WINCHESTER

[Illustration: THE CLOSE GATE]

WINCHESTER

Described by Sidney Heath

Pictured by E. W. Haslehust

[Illustration]

BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED

LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY

1911

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OXFORD

THE ENGLISH LAKES

CANTERBURY

SHAKESPEARE-LAND

THE THAMES

WINDSOR CASTLE

CAMBRIDGE

NORWICH AND THE BROADS

THE HEART OF WESSEX

THE PEAK DISTRICT

THE CORNISH RIVIERA

DICKENS-LAND

WINCHESTER

THE ISLE OF WIGHT

CHESTER AND THE DEE

YORK

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LEINSTER

ULSTER

MUNSTER

CONNAUGHT

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Close Gate _Frontispiece_

The City Bridge

Winchester Cathedral from the Deanery Gardens

Wykeham's Chantry

The Butter Cross

Entrance to the Deanery

Winchester College: The Outer Gateway from "Arcadia"

The Cloisters, Winchester College

Ruins of Wolvesey Castle

Beaufort Tower and Ambulatory, St. Cross

St. Cross from the Meadows

The Brethren's Hall, St. Cross

Plan of Winchester Cathedral

[Illustration]

WINCHESTER

Few of our English cities are more strikingly situated than the onceroyal city of Winchester, which lies on the slopes and along the bed ofa chalk valley watered by the River Itchen. The greater part of thepresent city is situated on the right bank of the river, while the bestgeneral view of it is justly considered to be that obtained by lookingacross the Vale of Chilcomb, from the road to Portsmouth. Of the Itchenvalley, with its rich meadows and tranquil stream, William Cobbett wasan enthusiastic admirer. "There are few spots in England", he exclaims, "more fertile, or more pleasant, none, I believe, more healthy. Thefertility of this vale and of the surrounding country is best proved bythe fact that, besides the town of Alresford, and that of Southampton, there are seventeen villages, each having its parish church, upon itsborders. When we consider these things, we are not surprised that a spotsituated about halfway down this vale should have been chosen for thebuilding of a city, or that that city should have been for a greatnumber of years the place of residence for the kings of England. "

To-day the beautiful river winds in and out of the ancient streets, andamong the meadow lands, much as it did when Cobbett penned his _RuralRides_, although many charming examples of domestic architecture, whichthen graced what was probably the most attractive High Street inEngland, have been demolished or restored beyond recognition. As itflows through the city proper, the river is divided up into a number ofsmall streams abounding in trout; but after a brief course theserivulets unite just below the city, from whence the waterway is said tobe navigable all the way to Southampton. The bridge at the foot of theHigh Street marks the former limit of the navigability of the river, andis the reputed site of the legend concerning St. Swithun and the oldwoman to whom the saint restored her eggs. 

Before the advent of the railway, that great destroyer of our ancientwaterways, the Itchen was crowded with barges making their way from themaritime port to the inland city; for, like so many of our old Britishsettlements, the site of Winchester was determined by the naturalconditions of the land which could be utilized for the purposes ofdefence. Although every lock on the Itchen is now in ruins or choked byweeds, and the last of its fleet of brown-sailed barges is derelict, this is essentially a city whose origin goes back to the days when thosewho, coming cautiously up from Southampton Water, reached at length thepractical part of the valley, where they built their stronghold underthe shelter of the downs, yet within easy reach of the sea. It was bymeans of barges that much of the stone was brought for the building ofthe numerous churches and monastic buildings. This was brought from theBinstead Quarries in the Isle of Wight, from the Purbeck Quarries inDorset, and possibly from Portland as well. 

There is ample evidence that Winchester was a British city (Caer-Gwent), and the Venta Belgarum of Roman days, when it was connected by roadswith the other Roman cities of Andover, Silchester, Porchester, andSalisbury. With the taking of the town by the Saxons in 495 it becameknown as Wintanceastre, and here, after the final subjection of theBritons, the capital of Wessex was established. If the claim ofCanterbury to be the "Mother City" of the Anglo-Saxon race be granted, few will deny to Winchester the honour of being her eldest and herfairest daughter. A royal city was this when Birinus, the apostle ofWessex, came hither in 634, on his way to the Oxfordshire Dorchester, tobaptize the King of the West Saxons; and in 679 the episcopal see wasestablished, a cathedral built, and a monastic house attached to it. Itwas from Wintanceastre that Egbert sent forth the decree which gave thename of Anglia to his kingdom; and here, by the tranquil waters of theItchen, Alfred (with his friend, adviser, and tutor, St. Swithun), Athelstan, and Canute held their Courts, and directed their policies. 

It was during the reign of Athelstan that the redoubtable Guy, Earl ofWarwick, returning to England in the garb of a palmer from a pilgrimageto the Holy Land, found the Danes besieging Winchester in great force, and King Athelstan unable to find a champion willing to meet the Danishgiant, Colbrand, in order to decide the issue by single combat. TheEarl, retaining his disguise as a palmer, begged the king to let himappear as the English champion. 

[Illustration: THE CITY BRIDGE]

This singular combat, which was to decide the fate of the city, commenced by Guy breaking his spear on the giant's shield, and the Danecutting the head off the Earl's horse. Guy then fought on foot, and, beating the club out of his opponent's hand, cut off his arm. So theduel waged until night, when the Dane, faint from loss of blood, fellto the ground, and his head was cut off by the English champion. Havingsettled the affair to the honour of his country and his ownsatisfaction, the Earl made himself known to the King, under an oath ofsecrecy, and returned thanks in the cathedral for his victory. He thenretired to a hermitage beside the Avon, and passed the remainder of hislife in the cave which still bears his name, and probably contains hisbones. 

Several modern antiquaries are very sceptical about the whole story, andlabour hard to prove that Guy was a mythical figure, and his deedsnothing but legendary lore. There is always some truth in these oldlegends, in spite of the frills and embellishments added by the laterchroniclers, and the history of our land would be poor reading indeed ifwe banished the romantic legends merely because they are not confirmedby such dry-as-dust evidence as alone will satisfy a certain section ofscientific compilers, whose minds can perceive neither truth nor beautyunderlying ancient legends and traditions. The fact that they cannot beproved to have happened is more than half their charm, and our garden ofromance, with its beautiful flowers of chivalry, is infinitely better tolive with than the dry and parched fields given over to the cultivationof nothing but facts. 

The defeat of the Danish giant is said to have been achieved in ameadow to the north of the city, named from that occurrence "DanemarkMead"; and we are told also that the Dane's sword was to be seen in theCathedral treasury down to the reign of James I. Be this as it may, wedo know that in the eighth year of Edward I a writ of right was broughtby the King against the Abbot of Hyde, to recover land usurped in thenorth suburb of the city, called "Denemarche", and judgment was givenfor the crown. 

The appearance of the city in Saxon days has been described thus by DeanKitchin: "The three Minsters, which filled up the south-eastern cornerof the city, were for long the finest group of churches and dwellings inall England. Wolvesey Palace, at once the school, the court of justice, and the royal dwelling place, formed the bulwark against the dreadedinvasions of the Dane; inwards from Wolvesey precincts came the strongenclosure of St. Swithun's Convent, a second fortress, which protectedthe church, and behind both, sheltered by their strong walls and by theriver and the marshlands to the north, were the growing buildings of theNuns' Minster, and the new Minster. And up the rising towards the west, on either side of the ancient Roman road from the eastward gate of thecity, the houses of the citizens began to cluster into a street, withhere and there a stone-built dwelling, and the rest made of that 'wattleand dab' construction, of which from time to time examples are stilllaid bare in the city. "

Although many historical persons flit across the scene throughout thecenturies, the personal associations of Winchester are dominated by theoutstanding figures of Alfred, St. Swithun, and the great clericalcraftsman, William of Wykeham, the builder of much of the cathedral, andthe founder of St. Mary's College, Winchester, and New College, Oxford--the former of which, although of later foundation, was intendedas a stepping-stone for the latter. 

With the Norman Conquest, and the rapid rise of Westminster, the days ofWinchester as the seat of government were numbered, although it was muchfavoured by the early Norman kings, possibly owing to its proximity tosuch hunting grounds as the New Forest Cranborne Chase (where KingJohn's hunting lodge still stands), and the Royal Warren of Purbeck. 

William I had his great palace near the cathedral, and it was toWinchester that the body of William Rufus was brought on a cart, afterhis ill-fated death in the New Forest. 

