were in a loyal compliment acknowledged as the interpretative founders of that abbey. And as little children, whose parents decease in their infancy, innocently own their fathers and mothersin-law for their natural parents; so many monasteries, whose first founders were in a manner forgotten, as time out of mind, applied themselves to the present kings (though but the favourers) as to the founders of their corporations. 6. Abbesses no Baronesses, though holding Baronies. Know that, beside these abbots, there were four abbesses; namely, of Shaftesbury, Barking in Essex, St. Mary's in Winchester, and Wilton, who held from the king an entire barony, yet never were summoned as baronesses to parliament; because that honour (frequent in lay-persons) was never conferred on any ecclesiastical female. Yet were they, and almost all other abbesses of any quality, saluted ladies," as earls' daughters are, by the courtesy of England; which custom hath made such a right, that they are beheld not only as unmannerly, but unjust, who in common discourse deny the same. However, the aforesaid four abbesses, though not called to parliament, were solemnly summoned by special writs ad habendum servitium suum;' that is," to have their full number of knights in time of war," where the ladies' personal presence was not expected, but their effectual appearance, by the proxies or their purses, to supply the king's occasions. 7, 8. Prior of Jerusalem Chief Baron. Next, the Abbot of St. Alban's. Of all these, the prior of St. John's in Jerusalem took the precedence, being generally of noble extraction, and a military person. Yea, not content to take place of all regular barons, Primus Angliæ baro haberi voluit, saith my author:+"He would be counted” simply and absolutely "the first and chief baron in England; though the expression speaks rather his affectation, than peaceable possession, of such priority. Next him, the abbot of St. Alban's took place above all of his Order, to the no small grief and grudge of Glastonbury, seeing Joseph of Arimathea was two hundred years senior to St. Alban. But, who shall deny the patriarch Jacob the privilege of crossing his own hands, to prefer the younger before the elder? Gen. xlviii. 14. The same power (but on what pretence, let others inquire) the pope assumeth to himself, whereby Adrian IV. once a monk of St. Alban's, gave that convent the precedence. • Pat. 5, Edwardi I. Dors. in 11. Rot. Scutagii ejusdem anni m. 7. † CAMDEN'S Brit. page 123. 9-12. The careless Order of the Rest. Seniority not observed in the Summons; nor ranked by their Wealth. Tewkesbury to be added to the Catalogue. As for the remaining abbots, we may observe a kind of a careless order observed in their summoning to (and consequently their sitting in) parliament. Now, seeing it will not enter into a rational belief, that their methodizing was merely managed by the will of the clerk of the writs, it must descend on the disposal of the king, calling them in what order he pleaseth. Sure I am, these abbots were not summoned according to their personal seniorities of their several instalments, nor according to the antiquity of their respective foundations. For, Waltham abbot being ante-penultimus, as but founded by king Harold, is commonly fourteenth or fifteenth in the summons. Battle abbey, which, in this body of abbeys, should be beneath the ancle, (as last of all save Selby,) is commonly about the breast, the eighth or ninth in number. Nor are they ranked according to the richness of their annual revenues; for then, according to their valuation at the Dissolution, they should be marshalled according to the method here ensuing, when first I have premised a note concerning the abbey of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. * This abbot appeareth parliamentary neither in any summons exhibited by Master Selden, most curious in this point; nor yet in the catalogue of them presented by Master Camden;† and reverence to these worthy authors hath prevailed with me so much that I durst not insert him. However, since I am convinced in my judgment, he must be entered in the list ;-partly, moved by the greatness of revenues; partly, because I find him registered by bishop Godwin, no less critical than the former in historical matters; yet, to please all parties, we will only add him in the margin, and not enter him in the body of the catalogue. 1. St. Peter's, Westminster....... ...... £. 8. d. ob. q. 3977 6 4 1 1 3508 13 4 1 1 2. Glastonbury, Somersetshire 3. St. Alban's, Hertfordshire 4. St. John's of Jerusalem, Middlesex 2385 19 2510 6 1 1 1 ......... 5. St. Edmund's-Bury, Suffolk......... 2336 16 6. Reading, Berkshire 7. St. Mary's nigh York 8. Abington, Berkshire "Titles of Honour," page 728. "Annals of king Henry VIII." A. D. 1539. The valuations of Coventry and Colchester, I cannot find; and in all these sums we have trusted Harpsfield and Speed, both subject to many mistakes; those standing on slippery ground, who, in point of computation, tread only on figures, and not on numbers at length. The auditors in these accounts pretend to much exactness, descending to the fractions of half-pence and farthings, though much partiality was used therein; many of the raters at the Dissolution, being ranters for the present, proved purchasers for the future, of the lands. The abbey of Ramsey, commonly called "the rich,"§ is here but the ninth in number, according to the wealth thereof; whereby it plainly appears, that much favour was used in the undervaluing of that foundation. 