MONTACUTE, BRYMPTON, AND PRESTON. IxXXV. 



the purpose of playing " fives " up against the tower, which they 

 used to do in old days as soon as afternoon service was over. In 

 order to put a stop to this use of the tower wall, the old cross 

 which originally stood in the middle of the road opposite the 

 publichouse was brought into the churchyard and placed in such 

 a position that the players found some difficulty in continuing 

 their game. 



The Rev. F. W. WEAVER, F.S.A., Hon. Secretary of the Somerset 

 Archaeological Society, then, at the invitation of Mr. Powys, gave 

 some account of the Cluniac Priory of Montacute. 



He said he wished to impress upon the Club that the 

 parish church of Montacute had nothing to do with the 

 Priory church and buildings, which were in a large field near 

 by. The Cluniacs would not be likely to have anything to 

 do with the parish church, except to present to it. The 

 Cluniac monasteries were very interesting. This was the only 

 one in the county of Somerset, and it had four cells, one 

 of which was at East Holme in the county of Dorset. The 

 Cluniacs, who were a branch of the Benedictines, were strictly a 

 foreign Order, and never became popular in England. All the 

 priors up to the year 1407 were Frenchmen ; and it was only 

 from that date to the Dissolution that English priors ruled over 

 the Cluniac houses in England. In those early days there was no 

 entente cordiale ; Edward III. was continually at war with France, 

 and the Cluniac monasteries in England were often seized, 

 because the idea was not relished of English tithes going to 

 support French monks. There were 33 'Cluniac monasteries in 

 England 20 houses and 13 cells. In 1399 the advowson of this 

 Priory was handed over by the Crown to William de Montacute. 

 Earl of Salisbury, and thence to the Dissolution Montacute 

 remained a distinctly English house. Mr. Weaver then led the 

 party to the Priory Gateway, a handsome building which, he 

 said, was possibly the Prior's lodging and built by Thomas 

 Chard, Bishop of Salubria, Thrace, about 1490. This Thomas 

 Chard was not the same man as his contemporary namesake, the 

 Abbot of Ford. 



