RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



and two worse ones of silver ; two ships for 

 incense, with two small spoons ; a small silver 

 crown, with eleven gold rings fixed in it, for 

 the high altar ; another better crown of silver, 

 with nineteen gold rings ; and two silver basins 

 for the high altar. 1 



Wykeham was consecrated bishop on 10 

 October, 1367, and on the I7th received the 

 temporalities from the king. He did not lose 

 much time in making good his right to nomi- 

 nate a novice for the Wherwell nunnery, for 

 on 14 October he ordered the abbess and con- 

 vent to receive Joan Krompe, a lady of good 

 and honourable condition. 8 In the following 

 year the bishop sent letters to the Abbess of 

 Wherwell straitly enjoining her, for the avoid- 

 ance of scandalous gossip, never to allow friars 

 nor any other religious or secular men to stay 

 the nightinthe convent, and threatening canon- 

 ical penalties if this order was neglected. 3 



On 3 March, 1377, Bishop Wykeham 

 appointed Walter Chapellayne, a Franciscan 

 of Winchester, to confess the nuns until the 

 quindene of Easter. 4 This interim appoint- 

 ment was continued for between fifteen and 

 sixteen years, when Walter Chapellayne's 

 confessor's licence was revoked, and the 

 abbess and convent were admonished, on 

 i August, 1393, to accept Ralph Basyng, a 

 monk of Winchester Cathedral, as their con- 

 fessor. 6 



On 30 July, 1378, an inspection and con- 

 firmation was granted to the abbess and nuns 

 of Wherwell, on a fee of one mark, of an 

 unauthentic charter of King Alfred, purport- 

 ing to grant the nuns the wood of Wherwell 

 Harewood. 6 And again in December, 1384, 

 letters patent were granted to the abbess, to 

 the effect that during the king's life she 

 should have chattels of fugitives. The abbey 

 held Mestowe Hundred, and among other 

 liberties the chattels of fugitives. In the late 

 king's reign Henry Harold of Wherwell killed 

 his wife Isabel and fled to the church of 

 Wherwell. The abbess asserted her right, 

 and his chattels were seized, to the value of 

 35 4;. 8d., by Gilbert Josep, her reeve. 

 The question was tried by the judges of the 



1 The sacrist of the church of Wherwell had 

 various important duties, and there were special 

 rents, realizing a total of jzs. lod., attached to 

 the office. The chartulary contains no fewer than 

 thirty-two charters relating to the office of the 

 sacrist (ff. 2002-1 ib). 



* Winton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, iii. 1 1 b. 

 3 Ibid. f. 253. 



* Ibid. f. 1 5ob. 



6 Ibid. f. 26 1 b, 262. 



6 Pat. 2 Ric. II. pt. i, m. 38. 



Bench in the late reign, but though judgment 

 had been found for the abbess to the effect 

 that the king had no right to such chattels 

 save in the time of voidance of the abbey, 

 the decision was not formally delivered by 

 reason of a difference of opinion among the 

 justices. The signet letter of Richard II. 

 also provided that the abbess should not be 

 molested for the sum seized in the case of the 

 fugitive Harold. 7 



On 1 6 June, 1393, excommunication was 

 denounced against certain persons unknown 

 who abducted Katherine Faukener, a nun 

 of Wherwell. 8 A different colour is how- 

 ever given to this ' abduction ' by an entry 

 in the episcopal register seven years later, 

 namely on 12 April, 1400, when the Ab- 

 bess of Wherwell was enjoined to receive 

 Katherine Faukener, who had run away, the 

 bishop urging that the Church ought never 

 to shut its bosom to any one returning, in 

 the firm hope of a fruitful penitence. 9 



On 31 March, 1501, the priory was 

 visited by Dr. Hede, acting as commissary 

 for the Prior of Canterbury, during the 

 vacancy of the see. Maud Rowse, the 

 abbess, testified to the regular attendance 

 at the night and day hours ; that the yearly 

 rents had risen to 40 marks ; that the house 

 was not in debt nor any of its valuables 

 pledged ; that a balance sheet was presented 

 in chapter every Michaelmas ; that the com- 

 mon seal was kept in the treasury within two 

 chests having six keys, of which two pertaining 

 to the outer chest and one to the inner were 

 in her custody, one of the outer and another 

 of the inner chests in the custody of the 

 prioress, and the other of the inner chest in 

 the custody of the sacrist ; and that there 

 was sufficient store of grain and other things 

 for the current year. Maud Byrte, prioress, 

 stated that silence was duly observed at the 

 customary times and places. Katherine Polton, 

 sacrist, and Christine Hopkyn, precentor, and 

 eighteen other members of the convent, in- 

 cluding six novices, also gave evidence that 

 omnia bene. 10 



The Abbess Maud died on 24 January, 

 1518; the convent obtained the congl d'ttirc 

 on 3 February. In a letter of Bishop Fox 

 to Wolsey, dated 15 February, he thanks the 

 Cardinal for expediting the king's letters for a 

 free election of a new Abbess of Wherwell. 

 As the sisters had made a choice pleasant to 

 God and true to the king, he begged his 



"> Ibid. 8 Ric. II. pt. I, m. 5. 



8 Winton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, iii. f. 258. 



9 Ibid. iv. f. Jigb. 



10 Side Facante Register, Canterbury. 



135 