Then the Domesday Book--if not compiled at Winchester--was kept therefor many years, when it was called "The Book of Winton". In the seventhyear of Henry II a charge appears in the Pipe Roll for conveying the"arca", in which the book was kept, from Winchester to London. 

There is naturally much in the life-history of St. Swithun that isincapable of proof. He was possibly born in the neighbourhood ofWinchester about the year 800. He became a monk of the old abbey, androse to be head of the community, when he gained the favour of KingEgbert, who entrusted him with the education of his son Ethelwolf. Thereis an authentic charter granted by Egbert in 838, and bearing thesignatures of Elmstan, _episcopus_, and Swithunus, _diaconus_. On thedeath of Elmstan, in 852, Swithun was appointed his successor in thesee, when, in addition to erecting several churches, and building astone bridge over the Itchen, he appears to have enlarged and beautifiedthe Saxon cathedral built by Kynewalch when Winchester became the seatof a bishopric in 679. The site of this Saxon church is considered tohave been a little to the north of the present cathedral, which is aNorman building commenced by Walkelin a few years after the Conquest. 

St. Swithun is best known to-day in his capacity of weather prophet. Inhis humility he is said to have desired to be buried outside the church, so that the foot of the passer-by, and the rainwater from the eaves, could fall upon his grave; and here his body lay for more than acentury. When his remains were eventually translated, a chapel waserected over the site of his grave at the north-east corner of thechurch, and faint traces of this building may still be seen. King Edgarprovided the richly jewelled shrine into which the relics of the saintwere translated by St. Ethelwold, on July 15, 980, when the relics ofBirinus were enshrined at the same time, although these had already beentranslated from Dorchester to Winchester by Bishop Hedda as early as theseventh century. The shrine attracted an immense number of pilgrimsuntil that of Becket at Canterbury rose into prominence. The skull ofSt. Swithun is said to have been taken to Canterbury by St. Elphege inthe eleventh century, and an arm of this patron saint of Winchester wasone of the most treasured possessions of Peterborough. What remained ofthese much-disturbed relics were re-translated by Bishop Walkelin fromthe old to the new cathedral, but in 1241 the shrine was broken by thevane of the tower falling through the roof. 

At the Reformation the shrine was destroyed, as is recorded in thecommissioners' letter, dated September 21, 1538:--

 "About three o'clock this Saturday morning, we made an end of the shrine here at Winchester. There was no gold, nor ring, nor true stone about it, but all great counterfeits; but the silver alone will amount to 2000 marks. "

The popular tradition regarding St. Swithun's Day, July 15, is to theeffect that, as it rains or is fair on this day, the ensuing forty dayswill be either wet or dry. 

 "St. Swithun's Day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain: St. Swithun's Day, if thou be fair, For forty days 't will rain nae mair. "

The tradition is said to be due to the saintly request beingdisregarded, with the result that, when his remains were about to betranslated, a heavy rain burst forth, and continued without ceasing forthe forty succeeding days. This was interpreted as a divine warning, sothat, instead of disturbing the saintly bones, a chapel was erected overthem. As a matter of fact, Professor Earle and other authorities assureus that the legend is fictitious, and that the translation was attendedby the utmost éclat and success, and blessed with fine weather. 

[Illustration: WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL FROM THE DEANERY GARDENS]

Foreign pilgrims coming from Normandy and Brittany, on their way to theshrine of St. Swithun, or to that of St. Thomas of Canterbury, wouldland, many of them, at Southampton, and journey to Winchester, thereto await other bands of pilgrims bound for the great Kentish shrine. This was the route taken by Henry II when he did penance before the tombof the murdered Becket, in July, 1174. Although clearly seen in the woldof Surrey and the weald of Kent at the present time, it must beconfessed that but faint traces of the Pilgrims' Way remain inHampshire, although early chroniclers speak of an old road that leddirect from Winchester to Canterbury. The great concourse of pilgrims toSt. Swithun's shrine caused Bishop Lucy to enlarge much of the church, and in the reign of the first Edward the building still known as theStrangers' Hall was erected by the monks of St. Swithun for the poorerclass of pilgrims, who here found food and shelter for the night. Ontheir departure they repaired to the doors of the Prior's lodging--thethree beautiful arches of which now form the entrance to theDeanery--where they were given alms and fragments of food to sustainthem on their journey. 

The associations of Alfred with this ancient Wessex capital are many andvarious. He founded the famous Abbey of Hyde, situated without the citygates, known for long as the New Minster, and first removed from itsoriginal site near the cathedral in the twelfth century. That Alfred'sremains were laid to rest somewhere within, or just without, the wallsis beyond question, although the exact spot has not yet beendefinitely located. When the Benedictine monks of Hyde obtained acharter from Henry I in 1110, giving them leave to erect a new conventand church in the green meadows outside the north gate, they are said tohave taken to their new home the wonder-working shrine of St. Josse, thesilver cross given by Canute, and the bones of Alfred. 

At the Reformation, Thomas Wriothesley wrote to Cromwell saying:--

 "We intend both at Hyde and St. Mary to sweep away all the rotten bones that be called relics; which we may not omit, lest it be thought we came more for the treasure than for the avoiding of th' abomination of idolatry". 

So the resting-place of the noblest of English kings remains unknown;but a passing antiquary is said to have carried off a stone marked withthe words, "ÆLFRED REX, DCCCLXXXI", and this stone may still be seen atCorby Castle in Cumberland. 

Of Hyde Abbey nothing but an old gateway near St. Bartholomew's Church, and some slight fragments of wall, remain; but a considerable portionwas standing until the ruins were pulled down to provide the site for anew Bridewell, which has vanished in its turn. The property has now comeinto the hands of the Corporation, and scientific excavations have beencommenced. Strong hopes are entertained that Alfred's tomb may befound, although the iconoclasts of the Reformation and the Magistratesof later days have made the task a difficult, if not an impossible one. In 1901 Alfred's thousandth anniversary was celebrated at Winchester, and on September 20 of that year Lord Rosebery unveiled HamoThorneycroft's magnificent bronze statue, standing in the Broadway, andbearing on its granite pedestal the single word, eloquent in itssimplicity:--

 AELFRED. 

Interesting and important as are the associations of Alfred and St. Swithun with this ancient capital of Wessex, the _genius loci_ isWilliam of Wykeham, one of the most remarkable men the world has everproduced. The more we study his life and character the more we areamazed at the versatile nature of his splendid gifts. Born, like Wolsey, the only other clerical architect with whom he can be compared, ofhumble parents, in the sleepy little village of Wickham, in the autumnof 1324, he early attracted the attention of Sir John Scures, the lordof the manor of Wickham, and Constable of Winchester Castle. By SirJohn's influence he became a scholar at the Priory School, the "GreatGrammar School of Winchester", then situated just outside the west wallof the priory enclosure. Taught by the brethren of St. Swithun's, hewas eventually recommended to Bishop Edington, who appears to haveappreciated the great talent for architecture shown by young Wykeham. Edington himself was no mean builder, and he had already begun torebuild the west front of the cathedral, and to transform the nave fromthe Norman to the Perpendicular style, a transformation that was to becompleted by Wykeham when he succeeded his old master in the episcopacy. 

In Wykeham's twenty-third year Edward III came to Winchester, and he, having heard of the clever young architect, wished to test his skill inthe warfare then being waged against Scotland and France, andparticularly in the new fortifications of Calais. On taking service withthe King, plain William Wykeham became Sir William de Wykeham, and asSurveyor of Works he superintended such buildings as St. Stephen'sChapel, Westminster, and the castles of Dover and Queensborough. In 1356he was in charge of Windsor Castle, which, as his birthplace, Edwardwished to beautify by many additions. It has been said that the RoundTower Wykeham built at Windsor made the fortune of its designer. We nowfind Wykeham Warden of all the royal castles, and sub-dean of the churchof St. Martins-le-Grand, on the site of which is the General PostOffice; and as a public notary he was present at the signing of theTreaty of Bretigny. 

Possibly owing to the dearth of clergy caused by the Black Death, Wykeham, after the laying-on of hands by his old master, BishopEdington, became an acolyte in the December of 1361, a sub-deacon in theMarch following, and priest in the June of 1362. A few years later, whenEdington was laid to rest within his cathedral, a sharp controversyarose between the King and the Pope as to who should succeed. Thedifferences, which need not be discussed here, being eventually settledto the satisfaction of both parties, Wykeham was offered the vacant see, when he said to the King:

 "Sire, I am unworthy, but wherein I am wanting myself, that will I supply by a brood of more scholars than all the prelates of England ever showed". 

And how worthily he fulfilled his promise is a matter of history. 

