A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



put Home in White's place, and it was thought that he might well be 

 left to do his own visiting. 



Robert Home, who had been Dean of Durham under Edward VI., 

 was not however consecrated Bishop of Winchester by the archbishop 

 until February, 1561. He held the see for almost twenty years. The 

 power for good or evil that follows the possession of a vast income was 

 now much changed so far as this bishopric was concerned. An act of 

 parliament was passed to strip it of those possessions which had been 

 alienated with the connivance of Ponet in the days of Edward VI., but 

 recovered in those of Mary. 1 Moreover, a general Act had become 

 law by which the Crown, in the event of any see falling vacant, could 

 issue a commission to survey its castles, manors or lands, and to take 

 to itself whatsoever seemed good, giving in exchange impropriations 

 or tithes to a like amount. The proviso of exchange was however a 

 delusion, and readily made void ; even Burnet styles this ' an act for 

 robbing the Church without enriching the Crown.' At Durham, Home 

 had destroyed with his own hands not only what were technically 

 ' superstitious monuments,' but much that was purely artistic, so that 

 of him it was written by one of his own chapter that ' he could never 

 abide any ancient monuments, acts, or deeds that gave any light of or 

 to godly religion.' 2 In his new diocese the destruction that he wrought, 

 particularly with Wykeham's work at Winchester, was piteous. Much 

 detail could be given from various contemporary writers and from letters, 

 but it may suffice to sum it all up in the words of Wood : ' Bishop 

 Home was a most zealous and active Puritan, and one of the greatest 

 enemies which the monuments of art and the ancient rites of religion 

 found at the Reformation.' 3 



No sooner had Home established himself in his diocese than he 

 began a general visitation with the object of securing uniformity. 

 Surrey was his first care. On 8 June, 1561, the bishop wrote to Cecil 

 stating that he had completed his visitation of Surrey and a great part 

 of Hampshire, and was about to go forward to Southampton and the 

 Isle of Wight. As to those who had appeared at his visitation, he had 

 not found any ' repugning to the ordering of the realme concerning 

 religion,' or any ministers declining to subscribe to the declaration. But 

 he complains that many were absent, and many churches destitute of 

 incumbents. He intended to have all absentees summoned before him 

 when his visitation was complete. 4 In August of the same year Home 

 wrote again at length to Cecil, expressing his bounden duty to report 

 to the council, since the queen had entrusted him with a considerable 

 amount of civil jurisdiction in Hampshire, as well as that which per- 

 tained to his spiritual office. The letters lately sent from the council 

 had struck no small terror into men's minds, and were useful in forcing 



1 i Eliz. c. 4. Rites of Durham (Surtees Soc.) pp. 59, 65. 



Wood's Athena, \. 180. See also Warton's Life of Sir T. Pope, appendix 10, and Kitchin's 

 Winchester, p. 1 80. 



* Dam. Stale Papers, Eftz. xvii. 23. The various references to the State Papers are to the 

 originals ; where only the printed calendars have been used it is so stated. 



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