INDUSTRIES 



divers of the brethren were inclined to charge 

 their fellows with vulpine astuteness and unna- 

 tural and scandalous alienation of the goods of 

 the house. However this may be, Sawtry ob- 

 tained in 1 176 a confirmation from Pope Alex- 

 ander III, which not only ratified their possession 

 of the quarry but also ' polas illas que sunt inter 

 abbatiam vestram et Witthesmara et fossatum 

 quod pro attractu lapidum ad constructionem 

 ecclesie vestre propriis manibus et sumptibus 

 fecistis.' But as late as 1 192 the whole matter 

 is dealt ^ with in a fine at Huntingdon, 22 August, 

 3 Ric. I, between the abbot of Ramsey and 

 the abbot of Sawtry. It was agreed by the 

 parties that all lodes made through the marsh by 

 the monks of Sawtry were to be stopped ' ex- 

 cepta ilia magna lada quae vadit de Withlesmare 

 versus Saltreyam.' This was to remain open so 

 that stone and other things necessary might thus 

 be procured. The Cistercians of Sawtry on their 

 part undertook to refrain from planting trees or 

 building on Ramsey Marsh, or allowing their 

 fishermen to encroach thereupon. But they 

 might construct one little rest-house (casam) 

 where the conductors of the stone barges should 

 take their ease [quiescere) if need arose. 



Spalding, another house of the fens, in its early 

 days a cell of Crowland, acquired extensive in- 

 terests at Barnack about the middle of the thir- 

 teenth century, in the time of the famous Prior 

 John, who even as almoner had been a great 

 builder, and had aided Prior Simon his prede- 

 cessor in the reconstruction of the church and 

 monastic buildings.^ As prior he ruled the house 

 well, ' custodiens eam a lupis irruentibus,' and 

 added greatly to its landed wealth, obtaining 

 from Sir Hugh Favel, from John his son, 

 and Sir Ranulph ^ son of Peter of Barnack, 3 

 acres 3 stangs and 7 perches of land in the 

 quarries for the sum of £2^ 6s. Sd. Even to 

 the time of the dissolution Spalding seems to 

 have retained certain interests at Barnack,^ 

 though at that period the stone was no doubt 

 worked out. 



Not only was Barnack stone extensively used 

 in churches within the soke of Peterborough, 

 and carried by water to the marshland of 

 Norfolk,' but it has even been recognized in 

 the monolithic shafts of Gundulph's crypt at 



' Cart. Mon. Ramei. i, 166. 



" Dugdale, Mon. iii. 209. Cf. notes h and k. 

 Simon died 1252 or 1253. 



3 In abstract ' Richard,' Add. MS. 33296, fol. 428, 

 but cf. charters in Harl. 742, f. 317. It is worth 

 note that the perch used for measuring is different in 

 these three cases. Sir Hugh's is of 16 ft., John 

 Favel's 20 ft., and the last donor's 18 ft. The 

 amount given in the text is derived from the abstract 

 of Prior John's acquisitions. 



' Dugdale, op. cit. iii, 232. 



'In I 301, as shown by the sacrist rolls, quantities 

 ■of Barnack as well as Caen stone were bought for 

 Norwich Cathedral. 



Rochester.' To Peterborough the Barnack 

 quarries were a mine of wealth not only in the 

 stone thence derived, but from the valuable 

 tithes which they shared with the rector of the 

 parish.' Besides the old rights, the monastery 

 acquired extensions from time to time,^ and free- 

 stone would seem to have been dug and carried 

 from Barnack and Walcot for the use of the house 

 at least as late as the fifteenth and sixteenth years 

 of Abbot Richard Ashton ' (1453-4), while 

 ' sclattis bastard ' were also bought at Walcot."* 

 It is difficult to fix even an approximate date 

 for the closing of the Barnack quarries. With 

 our very imperfect material arguments ex si/entio 

 are unwise, and it is probable that small quantities 

 of stone may have been raised for local purposes 

 and for use at Peterborough long after the general 

 export trade was at an end. We may, however, 

 be fairly certain that the Barnack quarries were 

 practically worked out by the commencement of 

 the sixteenth century, and now only the uneven 

 surfaceof the'HillsandHoles' indicates the former 

 scene of such abundant labour and keen rivalry. 



The stone of Stanion was certainly worked 

 during the Roman period, and furnished the 

 foundations'^ of the Roman villa at Great Weldon 

 in the Chapel Field. In the early years of 

 Edward I'" the quarry of 'Stanerne' supplied 

 stone towards the repair of Rockingham Castle, 

 and Morton " believed that this quarry, which 

 was of considerable extent, furnished the free- 

 stone for the building of Weldon, Geddington, 

 Corby, and many other churches of the neigh- 

 bourhood. It had been worked out long before 

 the eighteenth century. 



The famous quarries of Weldon may next be 

 mentioned, which more than 500 years ago are 

 said to have furnished stone for Geddington 

 Cross. '^ Constant entries on the masonry 

 accounts show that it was in much request for the 

 repair of Rockingham Castle. In 4 Edward P^ 

 Edward Geoffrey the quarryman was paid 8s. 2d. 

 for cutting 700 freestones at * Weldedon.' And 

 the weekly wage of a man who provided a cart 

 for bringing stone from Weldon was 3^. 4^. In 

 the same roll we find 2s. 6d. paid for 100 free- 

 stones bought of Master Thomas at Weldon. 

 The carriage of these cost a shilling. This 

 Master Thomas of Weldon was an important 

 person, who not only sold stone, but apparently 

 provided '^ skilled stone-cutters and layers [cisssres 



"^ Finland N. and O. v, 76, on the authority of 

 Mr. J. T. Irvine. 



" Lib. Swapham, fol. 199^. 



* Cf MS. Faustina, B iii, 54. 



' \'esp. A xxiv, fol. 263. " Ibid. fol. 34. 



" V. C. H. Hortkants, i, 193. 

 '- 6 & 7 Edw. I. Accts Exch. K.R. ^ (P.R.O.), 

 and 8 & 9 Edw. I, Ibid. ^-. 

 "Op. cit. 110. 

 " Nor than ts N. and O. ii, 113. 



Accts. Exch. K.R. V 



Ibid. Vs"- 



295 