To quote the authors of _Historic Winchester_:

 "There was a great stir in the old city when the day of Wykeham's enthronement arrived. It was the 9th of July, and the town would be looking especially beautiful in its bower of trees; an outrider had announced the bishop before he entered the city, probably by the north gate, and either here or at the entrance to the close he was met by the Archdeacon of Northampton, William Athey by name, who was commissioned to enthrone him: having saluted, the Archdeacon alighted from his palfrey, which according to the custom at that time was with all its trappings taken possession of by this ecclesiastic. .. . The bishop's robing most probably took place at the priory close by, from whence the procession, forming in the cloisters under the direction of Hugo de Basyng, prior of St. Swithun's, would pass to the west door, where it would be joined by the heads of the other monasteries in and near Winchester--Thomas de Pechy, Abbot of Hyde, holding highest rank amongst them. Next would follow long lines of monks clad in their robes of brown, black, white, or grey, according to their order, and then many a layman, gathered in from the country round to honour both Church and State on this occasion. The great procession, gorgeous with embroidered cope and many a rich vestment, with episcopal staff and crozier both of prior and abbot carried aloft, must have formed an imposing spectacle as it filed up the long nave of the cathedral, thronged, doubtless, to overflowing by many citizens--for unusual interest would be evinced by Winchester in this enthronement of one long known to them, now Chancellor of England and certainly, next to the King and Archbishop, the greatest man in the country. "

As bishop, Wykeham found plenty to do, apart from his ecclesiasticalduties, in repairing his various palaces, and in housing thepredecessors of his Winchester scholars in a house on St. Giles's Hill, until such time as he could give them fitting buildings and a chapel oftheir own. But before Wykeham could see his schemes take anarchitectural form, he was to suffer the loss of royal favour owing tothe death of the Black Prince and the rise into power of his enemy, Johnof Gaunt. The bishop was charged with the misappropriation of a smallsum of money, and, judgment being given against him, the temporalitiesof the see of Winchester were seized, and he was forbidden to comewithin twenty miles of the Court. He retired to Waverley Abbey, of whichsome picturesque ruins remain, near Farnham; and although on the King'sjubilee pardon was granted to all offenders, a special exception wasmade in the case of "Sire William de Wykeham". 

[Illustration: WYKEHAM'S CHANTRY]

This was more than the heads of the Church could stand, especially asthe original charge was an unjust one; so at the ensuing meeting ofConvocation, Courtenay, then Bishop of London, declared boldly thatunless their favourite bishop was reinstated in office, no money wouldbe forthcoming from the clergy. In less than a month the pressing needof funds caused the King to send a messenger to Waverley and beg Wykehamto return to his house at Southwark. This was the first step, which, however, did not mean an immediate return to the temporalities, as thesehad been settled on the youthful heir apparent, Richard; but the peopletook up Wykeham's cause, and on June 18, 1377, in the presence of thelittle Richard, his uncle, and the King's council, Wykeham promised tofit out three galleys for sea, in return for the temporalities ofWinchester. Two days later Edward III died, forsaken by his mistress, Alice Perrers, and estranged from the one man who had served him so longand so faithfully. 

The architectural genius of Wykeham as exhibited at St. Mary's Collegeand the cathedral at Winchester, and at New College, Oxford, originallyfounded as "St. Maries' College of Winchester at Oxenford", marks a verydecided epoch in the development of English architecture. His works, inan architectural style found nowhere but in England, are the outcome ofa mind free from triviality, and full of common sense. His buildings areadmirably suited to their purpose, and at first sight they appear to beso simple in design that it has been suggested that Wykeham cared morefor the constructive than the artistic side of building. It is true thathe considered sound construction and good proportions of greaterimportance than a profusion of detail, yet such ornament as is found inhis work is highly effective and most carefully studied. To thisbishop-architect we undoubtedly owe much of the dignity and simplicitywhich mark the Early Perpendicular buildings, qualities which make thestyle such a contrast to the exuberance of that which immediatelypreceded it, or the over-elaboration of the Tudor buildings thatfollowed it. 

With few exceptions, practically the whole of Wykeham's work, both hereand at Oxford, remains much as he left it; so that, good bishop, wiseadministrator, generous founder, and pioneer educationist though he was, it is mainly as a munificent builder and architectural genius that hisfame has lived in the past, and will continue to live in the future. 

Here for the moment we must leave the great prelate of Winchester andbegin our perambulation of the city that received him as a youth, welcomed him as a bishop, mourned him when dead, and that still bears onthe long nave of its cathedral, and on its famous college, the impressof his manly, robust, and essentially English mind. 

By way of a footpath leading from the London and South-Western Railwaystation, the upper part of the famous High Street can be reached, although the thoroughfare now possesses but few features of interestuntil we arrive at the old West Gate, a reminder, if such were needed, that Winchester was a heavily fortified and strongly walled city. On theright is Castle Hill, the site of the ancient castle wherein Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, was imprisoned and Matilda besieged, and fromwhose courtyard William Rufus set out on the hunting expedition to theNew Forest which was attended by such fatal consequences. All that nowremains of this stronghold is the fine old hall built by Henry III. 

For some time this apartment was used as the County Hall, and here JudgeJeffreys opened his Bloody Assize before proceeding to Dorchester, Exeter, and Taunton. Alice Lisle was the widow of John Lisle, who hadbeen Master of St. Cross Hospital, and member for Winchester in the LongParliament. Although the men of Hampshire had taken no part inMonmouth's Rebellion, many of the fugitives had fled thither, and two ofthem, John Hickes, a Non-conformist divine, and Richard Nelthorpe, alawyer, found refuge in the house of Alice Lisle, where they wereeventually discovered. At her trial, Alice Lisle stated briefly that, although she knew Hickes to be in trouble, she was quite ignorant of thefact that he had participated in the rebellion. When the jury said theydoubted if the charge had been made out, Jeffreys was furious, and afteranother long consultation they returned a verdict of "Guilty". The nextmorning the judge pronounced sentence, and ordered the prisoner to be_burned alive_ that same afternoon. When remonstrances had poured infrom all quarters, Jeffreys consented to the execution being postponedfor five days; and the sentence was eventually commuted from burning tohanging. So the first victim of Monmouth's ill-fated rebellion washanged on a scaffold in the market-place of Winchester. 

A striking object hanging at one end of the hall is the top of thereputed Round Table of King Arthur, painted in radiating white and greensections, with a portrait of the famous king inset, crowned and robed, and the Tudor rose in the centre, while around the circumference arethe names of the knights in old black-letter characters. Doubtful thoughit is that the table is the actual one that figures in the Arthurianlegends, yet it is certainly of great antiquity, and has been frequentlyreferred to by more than one writer of mediaeval days. It has beenconjectured that it may be nothing more than the wheel of fortune whichHenry III commanded to be made for the castle. In later years anotherpalace was started here by Charles II, the only portion that wascompleted being now used as barracks. 

Beyond the West Gate is an obelisk, set up in commemoration of avisitation of the Plague in 1669, when the country people brought theirproduce and left it outside the gate to be taken in by the citydwellers, who deposited the money for the goods in bowls of vinegar, whence it was abstracted by pincers, to avoid infection. The stone onwhich the exchanges were made is incorporated in the base of theobelisk. 

The West Gate is the only one that remains of the principal entrances tothe city, as King's Gate, with the little church of St. Swithun perchedon top, was of secondary importance. This West Gate escaped the fatethat has overtaken so many of our old city gates owing to its havingbeen used for some time as a smoking room for the adjacent hotel. Thisapartment above the crown of the gateway arch is, like that over theWest Gate of Canterbury, used for the purposes of a museum, wherein aredeposited such interesting relics as the Winchester bushel, clothmeasures, and ancient instruments of punishment. At one time the roomwas used as a prison, and the walls are covered with names or marks madeby those who were incarcerated here. 

The gate is of fourteenth-century date, the two panels with armorialbearings seen on the western side of the archway being later insertions. Through the gateway a delightful view is obtained of the picturesqueHigh Street, with many a high-pitched gable rising above the masses ofirregular architecture; while an ancient clock on a wooden bracket jutsout from the old Queen Anne Guildhall, which has a statue of Her Majestyover the entrance, the Curfew Tower rising on one side of the building. A new Guildhall of greater architectural pretensions has been erected inthe Broadway, the original one being now used as a shop. 

