Winchester monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus. It was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun. The ancient Pilgrims' Way travelling to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (the original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder) once stood beside it. The cathedral has a girls choir and a boys choir, which sing on a regular basis at the cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the
John de Winchester buried in St Mary's Aisle within Elgin Cathedral. John de Winchester John de Winchester (died 1460) was a 15th-century English cleric who distinguished himself as an administrator and bishop in Scotland. Winchester was a student of canon law from 1418, graduating with a bachelorate in 1421. He appears to have entered Scotland in 1424 after King James I of Scotland returned from his eighteen-year period as a hostage in England; it is notable and certainly relevant that James' queen, Joan Beaufort, was the niece of Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester. After entering Scotland, James was chaplain and secretary to the