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Topic: Account for the reputation of William of Wykeham as Patron of the arts

William of Wykeham (1324-1404) was a patron of art and architecture during the 14th

century, whose contributions have earned him lasting respect amongst historians since the English

Gothic period. Until the 19th century, William of Wykeham had been credited as an architect

involved in the design and execution of early Perpendicular architecture: his statue accompanies

the great English artists at Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts in London, created in 1867;

in the Albert memorial in London, Wykeham is depicted with the Winchester Cathedral Nave in

hand, accompanied with great architects Bramante and Alberti. Yet, although he sponsored and

overlooked his projects, he never directly designed the buildings he sponsored (Hayter 1970, p. 13).

He made lasting contributions to educational and papal institutions and his major works are utilized,

to some extent, for their original purposes and still function today, albeit with modifications (Hayter

1970, p. 14). Amongst his biggest commissions are Saint Mary College of Winchester in Oxford (New

College, Oxford) (constructed from 1379-1386 and 1396-1403), Winchester College (constructed from

1387-1396), and Winchester Cathedral Nave (constructed from 1394 until after his death) (Buxton &

Williams 1979, pp. 151-152). He was also involved in creating several manorhouses, palaces, and

projects that do not survive today, in total spending over £9000 (from 1351-1361) to make buildings,

though he kept financing projects until his death and continued giving in his will (Buxton &

Williams 1979, p. 151).

As the son of a peasant, William of Wykeham may have learned the value of patronage from

being the beneficiary of the local gentry. William Edington of Winchester gave him the opportunity

to receive education from Winchester grammar school (Alexander and Binski 1987 p. 468). In

addition, two other Hampshire gentry, Sir John Scures, the lord of the manor at Wykeham, and Sir

 
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Ralph Sutton, of the village Sutton Scotney, came to his aid, although the details are unclear (Smith

1952, p. 3)(Parker 2004). As an adult, he gained employment at the royal castle in Winchester and he

was able secure a position under the king in 1350, probably with the help of Bishop Edington

(McKisack 1959, p. 225). While a clerk overseeing Windsor Castle, which earned him a reputation

with King Edward III, he met one of the leading contemporary architects and masons, William

Wynford, whose influence appears in his later works. Indeed, according to McKisack (1970, p. 226),

works such as New College, Oxford and Winchester College closely follow the plan of the building

that earned his reputation with the king. Under Edward III, Wykeham was given the titles Kingǯs

Secretary (1361), Keeper of the Privy Seal (1363), Chancellor of the Realm (1367), and Bishop of

Winchester (1367) (Alexander & Binski 1987, p. 468). As chief keeper and surveyor, he was

responsible for several manors and castles throughout England, including sites at Dover and Sheen.

It is possible that through these works, Wykeham learned the aesthetics and financial judgement

regarding architecture. However, since his role was mainly supervisory, there is no evidence that he

learned any technical knowledge that would have contributed to his later works (Parker 2004).

Because of the civil servant positions he acquired as well as his papal authority, William of

Wykeham was able to acquire a huge sum of wealth starting in the early 1360s (Parker 2004). Indeed,

since his most influential projects were monumental in scale and were of high quality, they

carried with them an enormous price tag. Yet, he was more than a mere civil servant; rather, he

became indispensable to the king and played prominent roles in interstate affairs. Indeed, in

addition to the pay he earned from his multitude of positions (such as an archdeaconry position

worth £350), he managed to benefit from his duties; for example, he attained money destined for

the royal chamber whilst negotiating with France regarding the ransom of French King Jean II.

Moreover, in addition to receiving the title of Bishop of Winchester, one of the most affluent



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counties in England at the time, Wykeham was a well-known church pluralist. Prior to attaining a

position at Winchester or even having church orders, he was granted the Pulham benefice of the

Ely diocese, a profitable territory. Although he later had to relinquish Pulham, this was one of

many territories under his jurisdiction. (Parker 2004). His benefices held an annual value of nearly

£900 at a time it was rare to have benefices in the three-figure range, even amongst the well off

(McKisack 1987, p. 280). In addition to his professional positions, he gained money by dealing

property and engaging in the wool market (Parker 2004.) Yet, undoubtedly, his enormous

influence with the king allowed him his incredible success in life; apart from his civil

appointments, the king persuaded Pope Urban V to confirm Wykeham as Bishop of the See of

Winchester (Hayter 1970, p. 16), (Parker 2004). As an astute businessman with political and papal

connections, he was also able to benefit handsomely from English confiscation of French Dzalien

prioriesdz and this land was used for his project such as Winchester College (Parker 2004).