[Illustration: THE BUTTER CROSS]

From the West Gate the High Street slopes down to the Itchen. On theright stands the old Butter Cross, in rather a cramped position. Tworeasons have been given for its name: one, that during Lent, thosewishing to eat butter could do so by consuming it by the cross; theother, and more probable, explanation is that here came farmers wishingto dispose of their butter, which they exposed for sale on the stepsof the cross. The structure is of fifteenth-century date, but has beenmuch restored, the only original figure on it being that of St. Amphibalus. Just beside the cross is the interesting little opening thatleads into the Close, and in which is the entrance to St. LawrenceChurch, of which nothing is visible from this point but the doorway, andthe tower rising above the surrounding houses. This church has been saidto be the Mother Church of the diocese of Winchester, an idea that mayhave owed its origin to the fact that before proceeding to the Cathedralto be enthroned the bishops designate enter this ancient church to robeand "ring themselves in". Only the other day, May 6, 1911, Dr. Talbotfollowed this old custom, and the people listened eagerly for the numberof rings, as these are supposed to denote the number of years the bishopwill be at the head of the diocese. It may be of interest to chroniclethat Dr. Talbot rang nine times. 

Near the church at one time was an open space called the Square, wherewere situated the Pillory and Whipping Post. The palace of William I issaid to have occupied this site, and St. Lawrence's Church may possiblyhave been the private chapel of the royal residence. A fragment ofNorman masonry gives a certain amount of probability to thesupposition, while at the beginning of last century some workmenexcavating in Market Street came across the foundations of an ancienttower, of great thickness and strength. The present arched and narrowentrance from High Street leads to the fine avenue of limes that formsthe principal approach to the west front of the Cathedral, begun byEdington _circa_ 1360, the severe simplicity of which has been muchcriticized, Ruskin assailing it furiously in the _Stones of Venice_. Onthe apex of the gable is a canopied niche containing a statue ofWykeham. 

The present edifice is thought to stand approximately on the site of theearlier Saxon church restored by Ethelwold in 980, in which Queen Emmaunderwent the "fiery ordeal" by walking blindfold and barefooted overnine red-hot plough-shares, thus proving her innocence of the chargesbrought against her, and furnishing her accusers with an example of whatfemale chastity is able to accomplish. The main portion of the structureas seen to-day was begun by Bishop Walkelin about 1079, and completedsome fourteen years later. It is the longest of English churches, measuring externally 566 feet, and internally 562-1/2 feet, being a fewfeet longer than St. Alban's, which has the same plan; although we mustremember that when the nave of Winchester terminated at the west in twolarge towers the whole mass was 40 feet longer than at present. 

The vista of the whole block of masonry, with its stumpy tower andheavily buttressed walls, conveys the idea of immense strength ratherthan of gracefulness; while its situation at the bottom of a hill, andnear the bank of the river, is one of great charm. 

It is when the nave is entered that the full beauty and vast proportionsof the Norman church are revealed, for this is in essence a Normanbuilding encased with Perpendicular details and additions. As Wykeham'salterations were merely added to the original piers, the stateliness ofthe whole remains. Full credit, of course, must be given to Wykeham forthe wonderful skill he showed in this work of transformation, and inremoving the heavy triforium, although the grandeur of the nave as awhole is due to the combined work of Walkelin and Wykeham. Thisalteration of styles in the nave was begun by Edington, continued byWykeham, and completed by his successors in the see--Cardinal Beaufortand Bishop Waynflete--who built the stone vaulting of the roof. Thetower at the intersection of the transepts is the second of its kind, the first, built by Walkelin, having fallen in 1107, owing, saystradition, to the wicked Red King having been buried beneath it. Of itsrebuilding there are no records. 

So many detailed architectural histories of the building have appearedthat its principal features must be familiar to every lover of ournational architecture. There are, however, one or two features aboutthis cathedral that should be noted. Apart from its great length, whichis greater than any church in the world, with the exception of St. Peter's at Rome, it is remarkable for its parclose screens, with themortuary chests upon them; and for the beauty and number of itschantries, in which it is richer than any other English cathedral. Theyare said to have been saved from destruction during the Civil War by theParliamentary colonel, Fiennes, an old Wykehamist; and certainhistorians describe the dramatic incident of the colonel standing withdrawn sword to protect the chantry of the founder of his Alma Mater fromthe iconoclastic tendencies of his troopers. The chantries number seven, and were built as chapels by bishops for their last resting-places. Within these chantries are the tombs of Edington, Wykeham, Waynflete, Beaufort, Gardiner, Langton, and Fox, all of whom were bishops of thediocese. Fox's chantry was carefully restored by Corpus Christi College, Oxford; and that of Waynflete by Magdalen College, as a mark ofreverence and esteem for the memory of their respective founders. 

The first to be seen on entering the nave from the west is that ofWykeham, whose faith in the solidity of Norman building was so greatthat he did not hesitate to cut away more than a third of the two navepillars between which it is placed. Within the chapel, said to have beenbuilt on the site of an altar to the Virgin, is the effigy of thebishop-builder, with flesh and robes coloured "proper", as the heraldssay; and at his feet are the figures of his three favourite monks, towhom he left an endowment for the celebration of three masses daily inhis chantry, while each was to receive one penny a day from the prior. The effigy lies on an altar tomb, in episcopal attire, the head-pillowsupported by two angels. Five bays farther on is Edington's chantry, butwithout effigy, as also are those of Fox and Langton. Of the sevenchantries those of Fox and Beaufort are usually considered the mostbeautiful. 

The proud Cardinal Beaufort, founder of the "Almshouse of Noble Poverty"at St. Cross, is represented by Shakespeare as dying in despair:

 "Lord Cardinal, if thou think'st on Heaven's bliss Hold up thy hand: make signal of thy hope. He dies, and makes no sign!"

Dean Kitchin writes: "One cannot look at his effigy, as it lies in hisstately chantry, without noting the powerful and selfish characteristicsof his face, and especially the nose, large, curved, and money-loving. The sums Beaufort had at his disposal were so large that he was theRothschild of his day. More than once he lent his royal masters enoughmoney to carry them through their expeditions. "

The mortuary chests are certainly among the most interesting thingspossessed by any English cathedral. They are supposed to contain thebones of Kings Eadulph, Kinegils, Kenulf, Egbert, Canute, Rufus, Edmund, Edred, Queen Emma, and Bishops Wina and Alwyn. They no doubt got muchmixed up when removed from the crypt by Henry de Blois, and again whenthe chests were broken open by the Parliamentarians, so that a detailedidentification has been made impossible. It is now generallyacknowledged that the bones of Rufus are in one of these chests, andthat the so-called Rufus tomb in the retro-choir is the burial place ofsome great ecclesiastic. Such at any rate is the opinion of DeanKitchin, who has done so much to elucidate the past history of the cityand its Cathedral. 

When one of these boxes was taken recently out of its enclosing chestand examined, it was found to have a roof something like a low gable, which was decorated with painting about a century later than the time ofde Blois. On the outside appeared the words in Latin: "Here are togetherthe bones of King Kinegils and of Ethelwolf". Four of the Italianchests that held the inner boxes were the gift of Bishop Fox. Theother chests have revealed five complete sets of human bones, and amongthe remains in another were the bones of a female, possibly those ofQueen Emma. 

[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE DEANERY]

The visitor will not fail to have pointed out to him by thewell-informed vergers the innumerable features of interest, such as theLady Chapel, the retro-choir, the Holy Hole where the relics were kept, the black oak stalls of the choir, the fine pulpit given by PriorSilkstede, and the magnificent screen begun by Beaufort and completed byFox. The monuments, apart from those contained in the chantries, aremany, and include one surmounted by a beautifully wrought cross-leggedeffigy, which has not yet been identified. There are memorials or tombsof James I and Charles I, by le Suer, who wrought the statue of thelatter at Charing Cross; Dr. Warton, Professor of Poetry at Oxford, andheadmaster of Winchester; Jane Austen; and William Unwin, the intimatefriend of Cowper. A flat stone, with an inscription by hisbrother-in-law, Ken, marks the resting-place of Izaak Walton, "whosebook", a modern writer tells us, "makes the reader forget for the timethe cruelty of his sport". 

The curiously carved font, whereon are depicted symbolical figures andincidents from the legendary life of St. Nicholas of Myra, bears muchsimilarity to three others found in Hampshire--at St. Michaels', Southampton; East Meon; and St. Mary Bourne. They are all of the sameera, and possibly the work of the same hand, being among the mostinteresting of our Norman fonts. The material of which they are made hasnever been settled, some authorities defining it as Tournai marble, others as basalt, and yet others as nothing more than slate. 

