HERMITS, FORDS, AND BRIDGE-CHAPELS. 6 1 



Itm' one blewe gyrdell hernest with vij studdes on hytt, y' John 

 Hyll wyffe gaffe. 



Ite one whyte vestemente of damaske, with ale thynges that 

 longeth to y', and ij corporaxes of Rede veluett. 



It' V alf clothes, ij of them twille. It v towells, one of them 

 of twylle, and ij pax bredes. 



Itm iiij frontels, one of blew say with sterres on hytt, y' S' James 

 Blounte Knyght gaffe. 



Item in the Chapelle y' ij masbokes, j sawter, one chalice of 

 silver and gylte, ij cruettes — one coper ; ij cushens of tapstre 

 wark that Alesome Sonkye gaffe, one pyloe of corall, ij cappes to 

 o'' Lorde, one blewe velvett, with one peyre of bedes gaiidede with 

 perle, with iij stones of corall, and one peny of hytt. 



Itm' another of blak with crowned of y" and one 



flower of siluer and gylte. Itm ij candelstikkes of latten. and 

 xix tapurs of wax." 



It seems somewhat remarkable that out of the fourteen bene- 

 factors recorded in this Inventory, no less than twelve of them 

 should be ivomen; from which it may be almost safely concluded 

 that tiiere was a guild of sisters of "Our Lady of the Bridge" in 

 connection with the hermitage chapel — as there was at Chesterfield 

 in connection with the chapel of St. James by the Bridge there. =■= 



That there was a famous image of the Virgin and Child in the 

 chapel is quite clear from the foregoing inventory. Two " coats " 



* The formation of guilds for the maintenance of bridges was very common 

 in the middle ages, e.g., " In the year 1452 Thomas JNIettingliam, priest of the 

 chauntry founded by John Hosebonde in Maidenhead Chapel, petitioned 

 Henry VI. to grant his licence for the establishment of a Guild in the said 

 chapel, to be called the "Overseer, Wardens, Brethren and Sisters of the 

 Fraternity or Guild of S. Andrew and S. Mary Magdalen of Madenhuth," for 

 the following purposes : — First, The maintenance, etc., of the chauntry ; and 

 secondly, for tiie continual reparation and keeping up of the bridge over the 

 Thames, which had then gone far into decay, and was exceedingly dangerous." 

 — (Gorham.) 



By the exertions of the brethren of the Holy Cross at Abingdon the bridges 

 at Burford and Culhamford with the causeway between them were erected. 

 This guild was first incorporated in 1442, when they were empowered to 

 possess lands of £^0 a year. In 1457 they supported two chaplains, one of 

 whom was called the " Bridge-priest," who was to pray for the benefactors to 

 the bridge and road. Their salary was £(i 13s. 4d. each per annum. The guild 

 was dissolved in 1547, when their rental amounted to ^^85 15s. 6d. — (Lyson ) 



