HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE.
Legend, which in every ancient city is raised to the dignity of an
article of faith, places the origin of Wells diocese in the remote
past; and the visitor is required to believe that Ina, King of Wessex,
the first great West Saxon lawgiver, the ruler who finally established
the English supremacy in the south-west, was also the founder of the
see of Wells. He is said to have planted a bishopric at Congresbury,
and in 721 to have removed the see to Wells with the help of Daniel,
the last British bishop. The story, however, rests upon no good
foundation.
Before the middle of the seventh century the heathen invaders were
converted by St Birinus, and by the time of Ina Wessex was divided
into the dioceses of Winchester and Sherborne, the latter including
Somerset, Dorset, and part of Wiltshire. This was all that Ina did
towards establishing the diocese of Wells; and it did not go very far,
for the special boast of the diocese is that it consists of one
county, Somerset, and of nothing else. And so it is that the honour of
possessing Ealdhelm, the first bishop of Sherborne, who tramped about,
an open-air preacher, in his diocese, belongs to Salisbury and not to
Wells; although Doulting, where Ealdhelm fell sick and died sitting in
the little wooden village church, is the very place whence afterwards
the stone was quarried for the building of Wells Cathedral.
It was under that great warrior, Edward the Elder, that the diocese of
Sherborne was divided, and the Sumorsaetas received a bishop of their
own, whose stool was placed in the church of St. Andrew at Wells.
It is quite probable that the above tradition grew around Ina's name
owing to his having really established a church with a body of priests
attached to it; since we find in a charter of Cynewulf, dated 766, a
mention of "the minister near the great spring at Wells for the better
service of God in the church of St. Andrew." This charter is probably
spurious, but it may for all that enshrine an historical fact,
especially as it does not pretend to the existence of a bishopric. If
this be the case, then Edward, who wanted a fairly central church for
a diocese which had no important town, must have found Wells very
convenient for his purpose. For while Glastonbury, besides being in
those days an island, had an abbot of its own, this little body of
secular priests would be ready to receive the bishop as their chief,
and to become his chapter. At all events, the year 909 saw Wells with
a bishop of its own.
[Illustration: Specimens Of Capitals.]
AETHELHELM or ATHELM, _Bishop of Somerset, or Wells_ (909-914), a monk
of Glastonbury according to tradition, was the first Somersetshire
bishop; he is said to have been an uncle of St. Dunstan: he was made
Archbishop of Canterbury in 914.
It will be convenient to weave the history of the foundation of Wells
with that of the bishops. So here, at the outset, the reader must bear
in mind that from the beginning the cathedral church was served by
"secular" clergy, by priests, that is, who were bound by no vows other
than those of their ordination, who did not live a community life, but
had each his own house, and generally at this time his own wife and
family. Wells Cathedral was not "built by the monks," and its chapter
was never composed of monks; though some of the bishops belonged to
religious orders, it kept up a pretty constant rivalry with the
"regular" clergy of Glastonbury and Bath. It belongs in fact, to the
cathedrals of the old foundation, whose constitutions were not changed
at the Reformation; and its chapter has continued in unbroken
succession, from the days when Aethelhelm first presided over his
little body of clergy in the church of St. Andrew, down to our own
time. But at first that chapter was informal enough, nor was it
finally incorporated and officered till the time of Bishop Robert in
the twelfth century. The number of canons does not seem to have been
fixed, though in the next century we hear of there being only four or
five.
[Illustration: Specimens Of Capitals.]
The next five bishops are all little more than names to us. WULFHELM
succeeded Aethelhelm in 914: also translated to Canterbury; AELFHEAH
(923), WULFHELM (938), BRITHHELM (956-973), and CYNEWARD (973-975).
SIGEGAR (975-977), a pupil of St. Dunstan, and abbot of Glastonbury,
was succeeded, or perhaps supplanted, by AELFWINE, in 997-999.