The roll of bishops is a remarkable one, and the see has had eleven whowere also Lord Chancellors, the last being Wolsey in 1529. 

As we have seen, Winchester continued in favour with the reigning houseslong after it had ceased to be a royal residence. Here Henry I wasmarried to the Saxon Matilda, and here in the closing years of his lifethe aged Wykeham married Henry IV and Joan of Navarre; and here, too, came Philip of Spain and Henry VIII's sad daughter, Mary of England, tobe wedded before the high altar, the chair on which the royal bride satbeing still shown to visitors. 

For the architectural student the plan of the cathedral is not the leastinteresting feature of the building, for although it has an ambulatorywhich is semicircular internally, the plan is in other respects ratherexceptional. It is what architects call a periapsidal plan, meaning thatits eastern termination contains a processional aisle or ambulatory, designed mainly for the purpose of allowing a procession to pass roundthe high altar without entering the presbytery. In the crypt ofWinchester Cathedral the plan of the early Norman church may be seen_sui generis_. A rather exceptional feature is that the easternambulatory is semicircular within but rectangular without, although thelong chapel that projects from this ambulatory has an apsidal, not arectangular, termination. 

To the receptive mind all our ancient cathedrals, and a few of ourmodern ones, possess a subtle atmosphere of their own, indescribable butplainly felt, both within and without their walls. In such an atmospherewe lose sight of the Winchester of to-day. It becomes ancient, ecclesiastical, historical, learned, and romantic. Here we return inimagination to the scenes of the Middle Ages, when love was attested bychivalrous deeds of arms done in honour of bright eyes, and poetrysounded its lyre in praise of him who had been most devoted to hisChurch, most faithful to his mistress, and most loyal to his king. As awhole, this Cathedral of Winchester is a vast building, simple almost toa fault, yet one that possesses a solemn repose unspeakably restful tomind and spirit--a sense of undisturbed harmony and refined yet massivesimplicity. Towards eventide the shadows of the turrets and pinnaclescreep, day by day, over the surrounding bands of greensward, their coolgreys advancing inch by inch until they reach the spacious pavements, whereon they cast the symbols of our Christian faith in ruddytrefoil-headed slants of glory. 

Whatever else is omitted from the history of the Cathedral, mention mustbe made of the valiant efforts that have been and are still being madeto preserve the stability of the structure. A few years ago the east endshowed signs of subsidence, and ominous cracks appeared in the northtransept, a part of the old Norman church. An examination of the fabricproved that herculean tasks were essential to save this portion of theedifice. It was agreed that only by extensive underpinning could thework be accomplished. It has been very costly, and funds are mosturgently needed to complete the preservation, not only of the easternend, but of the whole Cathedral. The cradle of woodwork erected to givetemporary support to the eastern superstructure cost over a thousandpounds to fix, and up to date many thousands of pounds have been spenton the work. It was not until these temporary supports had been fixedand excavations begun that the magnitude of the task was fully revealed. The Cathedral was found to have been built on an old "water-bed" havinga foundation of peat, the distance between the ground level and thefirm gravel beneath the peat being 27 feet. The only hope of saving theeast end was to remove the peat and fill in the spaces with concrete andcement. With the removal of the peat, however, there was so great aninflux of water that pumping was of no avail. Two of the best divers inthe kingdom were then procured, and by working on their backs and sidesin 15 feet of muddy water they succeeded in laying the concrete bed. Owing to the same cause, the remainder of the structure will, sooner orlater, have to be treated in the same way, and the thorough restorationof the west front cannot be long postponed. The difficulty of the workis realized when we consider that it takes a whole month to underpin 4feet of foundation. Owing to the cramped space and the darkness threeweeks are spent in excavation; after which the divers require a week toplace the concrete and cement in position. That so national a heritagewill be saved, for the delight of our own and the instruction of futuregenerations, must be the wish of all true lovers of the great buildingachievements of the past. 

The cathedral precincts are in excellent keeping with the repose andbeauty of the building to which they form the court, and are full ofhistorical memories. The palace of the Conqueror reached from GreatMinster Street to Market Street, from High Street to the Square; andeastwards rose the "New Minster", and the Nuns' Abbey of St. Mary. 

To-day the greater part of the Close, with the Deanery and the variouscanonical residences, lies on the south side. Only a few slightfragments remain of the cloisters, the destruction of which could nothave been considered possible by Wykeham. They were taken down by BishopHorne in the reign of Elizabeth. The short row of Norman arches seenfrom the Close belonged to the old Chapter House, which is said to havebeen pulled down for the sake of its lead. The Deanery was the ancienthouse of the Priors, of which it contains many interesting memorials. Here are the Great Hall, now subdivided, and the Hospitium, used asstables. The Deanery entrance has three pointed arches, beneath which, as we have stated, the poor pilgrims and other wayfarers received foodand alms. On his numerous visits to Winchester, Charles II used to lodgeat the Deanery, until Prebendary Ken (afterwards Bishop of Bath andWells) refused to allow Nell Gwynne to enter the house, with the resultthat she had to content herself with an inferior residence outside theprecincts. 

Of Wykeham's "College of St. Marie", or New College, Oxford, this is notthe place to speak, especially as it has already been dealt with in the"Oxford" volume of this "Beautiful England" series. His other"College of St. Mary", or, as it is commonly known, Winchester College, has a history extending far beyond that of most of our great publicschools; and Winchester was celebrated for its educational institutionsin Saxon days. 

[Illustration: WINCHESTER COLLEGE: THE OUTER GATEWAY FROM "ARCADIA"]

Wykeham's idea in founding these two colleges was one for which he hadno precedent before him, so that his design was to a large extent in thenature of an experiment. His idea, of course, was to enable those whoproceeded from the Winchester to the Oxford College to receive asystematic and continuous education. Where Wykeham led, others were notlong in following. Two of his successors in the see of Winchester, Waynflete and Fox, gave to Oxford the beautiful colleges of Magdalen andCorpus Christi respectively. Archbishop Chichele, one of Wykeham's firstscholars, built St. Bernard's College, now St. John Baptist's, which hegave to the Cistercians before its completion; and later in life hefounded the College of All Souls, while in his native village of HighamFerrers, Northants, he built and endowed a school, bede-house, andchurch, which are among some of the loveliest pieces of building wepossess. Henry VI made himself intimately acquainted with the works ofWykeham, and copied them for his two colleges of Eton, and King'sCollege, Cambridge. Until Wykeham's time, schools had been under orconnected with monastic houses; now they were distinct foundations, withpriests still as masters, but priests secular and not religious. Wykehamwas, indeed, the pioneer of the public-school system, of which, with allits shortcomings, England is so justly proud. 

Each of the bishop's colleges took about six years in building, and thatat Oxford was the first to be finished. It must have been a proud dayfor Winchester when, on March 28, 1393, the "seventy faithful boys", headed by their master, came in procession from St. Giles's Hill, wherethey had been temporarily housed, and, all chanting psalms, entered intopossession of their fair college. 

The buildings have been but little altered since their founder's day, and extend now, as then, on the south side of the Close, and along thebank of the Itchen. They consist mainly of two quadrangles, in the firstof which, entered from College Street by a gateway, are the Warden'shouse and other offices. Here is the brewhouse, quite unaltered; but theWarden's house has absorbed the old bakehouse, slaughterhouse, andbutcher's room. Over the second archway are figures of the Virgin, withGabriel on her right, and Wykeham kneeling on her left. Here was a roomfor the Warden, from which he could see all who entered or left thecollege; and here also is the site of the old penthouse under which thescholars used to perform their ablutions, and which they called "Moab". The old Society comprised the Warden, ten Fellows, three Chaplains, sixteen Queristers, and seventy scholars. The boys, the chaplains, andthe choristers lived within the inner quadrangle, the northern side ofwhich is formed by the chapel and the refectory. The original chapel, with the exception of the beautiful fan-groining of its roof, was muchdefaced in the seventeenth century, but was restored in the nineteenth, when a new reredos was added. The refectory remains practicallyuntouched, and has a roof enriched with some beautiful carved woodwork, the painted heads of kings and bishops, and some great mullionedwindows. Over the buttery is the audit-room, hung with ancient and raretapestries, and containing a large chest known as Wykeham's money box. The original schoolroom was in the basement, and has long been put toother uses. The chantry, the beautiful cloisters, and the chapel towerwere all built after the founder's death, but he provided a wooden belltower, which stood away from the chapel, so that the main buildingshould not be injured by the vibration of the bells. The remainingportions are mostly modern, and the foundation has naturally been muchenlarged since Wykeham's day, the last addition being the gateway inKingsgate Street, erected as a memorial to the many Wykehamists whofell in the South African War. 

