RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



vided that due reverence was shown at the 

 gospel and the elevation. 1 In the same month 

 Innocent IV. issued his mandate to the priors 

 of Rochester and of Holy Trinity, London, 

 in a matter affecting this priory. The con- 

 vent of Winchester had complained that, on 

 the voidance of the priory (1239), Andrew, a 

 monk, by secular force and by the assistance 

 of the archdeacons of Winchester and Surrey, 

 had obtruded himself into the office of prior. 

 Andrew was therefore excommunicated by 

 the Archbishop of Canterbury ; but of this he 

 took no heed, and introducing an armed band 

 into the cloister by night, ill-used, bound 

 and imprisoned Richard de Triveri and many 

 other monks. Further, at his instance, the 

 archdeacon of Winchester issued sentences 

 of excommunication and suspension against 

 many members of the convent. The pope 

 ordered the two priors to go to Winchester, 

 to relax provisionally the archdeacon's sen- 

 tences, and if, on examination, the facts justi- 

 fied it, to provide a prior by canonical elec- 

 tion. At the same date a papal faculty was 

 forwarded to the sub-prior and convent of 

 Winchester to use their privileges, although 

 they had not done so for a long time on ac- 

 count of their ignorance of the law, the dis- 

 turbance of the realm, and the change of 

 prelates of the see. This was accompanied 

 by a general licence to the priory to administer 

 their property, wherein is recited the particu- 

 lars of their manors, advowsons, pensions 

 and other rights.* 



The monks paid dearly for yielding to the 

 pressure exercised by the Crown in the mat- 

 ter of the election of Aymer to the bishopric. 

 Soon after his election Aymer treated them 

 with the utmost indignity and violence, driv- 

 ing the- prior and his obedientaries from the 

 house. In 1254 Prior William de Andrew 

 visited Rome to lay his grievances before the 

 papal court. Innocent IV. treated him with 

 every consideration, and granted to him and 

 his successors the use of mitre, ring, tunicle, 

 dalmatic, gloves and sandals; the right of 

 blessing chalices, altar palls and other church 

 ornaments ; the giving of the first tonsure ; 

 the conferring of the minor orders of door- 

 keeper and reader ; and the giving of solemn 

 benediction in divine offices and at table. 3 



The disturbed state of the unfortunate 

 monastery at this period of its history is 

 shown by a patent issued by Henry III. in 

 July, 1255. It took the shape of a precept 



1 Papal Registert, i. 200. 



1 Ibid. 200, 20 1. The licence or bull is set 

 forth at length in the Monasticon, \. 21 1-2. 

 ' Papal Register!, i. 305 ; Ann. Winton. 95. 



to the abbots and priors throughout England, 

 inhibiting them from receiving into their mon- 

 asteries and houses any of the monks of 

 Winchester, very many of whom of their 

 own will and pleasure wander all over England 

 in contempt and despite of monastic religion, 

 and to the peril of their own souls, unless by 

 letters of permission from the elect of Win- 

 chester or the prior of the same place. 4 



It was not until 1256 that this quarrel be- 

 tween bishop and prior was temporarily settled. 

 The right of the monks to elect their own 

 prior was formally conceded in 1258,* but 

 this was again disputed in 1266, and once 

 more settled in their favour in 1273." 



On 4 May, 1264, the citizens of Winches- 

 ter rose against the monks and burnt the 

 priory gateway, the gate called Kingsgate, the 

 upper part of the church (ecclesia) of St. 

 Swithun, and all the houses near the wall 

 that belonged to the convent. The annalists 

 do not mention any cause for this popular 

 tumult, which was sufficiently severe to cause 

 the death of several of the prior's servants. 7 



Considerable disputes again arose between 

 the Bishop of Winchester and the prior of St. 

 Swithun's at the beginning of the rule of 

 Bishop Pontoise, as to the appointment of the 

 obedientaries or officials of the monastery. In 

 October, 1282, the bishop appointed Ralph 

 Chaunterel, one of his attendants, to the im- 

 portant office of kitchener to the priory, stating 

 in his register that it was on account of his 

 faithful service to him. 8 In the following year 

 the bishop collated John de Nortwold to the 

 still more important office of cellarer ; this 

 appointment is entered in his register among 

 other collations and institutions to benefices." 

 This last nomination gave rise to vigorous re- 

 monstrance on the part of the prior and con- 

 vent. Eventually in July, 1284, the bishop 

 covenanted to yield to the prior the liberty of 

 appointing and removing obedientaries and 

 secular servants ; but the priory did not ob- 

 tain this covenant in their favour without 

 making a substantial concession. On the 

 same day and year that this episcopal ordin- 

 ance was issued the prior and convent con- 

 ceded to the bishop the very valuable manors 

 of Droxford, Alverstoke and Havant. 10 As 



4 Pat. 39 Hen. III. m. gd. 



5 Annales Monaitici (Rolls Series), iv. 122. 

 8 Ibid. ii. 122, 389. 



7 Ibid. ii. 101, iv. 450. 



8 Winton. Epis. Reg., Pontoise, f. 100. 

 Ibid. f. 2. 



10 Ibid. 106-9, Maneria de DrokensJbrJ, Alvare- 

 stok cum Gosport, et Havante cum tencnt'ibus eorum de 

 Hellng et Hamelettam tie Conoel. 



109 



