Hubert Walter, 1189—1193. 



215 



proving on more than one occasion that he could wield the sword as 

 well as the crosier. Together with other bishops he re-consecrated 

 the principal churches of the city of Acre, which the pagans had 

 polluted, and, building altars, once more celebrated upon them the 

 hol} r mysteries. Moreover he obtained permission for priests to 

 officiate, one at the Holy Sepulchre, and one at Nazareth. 



Immediately after the return of Hubert Walter to England, in 

 1193, the monks of the metropolitical Church of Canterbury met 

 together and elected him to the primacy in succession to Archbishop 

 Baldwin. The election was not however unchallenged ; and, 

 strangely enough, the principal appellant was Herbert Archdeacon 

 of Canterbuiy, who so soon afterwards succeeded him in the see of 

 Sarum. The grounds of the appeal, which was laid before the 

 Supreme Pontiff, were, first of all, that the king was in captivity, 

 and then, secondly, that the Bishops of England whose duty it was 

 to have been present at such an election were not there. 1 Roger 

 of Wendover however is careful to tell us that he was elected 

 canonically. He was duly enthroned at Canterbury on the day 

 after the Feast of St. Leonard, 1193. Immediately afterwards, by 

 command of King Richard who was still in captivity, the general 

 administration of affairs in England was entrusted to his care. 



Much concerning him will be found in the introduction to the 

 fourth volume of Roger de Hoveden, published in the Rolls Series, 

 and edited by Professor Stubbs. He belonged rather to the secular 

 and statesman school, than to that which may be termed the 

 devotional and spiritual. Of the Bishops of Old Sarum, Roger 

 and Hubert Walter belong to the former, Osmund and Richard 

 Poore to the latter. He could in any case have given very little 

 personal care to his diocese ; still his memory was for some 

 centuries preserved here, and, according to Leland, an annual obit 

 was observed for him in the Cathedral. 2 



1 Turn quia Rex in captione erat, turn quia Episcopi Anglioe, quorum est 

 interesse electioni Cantuarensis Archiepiscopi, non interfuerunt electioui illi. 

 Hoveden, III., 213. 



2 See Wilts Mag., L, 168. 



Q 2 