AETHELSTAN, or LYFING; translated to Canterbury 1013.
AETHELWINE and BRIHTWINE shared the episcopate, either as rivals or
coadjutors. Brihtwine was last in possession. MEREWIT, also called
Brihtwine, succeeded in 1026.
DUDUC (1033-1060), a German Saxon. Cnut had given him the estates of
Congresbury and Banwell, which he left to the church of Wells; but
Harold took possession of them.
GISA (1060-1088), a Belgian from Lorraine, found his see in a sad
condition: the church was mean, its revenues small, and its four or
five canons were forced, he says, to beg their bread. He at once set
to work to increase the revenues; and from Edward the Confessor, from
his queen, Edith, then from Harold, and afterwards from William the
Conqueror, he obtained various estates for the support of his canons.
He also changed the way of living of the canons, and built a cloister,
dormitory, and refectory, thereby forcing them to live a common life,
much as if they were monks--an unpopular innovation which was
supported by the appointment in the foreign fashion of a provost to be
chief officer, the canons choosing for this post one Isaac of Wells.
JOHN DE VILLULA, _Bishop of Bath_ (1088-1122), a rich physician of
Tours. He put an end to the semi-monastic discipline of Gisa by
pulling down his community buildings and erecting a private house of
his own on the site. And he removed the see of Somersetshire from
Wells to the Abbey of Bath.
GODFREY (1123-1135).
ROBERT OF LEWES (1136-1166), the second founder of the cathedral; he
made the constitution of the chapter, he rebuilt the old Saxon church,
and he started Wells as a borough by the grant of its first charter of
freedom. Of a Fleming family, though born in England, he was a monk
from the Cluniac house of St. Pancras at Lewes; and to another and
more famous Cluniac monk, Bishop Henry of Winchester, King Stephen's
brother, he owed his advancement. In the very year of his consecration
he began the recovery of Wells from the low estate in which John de
Villula and his rapacious relatives had left it. He restored their
property to the canons, and, in order to secure it, he divided it off
from the property of the see by a charter of incorporation. He
assisted at Henry II.'s coronation in 1154, and at the consecration of
Thomas a Becket in 1162.
Bishop Robert arranged the quarrel with Bath by settling that Bath
should take precedence of Wells, but that the bishop should have his
throne in both churches, and be elected by the two chapters
conjointly.
By the charter which incorporated the chapter of Wells, Robert also
settled portions of the estate, or prebends, on the twenty-two canons,
and founded the offices of dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer,
sub-dean, provost, and sub-chanter, all of which, except the two last,
still exist.
After an interval of eight years, REGINALD DE BOHUN or FITZ-JOCELIN,
the Archdeacon of Sarum, was consecrated Bishop of Bath (1174-1191).
Immediately afterwards he induced the monk who was soon to become
famous as St. Hugh of Lincoln, to leave the Grande Chartreuse, and to
come to England as prior of the first English charter-house. He built
the greater part of the present nave transepts and choir; for this end
he made large gifts to the fabric fund, and collected gifts from
others. He also extended the privileges of the town, and increased
both the endowment and the number of the prebends.
SAVARIC, _Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury_ (1192-1205), a relation of
the Emperor Henry VI. In 1191 he started with Richard I. for the Holy
Land. At Messina, though not yet in priest's orders, he obtained
private letters from the king sanctioning his appointment to any
bishopric to which he might be elected. Bishop Reginald was a kinsman
of his, and, on his election to Canterbury, he obtained the vote of
the convent of Bath for Savaric. The Justiciar gave at once the royal
sanction, in spite of the protests of the canons of Wells, who had not
been consulted. Savaric had meanwhile wisely established himself at
Rome, and was able to obtain the Pope's consent. He was consecrated
priest one day and bishop the next, but he still remained abroad.
Savaric, supported by the authority of King John, broke into
Glastonbury with soldiers, starved and beat the monks, and, with great
violence, established himself in possession.
