It was the 9th of July, and the town would be
looking especially beautiful in its bower of trees; an outrider had
announced the bishop before he entered the city, probably by the
north gate, and either here or at the entrance to the close he was
met by the Archdeacon of Northampton, William Athey by name, who
was commissioned to enthrone him: having saluted, the Archdeacon
alighted from his palfrey, which according to the custom at that
time was with all its trappings taken possession of by this
ecclesiastic.... The bishop's robing most probably took place at
the priory close by, from whence the procession, forming in the
cloisters under the direction of Hugo de Basyng, prior of St.
Swithun's, would pass to the west door, where it would be joined by
the heads of the other monasteries in and near Winchester--Thomas
de Pechy, Abbot of Hyde, holding highest rank amongst them. Next
would follow long lines of monks clad in their robes of brown,
black, white, or grey, according to their order, and then many a
layman, gathered in from the country round to honour both Church
and State on this occasion.
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