A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



canons in 1535 * ; the final surrender was 

 made by John Otwell in 1538." The abbot 

 received a pension of 50, and the canons 

 annuities ranging from 5 to j, or else bene- 

 fices in the gift of the monastery. 3 Four of 

 them besides the abbot were still alive and 

 drawing their pensions in IS52. 4 



We have unusually full information as to the 

 internal history of this house, which serves to 

 illustrate a point of interest. There is a 

 modern theory that one chief cause of the de- 

 generacy of the religious houses in England 

 before the dissolution was the exemption of 

 so many among them from episcopal visita- 

 tion ; but this is not supported by any solid 

 basis of facts, and, like some other theories as 

 to the comparative advantage of great and 

 little monasteries, is built rather upon a 

 general idea of what ought to have happened 

 than upon what actually did happen. The 

 whole Augustinian order was subject at all 

 times to episcopal jurisdiction, and none of 

 its abbeys or priories ever obtained any ex- 

 emptions : the episcopal registers survive to 

 witness that the bishops did visit them con- 

 tinually ; and yet it was this order which was 

 solemnly warned of the ' impending ruin of 

 all religion ' among them in 1518 a warning 

 uttered not by their enemies, but by their true 

 friend, Cardinal Wolsey, who did his best to 

 help them in the work of reformation. 5 Of 

 course not all the Augustinian houses were 

 degenerate : some have a quite satisfactory 

 record even at the end 6 ; but Missenden was 

 not one of these. Nevertheless its failure was 

 in no sense due to lack of episcopal super- 

 vision. 



The Abbot of Missenden was one of those 

 deposed by Bishop Grossti-te in his severe 

 and searching visitation of 1236'; whether 

 for maladministration or for more serious 

 faults does not appear ; but indeed the house 

 seems from first to last to have been singularly 

 unfortunate in its abbots. There is an in- 

 teresting letter of Grosstcte to the monks of 

 Missenden, giving them advice as to the elec- 

 tion of a new superior in 1240, and speaking 

 of the qualifications to be desired in one who 



1 P.R.O. Acknowledgment of Supremacy, 87. 



Lipscomb, History of Sucks, i. 368. 



Ibid. 



Exch. Mins. Accts., Bdle. 76, no. 26. 



Cott. MS. Vesp. D, i. f. 64. 



The three priories of Dunstable, Caldwell and 

 Newnham have a very fair record in the Visitation 

 of Longland, 1530 : this was not noticed in the 

 article on the Religious Houses of Bedfordshire in 

 this series, as those visitations were not then acces- 

 sible to the writer. 



7 Ann. Man. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 143. 



was to bear rule in a house of religion. 8 

 Bishop Sutton had occasion twice to write to 

 the abbot and convent to receive back apostate 

 but repentant canons. 9 It does not appear 

 that in his time there was any laxity in the 

 house, but rather the reverse : for a certain 

 novice cut his own throat in 1297 for fear of 

 discipline. 10 The monastery was visited in 

 1338 by order of Bishop Burghersh, 11 and in 

 1343 an inquiry was made into its rights and 

 liberties by Bishop Bek. 12 There was another 

 inquiry made in 1347 to see which of the 

 monks were trying to impede the election of 

 John of Abingdon 13 ; and again in 1348 the 

 bishop had to intervene and collate an abbot 

 after a lapse of six months. 14 In 1361 the 

 scandals connected with Abbot Ralf Mar- 

 shall's attainder brought the house under the 

 notice of Bishop Gynwell, who had to appoint 

 the prior to rule the house for a time. 15 In 

 1369, when Ralf Marshall returned, he found 

 his position a difficult one, and perhaps tried 

 to enforce his authority by rough measures, 

 for some of the canons complained to the 

 bishop. A commission was sent in 1370 to 

 inquire into their grievances, and the abbot 

 was ordered to take no proceedings against 

 those who had complained 18 ; but in 1372 

 there was a fresh commission which suggests 

 that the monks and not the abbot were the 

 aggressors. 17 



Bishop Gray visited the abbey between 

 1431 and 1436, but found no special laxity. 

 The number of monks seem to have been in- 

 sufficient at this time for the due performance 

 of the divine office : they were to be increased 

 as soon as possible, and certain of the conven- 

 tual buildings were to be repaired. 18 



s Epist. Grossetete (Rolls Ser.), 268. It is not 

 much credit to the abbot then elected (Roger 

 of Gilsburgh) that he was a personal friend of the 

 profane and irreligious Ralf de Cheinduit ; but 

 at any rate he helped him to make his peace 

 with God and St. Alban on his deathbed in 1243. 

 Gesta Abbatum (Rolls Series), i. 320, and Chron. 

 Majora (Rolls Ser.), iv. 262. 



9 Line. Epis. Reg. Memo. Sutton, 109, I27d. 



10 . Ibid. 173. The fact is noticed merely in con- 

 nection with the question whether the house 

 needed purification after effusion of blood. It is 

 not stated whether the novice succeeded in killing 

 himself, or whether it was an attempt only. 



" Ibid. Memo. Burghersh, 333d. 



12 Ibid. Memo. Bek, 56. 

 " Ibid. 96. 



14 Ibid. Inst. Gynwell, 241. This occurs among 

 the entries during the year of the Great Pestilence. 



15 Ibid. Memo. Gynwell, ggd. 



16 Ibid. Memo. Bokyngham, 90, 91. 

 Ibid. I05d. 



13 Ibid. Memo. Gray, 202. 



372 