His biography was compressed in a clever epigram:--
"_Hospes erat mundo per mundum semper eundo,
Sic suprema dies fit sibi prima quies,_"
admirably translated by Canon Bernard:
"Through the world travelling, all the world's guest,
His last day of life was his first day of rest."
Yet he was the first to institute the daily mass of Our Lady, as well
as that for the faithful departed, in Wells Cathedral.
JOCELIN TROTEMAN DE WELLES, _Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury,_ and
after 1219 _Bishop of Bath_ (1206-1242), is, after Ken, the most
famous of Wells worthies. He came from a local stock, and spent all
his time and money on the cathedral church, first as canon, then as
bishop for thirty-six years. In 1208, when Pope Innocent III. laid
England under an interdict, the bishop published it in his own
diocese, and then fled the country, leaving his estates to be seized
by John. On John's submission to the Pope in 1213, he returned, and
two years later stood by Stephen Langton at Runnymede, putting his
name as Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury to _Magna Charta_. When John
was dead it was Jocelin who administered the oath to Henry III. at his
coronation.
In 1219 Jocelin made terms with Glastonbury, which Savaric had seized,
giving up the abbacy and the title in return for four manors. He
founded a hospital, re-endowed the Lady mass which Savaric had
instituted, increased the number of prebends (the estates, that is,
which each maintained a canon) from thirty-five to fifty, provided
houses for the canons, and a regular endowment for the vicars-choral,
started a grammar school in addition to the choristers' school, and
enclosed the bishop's park. But most of all is he famous for having
rebuilt the church which Savaric's vagaries had let fall into
dilapidation, and for having added to it the noble west front. So
extensive were his repairs that in 1239 a reconsecration was
necessary; and three years later he died, "God," says old Fuller, "to
square his great undertakings, giving him a long life to his large
heart." He was buried in the midst of the choir as a founder of the
church; and as this interment marked out Wells as the chief church in
the diocese, the monks of Bath were not told of his death till after
he had been buried.
ROGER, _first Bishop of Bath and Wells_ (1244-1247). On Jocelin's
death in 1242, the monks of Bath made a last effort to recover the
supremacy which had drifted from them. Contrary to the agreement which
had been made, they pushed through their own candidate, Roger, without
consulting with the Wells chapter, and snatched the regal sanction and
papal confirmation for their nominee before the chapter of Wells could
make a move. At last, the Pope, after much litigation, decreed that,
in order to avoid any further vacancy, Roger's election should be
confirmed, but that henceforth the chapter of Wells should have an
equal voice in the election of the bishop, who was to use the title of
Bath and Wells. Roger was buried in his old abbey of Bath; he was,
however, the last bishop to be there interred. The words of Peter
Heylin are henceforward true of the see:--"The diocese of Bath and
Wells, though it hath a double name, is one single bishopric. The
bishop's seat was originally at Wells, where it still continues. The
style of Bath came in but upon the bye."
WILLIAM BUTTON or BYTTON (1248-1264).
WALTER GIFFARD (1265-1266), a statesman-bishop, took the king's side,
and, after the victory of Evesham, was rewarded with the
chancellorship and the archbishopric of York.
WILLIAM BYTTON (THE SAINT) (1267-1274). When Robert of Kilwardy,
provincial of the Dominicans, was made archbishop, he chose Bytton, on
account of his saintliness, to consecrate him; and so great was the
impression made by his holy life that he became the object of popular
canonisation at his death. Miracles were worked at his tomb, and
crowds flocked to it with offerings, especially such as were afflicted
with toothache.
ROBERT BURNELL (1275-1292), the greatest lawyer of his day, chancellor
of Edward I.; built the hall of the episcopal palace.
WILLIAM OF MARCH OR DE MARCHIA (1293-1302), had been treasurer in
1290. Two unsuccessful efforts were made to obtain his canonisation.
WALTER DE HASELSHAW (1302-1308), successively canon, dean, and bishop.