Through his patronage, he was able to make a lasting impression in extending the

opportunity to pursue education and bettering the educational experience. Because the colleges

were on such a monumental scale, he needed to buy significant plots of land, in addition to

financing their construction. Indeed, the construction of New College, Oxford surpassed the costs

of the combined total of the pre-existing colleges at Oxford (Hayter 1970, p. 43). According to

Parker (2004), Wykeham gave Oxford College £2,000 during his life and a further £6,000 after his

death (while still financing other projects such as the nave at Winchester.) He has been credited

to have Dzcreated the prototype of the post-Reformation college, which was undergraduate as well

as graduate.dz Indeed the building of New College, an academic institution at Oxford was seen as a

DzGreat Leap Forwarddz (Hayter 1970, p. 44). It was a model for future colleges such as Kingǯs

College, Cambridge. Although they were built at different times, New College, Oxford was

 
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designed so that Winchester College could create an integrated campus, an enormous foresight,

especially since he had not secure all the land needed for New College, Oxford at the beginning of

its construction. The significance of the large campus is important because the majority of

undergraduates and professors themselves needed to be housed on campus in order to pursue an

education; this education would enable them to hold positions in administration or related to the

Church, although the latter was the main priority. During this time the largest number of scholars

a college could admit were approximately 20 to 25, Dzwhen funds permitted.dz Wykeham inflated

this number to 70 nearly 300% the largest estimate (McKisack 1987, p. 506).

The planning that went into the New College, Oxford was very detailed and particular.

According to Buxton & Williams (1979, pp. 152-153), Wykeham started purchasing land for the

project in 1360 from at least sixteen different owners. However, according to Hayter (1970, pp. 34-

43) he only began to embark on this project later, around 1373, but could not assemble a team

because of political strife surrounding him. By 1379, after settling political issues that surrounded

him, he gathered the land needed to begin construction.

The buildings at New College strongly implicate the influence of members of his team.

One can see the influence of Windsor Castle and the probable influence of architect William

Wynford in the construction of New College, although it is not certain that Wynford worked on

New College. However, New College bears strong similarities with prior and future works

confirmed as Wynfordǯs, namely Windsor Castle and Winchester College. Wykeham starts the

trend of using main quadrangle around a courtyard to house students (Alexander & Binski 1987, p.

469), a stylistic plan that has been so revolutionary it is now commonplace in college architecture

(Buxton & Williams 1979, p 165). The main quadrangle of New College mirrors the upper

courtyard at Windsor castle, (Wynfordǯs influence) but had never been used in Oxford and

 
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Cambridge prior to Wykeham (Hayter 1970, p. 43). In addition, there is evidence that Henry

Yvele, a celebrated medieval mason-architect, may have influenced this design; although the

quadrangle plan had never before been seen at Oxford or Cambridge, Yvele had planned them at

a small college in Kent (Buxton & Williams 1979, pp. 159-160). The buildings that compose the

quadrangle are functional and essential to the scholars: dormitories, library, chapel, bursary,

wardenǯs lodgings, etc. (Buxton & Williams 1979, p. 165). They were large, but in proportion with

each other, and could hold three or four students in a room to accommodate the student

population. In addition, unlike any other contemporary college, including Merton College,

Oxford, the scheme of the campus, including the main quadrangle, cloisters, bell tower and barn,

seemed unified and designed with the whole in mind (Hayter 1970, p. 43).

Furthermore, thought was put in to protect the students from the hazards of the city.

New College was founded in a gritty part of Oxford whose population had suffered from the Black

Death of 1349 (Hayter 1970, p. 45) and plagues continued to wreak havoc, especially in 1361 and

1369 (Buxton & Williams 1979, p. 149). This made the land significantly easier to acquire as

maintaining the grounds surrounding the college served the townǯs interest to clean up the area.

Wykeham acquired land that was bordered by the Oxford city walls along the northeastern

boundaries and major roads along the southern and western boundaries. This came with an

added responsibility to rebuild the walls surrounding the college, according to the Royal Charter

of August 1379 (Buxton & Williams 1979, p. 153). Further protection was emphasized in the design

of the building; for example, the Wardenǯs room was housed within the quadrangle at the front

gate of the college, which facilitated the dual internal and external roles of the job; planning a

gate tower was the first of its kind (Buxton & Williams 1979, p.165). Moreover, he planned small

details like constructing stonewalls around the library to retard fire spread and a tower next to the

 
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quadrangle to house documents and relics important to the university.