On the wall of a passage adjoining the kitchen is a singular painting, supposed to be emblematical of a "trusty servant", compounded of a man, a hog, a deer, and an ass. The explanatory words beneath it areattributed to Dr. Christopher Jonson, headmaster from 1560 to 1571. 

With the completion of Winchester College, Wykeham turned his attentionto the Cathedral, although he was then seventy years of age. He lived tosee his munificence bearing good fruit, and his foundations flourishingin reputation and usefulness; so that when he lay down to die, onSeptember 27, 1404, in his palace of Bishops' Waltham, he could lookback to a long life spent in the service of his Maker. The funeralprocession moved slowly along the ten miles that separated palace fromCathedral through crowds of people mourning his loss. At the Cathedraldoor the prior met the procession, and the great bishop-builder was laidto rest in the beautiful chantry he had himself prepared. Four daysbefore his death he made and signed his will, in which he bestowed giftsand legacies with the liberality that was so marked a characteristic ofhis life. That crowds of poor would attend his obsequies he was probablyaware, for to each poor person seeking a bounty he bequeathed fourpence, "for the love of God and his soul's health". To the Cathedral, onwhich he had expended so much of his genius, he left money for itscompletion; and bequeathed to it many precious things, including a crossof gold in which was a piece of the "Tree of the Lord". Henry IV wasforgiven a debt of five hundred pounds, and was to have a pair ofsilver-gilt basins, ornamented with double roses, which were probablygiven to Wykeham by Edward III, as a special mark of his favour. So wetake leave of this master builder and munificent bishop, whose motto"Manners makyth man" is known the world over. The inscription on histomb tells us of his works, but Wykeham needs no inscription so long asthe stones of the Cathedral hold together, and his two fair collegesraise their buttressed walls beside the waters of the Isis and theItchen. 

[Illustration: THE CLOISTERS, WINCHESTER COLLEGE]

Returning to the Butter Cross, the Piazza adjoining reminds one of theButter Walk at Dartmouth, and the famous "Rows" of Chester. It was usedfor many years as a market where the country folk brought their produce, being then known as the "Penthouse". The mints established on the siteby Athelstan were noted for the excellence of the coinage made there. Inthe Westgate Museum an old leaden box is shown which was discovered atBeauworth by a shepherd. It was found to contain some six thousandsilver pennies of the coinage of William I and Rufus. In addition to itsfamous mints Winchester was the chief trading centre of this part ofEngland during mediaeval days. A great woollen trade was carried on withFlanders when the city became one of the "staple" towns, stillcommemorated by "Staple Gardens", a narrow lane leading out of the northside of High Street, where the great warehouse for the storage of woolonce stood. A little below the Queen Anne Guildhall, but on the oppositeside of the street, is St. John's Hospital; while another old laneleading off from the main thoroughfare is Royal Oak Passage, at thejunction of which with the street is the ancient house known asGod-begot House, with some good timberwork and a fine gable. "Jewry"Street recalls to our memory the early settlement of the Jews inWinchester, for the citizens seem to have been more kindly disposedtowards this persecuted race than those of the majority of Englishcities at an early period in their history. Richard of Devizes, in 1189, called Winchester the "Jerusalem of the Jews", and, writing of themassacre and plunder of the Jews in London and other cities, said:"Winchester alone, the people being prudent and circumspect and the cityalways acting mildly, spared its vermin". The Jews settled in Winchesterbetween the years 1090 and 1290, landing at Southampton and makingtheir way up the Itchen until they came in sight of the old capital ofthe kingdom. Crossing the river, they entered the city by the East Gate, and finally chose as their abiding-place a site near the north walls, ina thoroughfare then known as "Scowrtenstrete", Shoemakers' Row. Thecommunity soon could boast of a synagogue, and were the possessors ofseveral schools. At the bottom of the High Street are the Abbey Gardens, so called from their being on the site of an abbey founded by Ealhswith, King Alfred's queen, in which to spend the years of her widowhood. Thegeneral plan of the gardens has probably been but little altered sincethe days when the nuns paced their shady paths in pious meditation. Anancient manuscript of prayers, used by the abbess in the ninth century, is preserved in the British Museum. Ealhswith's son, Edward the Elder, levied a toll from all merchandise passing under the City Bridge bywater, and beneath the East Gate by land, for the better support of theabbey founded by his mother. Before the bridge stood the East Gate, andcrossing we are in that part of the city known as the "Soke". In the"Liberty of the Soke" the bishop of the diocese had his court, presidedover by the bailiff as his deputy. Thus the bishop's jurisdiction wasentirely independent of that of the civic authorities. Wolvesey was hispalace, and within its walls, now ivy-clad and crumbling to decay, heheld his court, with three tithing men and a constable to assist him. Here also was his exchequer, and here he imprisoned those who offendedagainst his laws. All that now remains of the once celebrated episcopalpalace of Wolvesey--said, with no authority, to have been so named fromthe tribute of wolves' heads levied upon the Welsh by King Edgar--are afew ruined walls, of sufficient extent to give one an idea of thestrength of the castle in its original state. At Wolvesey King Alfredbrought together the scholars who were to aid him in writing the"Chronicles of the Time"; and on the outer walls he hung the bodies ofDanish pirates as a warning to those who made periodical raids up thevalley of the Itchen. 

In the hands of Bishop de Blois the palace became of great importance, and withstood a siege by David, King of Scotland, and Robert, Earl ofGloucester. De Blois was one of those who assisted at the coronation ofHenry II, and pulled down the tower when the bishop was absent from thediocese without the royal permission, on a visit to Clugny. Althoughshorn of much of its former strength, the palace remained a fortressuntil the fortifications of Winchester were reduced to a heap of ruinsby Cromwell. 

[Illustration: RUINS OF WOLVESEY CASTLE]

Beyond the City Bridge rises St. Giles's Hill, named after Giles, oneof those numerous hermit saints who played so prominent a part inestablishing the Christian faith in these islands. The hill is deeplygrooved by a railway cutting; on it was held for many centuries a kindof open market or annual fair, which attracted the wealthy merchants ofFrance, Flanders, and Italy. The fair generally lasted a fortnight, during which time all other local business was suspended, the shopsclosed, and the mayor handed over the keys of the city to the bishop, who claimed large fees from the stall holders. Thirty marks were paidfor repairs needed at the Church of St. Swithun, and similar sums weredemanded by the abbeys. Bishop Walkelin was granted the tolls of thefair for three days by William Rufus, his kinsman; but in the time ofHenry III the privilege was extended to sixteen days. The stalls werearranged in long rows, and named according to the goods sold thereon, orafter the nationality of the vendors. Thus one row would be named theStreet of Caen, another that of Limoges, while the Drapery and Spicerystalls were held by the monks of St. Swithun, who proved themselvesenergetic traders at the great annual fair, which lasted until moderntimes, and was removed in due course from St. Giles's Hill into thecity. Dean Kitchin writes: "As the city grew stronger and the fairweaker, it slid down St. Giles's Hill and entered the town, where itsnoisy ghost still holds revel once a year". 

At the present day St. Giles's Hill is a pleasant spot from which toview the venerable city. Down the valley, by the Itchen, rises theHospital and Church of St. Cross, a picturesque and peaceful group ofbuildings viewed from any position, but particularly so taken inconjunction with the ancient city and the fertile valley threaded bynumberless small streams. On the left side of the valley is St. Catherine's Hill, a bold and outstanding spur crowned with a small beltof trees surrounded by a circular earthwork. At one time a chapeldedicated to St. Catherine capped the hill, and slight traces of thebuilding may yet be seen. Here is the interesting maze, said to havebeen made by a Winchester College boy who was obliged to remain behindduring the holidays, but probably of a different origin, someantiquaries holding the opinion that it is of great antiquity, and insome way connected with ecclesiastical penance. 

Looking citywards, one can see the towers of many churches rising abovethe gables and chimneys of the houses. Near at hand are St. Peter's, Cheeshill, and St. John's, the former an interesting little buildingwith a mixture of styles, among which the Norman and Early Englishpredominate, the windows being of a later period. The bell turret issituated at the south-east corner of the building, which, as a whole, gives a singular impression, due to the fact that it is nearly as broadas it is long. St. John's Church is the most interesting in the city, containing as it does a fine rood screen, with the rood-loft stairsstill existing in a turret of fifteenth-century date. Other features ofinterest are the fourteenth-century Decorated screens that enclose thechancel on each side, and an arched recess at the east end of the northwall, containing an altar-tomb with quatrefoil panels supporting shieldson which are the symbols of the Passion. The tomb itself bears neitherinscription nor date. 

