DORSET CHANTRIES. 33 



St. Stephen's College, Westminster, had possessions in many 

 parts of the kingdom besides Dorset, and it would involve a 

 tremendous search to gather together all the different properties 

 belonging to each one of these Foreign Chantries. 



As will be observed, some of those here given are not mentioned 

 in the Dorset Chantry Roll. I do not pretend, however, to have 

 made an exhaustive search for all those Foreign Chantries 

 holding Dorset properties, but have noted those only I came 

 across in the various documents I went through down to the end 

 of Elizabeth's reign. 



Early in her reign a survey of chantry and monastic lands was 

 taken, which is now in portfolio 22 No. 67 of Rental and Surveys. 

 It is dated 8 Elizabeth and would appear to be a list of those not 

 disposed of in Edward VI. and Mary's reigns. Most, if not all, 

 are included in the foregoing Particulars for sales, and, though 

 an interesting document, need not be printed here. It may here 

 be noticed that in Elizabeth's reign the properties were leased, 

 not granted outright. 



As regards the discrepancies between the totals of the Chantry 

 Rolls for obits, lights, &c., and those accounted for by the sales 

 or grants, there can be little doubt that the lands were never 

 sold, except in the instances recorded and owners of other 

 contiguous property quietly appropriating them. Some few were 

 "discovered" in Elizabeth's reign as concealed land given for 

 superstitious uses, but the vast majority being only small parcels 

 of land, were either ignored by the Commissioners or appro- 

 priated without anything being said about them. 



Though many of the larger Chantries and Free Chapels 

 appear in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, Vol. I., Diocese of Bristol, I 

 have not encumbered these pages with the values there given, 

 since, beyond affording a comparison between the Valor and the 

 Chantry Roll, no useful purpose would be served, no details of 

 property being recorded in the Valor. 



In many instances the purchasers of the Chantries sold the 

 lands almost immediately after buying them to other people, and 

 often no doubt they merely acted the part of go-betweens. 



