17 July 2023 Winchester
Today was a local walk around Winchester England. 4 spots were on my list, but I found one along the way, so it turned into 5. Not all of them had ties to my genealogy, but Winchester is a very old city, and once the capitol of England. Lots of history happened here, and as bad as the parking is here, once you find a spot, you can walk for your whole trip.
I started off this morning to St. Giles Hill on the East side of town. I didn’t realize what the hike up it was going to be like, but on top of the hill was a nice park, and everyone except me had a dog. The historic importance of this place dates back to when William the Conqueror was King. As things go, once William became King of England, many people weren’t sure if he would last. One of those people was Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria. Everything started out cool at first, and William let him keep his titles and lands, but when Danish Vikings invaded the North of England with the intent to overthrow William, Waltheof chose the wrong side. After William defeated these Vikings, Waltheof was forgiven, and sided back with William. When Waltheof sided with the Earls during the revolt of the Earls, that was just a little too much for William to forget. Waltheof lost his head to the executioner’s axe on May 31st, 1076. Now, everything is peaceful, and you couldn’t tell that the Dog park was the place of such wanton violence. The hill did provide a great view of the city, though.
As I walked down the hill to visit my next stop, a church, I walked right past Wolvesey Castle. I was checking the opening time for the castle when the caretaker opened it up early, and I was in the right place at the right time. Wolvesey Castle was actually owned by the Bishop of Winchester, Henry of Blois during the “Anarchy”. He was the brother of King Stephen of Blois, who mother was the daughter of the deceased king, William the Conqueror. At this time, the “Anarchy” was a War between King Stephan, and Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I, who had only one male heir, Matilda’s brother William Adelin. However, William Adelin died in 1120 during the White Ship disaster, leaving Matilda as his only child. If this all sounds familiar, the mini-series “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet, is about England during the time of the Anarchy, and a lot of the historical figures I am writing about are the same in the series. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, Henry of Blois sided with his brother Stephan, then sided with Matilda, until he decided he didn’t like her, then when back to supporting Stephan. After this, he decided to build a castle next to his Bishop residence in Winchester, just in case things turned sour. Now the castle is in ruins, but I was there today, and got a few pictures.
After that, I headed to a church called St. Swithun’s upon Kingsgate. I don’t know what I was expecting, but in 1180, one of my ancestors was supposedly buried there. His name was Piers de Lutegareshale. I turned a corner, and saw a stone Kingsgate which led to Winchester cathedral. My phone GPS told me I was there, but I still didn’t see the place. That was when I noticed the blue sign. This church was built on top of the Kingsgate (duh, I should have thought of the name). It was a small church built into the top of the wall surrounding the cathedral. Evidently, at some time after my ancestor was buried here, the locals rioted and burned the place down, but it was rebuilt in the 13th Century, and remains so today.
I there is one thing I am getting plenty of, it’s visiting Churches and Cathedrals. Once I enter them, I feel it’s only right for me to pray for the things I am grateful for, and those people I know that are in need of prayers, so not only did I pay my respects at the alter of St. Swithun’s, I also did the same at Winchester Cathedral.
Winchester used to me the home of the Anglo-Saxon kings of England. Alfred the Great was here, and there is a nice statue of him in the middle of the street near the bus depot. As such, Winchester Cathedral is as much to Winchester as Westminster Abbey is to London. It’s been here since Roman times, and every time a new group of Royal Ugly Dudes comes into power, they add on to the Cathedral. They had some really nice art within the cathedral, and some great stonework. I even found the tomb of an old relative who went on one of the crusades (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/blog/tomb-of-arnaud-de-gabaston/ . One of the Bishops of Winchester is also related to me, and his tomb lies on the main floor of the cathedral (Geoffrey de Lucy). Overall, 26 of my ancestors have ties to Winchester, and the Cathedral is the beating heart of this city.
Finally, I visited the Great Hall of Winchester, which now sits upon the same parcel of land that Winchester Castle did. The Great Hall has a replica of king Arthur’s Round Table, and many memorials to past nobility. The stained-glass windows show many of the Kings of England, as well as coats of arms of important nobility of England. This is where Sir Walter Raleigh was tried, and subsequently sentence to death. The gallery also had paintings of previous English monarchs, which I hope to use in my genealogy software to put a name to the face of some of my ancestors.
Tomorrow we head to Stonehenge, and a new lodging location for Ale’s last 4 nights in England before she returns home.
