32. THE COLLEGE OF ST. ELIZABETH, WINCHESTER
Near to the gate of his castle at Wolvesey,
Bishop Pontoise built, in 1301, the college
of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The foundation consisted of a number of secular clergy
and choristers living under the rule of a provost, with so clearly an expressed' object that
it was in reality a chantry on a large scale.
In the episcopal registers and other documents,
it is most usually described as the chapel of
St. Elizabeth, but frequently as a college and
sometimes as a chantry.
By the foundation charter, (fn. 3) the bishop established three altars in the great chapel.
The dedication of the high altar was to the
honour of St. Elizabeth; the second to the
honour of St. Stephen and St. Laurence; and
the third to the honour of St. Edmund and
St. Thomas of Canterbury. To serve these
altars and to maintain a stately ritual, the
foundation provided for the establishment of
seven chaplains, one of whom was to be
provost, three were to be in deacons' and three
in sub-deacons' orders. All were to be appointed, as vacancies occurred, by the bishop;
they were to live together and have a common
table; to be satisfied with one dish and pittances on week days and two dishes on Sundays and double feasts; to dress humbly, and
to wear in chapel surplices and black copes;
to receive annually in addition to their board
for clothes and other necessaries: the provost
6 marks, the chaplains 40s. and the clerks
20s.; to have a common dorter for the clerks
save in sickness; each chaplain to have a
young shaveling, between the age of ten and
eighteen, to wait on him, and to sing in surplice in church; and the choristers to dine
together in hall at a separate table. Their
clerical duties were to rise each day at daybreak
and say together (submissa voce aperte et distincte)
mattins of our Lady, and afterwards to chant
antiphonally mattins of the days; after mattins to celebrate solemn Lady mass after the
use of Sarum; next to intone the proper day
hours, followed by the hours of our Lady in a
low voice; immediately afterwards, the mass of
St. Elizabeth was to be sung, followed by the
saying of three masses at the three altars, two
for the departed and one of the Holy Spirit;
and about nine o'clock (fn. 4) high mass was to be
solemnly sung. Each chaplain was to say at
each mass six special collects (1) for the
founder, (2) for the then Bishop of Winchester, (3) for all the departed bishops of the
diocese, (4) for the king and queen and their
children, (5) for kings and queens and all
faithful departed, and (6) a general collect for
the quick and dead, but especially for the
prior and convent of St. Swithun's. Before
evensong, all the chaplains and clerks were to
say, in low but distinct voice, Placebo and
Dirige; afterwards to say evensong of our
Lady, and to sing evensong of the day, to be
followed by compline of our Lady and compline of the day. Everything was to be according to the use of Sarum; the provost and
chaplain were to appoint one of their number
as precentor, to order the masses and services.
The provost, in the presence of the chaplains
and the treasurer of Wolvesey, was yearly at
Winchester to deliver a statement of account,
and a report as to the condition of the chapel
and house. No one was to be absent from
masses or hours save by special leave. No
chaplain or clerk was to be admitted, unless
first examined in letters and singing, and in
knowledge of the divine offices. Women were
not to enter any part of the house, save the
chapel and hall. Each chaplain and clerk on
admission was to swear to be faithful to the
statutes and rules, and to continue in personal
residence.
The original endowment included the appropriation of the church of Hursley and 6
acres in the meadows of St. Stephen where
the college stood. Soon after the foundation,
Simon de Fareham gave to the college the
manor and church of Botley. Other gifts
were the manors, etc., of Kingsclere and
'Culmestone Gynninges,' and lands at Shedfield. (fn. 1)
John de Wynfred was the first provost appointed by the founder.
In 1307, Edward II. inspected and confirmed the letters patent of his father confirming the foundation charter of the chapel of St.
Elizabeth with the chapel of St. Stephen; and
at the same time confirmed to Richard de
Bourne, the provost, and the chaplains and
clerks, the grant of appropriation of the church
of Hursley, which had been made without
the licence of the late king. (fn. 2)
In February, 1313, licence was obtained
sanctioning the gift to the college of the
manor of Norton St. Walery by Robert de
Harewedon, clerk, and William de Stamford. (fn. 3)
In the following April, the provost and chaplains of St. Elizabeth were excused the service of rendering yearly a sore sparrow-hawk
for the manor of St. Walery, at the request
of Hugh le Despencer the younger, of whom
it had been held in chief by that service. (fn. 4)
Bishop Asserio collated priests, deacons and
sub-deacons to the chapel of St. Elizabeth, (fn. 5) and
Peter, Bishop of Corbavia, held ordinations in
this chapel, on behalf of the Bishop of Winchester, on 21 November and 18 December,
1322, and also on 19 February and 12 March,
1323. (fn. 6) The ordination of 18 December was
a large one, there being 75 acolytes, 27
sub-deacons, 36 deacons and 47 priests.