Here also are a set of carved bench ends, a Perpendicular pulpit, and anoctagonal font. 

Unfortunately, most of the other churches of Winchester have been eitherrebuilt or so altered as to retain very little of their originalarchitecture. The Church of St. Maurice, rebuilt in 1841, has saved aNorman doorway, fragments of a fine Decorated screen which now serve foraltar rails, and an ancient chest. 

Like most of our cathedral cities, Winchester is well supplied withcharitable institutions, although the best known of them all, the famousHospital of St. Cross, is situated a mile away from the city proper. TheHospital of St. John, within Winchester, is one of the oldestfoundations of the kind in the country, and a portion of the vaultedkitchen remaining in the building may not unreasonably be supposed tohave formed part of the almshouse thought to have been founded on thespot in A. D. 935 by St. Brinstan. The chapel connected with the charitydates from the time of the third Henry, and contains a piece offourteenth-century carving depicting the nimbed head of the Saviour, which is now built into a wall. Considerable doubt exists as to theoriginal founder and early re-founders of this hospital, and little isknown concerning it until the time of Edward II, when John Devenishre-founded it. At that period it seems to have been for the "sole reliefof sick and lame soldiers, poor pilgrims, and necessitated wayfaringmen, to have their lodging and diet there for one night, or longer, astheir inability to travel may require". Many influential citizens leftmoney or property to this charity. In 1400 Mark le Faire, Mayor ofWinchester, bequeathed to it several houses, including the "great inncalled the George", and the "house under the penthouse where Mr. Hodgsondied". Richard Devenish, in the time of Henry VI, left a sum of money toprovide for a more frequent performance of divine service in the chapel;but in the reign of Henry VIII these and other funds were confiscated, although the building itself was subsequently restored to theCorporation. 

[Illustration: BEAUFORT TOWER AND AMBULATORY, ST. CROSS]

After the Reformation, Ralph Lambe re-founded the charity for sixpoor and needy persons, who were to have six separate homes or chamberswithin the hospital, each furnished with locks and keys. Each person wasto receive ten shillings quarterly, with a gown value ten shillings, andten shillings' worth of coal yearly. On the election of a new mayor eachwas to receive two shillings, and any funds remaining were to be dividedamong the inmates at the discretion of the mayor and aldermen of thecity. This institution is still a flourishing one, and the originalhall, standing to the west of the chapel, is let as a publicdining-hall. 

Another old charity was that of St. Mary Magdalene, founded for lepers, in 1173-88, by Bishop Toclyve, the inmates being known locally as "theinfirm people upon the hill", now Maun Hill. In early times lepers wererequired to give up the whole of their personal goods, and one of thequestions asked by the official visitor to the Hospital of St. MaryMagdalene was whether the goods of the deceased inmates went to theworks of the church after the settlement of debts. The funds of thisfoundation were much tampered with at various times, and it lost some ofits property at the Reformation. One of its benefactors left to it fourflitches of bacon yearly, this being an important article of diet. Theoriginal plan of the hospital was quadrangular: on two sides were theinmates' rooms and the chapel, the remaining sides being occupied by theMaster's House and the common hall. The buildings were much damaged inthe time of Charles I by the troops stationed there, and again in thereign of Charles II by the Dutch prisoners confined within the hospital. The chapel was pulled down in 1788, and the materials were used forbuilding purposes, when the fine Early Norman doorway was used in theRoman Catholic Church in St. Peter Street, where it may still be seen. This was the west doorway of the ancient hospital chapel. The site isnow occupied by a hospital of another character, the isolation hospital, but the old "lepers' well" can still be seen. The charity survives tosome extent in six cottages in Water Lane, built in 1788, wherein arehoused four men and four women. 

In Symond's Street stands the picturesque "Christes Hospital", founded in1586 by James Symonds. It is generally called the "Bluecoat" Hospital, from the distinctive dress worn by the inmates. A scholastic institutionwas attached to this charity for the education of four poor boys, chosenby the mayor and corporation, who also elected their teacher. The latterwas not to be, in the terms of the founder, either a "Scotchman, anIrishman, a Welshman, a foreigner, or a North-countryman", lest theirpronunciation of the English language should suffer. 

From among the fertile meadows bordering the banks of the Itchen to thesouth of Winchester rises the stately grey pile of St. Cross, standingwhere it has stood for over seven and a half centuries, a witness aliketo the munificence of its founders, de Blois and Beaufort, and to theskill of the mediaeval builders. 

A good road leads from the city to the pleasing suburb in which thehospital is situated, though a far pleasanter way is by one of the fieldpaths through the meadows. 

Henry de Blois became bishop when only twenty-eight years old, and in1136 he founded the hospital for the entire support of "thirteen poormen, feeble and so reduced in strength that they can hardly or withdifficulty support themselves without another's aid"; and they were tobe supplied with "garments and beds suitable to their infirmities, goodwheate bread daily of the weight of 5 marks, and three dishes at dinnerand one at supper, suitable to the day, and drink of good stuff". 

Besides this, he provided for a hundred poor men to be supplied dailywith dinner. Bishop Toclyve, de Blois's successor in the see, added tothe charity the feeding of yet another hundred poor men daily; and ithas been said, on somewhat slight evidence, that the poorer scholars ofWinchester College dined without fee in the "Hundred Men's Hall". 

In 1137 the management of the institution was given over to the Knightsof St. John of Jerusalem; the cross still worn as a badge by theBrethren is a link with the ancient Order, being the cross _potent_, orJerusalem cross, which was an insignia of the Kingdom of Jerusalemestablished by the Crusaders. 

[Illustration: ST. CROSS FROM THE MEADOWS]

Shortly after the death of de Blois a dispute arose between theHospitallers and the bishop, but after the lapse of many years themanagement was restored to the latter, then Peter de Rupibus, whoappointed Alan de Soke as Master. In 1446, Cardinal Beaufort, Wykeham'ssuccessor in the see, added a new foundation to St. Cross, to be called"The Almshouse of Noble Poverty". De Blois's charity had been intendedto benefit the very needy; this of Beaufort's was designed for those whohad fallen upon evil days after a life of ease and comfort. There wereto be two priests, thirty-five brethren, and three sisters. The brethrenwere to be of gentle birth, or old servants of the founder. The scheme, however, was never completed, owing to the Wars of the Rosesintervening, with the result that the estates with which he had intendedto endow his almshouse were claimed by the Crown on the accession of theHouse of York. So it came about that in 1486 Bishop Waynflete wascompelled to reduce the recipients of Beaufort's charity to one priestand two brethren. Fortunately, St. Cross was spared at theReformation, and its endowments were not confiscated. The Vicar-Generalreported that there were "certain things requiring reformation", andthat sturdy beggars were to be "driven away with staves"; also that theLord's Prayer and the Creed were to be taught in English, and thatrelics and images were not to be brought out for the devotion ofpilgrims. In 1632 Archbishop Laud caused a strict enquiry to be made, with the result that the Master, Dr. Lewis, reported that the fabric wasin a state of great dilapidation. This Master lost his post through hisloyalty to Church and King, and John Lisle, the regicide, became Masterof the Hospital until Cromwell made him a peer, when his place wasfilled by John Cooke, the Solicitor-General who drew up the indictmentagainst Charles I. Both these regicides met with misfortune, for Cookewas executed and Lisle assassinated, so that at the Restoration Dr. Lewis was restored to the mastership. Between the years 1848 and 1853, chancery suits, costing a large sum of money, resulted in an entirelynew scheme being drawn up, under which the two charities were treated asseparate foundations under one head. The differences of qualificationbetween the two sets of Brethren are carefully laid down, and a portionof the income is used for the maintenance of fifty out-pensioners, themodern equivalent for the "Hundred Poor Men" of mediaeval days. Thedistinctive dresses of the Brethren are the same with regard to colourand cut as those worn in the time of Henry VI, those worn by therecipients of Beaufort's charity being of red cloth, with the badge, acardinal's hat and tassels on a silver plate, worn on the left breast. The Brethren of the older institution, founded by de Blois, wear blackgowns, with the silver cross _potent_ pinned on the left breast. On thedeath of a Brother the cross is placed on a red velvet cushion and laidon his breast in the coffin; but before burial the cross is removed andfastened by the Master on the breast of the Brother elected in place ofthe deceased. 

