*WINCHESTER, (Hampshire) 54 cm. 67 mm. from London, stands on the Itching, where it is joined by another small r. in a
bottom surrounded by hills of chalk, or whitish clay, and is supposed to have been built 900 years before Christ. We read
in the Roman authors, Cujacius and Pancirollus, that there were looms here for weaving cloths for the Roman emperors and
their army, and for making sails, linnen, shrouds, &c. for their furniture. That here was a mon. in the infancy of
christianity is generally agreed, and the old piece of flinty wall, near the W. gate of the cathedral, is supposed to be
the remains of it. On St. Catherine's-Hill near this city, there appears to have been a camp: and on the side of the W.
gate was a castle, where the W. Saxon Ks. in whose time this city was sacked once or twice, are supposed to have kept
their court. The castle-hall, in which the assizes are held, is supported by pillars of marble, and has a round table,
pretended to be above 1200 years old, which has illegible Saxon characters, said to be the names of the 24 Kts. with whom
K. Arthur used to carouse at it; but Mr. Camden thinks the whole a fable, and that the table is of a much later date. K.
Ethelstan gave this city the privilege of 6 mints for coinage of money. Fox says that its Ch. which is one of the noblest
sees in the Km. was first founded by Kinegulf a K. of the Mercians, whose son translated the see of Dorchester hither,
anno 663; and although the diocese of Sherburn was taken out of this see by K. Ina, yet it became afterwards so rich a
see, that when Edw. III. would have preferred its Bp. Edendon, his favourite, to the see of Canterbury, he refused it,
saying, that tho' Canterbury was the higher Rack, Winchester was the better Manger. This Bp's successor, William of
Wickham, having sued his executors for dilapidations, recovered, besides money, 1556 head of black cattle, 3876 wethers,
4717 ewes, 3521 lambs, and 127 swine; all which stock bel. it seems, at that time to the Bpk. of Winchester. Egbert was
crowned the first sole monarch of England in this city. St. Swithin, one of its Bps. was tutor to that K's. son, and
buried in the Ch.-yard of the cathedral. In his time this city was destroyed by the Danes. Edw. the Confessor was also
crowned in this city, and Will. the Conqueror sometimes kept his court here. The empress Maud being possessed of this
city, was so closely besieged in it by K. Stephen, that she was glad to escape in a coffin, after having caused a report
to be spread of her death; but the city was plundered by the soldiers. Hen. II. held a Pt. here, where he was crowned with
his Q. K. John, in whose interest this city stood firm, during all his war with the barons, resided here; and his son,
Hen. III. was born here, as was also in 1209 that William D. of Saxony, from whom is descended the most illustrious family
of Hanover, now happily established on the throne of Great-Britain. Henry III. who kept his Christmas here in 1239, made
sad havock of the temporalities of this see, because the monks chose one Raleigh their Bp. instead of his wife's uncle.
When the barons rose against him, the castle here was seized by Simon de Montfort, the E. of Leicester's son, the city
taken, and all the Jews in it put to the sword; but the said E. being soon after killed, the K. came and held a Pt. here.
Soon after the murder of Edw. I. his uncle, Edm. Plantagenet, was beheaded at the castle-gate here. Will. of Wickham,
above-mentioned, being prime minister to Ed. III. as well as Bp. of this see, procured a charter from him for this city,
whereby it was made a woolstaple (a trade carried on here, even at this time, with great success by Messieurs Selwood,
Whatley, and Co.); and he obtained many other privileges and immunities, to be for ever appendant to this see, as
particularly that its Bps. should be prelates of the most noble Order of the Garter, and chancellors to the Abps. of
Canterbury. He built all the body of his cathedral, westward from the choir (where his statue is placed in a nich over the
great window) except only a small part of it begun by his predecessor; and besides divers other bounties, he bestowed
20,000 marks on the repair of houses, mended all the highways from hence to his palace in Southwark, built St.Mary's-Coll.
here, near the palace, to fit scholars for the U. and New-Coll, in Oxford, to finish them. He also built several fr. scs.
and hoss. both in Hampshire and Surry, which travellers may every where distinguish by this motto on his arms affixed to
the several structures, viz. Manners make the Man. He likewise built Windsor-Castle for Edw. III. and to conclude the
account of his magnificence, he erected a stately tomb of white marble, richly gilt, 13 years before his death, in the
body of his Ch. where he lies interred. In 1393 Rich. II. held a Pt. here, and Hen. IV. was here married. In this city
Hen. V. gave audience to ambassadors, that came to him from France to sue for a peace; but they did it in such insolent
terms, that he soon after invaded their Km. and conquered it. Pr. Arthur, eldest son to Henry VII. was born here, and Q.
