Walkelin
Encyclopedia
Walkelin (died 1098) was the first Norman
bishop of Winchester
(Norman-French Vauquelin
or Gauquelin).
at Rouen Cathedral
. He took up office at Winchester in 1070, having been nominated on 23 May and consecrated on 30 May. A year later, in 1071, Abbot
Ealdred of Abingdon
, who was being held for support of insurrection, died in Walkelin's custody, and the following year he signed the Accord of Winchester
, formulated in the city.
the Prior
of Winchester and then influenced his being made Abbot of Ely in 1082, where he began the new Ely Abbey in 1093 (the same year as Walkelin completed his cathedral at Winchester) before dying the following year. Walkelin also advanced his nephew Gerard, Archbishop of York.
, in 1079. His transepts and crypt, though little else, are retained in the present building. King William II
granted Walkelin half a hide
in the Isle of Wight
with license to search for and excavate stone for his new cathedral "throughout the plain and the forest: if the forest is sufficiently small that the horns of a deer may be seen passing through it".
William I
also granted Wlkelin as much timber for the building and its scaffolding from the Forest of Hempage Wood (on the Old Alresford Road
in Hampshire) as his carpenters could take in four days and nights. However, in the words of the Winchester annalist.
The new cathedral was completed in 1093. Walkelin had
On 8 April that year, in the presence of nearly all the bishop
s and abbot
s of England, the monks removed from the Old Minster
to the new one, "with great rejoicing and glory". On the feast-day of Saint Swithun (15 July), they processed from the new church to the old, and processed the feretrum
of St. Swithun from it to the new church "with all honour". The next day the bishop's men began demolishing the old church. Demolition work was complete within the year, except for one porticus
and the great altar. The following year more relics "of St. Swithun and of many other saints" were found under that altar and translated to the new church.
(pulpitum), in which stands the silver cross of Stigand
, with the two great silver images; and he lies at the feet of William Giffard
[his successor], having over him a marble stone" under the following inscription:
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
(Norman-French Vauquelin
Vauquelin
Vauquelin is a Norman-French surname, former first name . It may refer to one of the following :People:* Vauquelin de Ferrière, the French name of Walkelin de Ferrers , a Norman baron of Ferrières-Saint-Hilaire...
or Gauquelin).
Life
Walkelin was of noble birth and related to William the Conqueror, whom he served as a royal chaplain. Prior to the Norman Conquest he had probably been a canonCanon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
at Rouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy.-History:...
. He took up office at Winchester in 1070, having been nominated on 23 May and consecrated on 30 May. A year later, in 1071, Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
Ealdred of Abingdon
Ealdred of Abingdon
Ealdred, Abbot of Abingdon.Ealdred, also called Brihtwine, was a monk and provost at Abingdon before becoming abbot in 1066; he was later implicated in the conspiracy of Bishop Æthelwine of Durham, and was deposed in 1071...
, who was being held for support of insurrection, died in Walkelin's custody, and the following year he signed the Accord of Winchester
Accord of Winchester
The Accord of Winchester is the 11th century document that establishes the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York....
, formulated in the city.
Nepotism
Walkelin made his brother SimeonSimeon (abbot)
Simeon was a relative of King William I of England and the brother of Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester. It was through his brother's influence that Simeon was made prior of Winchester, then in 1082 Abbot of Ely, where he began work on the present building...
the Prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Winchester and then influenced his being made Abbot of Ely in 1082, where he began the new Ely Abbey in 1093 (the same year as Walkelin completed his cathedral at Winchester) before dying the following year. Walkelin also advanced his nephew Gerard, Archbishop of York.
Cathedral builder
Walkelin began work on a new cathedral church, the current Winchester CathedralWinchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
, in 1079. His transepts and crypt, though little else, are retained in the present building. King William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
granted Walkelin half a hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
in the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
with license to search for and excavate stone for his new cathedral "throughout the plain and the forest: if the forest is sufficiently small that the horns of a deer may be seen passing through it".
William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
also granted Wlkelin as much timber for the building and its scaffolding from the Forest of Hempage Wood (on the Old Alresford Road
Old Alresford
Old Alresford is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated some 1 km north of the town of New Alresford, 12 km north-east of the city of Winchester, and 20 km south-west of the town of Alton....
in Hampshire) as his carpenters could take in four days and nights. However, in the words of the Winchester annalist.
- "the Bishop collected an innumerable troop of carpenters and within the assigned time cut down the whole wood and carried it off to Winchester. [Soon afterwards the King], passing by Hempage, was struck with amazement and cried out, "Am I bewitched or have I taken leave of my senses? Had I not once a most delectable wood upon this spot?" But when he understood what had happened, he was violently enraged. Then the Bishop put on a shabby vestment and made his way to the King's feet, humbly begging to resign the episcopate and merely requesting that he might retain his royal friendship and chaplaincy. The King was thus appeased, only observing, "I was as much too liberal in my grant as you were too greedy in availing yourself of it."
The new cathedral was completed in 1093. Walkelin had
- caused [its] tower ... to be made as it is still to be seen, (At the annalist's time, though the present tower is a later Norman construction) and rebuilt it, with its four columns, from the foundations in the middle of the choir.
On 8 April that year, in the presence of nearly all the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s and abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s of England, the monks removed from the Old Minster
Old Minster, Winchester
The Old Minster was the Anglo-Saxon cathedral for the diocese of Wessex and then Winchester from 660 to 1093. It stood on a site immediately north of and partially beneath its successor, Winchester Cathedral....
to the new one, "with great rejoicing and glory". On the feast-day of Saint Swithun (15 July), they processed from the new church to the old, and processed the feretrum
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
of St. Swithun from it to the new church "with all honour". The next day the bishop's men began demolishing the old church. Demolition work was complete within the year, except for one porticus
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
and the great altar. The following year more relics "of St. Swithun and of many other saints" were found under that altar and translated to the new church.
Reformer
Walkelin also reformed the monastic community there, as did all Norman bishops in their new dioceses. In the words of the annalist of Winchester:- "He greatly improved the Church of Winton in devotion, in the number of its monks and in the buildings of the house (monastery)."
Death
Walkelin died 3 January 1098, at Winchester, and was buried in the nave of his cathedral, "before the steps under the rood-loftRood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
(pulpitum), in which stands the silver cross of Stigand
Stigand
Stigand was an English churchman in pre-Norman Conquest England. Although his birthdate is unknown, by 1020, he was serving as a royal chaplain and advisor. He was named Bishop of Elmham in 1043, and then later Bishop of Winchester and Archbishop of Canterbury...
, with the two great silver images; and he lies at the feet of William Giffard
William Giffard
William Giffard was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II and Henry I, from 1093 to 1101.Giffard was the brother of Walter Giffard earl of Buckingham. He also held the office of Dean of Rouen prior to his election as bishop. On 3 August 1100 he became bishop of Winchester by nomination of...
[his successor], having over him a marble stone" under the following inscription:
- Praesul Walklynus istic requiescit humatus – Walkelin lies buried beneath here
- Tempore Willelmi Conquestoris cathedratus – cathedral-builder in the time of William the Conqueror.