoln Cathedral, and instead locates its design in relation to early Gothic construction at the abbeys of Fountains, Byland and Jervaulx, together with a wider group of ‘northern’ Gothic churches. New documentary and dendrochronological evidence also provide a more secure dating for Beverley’s 14th-century nave.