UNRECORDED DEANS OF WIMBORNE MINSTER. 33 



(3) By a Charter of Queen Elizabeth, 1563, the Minster 

 was to be served by three priests, who in reality were stipend- 

 iary curates. They were appointed by a Corporation, con- 

 sisting of twelve Governors, and liable to be dismissed 

 by them. Each priest had his own clerk. This state of things 

 continued until 1883, when 



(4) The fourth period commenced, in which, by a scheme 

 of the Charity Commissioners, Holt, which previously had 

 been & portion of the parish of Wimborne Minster, was 

 separated off and became an independent parish ; and the 

 three priests, who were entitled " presbyters " or " ministers," 

 were replaced by a vicar of the Minster (who has at his own 

 charge to provide an assistant curate in priest's orders) and 

 a vicar of Holt. 



But to return to the second period, with which in reality 

 w r e are concerned to-day : 



The dates of the destruction of the monastery and of the 

 subsequent foundation of the College have not been recorded. 

 There can be little doubt that the Abbey, as has already 

 been pointed out, was destroyed by the Danes. Leland 

 says that the College of Canons was founded by Edward, 

 King of England ; 14 though he does not state which Edward 

 it was. Browne Willis conjectures that it was Edward the 

 Confessor, the Founder of Westminster Abbey. 15 i 



If this conjecture is a correct one, and I am more and 

 more inclined to think that it is, it is not difficult to see 

 why the Minster should be in the King's gift, why so fre- 

 quently Kings' Clerks should have been appointed to the 

 Deanery, and why, from quite early times, Wimborne 

 Minster should have been a Royal Free Chapel, exempt from 

 Episcopal or Archidiaconal jurisdiction, and subject only to 

 the King. 



14. Antiquarii Collectanea J. Lelandi, Vol. I., p. 82 ; Cf. also Tanner 

 Not. Monast., p. 102. 



15. Cf. in Bodleian Library Willis MSS. XII., p. 139, 



