William of Wykeham, whose death on 27 September 1404 and subsequent benefaction we commemorate, a little prematurely, today, made his reputation as a builder. He acquired royal favour through his work at Windsor, where Edward III commissioned the development of a huge chivalric castle intended to accommodate the new Order of the Garter. According to a 16th century account reproduced by Virginia Davis in the most recent biography of Wykeham, the relationship at Windsor faltered only once. When Edward discovered inscribed on a castle wall the words Hoc fecit Wykeham, he told Wykeham that the glory due to the master was being improperly assumed by the servant. Wykeham’ s wily response was that the true meaning of the phrase was not that Wykeham had made the castle but that the castle had made Wykeham. Both interpretations have validity. Yes, some people do great things; but what people do is a result of circumstance, environment, and how each individual makes use of the opportunity available to them. This morning’ s simple questions are therefore twin: what did our founder do, and what should we do as a consequence of the opportunities he created for us?

I: William of Wykeham William of Wykeham was born, as many of you know, in 1324, of unexceptional yeoman stock. His abilities, learnt at a school in Winchester, attracted him to powerful patrons: the Sheriff of his home county, then the Bishop of Winchester, and finally the King. Wykeham’ s talents lay in getting buildings done on time and within cost. He became Chief Surveyor of four of the royal castles: much of his work at Windsor is still visible. Relatively late in life Wykeham was ordained; within five years, he was already amongst the favourites to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Shortly after William Edington, Bishop of Winchester, was nominated to that archiepiscopal see, Wykeham filled his place at Winchester. It was an office in which he was to remain for the final 37 years of his life. As was not uncommon in mediaeval times, Wykeham developed a political career in parallel with his ecclesiastical one, and this career was equally spectacular. He rose to become first Lord Privy Seal and finally Lord Chancellor – the highest political office in the land – the nearest modern equivalent is Prime Minister. He served twice in this office, from 1367-71 and 1389-91, and, in Edward III and Richard II, under two highly contrasting kings. To be sure, he fell from favour for a time, largely for unknown reasons, but at the height of his power that power was extraordinary:“ everything was done by him, and nothing was done without him”, remarked his contemporary Froissart. Wykeham’ s two careers enabled him to acquire huge personal wealth, which he put to two principal philanthropic purposes: this Cathedral, whose nave he entirely remodelled, and the twin

Wykeham Journal 2016 | Page 11

Founder’ s Obit 2016