On the Appropriation of the Rectory of Lacock. 359 
Rectory and Rectorial tithes were held by a monastic house. The 
way in which these came into the possession of the various houses 
was by Appropriation of the Rectory, as it was called; of which 
we shall see an example in the case of Lacock. 
The endowments of the religious houses consisted amongst other 
things of Advowsons, or the right of presentation to various 
benefices, usually those of the churches where the Abbey or Priory 
was Lord of the Manor. It should be remembered, however, that 
this implies nothing more than the right of nominating a suitable 
person to the Bishop for institution to the benefice, not any par- 
ticipation in the income of the living. But as it was not un- 


















common for the Rector of a well-endowed parish to procure his 
duties to be discharged by a deputy, styled the vicarius, while he 
himself did not reside, it seems soon to have suggested itself as a 
possible augmentation of the monastic revenues to appoint the 
house itself as Rector, and make arrangements for what was called 
a perpetual vicariate. It may also have been considered that 
_ regulars, as the religious were called, would ensure a more diligent 
and conscientious discharge of the incumbent’s duties than the 
secular clergy, whom it was the fashion to represent as lax in 
morals, and remiss in discipline. Be that, however, as it may, by 
the time of the foundation of Lacock Abbey in 1232, the appropri- 
ation of benefices was a recognised method of increasing the 
income of a religious house, and was controlled by various well 
understood regulations. The Bishop was required to make the 
_ appropriation on due cause being shewn to him for so doing, and 
all vested interests, and the spiritual oversight of the parish, had 
to be carefully considered. A considerable number of deeds were 
thus required to be executed, and we are fortunate in possessing 
what seems to be a pretty complete series in the case of Lacock. 
In this instance the matter was further complicated by the fact 
that the Abbey possessed only half the advowson, or the right of 
alternate presentation to the living, the other half being in the 
hands of the lords of the manor of Lackham in the parish of 
Lacock.! This seems to render it probable that in the first instance 
1 Appendix No. I. w. note. 
