A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



on 17 November, 1555, and was spared the worst of the persecutions 

 that throw such a gloom upon Mary's reign. 



The successor of Gardiner in the bishopric of Winchester was John 

 White, a native of Hampshire and warden of Winchester college. He 

 was one of Gardiner's executors, he preached at the requiem mass and 

 went with the funeral procession in February, 1556, that conveyed his 

 predecessor's remains from Southwark to Winchester. He had been 

 consecrated Bishop of Lincoln by Gardiner at St. Saviour's, Southwark, 

 in 1554, and soon attained an evil name in the pursuit of heretics. He 

 presided in September, 1555, at the trial of Ridley. 



White was appointed to the bishopric of Winchester on 1 5 April, 

 1556, and on the same day Cardinal Pole appointed Dr. Steward, Dean 

 of Winchester, and Dr. Stympe, who succeeded White as warden of the 

 college, to visit the diocese of Winchester. 1 The bulls for his translation 

 were however delayed, and the conge (felire did not reach the chapter 

 till 1 6 July. Hampshire rallied to the 'old religion' during the grievous 

 and bitter years of Mary's reign, so that the county was happily almost 

 entirely free from persecution. In the long list of martyrs arranged 

 under counties during the four years of the burnings given in Strype's 

 Memorials^ Hampshire is not once named. Nevertheless there was one 

 county burning during White's episcopate a few months before the 

 Queen's death. Thomas Benbridge, a gentleman of position, after 

 examination before the bishop, was condemned to the stake at Win- 

 chester on 29 July, 1558. When the fire reached him the pains 

 caused him to recant, and the sheriff released him and sent him back 

 to prison. On 4 August the Privy Council sent a letter of severe 

 rebuke to Sir Richard Pexsall, the sheriff of Hampshire, for having 

 released Benbridge without authority, and at the same time wrote to the 

 bishop to insist on the execution of the sentence. Meanwhile Benbridge 

 retracted his recantation, was once more led to the stake and martyred. 2 



Though he suffered at Smithfield, and was examined by Bonner, 

 John Philpot, 3 Archdeacon of Winchester, may also be mentioned here as 

 a Marian martyr. He was born at Compton, Hampshire, and was third 

 son of Sir Peter Philpot. It is probably to his credit that he quarrelled 

 with his diocesan, Bishop Ponet, but the Privy Council intervened and 

 told him to pay his dues to the bishop, and not to trouble the people 

 with a visitation during harvest. 4 He was a voluminous writer of the 

 reformed school, and was burned for his doctrines on 18 December, 1555. 



On 13 December, 1558, White preached the funeral sermon on 

 Queen Mary. For certain slighting expressions that he was supposed to 

 have used towards Elizabeth, he was commanded to keep his house ; but 

 on 19 January, 1559, he was called before the council, and ' after a good 



1 Strype, Eccl. Mem. iii. pt. i, 481, 487. 

 Fox, viii. 490 ; Acts of Privy Council, 1556-8, p. 361. 



3 Philpot was one of the three brave men who in the Marian Convocation defended the Prayer 

 Book. 



4 Acts of Privy Council, 1 5 5 2-4, p. 99. 



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