A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



the superfluous buildings was of course the 

 church, and also the cloister, chapter house, 

 dorter, frater, farmery, convent kitchen, the 

 two garners on the south side of the court, 

 the priest's lodging and the plumber's house. 

 The lead on the church, quire, aisles, steeple, 

 cloister and other houses was estimated at 220 

 fothers. There were five bells, but no 

 'jewels.' There were 118 ounces of plate, 

 and the ornaments, goods and chattels had 

 been sold for 69 1 5*. 4< 1 



At the time of the dissolution of the 

 monastery the possessions included the manor 

 of Froyle with the rectory, the manors of 

 Itchen, Leckford Abbess, Timsbury, Great- 

 ford with the rectory, and Braceborough, and 

 lands, rents, etc. in the city of Winchester, 

 Lyss Abbas, Wetham, Godsfield, Shamelhurst, 

 Swindon/Hacheborne,' Shipton Moyne, Bland- 

 ford and ' Barnethorpe.' " 



In the days of Camden, at the beginning 

 of the seventeenth century, there were con- 

 siderable remains of the Nunnaminster ; but 

 now no traces of it exist save the name and 

 certain watercourses. It stood between High 

 Street and Colebroke Street. 



ABBESSES OF NUNNAMINSTER 



Edburga, died 925 



Ethelreda, 963 



Edith, in the time of King Edgar 



Beatrice 



Alice, 3 1084 



Avice, 4 1 1 2O 



Clarice, 1174 



Agnes, 6 1236-64 



Euphemia, 8 1265-70 



Lucy, 7 1270-87 



Christine de Winton, 8 1287-99 



Agnes de Ashley, 9 1299-1313 



Maud de Pecham, 10 1313-37 



Maud de Spine, 1337-49 



Margaret Molins, 1349-64 



Christiane Wayte, 1364-5 



Alice de la Mare, 11 1365-85 



Joan Denemede," 1385-1410 



1 Aug. Off. Misc. Books, ccccxciv. ff. 1 1-5. 

 a From the first Minister's Account cited in 

 Dugdale's Monasticon. 



3 Ann. Monastic! (Rolls Series), ii. 34. 

 Ibid. 52. 



5 Ibid. 102; and iv. 455. 



6 Ibid. ii. 102. 



7 Ibid. 109; and iv. 460. 



8 Pat. 1 6 Edw. I. mm. 3, 18, 15. 

 Ibid. 27 Edw. I. mm. 37, 36. 



10 Ibid. 6 Edw. II. pt. 2, mm. 16, 15, 13 ; and 

 Winton. Epis. Reg., Woodlock, f. 1 80. 



11 Winton. Epis. Reg., Edingdon, i. ff. 112,129. 

 " Ibid. Wykeham, i. f. 161 ; Pat. 8. Rich. II. 



Maud Holme, 13 1410-4 

 Christine Hardy, 14 1414-8 

 Agnes Denham, 1418-49 

 Agnes Buriton, 15 1449-86 

 Joan Legh, 1486-1527 

 Elizabeth Shelley, 1527-39 



4. THE ABBEY OF ROMSEY 



The statements with regard to the early 

 foundation of Romsey are confusing and 

 conflicting, but it would seem probable that 

 Edward the Elder founded this house about the 

 year 907, and that his daughter St. Elfleda 

 became abbess and was buried there. 16 In 

 967 Edgar, grandson of Edward the Elder, 

 reconstituted the abbey, dedicating it to the 

 honour of St. Mary and St. Elfleda, and 

 placed there nuns under the Benedictine rule 

 over whom he appointed Merwenna as abbess. 17 

 In this reconstitution Bishop Ethelwold (963- 

 84) took a considerable part. 18 



Of Merwenna little is known ; she is said 

 to have been of noble Irish birth. Elwina, 

 the second abbess, succeeded about 993, when 

 Hampshire was overrun by the Danes, and 

 it is supposed that the abbess and her nuns 

 had to take refuge in Winchester. 



The considerable holdings of the abbey at 

 the time of the Domesday Survey consisted 

 of the vill of Romsey, fourteen burgesses in 

 Winchester, Itchenstoke, Sidmonton, a hide in 

 Totton and a hide in Sway in Hampshire, and 

 Edington and Steeple Ashton in Wiltshire. 



In 1086 Christine, sister of Edgar Athel- 

 ing, took the veil at Romsey, as stated in the 

 Saxon chronicle, and became abbess. To 

 the same retreat Christine was followed by 

 her young niece Maud, but she did not take 

 the vows, and became the Queen of Henry I., 

 being married at Martinmas, noo. 18 



Mary, daughter of King Stephen, became 

 abbess here about 1 1 60, and it was her uncle, 

 Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester (i 129 

 71), who was probably the builder of the 

 greater part of Romsey Abbey as it now 

 stands. Abbess Mary in 1 1 60 left her monas- 

 tery to become the wife of Matthew, son of 



pt. 2, mm. 35, 29, 23 ; Add. Charters, 17, 497- 

 508. 



13 Winton. Epis. Reg., Beaufort Registers, f. 

 26. 



14 Add. Charters, 17, 509. 



15 Winton. Epis. Reg., Waynflete, f. lob. 



18 Liber de Hyda (Rolls Series), 1 1 2, and Lands. 

 MSS. 463. 



17 Florence of Worcester (Thorpe's ed.), i. 141. 



18 William ofMalmesbury, iii. 149. 

 18 Vide Eccl. Hut. supra, p. 10. 



126 