Under JOHN OF DROKENSFORD (1309-1329) the chapter obtained a strong
confirmation of their rights as the result of a violent quarrel with
the bishop, who had claimed the power of visiting the churches under
capitular jurisdiction.
RALPH OF SHREWSBURY (1329-1363), Chancellor of Oxford, put the
finishing stroke to the constitution of the cathedral by founding the
College of Vicars. He was a great supporter of the friars, and left
them a third of his property. Among his good deeds he disafforested
the royal hunting ground of Mendip, and thus did great service to the
people, "beef," as Fuller has it, "being better pleasing to the
husbandman's palate than venison." At his death he was buried in the
place of honour before the high altar, for it was under him that the
last great building operations in the church of Wells were completed.
JOHN BARNET (1363-66), translated from Worcester, was soon again moved
to Ely. After JOHN HAREWELL (1367-86), who helped to build the
south-west tower, and WALTER SKIRLAW (1386-88), RALPH ERGHUM
(1388-1400) was translated from Salisbury, and founded at Wells the
much-needed college for the fourteen chantry priests, which was
destroyed under Edward VI., and of which the memory is preserved in
"College Lane." There were now, therefore, three distinct corporations
at Wells--the Chapter, the College of Vicars, and the College of
Chantry Priests. HENRY BOWETT (1401-1407) was promoted to York.
NICHOLAS BUBWITH (1407-1424) is remembered by the almshouses at Wells
which he endowed, by his provision for building the north-west tower,
and by his chantry chapel. There was at this time another hospital
called the Priory, which has now disappeared. He was one of the
English envoys at the Council of Constance. Mandates were sent him by
the archbishop for the prosecution of the Lollards, but there is no
record of any proceedings having been taken, till JOHN STAFFORD
(1425-43) had succeeded him, when one William Curayn was compelled to
abjure and receive absolution for some very reasonable heresies.
Stafford was translated to Canterbury.
THOMAS BECKINGTON, or Bekynton (1443-65), was first tutor, then
private secretary to Henry VI., and Keeper of the Privy Seal. His many
works at Wells are noticed in our other chapters; in his will he
states that he spent 6000 marks in repairing and adorning his palaces.
After his death, the mayor and corporation showed their gratitude by
going annually to his tomb (p. 125) to pray for his soul.
ROBERT STILLINGTON (1466-91) was a minister of Edward IV., and one of
Richard III.'s supporters. Accused in 1487 of helping Lambert Simnel,
he was imprisoned at Windsor for the rest of his life. RICHARD FOX
(1492-94), Keeper of the Privy Seal, translated to Durham. OLIVER KING
(1495-1503), Chief Secretary of Henry VII. A dream moved Bishop Oliver
in 1500, to rebuild Bath abbey in the debased Perpendicular style with
which we are now familiar.
The celebrated ADRIAN DE CASTELLO (1504-1518) obtained first Hereford
and then Wells, as a reward for political services. As he never
visited his diocese, his affairs were managed by another famous man,
Polydore Vergil, who was archdeacon, and furnished the choir of Wells
with hangings, "flourished," says Fuller, "with the laurel tree," and
bearing an inscription, _Sunt Polydori munera Vergilii_. Adrian, who
was born of humble parents at Cornuto in Tuscany, had been made a
cardinal in 1503 by the infamous Pope Alexander VI., and both his
archdeacon and himself are prominent figures in Italian history of the
period.
CARDINAL WOLSEY (1518-23) was appointed to the see, which he held
together with the archbishopric of York; he was therefore Bishop of
Bath and Wells only in name, and was soon put in the enjoyment of the
richer sees successively of Durham and Winchester. He was followed by
JOHN CLERK (1523-41) and WILLIAM KNIGHT (1541-47). The abbey of Bath
was now suppressed, so that the bishop's seat was now at Wells alone,
and (excepting that the style "Bath and Wells" remained) the see was
restored to its original condition before John de Villula migrated to
Bath.
