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Page 5
AELFRED.
Interesting and important as are the associations of Alfred and St.
Swithun with this ancient capital of Wessex, the _genius loci_ is
William of Wykeham, one of the most remarkable men the world has ever
produced. The more we study his life and character the more we are
amazed at the versatile nature of his splendid gifts. Born, like Wolsey,
the only other clerical architect with whom he can be compared, of
humble parents, in the sleepy little village of Wickham, in the autumn
of 1324, he early attracted the attention of Sir John Scures, the lord
of the manor of Wickham, and Constable of Winchester Castle. By Sir
John's influence he became a scholar at the Priory School, the "Great
Grammar School of Winchester", then situated just outside the west wall
of the priory enclosure. Taught by the brethren of St. Swithun's, he
was eventually recommended to Bishop Edington, who appears to have
appreciated the great talent for architecture shown by young Wykeham.
Edington himself was no mean builder, and he had already begun to
rebuild the west front of the cathedral, and to transform the nave from
the Norman to the Perpendicular style, a transformation that was to be
completed 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 in
the warfare then being waged against Scotland and France, and
particularly in the new fortifications of Calais. On taking service with
the King, plain William Wykeham became Sir William de Wykeham, and as
Surveyor of Works he superintended such buildings as St. Stephen's
Chapel, Westminster, and the castles of Dover and Queensborough. In 1356
he was in charge of Windsor Castle, which, as his birthplace, Edward
wished to beautify by many additions. It has been said that the Round
Tower Wykeham built at Windsor made the fortune of its designer. We now
find Wykeham Warden of all the royal castles, and sub-dean of the church
of St. Martins-le-Grand, on the site of which is the General Post
Office; and as a public notary he was present at the signing of the
Treaty 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, Bishop
Edington, became an acolyte in the December of 1361, a sub-deacon in the
March following, and priest in the June of 1362. A few years later, when
Edington was laid to rest within his cathedral, a sharp controversy
arose between the King and the Pope as to who should succeed. The
differences, which need not be discussed here, being eventually settled
to 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."
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