W 1 N 



tudes refortiug to its fairs, the principal of wliicii was held 

 on the neighbouring hills of St. Giles and St. Mary Magda- 

 len. St. Giles's fair was, at one time, by far the great- 

 eft in England. By a grant from William the Conqueror, 

 it was originally to be held for one day only ; but by 

 Henry II. its duration was enlarged to fixteen days ; and 

 in that time no mercantile bufinefs was permitted to be tranf- 

 afted in Southampton, nor in any other place within feven 

 leagues of St. Giles's hill. This fair has long become very 

 infigniiicant ; that of St. Mary Magdalen is ftill, however, 

 much frequented. Since the year 1770, various improve- 

 ments have been made in the general appearance of the city, 

 by paving, repairing, and cleanCng. As early as 1736 was 

 eftablilhed in Winchefter an hofpital or infirmary for the 

 county, a very ufeful inftitution, condufted on a plan judi- 

 cious in itfelf, and honourable to thofe entrufted with its 

 adminiftration. According to the parliamentary returns 

 of 181 1, the number of houfes compofing the city and 

 ifuburbs was 1 134, and the inhabitants 6705. 



Hofpital of St. Crofs — About a milefouth from Winchef- 

 ; ter, in the valley watered by the Itchen, ftands the venerable 

 hofpital of the holy crofs ; an inftitution ftill retaining more 

 of its original charafter. " The lofty tower," obferves Dr. 

 ' Milner, " with the grated door and porter's lodge beneath 

 lit, the retired ambulatory, the feparate cells, the common 

 jrefeftory, the venerable church, the flowing black drefs, 

 land the filver ci'ofs worn by the members, the conventual 

 jappellation 'brother' with which they addrefs one another, 

 ithe filence, the order, the neatnefs, in Ihort, that reign here. 

 Teem to recall the idea of a monaftery to thofe who have 

 Teen one, and will give no imperfeft idea of fuch an efta- 

 bhftiment to thofe who have not had that advantage." But 

 'this eftablilhment was never a monaftery, being only an hof- 

 pital originally founded by bifhop Henry de Blois, between 

 1 132 and 1136, for the refidenceand maintenance of thirteen 

 poor men, and the relief of a hundred others of the moft 

 indigent of the city, but of creditable charafter. Each of 

 thefe was to be provided daily with a loaf of bread, three 

 quarts of fmall beer, and two meflei for his dinner, in a hall 

 (appointed for the purpofe. In the hofpital was an endow- 

 iment for a mafter, a fteward, four chaplains, thirteen clerks, 

 land feven chorifters. Before the time of William of Wyke- 

 jham, biftiop of Winchefter in 1 366, the revenues of St. Crofs 

 ihad been employed in a way very different from the inten- 

 tions of the founder ; but that munificent prelate fucceeded, 

 lafter long litigation, in reftoring the inftitution to its original 

 |Ufes, re-eftabliftiing it on a fecure and well-ordered found- 

 lation. The plan was afterwards refumed and enlarged by 

 .cardinal-bifliop Beaufort, for the additional fupport of two 

 ipriefts and thirty -five refident poor men : he alfo rebuilt 

 ■a confiderable portion of the hofpital. The prefent efta- 

 ibliihmentof St. Crofs is but the wreck of its ancient inftitu- 

 itions, having been feverely fleeced, though not quite de- 

 iftroyed, like many other charitable eftabliftiments, at the 

 |Reformation. Infteadof feventy refidents, clergy and laity, 

 entirely fupported in the place, and one hundred out- 

 ipenfioners, the inftitution at prefent confifts of but ten 

 Irefiding brethren, and three out-penfioners, with one chaplain 

 land the mafter. Certain doles of bread, it is true, continue 

 |lo be diftributed to the poor of the neighbourhood ; and, as 

 (perhaps the only veftige remaining in the kingdom of the 

 Ifimple hofpitality of ancient days, the porter is daily fur- 

 |[iiftied with a certain quantity of good bread and beer, of 

 j which every traveller, or other perfon whatever, who knocks 

 |it the lodge and calls for relief, is entitled to partake gra- 

 Ituitoufly. The buildings of the hofpital once compofed 

 |;wo courts ; but the fouth fide of the interior quadrangle 



WIN 



has been of late years pulled down. On the eaft fide of the 

 outer court is the ' hundred-menne's hall,' about forty feet 

 long, now converted into a brewhoufe ; on the fouth fide ig 

 the handfome tower- gateway, with the ftatue of the founder, 

 Beaufort, in the upper part. In the fecond, or inner court, 

 is the church, built in the cathedral form, with a nave and 

 tranfepts, and a low maffive tower at their interfeftion. 

