Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral (19th century)[In Winchester] This being Sunday, I heard, about 7 o'clock in the morning, a sort of jangling, made a bell or two in the Cathedral. We were getting ready to be off, to cross the country to BURGHCLERE, which lies under the lofty hills at Highclere about 22 miles from this city; but hearing the bells of the Cathedral, I took Richard to show him that ancient and most magnificent pile, and particularly to show him the tomb of that famous bishop of Winchester, WILLIAM of WYKHAM; who was the Chancellor and the Minister of the great and glorious King, EDWARD III.; who sprang from poor parents in the little village of WYKHAM, three miles from Botley; and who, amongst other great and most munificent deeds, founded the famous College, or School, of Winchester, and also one of the Colleges at Oxford. I told Richard about this as we went from the inn down to the cathedral; and, when I showed him the tomb, where the bishop lies on his back, in his Catholic robes, with his mitre on his head, his shepherd's crook by his side, with little children at his feet, their hands put together in a praying attitude, he looked with a degree of inquisitive earnestness that pleased me very much. I took him as far as I could about the cathedral. The 'service' was now begun. There is a dean, and God knows how many prebends belonging to this immensely rich bishopric and chapter: and there were, at this 'service,' two or three men and five or six boys in white surplices, with a congregation of fifteen women and four men! If WILLIAM of WYKHAM could, at that moment, have raised from his tomb! If Saint SWITHIN, whose name the cathedral bears, or ALFRED THE GREAT, to whom St. SWITHIN was tutor: if either of these could have come, and had been told, that that was now what was carried on by men, who talked of the 'damnable errors' of those who founded that very church! ...
After we came out of the cathedral, Richard, said, 'Why, Papa, nobody can build such places now, can they?' 'No, my dear,' said I. 'That building was made when there were no poor wretches in England, called paupers; when there were no poor-rates; when every labouring man was clothed in good woollen cloth; and when all had a plenty of meat and bread and beer.' ...
Period - 19th century, early
Winchester ... the cathedral, in which were interred several Saxon kings and queens, whose bones were collected by bishop Fox, and put into six small gilded coffins, and placed on a wall in the S side of the choir. In this cathedral also is the marble coffin of William Rufus.
