Today Friday 25 September Winchester Cathedral will, as always on this date, remember Lancelot Andrewes.
Bishop Andrewes was a national figure having often preached before James I, helped produce the King James Bible after being part of the Hampton Court Conference and experienced the fear of terrorism which followed the Gunpowder Plot. His writings influenced TS Eliot who wrote Murder in the Cathedral.
But this year is special as it is 400 years since the death in 1626 of Lancelot Andrewes who had been Bishop of Winchester since 1619.
He is commemorated with a plaque in Winchester Cathedral, next to the bishop’s throne, but his tomb is in Southwark Cathedral. This is probably because he died at his house next door where he spent a considerable amount of time. Southwark was then part of the Diocese of Winchester. Southwark Cathedral was a former priory turned collegiate church with parish status.
This weekend Southwark Cathedral, not Winchester, will be the focus for Lancelot 400 , two days of worship, music and history to commemorate the 400th anniversary.
At Southwark Cathedral over the Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September weekend there will be an exhibition, a walking tour and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will give a talk.
On Saturday a Eucharist will be celebrated according to the 1559 Book of Common Prayer.
Malcolm Guite has written a hymn to be premiered during Saturday’s choral evensong.
The Dean of Westminster will preach on Sunday morning.
On Sunday afternoon the choir of Pembroke College Cambridge, where Andrewes was Master, will join the cathedral choir to sing evensong.
**The passage along the north side of Southwark Cathedral, now the main approach and paved with stones naming Southwark parishes, is known as Lancelot’s Link.
