Feb26

hickory, dickory.

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 the 400-Year-Old Cat Door at Exeter Cathedral, Where Felines Were Once on Payroll

Founded in the 11th century, England’s Exeter Cathedral is famed for its stunning features — including its medieval astronomical clock, a working replica of the solar system as it was understood at the time. But the building also boasts another ancient wonder: a cat door that may be among the world’s oldest.

Cut into the bottom of the door to the clock room is a small, cat-sized hole, and records show it was put there with a purpose. In 1598,Queen Elizabeth I nominated William Cotton for the role of Exeter Cathedral bishop. When he started his post, he also seems to have recruited a helper.

“It is from Bishop Cotton’s time that we have the record, ‘Paid ye carpenters 8 pence for cutting ye hole in ye north transept door for ye Bishop’s cat,’” said cathedral historian Diane Walker. It’s likely the hole served less to assist the kitty in catching mice and rats.

“The fat used to lubricate the clock mechanism would have been a great attraction for vermin,” said Walker, “hence the need for the cat to have access to this space.” The use of lard for clock maintenance was commonplace during that time period — and is believed to be represented in a famous children’s rhyme.

“Although there’s no evidence of a specific association with Exeter Cathedral, the nursery rhyme ‘Hickory, Dickory, Dock’ with its reference to ‘the mouse ran up the clock’ is most likely to have its origins in mice climbing parts of clock mechanisms, rather than climbing the outside of a long case clock as normally illustrated,” Walker explained

Cotton’s kitty wasn’t the first feline to call the cathedral home, though. Even before the hole was cut into the door, cats were employed by the church to keep the vermin population in check. Records from the 14th and 15th century indicate payments made to cats — or more likely, their owners — in the amount of 13 old pence per week. And another form of record also memorializes that arrangement: a medieval carving in the cathedral that depicts a cat attacking two rodents.

The payments seem to have ceased by the time Cotton and his cat arrived — though the jury is out on whether the feline was paid under the table. “We do not know whether Bishop Cotton’s cat received any payment for its services,” Walker said. But the cathedral’s feline history doesn’t end there. A post-World War II chapel carving depicts a one-eyed stray cat named Tom who became “quite a cathedral celebrity” after he was adopted by the head virger. (caretaker)

“He would sit in the bishop’s throne but never attempted to jump on an altar. One year he enjoyed settling into the Christmas manger tableau to the delight of visitors,” Walker shared.

“While he would spend much time wandering in the grounds surrounding the cathedral, he is also reported to have been particularly attentive in the cathedral during sermons when he would sit still and upright!”Fast forward to today, and kitties can still occasionally be seen using the medieval cat door — thankfully, the rodents are no longer an issue that requires feline attention.

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“when rome burned, the emperor’s cats still expected to be fed on time.”

― seanan mcguire,  author

 

 

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source credit: rebekah brandes, photo credits: diane walker, universal images, getty

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86 responses »

  4. That‘s wonderful. I have you know that during our 8+yr stay in the region and countless visits and concerts in Exeter Cathedral we never saw that cat door…. The things I learn from you Beth ;) – and I‘m not surprised at all because I think the Brits are, together with the Swiss perhaps, the most pet-loving people. Thanks for this post and for that hilarious quote. So true!!!

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  10. A neat history lesson! Thanks for doing the research on this. My two cats are proud of this feline history, but I told them they’re very lazy compared to the cathedral cats. They replied that they’re proud of their napping skills.

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  14. I believe cats have been used in various cultures for centuries to keep rodents in check. I read somewhere that ancient Egyptians worshipped cats, and cats are depicted in Egyptian art and architecture. They protected granaries in places where local tribal or clan leaders stored food for the people.

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