 The architefture of the edifice is fingularly curious, as it 

 throws fome light on the progrefs, if not on the origin, of 

 the pointed, or Englifh ftyle. The whole edifice feems to be 

 a colleaion of architeftural effays, with refpeft to the form 

 and the difpofition, of both the eflential parts and the fubordi- 

 nate ornaments. It prefents the ponderous pillar of a height 

 equal to its circumference, but fupporting an incipient pointed 

 arch. The lower part of the nave contains maffive Norman 

 pillars ; and the portal of the weft front is an elegant fpeci- 

 men of the time of king John, or beginning of that of 

 Henry III. The weft wing of the remaining buildings con- 

 tains the apartments of the Brethren, each of whom has for 

 his own ufe three chambers and a feparate garden. Adjoin- 

 ing to the hall on the north fide are the apartments of the 

 mafter, which are fpacious and convenient ; and on the eaft 

 fide is the ambulatory or open portico for exercife. 



Si. Catherine's Hill, or College Hill, feparated from the 

 meadows of St. Crofs by the branches of the Itchen, is re- 

 markable for the intrenchment carried round its fummit : 

 the former name it acquired from an ancient chapel on it, 

 deprived of its endowments by cardinal Wolfey ; the latter, 

 becaufe it is a frequent place of refort for the ftudents of 

 the college. 



About three miles north-eaft from Winchefter is Avington, 

 anciently Abyngton, a feat and manor of the prefent marquis 

 of Buckingham, in confequence of his marriage with the 

 fole daughter and heirefs of James, the laft duke of Chandos. 

 The manor, originally a royal demefne, was granted, in 961, 

 by king Edgar to the monaftery of St. Swithun, in Win- 

 chefter ; but in confequence of the diffolution, it became, 

 in the reign of Elizabeth, the property of the ancient family 

 of Bruges, or Brydges, firft fettled in Shropftiire at the Con- 

 queft. Inter-marrying with the family of lord Chandos, 

 renowned in the wars in France under Edward III., the 

 honours of the two families have ever fince continued united. 

 Avington is fituated in a fecluded valley, well planted and 

 nearly inclofed by high downs. The prefent manfion is 

 moftly of brick, and has been greatly improved by the pre- 

 fent poffeflbr, having been previoufly difmantled by the late 

 duke, for the purpofe of adding two wings. Some of the 

 apartments are fitted up with great elegance, and enriched 

 by a feleftion of excellent paintings. The park formed by 

 the late duke, about three miles in circumference, contains 

 a piece of water fupplied by the river Itchen. — Hiftory, 

 &c. of Winchefter, by the Rev. John Milner, D.D. F.S.A., 

 2 vols. 4to. 2d edit. 1809. Beauties of England, vol. vii. 

 Hampftiire, by J. Britton and E. W. Brayley. Hiftory, 

 &c. of Winchefter Cathedral, by J. Britton, i vol. 4to. with 

 30 Prints. 



Winchester, a town of New Hampftiire, in the county 

 of Chefliire, with 1478 inhabitants ; 13 miles S.E. of Chef- 

 terficld — Alfo, a town of the ftate of Connefticut, in 

 Litchfield county, with 1466 inhabitants ; 22 miles N.W. 

 of Hartford — Alfo, a town of the ftate of Kentucky, with 

 4 churches, and 2000 inhabitants. 



Winchester, or Frederlcktown, a town of Virginia j 

 56 miles W.N.W. of Waftiington. N, lat. 39° 15'. W. 

 long. 78° 2z'. 



WINCING, in the Manege, is faid of a horfe when 

 he kicks, fpurs, or throws out his hind feet. 



WINCKHEIM, 