WILLIAM BARLOW (1549-54) was translated from St. David's without even
the form of a _conge d'elire_. In return for this and certain money
payments he made over a large portion of the episcopal property to the
greedy Duke of Somerset; he also secured the episcopal manor of Wookey
for his own family. The other cathedral estates were similarly
treated. Barlow fled at the accession of Mary, but was caught and
imprisoned in 1554. He had in Henry's time recanted some Lollard
tracts which he had written, and now under Mary he recanted once more.
On the accession of Elizabeth, he (p. 81) accepted the poorer see of
Chichester.
GILBERT BOURNE (1554-59) had been Bonner's chaplain. At Elizabeth's
accession he was deprived and imprisoned in the Tower. After 1562 he
was kept in nominal custody, and died in 1569.
GILBERT BERKELEY (1560-1581) succeeded him. THOMAS GODWIN (1584-90),
the historian of Wells, succeeded Berkeley.
Another three years' vacancy was followed by the appointment of JOHN
STILL (1593-1607). He and his successors, JAMES MONTAGUE (1608-16),
translated to Winchester, ARTHUR LAKE (1616-26), a wise man and "most
blessed saint," were mostly occupied in the fight with Puritanism.
William Laud was bishop here for two years (1626-28), but his history
belongs to London and Canterbury, whither he was translated. LEONARD
MAWE (1628-29), WALTER CURLL (1629-32), translated to Winchester, and
WILLIAM PIERS (1632-70) followed. The latter, who put down the Puritan
"lectures," and ordered all the altars in his diocese to be set
against the east wall and railed in, lived to see all his work undone
and then restored again at the accession of Charles II. ROBERT
CREYGHTON (1670-72), who had been dean, succeeded him. He was a great
musician (p. 113), and his gifts of ornaments to the cathedral have
been already mentioned. PETER MEWS (1673-1684) was translated to
Winchester.
THOMAS KEN (1685-90), the best and most famous of all the Somerset
bishops, has left so great a name in the see, and figured in so many
stirring events, that one can hardly believe that he was only given
five years in which to use his influence upon history. Before he was
made bishop, however, he had already given proof of that quiet courage
which was more than once to thwart the will of princes. In 1679 he
went to the Hague as chaplain to Mary, the wife of William of Orange.
Here he expressed himself "horribly unsatisfied" with William's
unkindness to his wife, and he incurred the Prince's anger by
persuading Count Zulestein to marry a lady whom he had seduced. Soon
after, when he was living at Winchester, he refused to allow the royal
harbinger to use his prebendal house for the lodging of Nell Gwynn, on
the occasion of Charles II.'s visit there in 1683. Charles, with
characteristic generosity, thought all the more highly of him, and
when he was told of the vacant bishopric, said no one should have the
see but "the little black fellow who refused his lodging to poor
Nelly." Before the year was over, Charles was on his death-bed, and
summoned Ken to his side. The bishop persuaded the king to send the
Duchess of Portsmouth from the room and to call in the Queen. He then
absolved him, although Charles would not receive the communion.
After the Monmouth rebellion (p. 17) he, with the Bishop of Ely, was
sent to tell the Duke of his fate; he remained with the wretched man
all through the night before his execution, and accompanied him on the
scaffold. He then returned to his see, used all his influence on
behalf of the unhappy peasants, and by his personal intervention,
saved a hundred prisoners from death. He strongly opposed the
Romanising policy of James II., and preached several sermons which had
a large share in the formation of public opinion. He was one of the
seven bishops who were committed to the Tower for petitioning the king
against the order to the clergy to read the second Declaration of
Indulgence. The incidents of that wonderful trial are familiar to all
Englishmen, and it is notable that one of the richest dissenters in
the city begged to have the special honour of giving security for the
high church bishop of Bath and Wells.