Mary I. was married here to Philip of Spain. This city was besieged and taken, in 1643, by the Pt.-army under Sir William
Waller; after which the Bp's. palace here was pulled down, to make money of the lead and other materials; but Bp. Morley,
who had been in exile with Cha. II. laid out 2800 l. in building a new one. Cha. II. was so pleased with the situation of
this city, that he set Sir Christ. Wren upon building a royal palace in the high part of it, on the W. side where the
castle stood; but the K. dying before it was finished, nothing remains of it but a shell, tho' it was carried up to the
roof, and the whole case roofed, &c. so that what was done of it, is said to have cost 25,000 l. In digging the
foundation, a pavement of brick was found, with coins of Constantine the Great, &c. Cha. II. and Ja. II. made several
progresses to this city, especially while the palace was building; and Q. Anne, who visited it soon after her marriage
with Prince George of Denmark, settled it on him, as an appenage for his life, in case he survived her. K. Geo. I. who
likewise honoured this city with a visit, made a present to the D. of Bolton of the fine pillars of Italian marble, that
were to have supported the grand stair-case. The members, which it has sent to Pt. ab origine, are chosen by the corp, and
free-burgesses (in number about 100) and returned by the bailiffs. The cathedral was anciently called the old minster, or
mon. to distinguish it from the new one, which being so near to it, that they were a disturbance to each other, the monks
of the new minster by licence of Hen. I. built a fine large mon. at Hyde in the N. W. part of the city, which was
treacherously burnt down by the Prince Henry de Blois, says Camden, by a fire, wherein a famous cross was consumed, the
gift of Canute the Dane, which cost him the yearly revenue of all England. For the Bp. took from it 500 l. weight of
silver, 30 marks weight of gold, 3 crowns with so many thrones of gold set with diamonds, which he put into his treasury,
and took enough out of it to found and endow the hos. of St. Cross, which is said, by mistake of some writers, to be
founded above 200 years after, by the cardinal de Beaufort, who only farther endowed it. The old minster, now the
cathedral, had, after the ejection of the monks at the Diss. a new foundation of a dean and 12 prebendaries. In this
cathedral were buried several of our Saxon Ks. whose bones were collected by Bp. Fox, and put into 6 little gilded
coffins, which he placed upon a wall in the S. side of the choir. Here are a font of black marble erected in the time of
the Saxons; an altar-piece, the gift of Bp. Morley, which is by much the noblest in England, if not in all protestant
countries; and a choir, said to be the longest of any in the Km. it being not less than 136 foot. Here lies the marble
coffin of Will. Rufus; which being opened by the soldiers in the late civil wars, they found on his thumb a gold ring
adorned with a ruby. Here were formerly 32 p.-Chs. of which only 6 remain. There is a great deal of void ground within the
walls, with gardens that are supplied with water from little canals on each side of the high street, The buildings here
have a very agreeable air of antiquity, and the streets are broad and clean. Its r. was made navigable for barges from
hence to Southampton, in the R. of William the Conq. The clergy live very elegantly in the close bel. to the cathedral;
and there is a great deal of good company in the city, as well as abundance of gentry in the neighbourhood, which makes it
a place very sociable; but it is a T. of little trade or mf. It is half a m. long from E. to W. about 1 m. and half in
com. and surrounded almost with a wall of flints, with 6 gates, and suburbs leading to every one of them. The
establishment of St. Mary's-College, above-mentioned, appointed a warden, 70 scholars or students in grammar. 10 perpetual
chaplains (now called fellows) 3 other chaplains, 3 clerks, a schoolmaster, usher, an organist and 16 choristers, who with
their tenants were to be tax-free for ever. The scholars wear black gowns; but when they go to the chapel, which is in the
centre of the college, they put on white surplices. Over the door of the school there is a curious statue of the founder,
made by Mr. Cibber (the father of Mr. Colley Cibber, that excellent comedian, the Poet-Laureat) who cut those inimitable
figures of Melancholy and Distractian upon Bedlam-Gate in Moorfields, London. The scholars here have exhibitions after
some time, if they have a mind to study in the New-College, Oxford, which, as is before observed, was founded by the same
noble benefactor. It is observable, that this William of Wickham, and the 2 Bps. who succeedcd him, viz. Henry de
Beaufort, who was made a cardinal, and Will. Wainfleet, sate in this see almost 120 years; a thing very rare for 3 Bps. to
hold one Bpk. so long ! The cardinal, who had been thrice Ld.-chancellor, was so wealthy, that he left legacies to almost
all the cathedrals in England; but most to that of Wells. In the cathedral Ch.-yard there is a college, erected and
endowed by Bp. Morley in 1672, for 10 ministers widows. There are 3 ch. scs. here; one for 50 boys, another for 30 girls,
who are all cloathed, and, when fit, put out apprentices, These 2 are maintained by a subscription of 220 l. a year; and
there is a 3d for teaching 250 boys, at a private person's charge, but they are not cloathed. Near the E. gate of the city
is St. John's hos. in the hall of which the mayor and bailiffs give their publick entertainments. At one end is the
picture of K. Charles II. by Sir Peter Lilly, and at the other a large table of all the mayors and bailiffs of this city
from the year 1184; and here are also tables of benefactions to this city, during the Saxon Rs. and since the Ncrman race,
from Henry II. to Charles II. An infirmary was lately established in this T. by voluntary subscription, chiefly owing to
the zeal and pains of Dr. Alured Clarke. According to a charter of Q. Eliz. the city is governed by a mayor, high-steward,
recorder, ald. (not limited, out of whom are chose 6 justices) 2 coroners, 2 bailiffs, 24 C.C. a T.-clerk, 4 constables,
and 4 serjeants at mace, who have a guild-hall, rebuilt not many years ago; in the front of which is the effigy of Q. Anne
cast in mixed metal. Here are 2 courts of record held on the Mt.-days, which are W. and S. Its Fairs are the first M. in
Lent, July 5 and 22, and Oct. 13; the last noted for cheese and cattle, and called St. Giles's-Fair, because it is kept on
the spot where St. Giles's chapel or hos. stood without the city, on a high hill, called St. Giles, to the E. of the r.
This city has given title of Earl and Marq. to several noble families It was first erected into a marquisate by Edw. VI.
in favour of Will. Pawlet, E. of Wiltshire, and continues to be the title of the eldest son of the D. of Bolton. The great
Roman highway leads from this city to Alton. There are charming plains and downs about Winchester, on which there are
annual horse-races. It is said by Hollinshed and other writers of chronicles, that the citizens of Winchester had formerly
the privilege of overseeing the sovereign's kitchin and laundry at coronations, as the citizens of London had the care of
the wine-cellar.