again there is some uncertainty as to
whether this king was the one who is sometimes called the Eadward the
Elder, sometimes Eadward the Unconquered, son and successor of AElfred,
or Eadward the Confessor. Anyhow, it became a collegiate church and a
royal free chapel, and as such it is mentioned in Domesday Book, and it
is noticed as a Deanery in the charters of Henry III. Leland, writing in
the reign of Henry VIII., says, "It is but of late time that a dean and
prebendaries were inducted into it." The deanery was in the gift of the
Crown, and we have a full list of the deans from 1224 up to 1547, when
it was dissolved. The ecclesiastical establishment consisted of a dean,
four prebendaries, three vicars, four deacons, and five singing men.
It will not be needful to give any detailed account of these, as most
of them, though in many cases they held other more dignified posts,[1]
either together with the deanery or after resigning it, are not men
who have made their mark in English history. A few only will here be
mentioned, who on account of some circumstances connected with the
fabric, or for other reasons, are more noteworthy.

[1] It is noteworthy that they all held some other preferment
during the time that they held the office of dean.

#Thomas de Bembre#, 1350-1361, founded a chantry and an altar in the
north part of the north transept, which was added at this time.

#Reginald Pole#, so well known in the history of the reigns of Henry
VIII. and Queen Mary, was Dean of Wimborne from 1517 till 1537. It is
remarkable that he was only seventeen years of age at the time of his
appointment.

He was succeeded by #Nicholas Wilson#, who held the office of dean until
the dissolution of the deanery in 1547. To him a curious letter still
existing was addressed in 1538 by certain leading men of the parish,
though nothing appears to have been done in consequence of it. These
worthy men complain of the dilapidated state of the church, the want
of funds to carry out needed repairs, and suggest the taking from the
church "seynt Cuthborow's hed," and "the sylv' y^t ys about the same
hed," which they claim as belonging to the parish on the ground that
it was made by the charity of the parishioners in times past. "Our
chyrche," they say, "ys in gret ruyn and decay and our toure ys
foundered and lyke to fall and ther ys no money left in [~o] chyrche box
and by reason of great infyrmyty and deth ther hath byn thys yere