Evening star., 1901-09-28
OLD ENGLISH ToMBS
BONES OF KINGS IN THE CATHEDRAL
OF WINCHESTER.
Relics of william Rufus, Hardicanute
Egbert and Ethel
wuIf.

London Correspondents Baltimore American.
Winchester is town that has little to
interest in itself There is cathedral con-
tanning historical possessions sufficient to
absorb attention. 1t is old. and shows the
English style of architecture in its earlier
period. The vastness of the building inn
presses the senses, while what 1t contains
echoes of the past down the lines of its
dim corridors. The cathedral was built on
the site of a heather temple, the spring Of
which remains in the crypt. The waters
at present are used for the baptism of in
fants. They were four centuries in COM
pleting the cathedral. 1t is the largest in
Europe. save st. Peters at Rome, and was
dedicated in 1898. Next to Westminster
Abbey 1t is the richest in monuments.
The early Norman front Is an elaborate
piece of work. with figures and designs
highly artistic. The great screen Is justly
celebrated; 1t contains an enormous amount
Of carving and number of figures of
celebrities.
THE tomb of William Rufus was opened
In 1868, and the head and bones were meas
ured. The stone sarcophagus was after
wards sealed. 1t consist of three pieces
the leaden coffin receptacle, the slab and
surmounting block. The mortuary chests
are placed high up out of reach of hands.
In them are the bones Of old kings and
saints, placed where they now are in 1924.
In them are Edred, A. D. 955; King Ed
mund, A. D. e46; Canute, Kufus, Emma,
Wilma, Alvin. Egbert, Kenulph, Kinegils
and Ethelwulf.
II was assured that recent examination
OF the bones. for airing Them disclosed that
what remained were In a good state Of pre-
servation. Hardicanute, the last Danish
monarch, has his bones housed beneath
that lofty handiwork of the past. He is
said to have died drinking at Asgood
Clope's house in Lambreth. A figure of a
ship is on his monument
Cardinal Beaufort. whom Shakespeare
has woven into his quatrains, has q
chantry to himelf. He is represented by
stone proxy, dead as a herring, outstreteh-
ed with folded hands, and his robes gather
ed aroud him. Canute's body was discov-
cred In 1885, 1t was remarkably fresh, had
a wreath or circlet around the head and
several other ornaments, such as gold and
silver bands. On his finger was a ring, in
which was set a remarkably fine stone and
in one of his hands was a silver penny.
he is now boxed up and placed skyward on
screen.
Curious Paintings.
There are curious wall paintings very
tndistinct and Of great antiquity. One is a
woman brought to life to confess a sin not
confessed before death; another the Bless
ed Virgin assisting a painter. whose scat
fold had been knocked down by the devil
for trying to paint him as ugly as he knew
him to be. 1zaak Walton is buried in the
south transept. On his tomb is the follow
Ing:
Here resteth the body of
Who died the 18th of December 16S3
Alas, he Is gone before,
Gone to return noe more;
Our painting breasts aspire
After their aged sire,
Whose wellspent life did last
But BUT now nlaefy Se ESsaEsI Ssfb bsaTn ana past
That which will mere be done,
Crowned with eternal blisse
We wish our souls with his.
Volts machatis sic furunt Hberi
"St. Swithin was the patron of the ca
thedral but, like King Alfred the Great.
| who is buried somewhere in Winchester,
which was the ancient capital of England,
his grave is not to be located.
Il visited what remains of the old castle
| and inspected King Arthur's table. I paid
| sixpence gratuity and heard the following
| address delivered in a stilted, recitative
! style by the attendant: What you observe
| on the wall is Arthur's table. To remove
doubt it was taken down and examined by
our leading archaeologists They found it to
be the oaken top of a table, the places
where the legs We're inserted being discov-
cred. Then 1t was returned to its former
| position. The painting and figures are Of
/ the time of Henry VII. You observe some
| brick in the stone wall running somewhat
| inclined, and you further observe on the
| adjoining wall a round, open space. The
| king was not always present with those who
assembled In this banqueting hall and coun-
| Gil chamber; so, in order that he might dis
| tinctly hear In the adjoining room what was
said in this, those openings were made. The
castle was destroyed, and this restored room
is all that remains. I wish there was more
| Of it.
| Burial Place of the Calverts.
Through with Winchester. I concluded
| to return to London. the seat Of innumer-
able sights which have never been fully dis
closed. The first place in London to which
| I directed attention was st. Dunstans
Church Of the West, on Fleet street. where
| some of the Calverts are said to be buried,
| the first Lord Baltimore among the number.
Mr.. Strange. the parish clerk. was courte
Gus. He said they were buried there. Their
| bones were removed when the old church
was taken down, in 1893, and deposited in q
| vault under the vestry and were immedi-
ately beneath us. At present there is no
way Of seeing into the vault, the entrance
| being closed. Hundreds of bones were re-
moved and placed in 1t. The vault was
sealed up by order Of the government. If 1t
| had not been the bones would have had to
| be removed to Ilford, the burial ground of
| London. The vault is 20x15 feet. Mr..
| Strange has been in 1t. and he saw several
| leaden collins and old boxes filled with hui
man relics, and piles Of bones were stacked