683 
SARUM. 
Sarum': but the injury could not have been very great; for 
soon afterwards we find that Bishop Kerman established his 
episcopal seat here. He also laid the foundation of a cathe¬ 
dral church, but died shortly after its commencement, and 
left it to be completed by his successor, Osmund, who was 
Lord of Say, in Normandy, Earl of Dorset in England, and 
Lord Chancellor. This prelate was lavish of expense, both 
in the execution of the building, and iu the establishment of 
the clergy and singers: by his care and assiduity in selecting 
persons properly qualified, and by his munificence in re¬ 
warding merit, his choir surpassed every other iu the island. 
To give greater dignity and permanency to the church, he 
granted to the dean and chapter a charter, conveying to them 
for ever many towns, with lands, churches, and oblations. 
This charter is dated in 1091, was signed by thirty-seven 
prelates and great dignitaries, and confirmed by the king, 
William Rufus, as it was also at a subsequent period by 
Henry II. Osmund was exemplary for his piety and mora¬ 
lity in an age peculiarly dissolute, and also for his literary 
industry. He composed the celebrated form of church ser¬ 
vice, which was received and adopted in most choirs in Eng¬ 
land. During his prelacy, several events of great political 
importance appear to have taken place at Old Sarum; parti¬ 
cularly, an assembly of all the nobles, bishops, and landholders 
iii the kingdom, summoned thither by king William, in 
1086, to swear allegiance to him, and to introduce that re¬ 
markable change in our constitution, the formal and full es¬ 
tablishment of the feudal system ; whereby the king at once 
placed the country in strong defence against foreign enemies, 
and secured the fidelity of his subjects. Another great 
council was held at Old Sarum, by William Rufus, in 1095 
or 1096. On the death of Osmund, which occurred in 
1099, Roger was advanced to the see by the favour of 
king Henry I., who had raised him from obscurity to the 
highest offices in the state. With the bishopric, the castle 
of the city was committed to his custody: he environed the 
whole with a new wall; augmented the strength of the 
fortifications; and embellished the cathedral in the most 
costly style. The prelacy of Roger was marked by im¬ 
portant national events; king Henry held his court here 
for some months in 1100, and again in 1106; and in 1116 
he assembled here all the nobles and barons of the realm, to 
swear allegiance and do homage to his son William, as suc¬ 
cessor to the throne. But William died long before the 
throne was vacant; and at the death of Henry, Matilda, his 
only surviving child, became the rightful possessor of the 
crown. But no sooner had Henry breathed his last, than 
his nephew Stephen determined to seat himself on the throne. 
In this object he was principally favoured by the influence 
of Bishop Roger, whom Henry had left guardian of the 
realm, and who shamefully betrayed the trust he had sworn 
to preserve. But Roger soon had cause to repent of his 
conduct, from the cruel policy and base ingratitude of 
Stephen; which so strongly affected (he bishop’s mind, that 
he died of grief in 1139. After a vacancy of three years, 
Joceline de Bailul was consecrated, and presided over this 
diocese for forty-one years, when he retired to a convent and 1 
assumed the habit of a Cistercian monk. During the con¬ 
tests between Matilda and Stephen, Sarum appears to have 
been alternately occupied by each party; and each, when 
obliged to abandon it, razed the fortifications, that the post 
might be less tenable by their antagonists. When Henry II., 
therefore, ascended the throne, he found the castle in a dis¬ 
mantled. state. The see was not filled till the year 1189, 
when Hubert Walter was consecrated; but he being soon 
advanced to that of Canterbury, the bishopric of Sarum 
devolved on Herbert Poore, in 1194. During his presiding, 
the contentions between the castellantsand the clergy, which 
had- risen to a great height in the prelacy of Joceline, be¬ 
came more violent and serious; which, joined to the other 
difficulties attendant on the situation of Old Sarum, deter¬ 
mined the bishop and canons to have the see translated to a 
place of greater freedom and convenience. Leave was ob¬ 
tained from king Richard to build a new church in the 
valley at some distance from the castle; but the design was 
relinquished by the bishop, from the idea that the expense 
would far exceed his abilities. He died in 1217, and was 
succeeded by his brother, Richard Poore, when the project 
of translating the church was resumed; and the dean and 
chapter sent special messengers to Rome to urge the necessity 
of it. Pope Honorius instituted an enquiry into the 
grievances complained of, and granted a bull for the desired 
removal. On the receipt of this indulgence, a general con¬ 
vocation of the bishop and canons was held; and it was 
solemnly determined that a new church should be built on 
the scite of the present cathedral at Salisbury. (See Sa¬ 
lisbury, and Architecture, p. 92.) This resolution 
was soon carried into effect; and from that time may be 
dated the ruin of Old Sarum. For the people soon deserted 
their ancient habitations, and built others in the immediate 
vicinity of the new cathedral. Hence no historical event 
of importance relative to this place occurs subsequent to that 
period. 
