Subscribers Deceased, DURING THE Course OF PUBLICATION. His Grace the Duke of Gordon, K.T. The Earl of Stradbroke The Hon. and Right Rev. Shute Barrington, Lord Bishop of George Pelham, Lord Bishop of Edward Legge, Lord Bishop of The Right Rev. Samuel Goodenough, Lord Bishop of Carlisle Lord De Tabley Walker King, Lord Bishop of Rochester The Rev. Bond, Vicar of Margaretting, Essex J. Daniel, Esq. Grosvenor-Place, Bath Charles Dickinson, Esq. Farley-Hill, Berks James Gillies, Esq. M.D. Bath The Rev. H. F. Mills, Chancellor of York Cathedral The Rev. Christopher Thurgar, Aldershot, Surry Previously to entering at large upon the Lives of the Bishops of Winchester, I shall lay before the Reader the promised re-print of Gale's "History of the Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Winchester," which will both serve as an introduction to the Memoirs of the Prelates, and tend to illustrate several passages of the main work. Although this may be considered as a faithful re-print, it will be found that many, both of Gale's and Lord Clarendon's inaccuracies have been corrected. THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE Cathedral Church of Winchester, Containing all the Inscriptions upon the Tombs and Monuments; with an account of all the Bishops, Priors, Deans, and Prebendaries; also, the History and Antiquities of Hyde-Abbey. BEGUN BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY LATE EARL OF London: printed for E. Curll, at the Dial and Bible against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-Street. M.DCC.XV. PREFACE. THE following Book owes its present foundation to a small manuscript preserved amongst other papers of the late Henry Earl of Clarendon, bearing this title : Some Account of the Tombs and Monuments in the Cathedral Church of Winchester, finished this 17th. day of February, 1683. By me H. Clarendon. To which there is now added, a continuation of all the inscriptions in the Church to this time, and the succession of the Bishops, Priors, Deans, and other Dignitaries, from the Registers of this Church, with the History of the Abbey of Hyde, writ by a very learned antiquary. The work being thus far advanced, I very readily contributed such historical collections as I had by me, relating to the Church of Winton, and which I hope may give some light into the antiquity of the fabric. The Charters belonging to this Church, kept in the Tower of London, being large and numerous, it would have been a tedious undertaking to transcribe them; therefore I have here given such a methodical catalogue of them, that they may be resorted to with the greatest facility in the Record Office. For these I am obliged to the favour of Mr. G. Holmes, Deputy Record-Keeper of the Tower; as I am also for the draughts of several of the monuments, &c. to others my very good friends. I must now take occasion to mention the antient story of Lucius, the first Christian King of the Britians, his founding and largely endowing the Church of Winton, by his turning a heathen Temple into a Christian Church, and substituting a Bishop and Monks in the room of a Flamen and Pagan Priests, about the year 169, which being a matter of much uncertainty, and to give it the fairest plea, only a tradition, I have omitted, in the subsequent history; rather chusing to pass it over in silence, than to build on so weak a basis. For as to the time of King Lucius's conversion, by the Mission from Elutherius the 12th. Bishop of Rome, at that King's desire, there is no agreement amongst our historians. Venerable Bede placeth it about the year 156, but he writ his history above five hundred years after the time when King Lucius is said to have lived: and Gildas, the most antient of all the British historians, who writ near two hundred years before Bede, (and one would think, should know more of the affairs of his own country than those who in other matters write after him) hath not one word of any such person as Lucius, but on the contrary makes it appear that Christianity was received in this island more early; and even in the reign of the Emperor Nero. Indeed Geffrey of Monmouth, and others after him, make King Lucius to have done so many things, to have founded and endowed so many Churches (besides this of Winton) and with such improbable circumstances, that they render this part of the British History very doubtful and suspicious. The following passage from the Annals of Winton, I thought more proper to insert here, than in the history. "Anno 1264, 40. Nonas Maii Wintoniensis contra "Prioram & Conventum S. Swithuni insurrexerunt, & "portam Prioratus, & portam quæ vocatur Kingate, cum “Ecclesia S. Swithuni supra, & universis ædificiis & “redditibus Prioris & Conventus prope Murum com“busserunt.” This accident of the burning the church of St. Swithun, as here described, I think cannot be taken to comprehend the total devastation of the fabric, but only the roof or upper part of timber; for so the word supra signifies. And there are several antient monuments entire to this day in and about the east part of the church or choir (the antiquity of which I would vindicate) that were erected |