ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



yet more definite pronouncement on the subject by the fourth Lateran 

 Council of 1215. But no sooner had that energetic Bishop of Lincoln, 

 Hugh Wells, become firmly established in his important see than he 

 determined to bring the matter to a definite issue. He boldly attacked the 

 powerful Austin house of Dunstable, taking the instance of their treat- 

 ment of the church of Luton as a test case. The pope appointed a 

 commission of inquiry and judgment, who gave a decision in 1219 

 entirely in the bishop's favour. Four years later this decision was still 

 further strengthened by the Council of Oxford, and henceforth the 

 English episcopate insisted on definitely ordained vicarages for appro- 

 priated churches. 



In forming an estimate of the respective conditions of a parish in 

 mediaeval days, where the parish priest was a rector or a vicar, it should 

 always be remembered that vicarages were only allowed where the total 

 income of the benefice was large, that not a few of the smaller rectories 

 were of less value than vicarages, and that the rectories themselves were 

 often, through plurality and non-residence, in the hands of a poorly 

 paid and removable chaplain or curate, and were therefore worse off, 

 from the parochial point of view, than those appropriated to the 

 monasteries. 



Notwithstanding the number of her religious houses, Hampshire 

 never had as large a proportion of vicarages as other shires. They 

 slowly but steadily increased throughout the fourteenth century, as will 

 be noted. In the midst of John of Pontoise's episcopate came the 

 important Taxatio of Pope Nicholas IV. In 1288 the pope gave up 

 his annual tax of one-tenth of the Church benefices to Edward I. for 

 six years for crusading purposes. To insure accuracy a new assessment 

 basis or valor was drawn up, which was completed for the province of 

 Canterbury in 1291. This taxation continued to be the basis of all church 

 assessments down to 1535, when a new -valor took its place. From this 

 return we find that there were then thirty-seven vicarages in Hampshire 

 and the Isle of Wight out of 233 churches. These were distributed as 

 follows : In the deanery of Alresford, Easton and Bishop's Sutton ; in 

 the deanery of Alton, Alton ; in the deanery of Andover, Andover, 

 Nether Wallop, Shipton, Hurstbourne Priors, and Combe ; in the deanery 

 of Basingstoke, Basingstoke, Bromley, Herriard, Crondall, Heckfield and 

 Odiham ; in the deanery of Droxford, Hayling, Warblington, Porches- 

 ter, Wymering, Fareham, Hambledon, Eastmeon, and Portsea ; in the 

 deanery of Fordingbridge, Fordingbridge, Sopley, Milford and Boldre ; 

 in the deanery of Somborne, Somborne, Micheldever, Longstock and 

 Wellow ; in the deanery of Southampton, Eling ; in the deanery of the 

 Isle of Wight, Shalfleet, Carisbrook, Brading and Arreton ; and in the 

 deanery of Winchester, Sparsholt and Twyford. 1 



1 The proportion for the whole diocese of Winchester was 53 vicarages out of 338 churches. In 

 the adjacent dioceses the proportion of vicarages was considerably larger : in Salisbury 104 out of 493, in 

 Chichester 1 12 out of 286, and in Rochester 31 out of 108. 



21 