The most important part of the university is the chapel. The chapel and hall area are

arranged so that it appears they form a single unit, which is strongly influenced by St. Georgeǯs

Hall at Windsor Castle (Buxton & Williams 1979, p. 151). Because of Wykehamǯs dual role as civil

servant and clergy, he was able to use his papal authority to influence the Church to grant this

chapel with extra-parochial rights, such as having mass on Sundays; the papal bull of 1389, in

effect, secured the chapel as independent from the local parish church, complete with its right to

build its own cloister (for burials) and bell tower, the first of their kind to be built on academic

institutions (Buxton & Williams 1979, pp. 154, 165). Setting a chapel on campus became a trend for

later institutions. Indeed, even the unique design of the chapel influenced later projects. The

chapel was built in a T-shape, a unique contemporary design. This T-shape plan that excludes a

nave was the first of its kind; although Merton College also has this plan, it was merely accidental

as a result of unfinished construction (Hayter 1970, p. 49). However, the accidental plan of

Merton may have influenced Wyndor and Wykeham to purposefully derive the T-shape plan.

Since Wykeham was not able to consolidate the land for the project all at once (the land for the

cloister and bell tower was bought in 1388-1389), perhaps the area and spacing of the land

prohibited other, more traditional designs (Alexander & Binski 1987, p. 469). This plan set a

model for future universities such as All Souls and Magdalen (Hayter 1970, p. 49). Although there

is no nave, the chapel and the building before the chapel, the antechapel, play functional

purposes. The chapel housed the main services and the antechapel was large enough to not only

hold mass but to double for academic purposes such as holding meetings.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Wynford, Yvele, and Herland designed and

constructed the New College projects (as the other notable works) Wykeham earned a reputation

 
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in the eighteenth and nineteen century as a celebrated architect. Yet, there is no evidence that

Wykeham was directly involved in designing the institutions, although it is well documented that

he corresponded with his architects often (Alexander & Binski 1987, p. 468)(Buxton & Williams

1979, p. 157). Interestingly, there is no evidence that he ever visited New College (Buxton &

Williams 1979, p.157). The reputation he earned as the architect of New College can be best

attributed to Warden Woodward, who lacking documentation naming the architect, concluded

that Wykeham himself may have played this role (Buxton & Williams 1979, p. 156).

Winchester College is very much akin to New College and the same revolutionary

concepts were incorporated into its design. Winchester College was integrated in the New

College, Oxford and was strongly modelled after it. The Foundation Deed for establishing

Winchester College was acquired in 1382 and work started five years later. By the end of the 14th

century, Winchester College was the largest and most expensive school in Western Europe. After

six years and £1,000 (equivalent to £20,000 in 1892), the college was completed (Kirby 1892, p. 28);

according to Firth (1949, p. 16) Winchester College was endowed with £450 a year. Wykeham

made provisions to house more fellows than New College, including 70 impoverished fellows,

sixteen choristers, and ten wealthy students (Alexander & Binski 1987, p. 469). The Winchester

plan closely resembles that of New College although it differs in terms of size, materials and

improvements to layout. The buildings seem better constructed and graceful; it also allows more

light into the college. For example, the chapel constructed at Winchester was built with Binstead

stone, which is in contrast to the plain looking bell-tower. The high-quality stained glass was

commissioned by Thomas Glazier of Oxford and his work provides tribute to the major designers

of Winchester College: Wynford and Herland (Parker 2004). Yet, the appearance of better

construction may be due to its erection in more pleasant surroundingsȄit is outside the city walls

 
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between fishing streams.

However, Wykeham and his architects clearly had learned important lessons from New

College that they sought to improve at the new institution. The location of the chapel and hall

have been switched (Kirby 1892, p. 32) and the gate-tower is repositioned to allow visitors a more

impressive view of the chapel; the plan incorporates more functional buildings, such as a bakery,

although lacks a library, and the campus includes two quadrangles rather than one. The

additional buildings play an additional role in acting like city-walls, an asset not available to

Winchester College (Hayter 1970, pp.76-78). The overall effect of these changes gives the campus

a grander look, especially the chapel and added protection.

Wykehamǯs last commission, the nave of the Winchester Cathedral, was a renovation of an

earlier, partially demolished church constructed by William the Conqueror around 1070 (Hayter

1970, pp. 85-86). Wykehamǯs predecessor, Bishop Edington, had reconstructed the west front in

the Perpendicular style and other parts of the church although there were still Norman

influences, such as the transepts and nave (Hayter 1970 p. 86). Wykeham took on the greater

portion of remodelling, modernizing the aisle and nave vault (Crook 1993, pp. 212-213, 226).