We find that in 1346 the college held one
knight's fee in Norton and Sutton Scotney,
a twelfth part of a fee in Clerewodcott, one
fee in Culmeston and half a fee in Botley. (fn. 7)
In 1350, Bishop Edingdon, in direct contravention of his predecessor's statutes, obtained
the papal sanction for John de Nubbelaye,
rector of Alresford and canon of Romsey, to
hold the provostship of the chapel, together
with his rectory and canonry, as the income of
the chapel was too small to be held by itself. (fn. 8)
Bishop Edingdon, when ratifying to the
college the gift of Hursley church, contrived
in some way to secure to himself and successors the rectory house. The possession of
the rectory was however restored to Provost
John de Sheptone and the chaplain by Wykeham in 1373, when the college undertook to
pay an annual pension of 13s. 4d. to the
bishop. (fn. 9)
In September, 1400, the bishop commissioned John Elmore, the official, and Simon
Trembury, treasurer of Wolvesey, to visit the
college. (fn. 10)
After the death of Bishop Wykeham, the
provosts of St. Elizabeth were in the main
non-resident and the holders of other preferments.
The college of St. Elizabeth was visited
on 4 March, 1501, by the commissary of
the prior of Canterbury, during the vacancy
of the see. The visitation entry merely states
that Richard Wilmer, precentor, appeared as
proctor for Richard Newport, the provost,
and gives the names of five chaplains, five
clerks and seven choristers who were present.
When the Valor of 1535 was taken,
'Doctor Pers' (Peers) was provost; the gross
annual value was declared at £120 0s. 8d. and
the clear value at £112 17s. 4½d.
On the dissolution of this college among
the smaller houses, in 1536, it formed one of
the numerous grants made by Henry VIII.
to Thomas Wriothesley, who sold the site to
the warden and fellows of Winchester College for £360.
Leland describes the college of St. Elizabeth
as 'situate Est upon the New College; and
ther is but a litle narro causey betwixt them.
The mayne Arme and Streame of Alsford
Water devidid a litle above the College into 2
Armes on eche side of the College. Withyn
these 2 Armes not far fro the very College
Chirch of S. Elizabeth is a Chapel. of S.
Stephan.' (fn. 1)
Mr. Kirby describes the acquisition of this
site by Winchester College as a piece of good
fortune. It stood in what is now the warden's kitchen garden, facing the cloisters.
On the ordnance map, in the meadow near
the school bathing place, is marked 'site of St.
Elizabeth College'; but the foundation of an
oblong building on that site really belonged
to the chapel of St. Stephen.
When Wriothesley sold St. Elizabeth's to
Winchester College, he imposed a condition
that the buildings should be either pulled
down or converted into use as a grammar
school before Pentecost, 1547. In the deed
of sale, 18 April, 1544, the college of St.
Elizabeth is described as having a church,
belfry and cemetery, and containing 4½ acres.
Possibly there may have been orginally some
idea of turning St. Elizabeths into a boarding
house for scholars; but within a year of the
purchase the new owners began the work of
demolition, stripping the lead from the church,
and using the stones for building the wall
which bounds the south side of Meads. (fn. 2)
The rather clumsy fifteenth century oval
seal (see illustration) represents St. Elizabeth
of Hungary standing in a canopied niche,
with a palm branch in the right hand and a
book in the left. Behind her is an angel
with extended wings holding a crown over
the saint's head. The idea of this seal is far
better than its execution. Legend: s' COMMUNE · COLLEGII · SANCTE · ELIZABETH.
College Of St. Elizabeth, Winchester
Provosts
John de Wynfred, 1301
Richard de Bourne, 1307
Adam de Capel, (fn. 3) 1316, 1317
Nicholas de la Flode, (fn. 4) 1320-2
John de Gorges, (fn. 5) 1322
John de Thynden, (fn. 6) 1334
John de Nubbelaye, (fn. 7) 1350
John de Peveseye
John de Sheptone, (fn. 8) 1373
Thomas Boys, (fn. 9) 1381-7
John de Ketone, (fn. 10) 1387
Simon Wylet, 1387-97
John Hulyn, (fn. 11) 1397-1401
Walter Hardene, 1401
Richard Newport, about 1501
Dr. Pers or Peers, 1535, 1536