But when the revolution came, Ken was found among those who were
called non-jurors, because they regarded their oath of allegiance to
James as still binding. He was consequently, in 1690, deprived of his
see. He made a public protest in the cathedral against his
deprivation, and continued to sign himself _T. Bath and Wells_, but he
had to live in retirement, and with an income of only L20 a year. He
died in 1710, and was buried in Frome Church at sunrise, in allusion
to his morning hymn ("Awake, my soul, and with the sun"), and to his
habit of rising with the sun.
Ken was in every way a great saint, and, like all the saints, he was
distinguished by his love for the poor, and his care for their
education. Among his customs it is recorded that he used to have
twelve poor men to dine with him on Sundays, and that he was wont to
go afoot in London when the other bishops rode in their coaches. He
wrote many books, among them his "Manual of Prayers for the Use of
Winchester Scholars." "His elaborate works," says Macaulay, "have long
been forgotten; but his morning and evening hymns are still repeated
daily in thousands of dwellings."
RICHARD KIDDER (1691-1703) became bishop on the deprivation of Ken, Dr
Beveridge having declined the offer of a see, the rightful ruler of
which had been unjustly removed. Kidder did not, however, long enjoy
his usurped position; for, on the night of November 26th, 1703, a
great storm--the same that destroyed Winstanley in his lighthouse on
the Eddystone--blew down a stack of chimneys in the palace, and thus
killed both the bishop and his wife as they lay abed.
GEORGE HOOPER (1704-27), an old friend of Ken, was next offered the
see, but he urged the reinstatement of the rightful pastor. Queen Anne
offered to restore Ken to his bishopric, but he importuned Hooper to
accept, and from that time ceased to sign himself by his diocesan
title. Hooper had preceded Ken, in 1677, as Princess Mary's spiritual
adviser at the Hague, where he had won her back to the services of the
church, and he had also been with Ken at Monmouth's execution. Almost
as lovable and holy, he was more learned than his friend.
Hooper was succeeded by JOHN WYNNE (1727-43), EDWARD WILLES (1743-73),
and CHARLES MOSS (1774-1802); all three were typical eighteenth-century
prelates, rich and mostly non-resident.
RICHARD BEADON (1802-24), was translated from Gloucester.
GEORGE HENRY LAW (1824-45), a son of the Bishop of Carlisle, and
brother of Lord Chief-Justice Ellenborough, was translated from
Chester, and is said to have been an active prelate till his latter
years. Hon. RICHARD BAGOT (1845-54) came to Wells as a place of
retirement after the worries which he had gone through, as Bishop of
Oxford, during the Tractarian movement.
ROBERT JOHN, LORD AUCKLAND, was translated from Sodor and Man in 1854.
At his death in 1869, he was succeeded by LORD ARTHUR CHARLES HERVEY,
who died in 1894. The present bishop is DR G.W. KENNION, who was
translated hither from the Australian diocese of Adelaide.
[Illustration: PLAN OF WELLS CATHEDRAL.]
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
1. Words and phrases which were italicized in the original have been
surrounded by underscores ('_') in this version. Words or phrases
which were bolded have been rendered in ALL CAPITALS.
2. Obvious printer's errors have been corrected without note.
3. Inconsistencies in hyphenation or the spelling of proper names, and
dialect or obsolete word spelling, have been maintained as in the
original.
4. The original of this text contains characters not available in
the Latin-1 character set. These occur only in quotations from
monumental inscriptions. The characters have been coded as
follows. The notation [=x] means "letter x with a macron above."
There are instances of macrons over i, u, m, n, o and x. The
notation [)u] means "letter u with a breve"; it occurs twice.
5. The caret is used to show the superscript for abbreviations (i.e.
Rob^t is Rob with a superscript small t in the original text, an
abbreviation for Robert). If multiple letters are superscripted,
they are surrounded by curly braces (i.e. w^{th}).