MONASTIC GARDENING. 5 



Corbie, in Picardy, and at St. Gall, near the lake of Constance, 

 there remains more than a mere mention of the existence of a 

 garden. At Corbie the garden was very large ; either divided into 

 four, or else four distinct gardens, and ploughs, which had to 

 be contributed annually by certain tenants, were used to keep it 

 in order; while other tenants had to send men from April to 

 October, to assist the monks in weeding and planting.* At 

 St. Gall, the " hortus " is a rectangular enclosure, with a central 

 path leading from the gardener's house and a shed for tools and 

 seeds situated at one end, with nine long and narrow beds of 

 equal size on either side. The " herbularis," or physic garden, 

 is smaller, with a border of plants all round the wall, and four 

 beds on either side of the central walk ; and the plants contained 

 in each of these beds are carefully noted. t 



In England we have no such exact description of any 

 garden, and it is only by carefully examining the records of the 

 various monasteries that the existence of gardens or orchards 

 in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and a few of even earlier 

 date, can be proved. 



A garden was a most essential adjunct to a monastery, as 

 vegetables formed so large a proportion of the daily food of 

 the inmates. Therefore, as soon as monasteries were founded, 

 gardens must have been made around them, and these were 

 probably almost the only gardens, worthy of the name, in the 

 kingdom at that time. Still, the number of plants they 

 contained was very limited, and probably many of those grown 

 on the Continent had not found their way into this country. 

 The monks may have received plants from abroad, as some 

 connexion with religious houses on the Continent was kept 

 up ; and in bringing back treasures for their monasteries or 

 churches the garden would not be forgotten. But plants 

 were chiefly brought for medicine, and we may infer that they 

 were imported in a dry state, as our word " drug " is simply 

 part of the Anglo-Saxon verb " drigan," to dry. 



Soon after monasteries had been established in this country, 

 missionary monks set forth to convert their Teutonic kinsfolk 



* Polyptyque de V Abbe Irminon. Ed. by M. B. Guerard. Paris, 1844. 

 f Archceological Institute Journal. Vol. V. 



