A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Rotherham. 43 A second reference to this pen- 

 sion shows that it was in reality a grant by the 

 Crown out of the 20 paid by the abbey. 43 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534 gives the 

 gross income of the abbey as 254 6s. 8d. and 

 the clear annual value as ^176 us. 6d. The 

 temporalities were spread over a large area, viz. 

 ' at Ompton, Babworth, Besthorpe, Bothamsall, 

 Boughton, Coddington, Eakring, East Retford, 

 Holme, Kelham, Kersall, Kirklington, Kirton, 

 Littleborough, Maplebeck, Nottingham, Ruf- 

 ford, Southwell, Staythorpe, Walesby, Warsop, 

 Welham, Willoughby, and Winkburn, Notts. ; 

 Abney, Brampton, Brackenfield, Chesterfield, 

 Palterton, and Shirebrook, Derbyshire ; Alk- 

 borough and Barton upon Humber, Lincoln- 

 shire ; and Rotherham (76 135. lid. clear) and 

 Penistone, Yorkshire. The only spirituality was 

 the rectory of Rotherham, of the annual value of 

 6j 135. 4-d.; but from this there were very 

 large deductions, the heaviest of which was a 

 pension of 36 131. \d. to the dean and canons 

 of Windsor, bringing it down to the net income 

 of 23 6s. 8d. 



The monks had at this time granges at Kirk- 

 ton, at Parkleys in Kelham parish, at Babworth, 

 at Foxholes, at Roewood in Winkburn parish, 

 at Maplebeck, and at Abney in Derbyshire. 44 



The abbey was visited in 1536 by those 

 notorious royal commissioners, Legh and Lay- 

 ton, who reported that there were six monks 

 guilty of disgraceful offences, and the abbot had 

 been incontinent with two married and four 

 single women. They further stated that six of 

 the monks desired exemption from their vows. 

 Under the head of Superstitio it is recorded that 

 the abbey claimed to possess some of the Virgin's 

 milk. The annual value was declared to be 

 100 and the debts jf 20. 4S 



Abbot Doncaster obtained a pension on the 

 dissolution of the house among the lesser monas- 

 teries, of 25 a year ; but it was voided on his 

 speedy appointment to the rectory of Rotherham 

 on 2 July I536. 46 It is therefore absolutely 

 impossible to believe that any attention was 

 given to the slander of Legh and Layton. 



George, Earl of Shrewsbury, in October 1537 

 obtained a grant in fee of the site, &c. of the 

 late abbey, with all the lordships, manors, mes- 

 suages, &c. in the counties of Nottingham, 

 York, and Derby, whereof Thomas Doncaster, 

 the late abbot, was seised in right of his monas- 

 tery '" 



. 

 There is a sulphur cast of a fine impression in 



" Pat. 2 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. I. 



tt Pat. 4 Edw. IV, pt. i, m. 16. The second half 

 of this 20 was soon afterwards granted to another of 

 the king's courtiers. 



44 yalorEccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 171-3. 



44 L. and P. Hen. mi, x, 364. 



44 Aug. Off. Bks. ccxxxii, 19^. 



" Pat. 29 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 10. 



the British Museum of a ^th-century seal of an 

 Abbot of Rufford. The abbot stands on a plat- 

 form, with pastoral staff in the right hand and 

 book in the left. Legend : 



+ SIGILLUM : ABBATIS : RUFFORDIE 48 



Another abbot's seal, c. 1260-70, bears ar 

 eagle rising : 



+ AVE MARIA GRACI 49 



A third abbot's seal, of the year 1349, bears- 

 the Virgin and Child, with an abbot kneeling, 

 holding up a flowering branch : 



-f- MATER DEI MISERERE MEI W 



A counterseal of the year 1323, bearing a 

 dexter hand and vested arm holding a pastoral 

 staff ; in the field, on the left a crescent, on the 

 right a star. 



SIGILL' RUDFOIRD . . ." 



ABBOTS OF RUFFORD 



Philip de Kyme, temp. Stephen" 



Edward, occurs 1203" 



Geoffrey, occurs temp. John, 1218, &c.** 



Thomas " 



Simon, occurs 1 232 86 



G , occurs 1 239 " 



Geoffrey, occurs I252 68 



William, occurs 1259" 



Henry, 1278'* 



Thomas de Stayngreve, occurs 1283 w 



Henry, occurs 1288" 



Henry de Tring, occurs 1315 6S 



Elias, occurs I332 63 



Robert de Mapelbek, 1352 64 



Thomas, I366 66 



John de Harlesay, 137 2 s6 



48 B.M. Seal Casts, Ixx, 55. 



49 Harl. Chart. 83, C. 46. 



M Ibid. 48. " Ibid. 47. 



" Dugdale, Man. v, 126. Witness to a Pontefsart 

 charter ; probably first abbot. 



" Harl. MS. 1063, fol. 28. 



64 Ibid. fol. 19,20, 23^. 



55 Ibid. fol. 71. " Ibid. fol. 26. 



" Ibid. fol. 86. M Ibid. fol. 72. 



M Harl. Chart. 112, F. 38. 



6to At the general chapter in 1278 the Abbots of 

 Cogshall and Jervaulx, who had been appointed to 

 inquire into the recent election of an abbot at Rnf- 

 ford, reported that Henry, a monk of that house, had 

 been duly elected, but had been unduly rejected, 

 The chapter ordered that Henry should be accepted 

 as abbot. Martene, Thesaurus, iv, 1458. 



Chart. R. 1 1 Edw. I, m. 6. 



61 Pat. 1 6 Edw. I, m. 10. 



" Harl. MS. 6972, fol. u. 



Harl. Chart. 112, F. 42. 



64 Harl. MS. 6971,6)1. 161. 



" Ibid. 6972, fol. 20 " Ibid. 



104 



