ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



absolve in all reserved cases, and the people were to be reminded of ' the 

 approved teaching of the Holy Fathers, that sickness and premature 

 death often come from sin, and that by the healing of souls this kind 

 of sickness is known to cease.' 



At the same time the superiors of all convents were authorized to 

 appoint two or three suitable priests to hear the nuns' confessions in case 

 of the sudden death of their authorized chaplain. By Christmastide 

 the plague was in the county of Southampton. On 19 January, 13489, 

 the bishop announced that the pope, in response to his request, had 

 granted to all those of his diocese, religious or secular, ecclesiastics or 

 laymen, who should confess their sins with true repentance to any priest 

 of their choice, a plenary indulgence at the hour of death if they 

 departed in the true faith. The indulgence was to last till Easter, but, 

 as the plague did not abate, the bishop announced that the pope had 

 granted its extension till Michaelmas. 



The deaths in January in the city of Winchester were so numerous 

 that great difficulty arose as to burials. The clergy were anxious to 

 restrict the interments within consecrated churchyards, but to this some 

 of the citizens objected (probably with a wise regard for sanitation), and 

 to enforce their objections a party of unruly townsfolk set upon and 

 wounded a monk of St. Swithun's who was engaged in the burial rites 

 in the central churchyard of the city. The bishop promptly excom- 

 municated those engaged in the affray, and ordered the prior of Win- 

 chester and the abbot of Hyde to have sermons preached on the doctrine 

 of the resurrection of the body, evidently fearing that the grievous times 

 might bring about some open repudiation of the Church's faith, as 

 had already been the case in certain continental towns. At the same 

 time the bishop gave special facilities for the enlarging of graveyards 

 and the dedication of new ones, so ' that the people of the various 

 parishes may have every opportunity for speedy burial.' 



In this diocese, as elsewhere, an examination of the institutions in 

 the episcopal registers at this dread season tends to show that the state- 

 ments of the chroniclers as to the terrible death-roll in England are not 

 one whit exaggerated. In Hampshire, including the Isle of Wight, 

 the average annual number of appointments to benefices recorded in the 

 act books for twelve years prior to the pestilence was twenty ; but in 

 the fateful year of 1340 this number was increased more than tenfold, 

 the institutions that were registered mounting up to 228. Judging from 

 the institutions, the plague came into the diocese from Wiltshire as 

 well as from the seaboard, for it was on the western side of the county 

 that several vacant livings had to be filled up in the month of February. 

 The deanery of Basing, in the north of Hampshire, suffered most 

 severely ; by far the greater part of the benefices falling vacant in 

 March and April. The southern coast of the county round Portsmouth, 

 Hayling and the Isle of Wight suffered chiefly in the same months. 

 In this dire distress the bishop did not hesitate to collate speedily to 

 livings not in his own gift, in order to save time in providing for 

 ii 33 5 