Aspects of the remodelling were limited due to the constraints that were imposed by the old

architecture. However, much of the Romanesque masonry was removed completely in favor of

new Perpendicular masonry (Crook 1993, p. 225-226). Again, upon undertaking this

reconstruction, Wykeham relied on architect William Wynford, even in after Wykehamǯs death;

Wykehamǯs will requests the project resume under Wynford (Hayter 1970, pp. 86-87). Not only

was Winchester Cathedral his last work, but also he was buried in its chantry. His tomb displayed

a painted alabaster effigy, a high quality commemoration, also designed by Wynford, although

who carved the effigy in unclear (Parker 2004.)

 
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His works were not simply made for public use; rather, he benefited from their

construction. His patronage is clearly visible in virtually all of his works. Statues, tombs, and his

heraldry are presented frequently and in prominent positions. Wykehamǯs heraldry is present at

every bay in the nave of Winchester Cathedral. Yet his works were not merely testaments to his

wealth. People related to Wykeham either by birth, location (i.e. from Winchester), or profession

(clergy) were given preference in admittance (Parker 2004.) According to Rubric II of the

Winchester College Statues, stipulations and exceptions meant for his relations were outlined,

including possessing property on campus, range of ages for admittance, and extra academic

resources for their benefit (Kirby 1892, p. 93). In both of his colleges, students were obligated to

pray for Wykeham and his colleagues (Parker 2004). Spiritually, he was incredibly devoted to the

Virgin Mary and provided many memorials in her honour, including statue and stained glass

depictions. Both New College and Winchester College are dedicated to her (Alexander & Binski

1987, pp. 474-475). At every site there is a set of statues depicting William of Wykeham

witnessing the Annunciation, amongst others depicting the Virgin with the Child Christ. Some of

these works are displayed prominently; for example, Winchester College used to have a statue of

the Virgin with the baby Christ in a niche over the north gate. (Hayer 1970, p. 78). His chantry at

Winchester Cathedral is placed in the middle of the floor plan of the nave, which is not only

prominent but symbolized where he used to pray as a child (Alexander & Binski 1987, p. 469).

The timeliness in which he constructed his projects adds to their significance. This is in

contrast to other English works during the English Gothic Period such as Selby Abbey, which was

built from 1218-1330. He not only completed building two academic institutions, but prior to his

death he made provisions for the only project he embarked on that he could not finish during his

lifetime, the Nave of the Winchester Cathedral, a project his predecessor Bishop William

 
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Edington, could not finish either (Hayter 1970, p. 86), (Alexander & Binski 1987, pp. 469),

although there is evidence that builders continued to added to the institutions into the 15th

century (Buxton & Williams 1979, pp. 154-155). There is evidence that the same set of builders and

craftsmen, whom Wykeham employed as early as 1363, constructed all of Wykehamǯs main works:

dates for major works do not to appear to significantly overlap, names (including famous and

lesser known masons) recur on surviving documents such as the Libri Senesalli, and there are

significant similarities between the projects (Buxton & Williams 1979, pp. 151-152, 162). The

organization and mutual experience between them might have played a role in the ease and

timeliness in which these ambitious buildings were constructed.

William of Wykeham was a reputable patron of the arts of his time and throughout

English history because of his wealth, power and experience. Without his qualifications working

in tandem, these revolutionary designs, addendums and quality could never have taken place. His

clerical and ecclesiastical connections afforded him access to the highest caliber of architects and

craftsmen of his generation. They also provided him the means to gather the permission

necessary to gather the tools and incorporate the otherwise impossible into his architecture. The

designs of his project spearheaded trends in other academic institutions and the high quality of

his projects demonstrated the epitome of Perpendicular architecture.

Word Count: 3,247

 
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Bibliography

Alexander, J. & P. Binski (eds), c e of Chivalry: crt in Planta enet En land 1200-1400, London, Royal

Academy exhibition catalogue (1987)

Buxton J. & P. Williams (eds), New Colle e, Oxford 1379-1979, Oxford (1979)

Crook, J., Winchester Cathedral: Nine Hundred Years, Chichester, (1993)

Firth J. D., Winchester Colle e, London (1949)

Hayter W., William of Wykeham: Patron of the crts, London, (1970)

Kirby T. F., cnnals of Winchester Colle e: from its foundation in the year 1382 to the present time: with

an appendix containin the charter of foundation, Wykeham's statutes of 1400, and other documents

and an index, London, (1892)

McKisack M., The Fourteenth Century 1307-1399, Oxford History of England, (1959)

Partner, P. ǮWykeham, William (c.1324Ȃ1404)ǯ, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford

University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30127, accessed 12 March 2009]

Smith, A. H., New Colle e Oxford and its Buildin s, Oxford (1952)