306 The Fall of the Wiltshire Monasteries. 



Abbas whoys so wis God pardon. And besyde the admyssyon of theis ofEocers 

 so lyght, he haythe dystabelyd neuele ow"^ offycers admyttyd by the seyd Isabell 

 Abbas the which were good and just and accombred and trobelyd menye bothe 

 of ow"^ fermers and tenents and specyally suche as beyre ther good wylle to theis 

 ow' last ofEecers. And ferd"" the xxvij"" day of Marche the seyd chanster [? chan- 

 sler, i.e., chancellor] cam yn to ow"^ chapter bowse and commawndyd us to geve 

 ow' consent and to seal a general proxi, wherapon he wold nother sufPer us to 

 consel ow"^ frynds ne yett that anye Indyfferent person sculde declare hytt unto 

 us as ow"" trustye frynds John Samphort John Garddenar or other shall more 

 pleynlyer expres unto yo'' good masterschypp to whome we wold desire you to 

 take credence, and owre promysjs made unto you by ow"^ frynds shalbe per- 

 formyd by the grace of God Whoe preserve you. 

 "Wrjtten at Wjlton the xxviij'^ dey of Marche. 



" Yo"^ deyly bedwomen Jone Gtffaet, p'ores of Wjlton w' hyr systers." 



Again, on August 23rd, 1537, one William Popley, writing to 



Cromwell on various other matters, says : — ^ 



" I send also a relaxacion of certain Iniunctions for thePrioresse of Ambresbury ; 

 my fellow Carleton shall declare the matier more at large unto yo'^ good lordship. 

 1 am the bolder to write therin because I have a suster there who thinkithe I 

 myght preferre her ladies sutes." 



After a longer or shorter period of such pressure it is not 

 wonderful that we find houses beginning to give way. The first 

 result is to be seen in the surrender of Kingswood on February 1st, 

 1538,2 the deed being signed by Thomas Bewdlaie, abbot, Thomas 

 Beding, prior, and twelve others ; pensions being assigned to them 

 ranging from the abbot's £50 a year and the prior's £6 13s. 4.d. to 

 £2 which John Stonley receives, " being no priest." 



The next surrender is a double one, the two cells of the 

 Gilbertines, Poulton and Marlborough, both falling apparently in 

 one day, January 16th, 1539 ; pensions being assigned in the 

 former case to three inmates, in the latter to five. 



Then follows the fall of Bradenstoke, two days later, January 

 18th, 1539 ; surrendered to Dr. Tregonwell, the King's Com- 

 missioner ; followed three days later by the recently re-founded 

 abbey of Laeock. The inmates of both houses received pensions, 

 fourteen monks at Bradenstoke, ranging from the prior, William 



> Letters and Papers, xii., (ii.) 570. 

 ^ For the deeds of surrender of the various houses, see Letters and Papers under 

 the respective dates ; and Deputy Keeper's Eighth Eeport, App. II. 



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