The present appearance of Old Sarum, is w f ild and dreary ; 
the natural feature is a gentle eminence, rising from a valley 
on the west, and connected with a ridge which extends to 
the east. This position is artificially raised at the centre, 
where the keep or citadel was placed, and which was 
guarded by a deep fosse on the outside, and a lofty rampart 
or vallum within. The inclosed area is about 500 feet in 
diameter. On its east side was the principal entrance; 
where it is supposed there were bastion towers, a bridge 
across the fosse, and other defensive works., A large area, 
or outer ballium, surrounded the citadel, which was again 
circumvallated with a bank and ditch. These inclosed the 
chief part of the city, measuring, according to Sir Richard 
Hoare, seven furlongs twenty-six yards in circumference, 
and comprising an area of twenty-seven acres and a half. 
On the outer side were the suburbs on the south-east and 
Vrest parts; chiefly on the latter. The valla of each of the 
great ditches are nearly of equal height; the former being 
one hundred and six feet, and the latter one hundred feet- 
Both are exceedingly steep on the scarp side, particularly the 
inner rampart; and both were surmounted by massive walls, 
some foundations of which are still visible, and shew them to 
have been at least twelve feet in thickness. A large mass of 
one of these walls, apparently of Roman workmanship, 
crowns the outer vallum on the north side. The space 
between the two works is intersected at three places 
by a ditch and vallum, connecting the two circular 
banks, and intended for the defence of the remaining 
portions of the city, should an enemy have succeeded 
in obtaining possession of one part of it. The two en¬ 
trances of this fort, mentioned by Leland, are of very 
curious construction, each passing the sides of a remarkable 
m“>unt, resembling a rude horn-work, which has a deep ditch 
and high bank, peculiar to itself. The principal one faces 
the east; and the other, called the postern-gate, faces the 
west. Near the latter, a spot is still pointed out where the 
ancient cathedral stood; but no discriminating vestiges are 
now extant. On the north side of the large vallum, and 
immediately at its junction with the transverse vallum, is a 
subterraneous passage, which was discovered in the year 
1795; and, on being explored, was found to extend, in a 
sloping direction, from the inner area to the outer ditch. 
The mouth, or entrance, is about four feet in width ; thence 
a covered way of about seven feet broad, and from eight to 
ten feet high, descends in an angle nearly parallel to the 
glacis of the side of the hill, to the depth of an hundred and 
fourteen feet. The descent was by means of steps exca¬ 
vated in the chalk rock, and is said to have been not much 
worn, which seems to indicate the secrecy of the passage. 
Nearly on the opposite side of the area is a similar sinking of 
the ground, which may be considered as denoting the exist¬ 
ence of a similar cavity. Within the keep a hollow in the 
ground may still be observed, which, according to tradition, 
is the spot where a well was sunk to a great depth; but it 
is now nearly filled up. Four other wells are mentioned as 
having 
