CORRECTIONS. Page 36, for "Headley, Surrey," read " Headley, Hants." Pages 76, 185, 199, 222, 230, for "Carren," read "Carreu." Page 189, for "Goodworth Clatford," read " Upper Clatford." PREFACE. Wykeham's Register is one of the series of bishops' registers kept in Winchester Cathedral. It is in a state of excellent preservation, but the binding, which is modern, is the worse for wear. There are four parts, bound in two folio volumes: Part I, containing institutions and collations to vacant benefices, and confirmations of heads of religious houses and hospitals, with a few official instruments; and Part II, containing ordinations, are edited in this volume. Part III, containing wills, mandates from cardinals, licences of non-residence, and other official instruments; and Part IV, containing crown writs and messages, with the returns made to them, will be dealt with in a second volume, which is in course of preparation. Parts I and II contain 420 leaves, 144 in. high by 10in. wide, and written on both sides in fair and legible hands. Portions of both parts were transcribed by the Rev. G. N. Godwin for the Hampshire Record Society before an editor was found; for the remainder the Editor is solely responsible. The original spelling of proper names, which was more phonetic five hundred years ago than it is now, and often varies, even in the same instrument, has been followed as a general rule. In the head-notes of the institutions the modern names of the benefices are usually given. Inasmuch as institutions, resignations, and the like are invariably common forms, of which precedents will be found in Gibson's Codex, it seemed unnecessary to do more than give one example of each instrument in extenso, and summarize the rest. Hence the condensation of 700 folio pages of institutions in the original into 249 octavo pages in this volume. The see of Winchester having become vacant by the death of William de Edyngdone, who died October 7, 1366, the prior and convent of St. Swithun's Cathedral Church elected William of Wykeham, archdeacon of Lincoln, and keeper of the privy seal, under a congé d'élire dated only six days later; and confirmation by the Crown followed in due course. On December 1 the king granted the custody of the temporals of the see to the bishop elect. It remained for the pope to grant the leave for consecration; but instead of doing this, Urban V issued a bull (p. 2), dated December 11, which merely appointed the bishop-elect administrator of the spirituals and temporals of the see during pleasure. His consecration, therefore, was deferred. Why the pope took this dilatory course is uncertain. It may have been intended to mark his displeasure at the refusal of the English people to admit his right to "provide" bishops for English sees (Moberly, Life of Wykeham, pp. 61-4, ed. II) or it may have been intended to give the bishop-elect time to resign his numerous benefices without cure of souls, which he did in fact resign about this time, and to sever his connection with various secular offices and employments. During the interval of time between his appointment to administer the spirituals and temporals of the see and his consecration, a period of nearly eight months, Wykeham did no episcopal act, being as he tells us (p. 3) too busily engaged in the service of his royal master; but delegated his functions to a canon of Sarum, named John de Wormenhale (p. 1) who granted institutions (pp. 4–7) until Wykeham's consecration. The pope granted a bull for that purpose on the 14th of July, 1367, at Viterbo. It reached Southwark nearly three months later; and on the 10th of October, 1367, the bishop-elect was consecrated in St. Paul's Cathedral by Langham, archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by Sudbury, bishop of London, and Wyvile, bishop of Salisbury. The temporals had been restored to him two days before. The ceremonies at his enthronement are described at the beginning of Part III. From the date of his consecration until his death on the 27th of September, 1404, the bishop resided in the diocese, and acted, generally ordaining in person, except during the last three years |