The Hospital buildings consist of an outer courtyard and gateway, to theright of which are the kitchens, and on the left the old brewhouse andremains of some of the earlier buildings. Immediately facing us is thetower gateway, thoroughly restored, if not built originally, by CardinalBeaufort, under the groined archway of which is the porter's lodge, where the "Wayfarers' Dole" is still distributed to all who apply at thehatchway, an interesting and almost sole survival of the mediaevalcustom by which food and drink were offered to passers-by. The dailydole at the present day consists of two gallons of ale and two loaves ofbread, divided into thirty-two portions. The apartment over the archwayis the Founder's room, wherein are stored all the ancient documentsrelating to the foundation. Beaufort's arms appear in one of thespandrels above the gateway arch, the corresponding spandrel exhibitingthe ancient regal arms of England. On this side of the entrance arethree niches, one of which contains a figure of the cardinal in akneeling posture. The vacant niche in the south front once held a statueof the Virgin, which fell to the ground more than a century ago, andnearly killed one of the Brethren in its descent. 

Passing through this noble gateway, which, somehow or other, does notlook as old as we know it to be, we enter the great quadrangle, aroundwhich the various buildings are grouped. On the eastern side is theInfirmary, with the Ambulatory beneath it, a long, low cloister ofsixteenth-century date, which extends along the whole side to thechurch. In one of the rooms above, a window opens into the church, wherethere may once have been a gallery to enable the infirm to hear theservices. In 1763 Bishop Hoadley granted a license to the Master to pulldown the cloister and use the materials for other purposes, butfortunately this was never done. On the opposite side of the quadrangleare the houses of the Brethren. Each dwelling consists of two rooms anda pantry, and has a garden attached. 

The Brethren's Hall stands on the north side of the quadrangle, and isa portion only of the old "Hundred Mennes Hall"; but enough is left toenable one to form a good idea of the original apartment, which measured36 feet by 24 feet, until a portion was cut off to provide rooms for theMaster, who is now lodged in a modern dwelling outside the gates. At theeast end of the hall is a table where the officials sat, those for theBrethren being ranged along the sides. Some black-leather jacks, candlesticks, salt-cellars, pewter dishes, and a dinner bell, all datingfrom Beaufort's time, are still carefully preserved. At the opposite endof the hall is a screen with the minstrels' gallery above, whence, onhigh days and holidays, the Brethren were enlivened with music duringtheir feastings. The chief festivals of the year were All Saints' Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Twelfth Day, and Candlemas Day, on whichoccasions the Brethren had "extraordinary commons, and on the eve ofwhich days they had a fire of charcoal in the Common Hall, and one jackof six quarts and one pint of beer extraordinary, to drink together bythe fire. And on the said feast-day they had a fire at dinner, andanother at supper in the said hall, and they had a sirloin of beefroasted, weighing forty-six pounds and a half, and three largemince-pies, and plum broth, and three joints of mutton for their supper, and six quarts and one pint of beer extraordinary at dinner, and sixquarts and one pint of beer after dinner, by the fireside; six quartsand a pint at supper, and the like after supper. " During Lent, eachbrother had eight shillings paid to him instead of commons, and on PalmSunday the Brethren had a "green fish, of the value of three shillingsand fourpence, and their pot of milk pottage with three pounds of riceboiled in it, and three pies with twenty-four herrings baked in them, and six quarts and one pint of beer extraordinary". On Good Fridays theyhad at dinner "in their pot of beer a cast of bread sliced, and threepounds of honey, boiled together, which they call honey sop". Beneaththe hall is a fine vaulted cellar, of ample proportions, a worthyresting-place for the stock of St. Cross ale. 

[Illustration: THE BRETHREN'S HALL, ST. CROSS]

But, interesting as are all these portions of the Hospital of St. Cross, it is the church which has the greatest attraction for architect andantiquary alike, for it contains good examples of every style. FromRomanesque, through Norman and Early English, to Later Decorated, and toTransition Norman, the church is considered to be the best example inexistence. This building, unfinished after nearly two hundred years, wasroofed with lead, in place of the thatch which originally covered it, byWilliam of Edyndon, the famous Wiltshireman who became Master of St. Cross in the fourteenth century, and who restored the fabric from theruinous state in which he found it to a condition of beauty andstrength. The windows of the clerestory were erected by him; here-roofed the "Hundred Menne's Hall", and built a new chamber for theMaster. 

On entering the church, through the north porch, one is struck by itsloftiness and dignity, the vaulting throughout being of stone, whilealmost every ornamental feature of the Norman style can be seen. Proceeding to the western end of the church, and looking down the nave, the gradual development of its architecture can be well seen. The eastend is Norman, the bay next the transepts Transition Norman, while thewest end is Early English. The windows vary from Norman and TransitionNorman to Early English, while those of the clerestory are Decorated. Mention must be made of the fine stone screens and tabernacle-work oneither side of the altar, the altar slab of Purbeck marble, thetriforium of intersecting arches in the choir, and the roof pendants. The western portion of the church was built during the mastership ofPeter de Sancto Mario, and his fine canopied tomb is a striking objecton the north side of the nave. Interesting, too, are the beautifulfourteenth-century tiles, some bearing the appropriate motto "HaveMynde"; and a very human note is struck in the mason's marks, still tobe seen in various parts of the building, especially around thestaircase door in the south transept. What these signs actually mean isunknown, but some authorities, notably Leader Scott in her work on_Cathedral Builders_, trace them through the Comacine Guild to the Roman_Collegia_. 

In the south-east corner of the south transept, on the exterior of thechurch, is a "triple-arch", which is thought to have been a doorway, andmay have led to the "clerken-house", the original habitation of theseven choristers and their master, but which was pulled down by deCloune, Master of St. Cross in the fourteenth century, who also allowedother parts of the fabric to fall into a state of great dilapidation. Here also, on the south side of the quadrangle, stood the originalhouses of Beaufort's foundation, which were not pulled down until 1789. 

No groups of buildings are in their way more charming or moreimpregnated with human associations than the famous episcopal foundationof St. Cross--an asylum of peace and rest, comfort and repose, to thosewho find shelter within its ancient walls, and a standing monument tothe memory of the pious Henry de Blois and the princely churchman, Cardinal Beaufort. Winchester, like many an English city, would be shornof much of its interest were this benevolent institution to be removed. The general air of peace and quietude, the grass-bordered walks, thestately church, all contribute to convey an appeal which is almostsacred in its simple eloquence. In the words of one who loved it well:"No one can pass its threshold without feeling himself landed, as itwere, in another age. The ancient features of the building, the noblegateway, the quadrangle, the common refectory, the cloister, and, risingabove all, the lofty and massive pile of the venerable church, theuniform garb and reverend mien of the aged brethren, the commonprovision for their declining years, the dole at the gatehouse, all leadback our thoughts to days when men gave their best to God's honour, andlooked on what was done to His poor as done to Himself, and were aslavish of architectural beauty on what modern habits might deem areceptacle for beggars, as on the noblest of royal palaces. It seems aplace where no worldly thought, no pride, or passion, or irreverencecould enter; a spot where, as a modern writer has beautifully expressedit, a good man, might he make his choice, would wish to die. "

The country around this beautiful city by the Itchen is full of quietcharm, for life's ever-changing drama has but one and the samebackground. The actors come and go, but the stage remains much the same, and the devotions, the meditations, and the acts of men who livedcenturies ago were set in the amphitheatre of the same green hills, andtook place beside the same winding river as those we gaze upon to-day. 

[Illustration: PLAN OF WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL]

Literature, too, has worthy names here in Izaak Walton and Jane Austen, both of whom lie buried in the cathedral; while the house at Winchesterin which the author of _Persuasion_ lived, for a brief period beforeher death, stands beyond the college gate. Above the door is a woodentablet recording that here Jane Austen spent her last days, dying July18, 1817. She had previously resided at Chawton for some eight years, but her house in the village is now a Workmen's Club. At the same time, Chawton is a pretty little spot, watered by land springs, known locallyas "lavants"; while some few miles away is Farrington, where GilbertWhite, of "Selborne" fame, was curate. 

Other literary associations of the Winchester country are thosefurnished by Hursley, where John Keble was vicar; by Otterbourne, thehome for many years of Charlotte Yonge; and by Eversley, whereWinchester's immortal son, Charles Kingsley, lies buried. 

Each succeeding visit to Winchester can only strengthen one's love forthe city, and one's reverence for the Cathedral in its midst. Ourpilgrimage of Winchester the beautiful is over. 

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_At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_