A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



To him Henry de Spersholte succeeded, in 

 whose time the manor of Newland was acquired 

 and lost. He died on 22 September, and was 

 buried in the cloister. 



To him succeeded Brother Yvo, in whose time 

 the manor of Mirabel was acquired and lost. He 

 died on 3 March, and was buried in the cloister. 



Adam, third abbot of this church, ruled with 

 honour. 1 He died on 14 September, and was 

 buried in the cloister on the left of the monument 

 of Abbot Peter de Wynton. 



William de Byketon, the fourth abbot, was a 

 venerable ruler of the church ; he died on 8 

 November, and was buried in the church, at the 

 altar of St. Richard. 



John Sydemanton, fifth abbot, ruled well, and 

 died on 3 December. He was buried in the 

 cloister, between the door of the library on the 

 south and the monument of Abbot Wynton on 

 the north. 



Roger de Candever, sixth abbot, ruled this 

 church honourably and religiously for about 

 eighteen years. He died on 5 August, and was 

 buried in the cloister at the entrance to the church 

 near the altar of St. Peter. 



John de Combe, seventh abbot, in whose time 

 the manors of Crofton and ' Fontelegh-Pageham ' 

 were acquired. He ruled this church for about 

 twenty years, and died on 5 May, and was buried 

 in the cloister, at the head of the monument of 

 Abbot Roger de Candever. 



Peter de Wynton, eighth abbot, ruled this house 

 religiously for one year and six months. He died 

 on 1 6 July, and was buried in the cloister between 

 the monument of Abbot Adam on the north and 

 Abbot Sydemanton on the south. 



William de Wollop, ninth abbot, ruled this 

 church in the best possible way for twenty years, 

 nine months and three days. In his time the 

 land and tenement of Markes and ' Brykoresland ' 

 were acquired and appropriated. He also ac- 

 quired, but did not appropriate, the land and 

 tenement of Ward, the land of ' Froghemour,' the 

 land of ' Firsteburyesland ' at Chirk, and the tene- 

 ments which were John Goudale's in Titchfield. 

 Also in his days John Edindon gave his manor of 

 Portsea and ' Copenore ' to the priory. He died 

 on 23 May, and was buried in the cloister, north 

 of the monument of Abbot Candever. 



John de Thorni, tenth abbot, ruled prudently 

 over this church for nineteen years, thirteen weeks 

 and five days ; in his time the lands and tenements 

 mentioned under his predecessor were all appro- 

 priated. He died on 30 September, and was 

 buried in the cloister at the feet of the image of 

 the Blessed Virgin, which he had erected there in 

 honour of the Mother of God by a buttress. 



John de Romsey, eleventh abbot of this church, 

 ruled honourably. 8 



1 It is not easy to understand why Adam is 

 called the third abbot when he appears to have 

 been the sixth ; it may be that the three abbots 

 before Adam succeeded each other rapidly, and 

 were never duly confirmed. 



* From here the entries are in a later hand. 



Thomas Bensteade, thirteenth abbot, ruled well, 

 and resigned his staff under compulsion. 



William Winchestour, alias Fryer, was fourteenth 

 abbot, and ruled six and a half years. 



William Auy ten, fifteenth abbot, ruled this church 

 well for sixteen years. He built the house com- 

 monly called ' The Crete Place.' He also restored 

 the windows of all the chambers, and built another 

 house near the cross in the body of the town. He 

 died 25 October, and was buried near the monu- 

 ment of John Thorny. 



Thomas Coyk, sixteenth abbot, ruled for twenty- 

 one years. 



Thomas Blankpayn, seventeenth abbot, ruled for 

 twenty years, and resigned on a pension. 



The Rev. Father John, Bishop of Elphin in 

 Ireland, abbot in comment/am of Welbeck and 

 Titchfield, prebendary of York and Southwell 

 and visitor of the Premonstratensian Order, the 

 eighteenth abbot, rebuilt the ruinous church. 



The second register opens with an account 

 of the library, as catalogued in the year 1 400. 

 It is often forgotten how large a portion of his 

 time the professed monk or canon was ex- 

 pected to give to the study of the Scriptures 

 and of other literature. This was particu- 

 larly the case with the order of Pr&nontre'. 

 The rule of the White Canon was in this 

 respect more stringent and definite than that 

 of the Black Canon, as appears in various 

 particulars. The office of librarian was joined 

 to that of chanter in the Austin houses, but 

 was a separate office in the Premonstratensian 

 houses. The later canons were distinctly 

 invited to study not only the Scriptures, but 

 theology, philosophy and Literte Humaniores 

 The original statutes are much more precise 

 as to the times of reading than those of the 

 Black Canons. The Premonstratensian rule 

 provided that after sext, which followed im- 

 mediately after high mass, the time was to 

 be given to reading (whilst the servants and 

 reader dined) until the bell rang to enter the 

 frater. In the winter most of the convent 

 had light refreshment (mlxtum) after terce, 

 and dinner was not served until after nones ; 

 and in that half of the year the long interval 

 between sext and nones was assigned to read- 

 ing. Again, after evensong throughout the 

 year, there was reading until the bell sounded 

 for collation. 3 The importance of reading is 

 emphasized by a special chapter being assigned 

 to Quomodo se habeant fratres tempore lectionis* 

 All the brothers were to read at the appointed 

 hour, save those engaged on necessary duties, 

 and they were to make all speed to attend 

 lection. They were to sit in cloister when 



8 Statute Ordinis Premonstratcrf (printed 1530), 

 Distinctio I. caps. vi. vii. 

 4 Ibid. Dist. I. cap. ix. 



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