A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



cross as the art of the day could furnish. 

 After its destruction by fire some parts of the 

 abbey were rebuilt, but the work was very 

 gradual. The thorough reconstruction of the 

 great church was not even begun until 1 182. 



Selid died in 1171, the same year as 

 Bishop Henry, when there was again a 

 vacancy for about five years. In 1177 

 Thomas, the Prior of Montacute, 1 a Cluniac 

 house in Somerset, became abbot ; he resigned 

 his office in 1181. He was succeeded by 

 John Suthill, during whose vigorous rule of 

 nearly forty-two years the abbey prospered 

 and enjoyed much internal peace. In 1185 

 this abbot proceeded to Rome to bring back 

 the pall for Baldwin, Archbishop-elect of 

 Canterbury. In 1208 John restored the tem- 

 poralities which had been taken into his hands 

 by reason of the interdict. 8 The abbot at this 

 time owed the service of twenty knights to 

 the Crown for his lands. 3 



The year after SuthilFs appointment (i 182) 

 the annalists tell of a miraculous appearance 

 of St. Barnabas at an altar dedicated to his 

 honour, and it was this incident that gave 

 an impetus to the church restoration. There 

 were various other remarkable manifestations 

 at this altar, which caused the faithful to 

 flock to the abbey, and the saint became the 

 object of a special cult at Hyde. Henceforth 

 the monks were frequently described as monks 

 of St. Barnabas. 



In 1267 there was a serious affray in the 

 abbey between the servants of the abbot and 

 those of the pope's legate, Otho, who had 

 come to Hyde to keep the festival of Christ- 

 mas with a great retinue, and who observed 

 the feast with too much conviviality. 4 



A curious faculty, which throws some light 

 upon the condition of monastic life in the 

 thirteenth century, was granted by Pope 

 Nicholas IV. in 1288 to this abbey, by which 

 permission was granted to the monks to wear 

 caps of sheep or lamb skin at the divine offices 

 and processions, the cold in those parts, it was 

 said, having caused paralysis and other diseases 

 to some of the monks. 5 



In 1302 royal licence was obtained for the 

 appropriation (in accordance with a patent 

 of 1292) of the church of Micheldever and 



1 Mr. Edwards is wrong in styling him, when 

 editing the Liter de Hyda, Prior of Bermondsey. 

 The Prior of Bermondsey was made Abbot ofAbing- 

 don about the same time (see Ann.deWint., p. 61). 



* Close Rolls, John (Rec. Com.), p. no. 



3 Red Book of the Exchequer (Rolls Series), i, 72, 

 91, etc. 



* Ibid. 14 Hen. III. m. 5d. 



8 Cal. of Papal Letten, i. 492. 



its chapels, of the annual value of 70, to 

 which the bishop had already assented, on 

 condition that the revenue should be applied 

 to the use of guests and of the poor and in- 

 firm persons who flocked to the abbey. 8 

 Various impediments arose to this appropria- 

 tion, but at last it was confirmed by 

 Clement V. in 1309, and papal mandates to 

 that effect were sent to the Archdeacon of 

 Winchester and to the Chapter of Salisbury ; 

 in the same year there was the like papal 

 confirmation of the appropriation of the 

 church of Alton. 7 



There were several visitations of the mon- 

 astery during the first half the fourteenth 

 century, and in 1312 Bishop Woodlock had 

 occasion to inhibit the convent from using 

 the common seal for any alienation. 8 Again 

 in 1318 Bishop Sandale addressed a stern let- 

 ter to the abbot bidding him check the careless 

 monks who neglected meditation and their 

 claustral duties, and complaining of the luke- 

 warmness of his rule. 9 Odiham's rule was 

 but brief. On 21 May, 1319, the abbot was 

 seriously ill, and the monks sent their steward 

 to the king to try and arrange for the custody 

 of the temporalities during the expected 

 vacancy. The abbot however died on June 5 

 before the matter could be arranged, so 

 that it was not until June 10 that the monks 

 received the agreement, whereby it was ar- 

 ranged that the convent might retain the 

 custody on payment of 200 marks to the 

 Crown, provided the vacancy did not exceed 

 two months. 



Walter de Fifield, a monk of the house, 

 had the temporalities restored to him as abbot 

 (the agreement of June 10 being held to be 

 void) on August i. Between this abbot and 

 his convent there were many disputes, the 

 chief contention of the prior and brethren 

 being that he was wrongfully increasing the 

 separate abbatial revenue at the expense of 

 the house at large. The matter came fre- 

 quently before Bishop Stratford, with the re- 

 sult that the abbot was virtually acquitted. 10 

 The bishop made a formal visitation of the 

 abbey in February, 1325, and issued as the 

 result an elaborate series of decrees, which 

 were in the main of the usual character. 

 The attendance of all at the night and day 

 offices was enjoined ; brothers in priest's 

 orders were to celebrate daily ; close custody 

 was to be kept of the doors ; the disturbance 



6 Pat. 30 Edw. I. m. 16. 



7 Cal. of Papal Letters, ii. 51, 63. 



8 Winchester Epis. Reg., Woodlock, f. I74b, 175. 



9 Ibid. Sandale, 27 (vide supra, p. 27). 



10 Ibid. Stratford, ff. 162, 163. 



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