At Wolvesey King Alfred
brought together the scholars who were to aid him in writing the
"Chronicles of the Time"; and on the outer walls he hung the bodies of
Danish pirates as a warning to those who made periodical raids up the
valley of the Itchen.
In the hands of Bishop de Blois the palace became of great importance,
and withstood a siege by David, King of Scotland, and Robert, Earl of
Gloucester. De Blois was one of those who assisted at the coronation of
Henry II, and pulled down the tower when the bishop was absent from the
diocese without the royal permission, on a visit to Clugny. Although
shorn of much of its former strength, the palace remained a fortress
until the fortifications of Winchester were reduced to a heap of ruins
by Cromwell.
[Illustration: RUINS OF WOLVESEY CASTLE]
Beyond the City Bridge rises St. Giles's Hill, named after Giles, one
of those numerous hermit saints who played so prominent a part in
establishing the Christian faith in these islands. The hill is deeply
grooved by a railway cutting; on it was held for many centuries a kind
of open market or annual fair, which attracted the wealthy merchants of
France, Flanders, and Italy.
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