ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



officials and their action in the removal of images. Thomas Williams 

 (vicar of Andover), who was at that time curate of Farnham, made 

 a similar deposition. Evidence was also given as to the courtesy shown 

 to the king's visitors by the bishop's officials. The bishop's chancellor, 

 Dr. Steward, was further proved to be most zealous (at the bishop's 

 instance) in urging obedience to the various injunctions. As an instance 

 it was shown that the order prohibiting the carrying of candles on 

 Candlemas day was so zealously obeyed that, though it only reached 

 Winchester on Candlemas eve, it was circulated far and wide. At 

 Southampton the order came on Candlemas day when the service had 

 begun, and the priest stopped hallowing the candles and left them in 

 the church. No evidence was produced at the trial that in any degree 

 supported the previous contention of the Privy Council that Gardiner 

 had made any disturbances at Winchester or in Hampshire, but the 

 commissioners seem to have had no hesitation in pronouncing him 

 guilty, and on 14 February, 1551, he was formally deprived of his 

 bishopric. On the following day the council (including the Archbishop 

 of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely, two of his judges) were ungenerous 

 enough, on the plea that he had called his judges ' hereticks and sacra- 

 mentaries,' to decide that the aged bishop ' should be removed from the 

 lodging he hathe nowe in the Tower to a meaner lodging and none 

 to waite upon him but one by the Lieutenante's appoinctement, in suche 

 sorte as by the reasorte of any man to him, he have not the meanes to 

 sende oute to any man or to heare from any man ; and likewise that his 

 bookes and papers be taken from him and seen, and that from hense- 

 forthe he have neither penne, inke nor paper to write his detestable 

 purposes, but be sequestred from all conference, and from all meanes 

 that may serve him to practise anywaie.' ' 



One of the articles that the council in vain tried to induce Gardiner 

 to put his signature to in July, 1550, was to the effect that the king 

 did upon just ground ' and reason suppress, abolish, and take away the 

 chantries and such other livings as were used and occupied for main- 

 tenance of private masses, and masses satisfactory for the souls of them 

 that are dead, or finding of obits, lights, or othere like things,' and 

 further that it was a good thing to change them to other uses. 



Hampshire did not feel the suppression of the chantries quite so 

 keenly as some shires, for the number of the endowed chantries was 

 small when compared with its area and the number of the parishes. 2 

 Nevertheless it was a severe blow, and grossly unjust in the manner of 

 its execution. It is true that the original idea of a chantry (which 

 began in England about the close of the thirteenth century, Bishop 

 John of Pontoise's great chantry of St. Elizabeth of 1301 being a notable 



1 Acts of the Privy Council, 1550-2, pp. 213, 214. 



* There were but two or three chantries, and those served by the monks, attached to the great 

 cathedral church of Winchester, yet Lincoln Minster had 36 ; St. Paul's, London, 37 ; Chichester, 12 ; 

 and Sarum, 1 1. Chantries seem to have been discouraged in those minsters served by Benedictine monks 

 (Cults' Parish Priests and their People"). 



H 65 9 