13. Some Abbots not Barons richer than those that were. We must know there were other abbeys, who, though not so high in dignity, were richer in endowments than many of these parliamentary barons; namely, d. ob. q. 1. Fountain's, Richmondshire • Tewkesbury valued at £1598. ls. 3d. ....... £. 8. 1173 0 7 10 1691 9 6 0 1 †This must be a misprint for Winchcomb; All these valuations are § SIR ROBERT as Wivelscomb is a town in Somersetshire.-EDIT. £. s. d. ob. q. 3. St. Werburgh's, Cheshire............ 1073 17 7 1 0 6. Fourness, Richmondshire... 969 7 1 0 0 These had more lands, at best, were more highly-valued, though not so honourable a tenure, as holding of mean landlords in frankalmonage. And probably the parliamentary barons had more old rents, though these (as later foundations) greater incomes by improved demesnes. 14. Shaftesbury the richest Nunnery. There also were nunneries corrival in revenues with parliamentary abbeys, whereof Shaftesbury the chieftest, valued at £1329. 118. 3d. So that the country-people had a proverb, that "if the abbot of Glastonbury might marry the abbess of Shaftesbury, their heir would have more land than the king of England." Barking in Essex, and Sion in Middlesex, fell not much short of Shaftesbury, being severally endowed with above a thousand pounds per annum. 15-17. A profane Proverb. No Country free from Monks. Query, What meant by four Abbots peculiarly exempt ? Of all counties in England, Gloucestershire was most pestered with monks, having four mitred abbeys beside St. Austin's in Bristol, (who sometimes passed for a baron,) within the compass thereof; namely, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cirencester, and Wivelscombe [Winchcomb]. Hence the topical wicked proverb, deserving to be banished out of that country, being the profane child of superstitious parents: "As sure as God is in Gloucestershire;" as if so many convents had certainly fastened his gracious presence to that place. 66 As Gloucestershire was the fullest of, so Westmoreland the freest from, monasteries. It seemeth the monks did not much care for that cold country, nestling themselves but in one place, called Sharp," which they found so answering the name, that they sought warmer places elsewhere. As for the boasting of the men of the Isle of Wight, that they never had hooded monks therein,*—were it so, (their soil being so fruitful and pleasant,) it would merit more wonder, than that Ireland hath no venemous creatures therein. But their brag hath more of mirth than truth in it, seeing the priory at Carisbrook and nunnery at Quarr evidence them sufficiently stocked with such cattle. • CAMDEN'S Brit. in the Isle of Wight. I have done with this subject of mitred abbeys when we have observed that they were called "abbots general," aliàs “abbots sovereign," as acknowledging in a sort no superior, because exempted from the jurisdiction of any diocesan, having episcopal power in themselves. And here I would be thankful to any who would inform me, that, seeing all these abbots were thus privileged, how it came to pass that four of them were especially termed "abbots exempti," namely, Bury, Waltham, St. Alban's, and Evesham. I say, seeing they were so called xar' oxv, exempt, as it were, out of the exempted, I would willingly be satisfied what extraordinary privileges these enjoyed by themselves above others of their own Order. V. OF THE CIVIL BENEFITS, AND TEMPORAL CONVENIENCES, ACCRUING TO THE STATE BY THE CONTINUANCE OF ABBEYS. 1-3. Give Abbeys their Due; they convenient to dispose youngest Children in; an eminent Instance thereof. So much of the greatness, somewhat of the goodness, of abbeys, if possibly it may be done without prejudice to truth. Surely, some pretences (plausible at least) did ingratiate them with the politicians of that age; otherwise prince and people in those days, though blinded with ignorant zeal, yet worldly-wise, would never have been gulled into so long a toleration, yea, veneration, of them. They were an easy and cheap outlet for the nobility and gentry of the land, therein to dispose their younger children. That younger son who had not mettle enough to manage a sword, might have meekness enough to become a cowl; which cowl in a short time might grow up to be a mitre, when his merits presented him to be abbot of his convent. Clap a veil on the head of a younger daughter, (especially if she were superannuated, not over handsome, melancholy, &c.) and instantly she was provided for in a nunnery; where, without cost or care of her parents, she lived in all outward happiness, wanting nothing except (perhaps) it were a husband. This was a great cause of the long continuance of the English nobility in such pomp and power, as having then no temptation to torture their tenants with racking of rents, to make provision for their younger children. Indeed, sometimes noblemen gave small portions with their children to the convent, not such as would prefer them in marriage to one of their own quality; but generally abbeys were glad to accept them with nothing, thereby to engage the parents and SIR H. SPELMAN in Glossario, verbo " Abbas." "Titles of Honour," p. 727. |