bot of its own, this little body of
secular priests would be ready to receive the bishop as their chief,
and to become his chapter. At all events, the year 909 saw Wells with
a bishop of its own.

[Illustration: Specimens Of Capitals.]

AETHELHELM or ATHELM, _Bishop of Somerset, or Wells_ (909-914), a monk
of Glastonbury according to tradition, was the first Somersetshire
bishop; he is said to have been an uncle of St. Dunstan: he was made
Archbishop of Canterbury in 914.

It will be convenient to weave the history of the foundation of Wells
with that of the bishops. So here, at the outset, the reader must bear
in mind that from the beginning the cathedral church was served by
"secular" clergy, by priests, that is, who were bound by no vows other
than those of their ordination, who did not live a community life, but
had each his own house, and generally at this time his own wife and
family. Wells Cathedral was not "built by the monks," and its chapter
was never composed of monks; though some of the bishops belonged to
religious orders, it kept up a pretty constant rivalry with the
"regular" clergy of Glastonbury and Bath. It belongs in fact, to the
cathedrals of the old foundation, whose constitutions were not changed
at the Reformation; and its chapter has continued in unbroken
succession, from the days when Aethelhelm first presided over his
little body of clergy in the church of St. Andrew, down to our own
time. But at first that chapter was informal enough, nor was it
finally incorporated and officered till the time of Bishop Robert in
the twelfth century. The number of canons does not seem to have been
fixed, though in the next century we hear of there being only four or
five.

[Illustration: Specimens Of Capitals.]

The next five bishops are all little more than names to us. WULFHELM
succeeded Aethelhelm in 914: also translated to Canterbury; AELFHEAH
(923), WULFHELM (938), BRITHHELM (956-973), and CYNEWARD (973-975).

SIGEGAR (975-977), a pupil of St. Dunstan, and abbot of Glastonbury,
was succeeded, or perhaps supplanted, by AELFWINE, in 997-999.

AETHELSTAN, or LYFING; translated to Canterbury 1013.

AETHELWINE and BRIHTWINE shared the episcopate, either as rivals or
coadjutors. Brihtwine was last in possession. MEREWIT, also called
Brihtwine, succeeded in 1026.

DUDUC (1033-1060), a German Saxon. Cnut had given him the estates of
Congresbury and Banwell, which he left to the church of Wells; but
Ha