A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



stated that the abbey had suffered severely 

 from the Great Pestilence, and was not able 

 to maintain its wonted hospitality. 1 In 

 1383 the conventual church was attacked by 

 a band of armed men, who were excommuni- 

 cated in consequence ; nothing more is 

 known of the affair or its causes. 2 



In 1461 the priory of Chetwode and its 

 lands were granted to the canons of Nutley, 3 

 on condition that they should fulfil all the 

 obligations attached to the suppressed foun- 

 dation. Just before the dissolution the 

 abbey came into the king's hand, on account 

 of the attainder of the Duke of Buckingham, 

 who had been its patron. 4 The last abbot, 

 Richard Ridge, signed the Acknowledgment 

 of Royal Supremacy in 1535, B and surrendered 

 his house on 9 December, 1538. The Deed 

 of Surrender is signed by the prior and thir- 

 teen other canons besides the abbot ; it takes 

 the form of an enfeoffment of the house to 

 Dr. London for the king's use. 8 London had 

 been busy in the neighbourhood just before, 

 taking the surrender of Eynsham, and defac- 

 ing various shrines. 7 The pension list for 

 Nutley Abbey, as given by Browne Willis, is 

 to the abbot 100, to the prior 6 i$s. d., to 

 the sub-prior 6, to Thomas Webb 6, and 

 to twelve others 5 6s. 8d. a As the house 

 possessed many churches, it is possible that 

 some of the pensions were commuted for bene- 

 fices. Valentine Bownde, the prior, became 

 chaplain of Long Crendon, 8 and another 

 canon was cantarist of the fraternity of 

 Buckingham until its suppression. 10 The last- 

 mentioned canon was the only one who sur- 

 vived till 1552, when he claimed two pen- 

 sions : 5 6s. Sd. from Nutley, and ,4 for the 

 chantry. 



Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Bokyngham, i. 412 ; 

 the church of Lillingston was appropriated on this 

 account. 



Ibid. Memo. Bokyngham, 267. 



' Pat. i Edw. IV. pt. iv., m. 23. A dole of 

 2s. 6d. was still paid to the poor every year for the 

 soul of Ralf of Norwich, founder of Chetwode, in 

 1535. Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 234. 



L. and P. Henry Fill. iv. 3082. 



5 P.R.O. Acknowledgment of Supremacy, 96. 



P.R.O. Deed of Surrender, 184. 



' Wright, Suppression of Monasteries, 221, 233. 



8 One canon is named in the pension list of 1552, 

 as receiving 5 6s. 8d. Exch. Mins. Accts. Bdle. 

 76, no. 26. 



8 Records of Bucks, vi. 292. He died in ISS> 

 in which year his will was proved : but it seems 

 extremely improbable that it was he whose grave 

 was found in Long Crendon Church ; he would 

 not have been buried in his habit and sandals, with 

 rosary and crucifix, in 1550. 



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



378 



The Arrouasian canons had a great reputa- 

 tion for strictness of life at the first foundation 

 of their order ; but there is very little to show 

 us how far this house was faithful to its ori- 

 ginal ideal. The Abbot of Nutley was one of 

 those deprived by Bishop GrosstCte in 1236," 

 a fact which suggests unsatisfactory adminis- 

 tration at that time, if nothing worse. The 

 elections of 1268 and 1271 were both annulled 

 by Bishop Gravesend, not because of the un- 

 fitness of the persons elected, but because of 

 some informality in the procedure. 12 The 

 entry in Bishop Dalderby's register already 

 alluded to does not give us a favourable im- 

 pression of the house in 1300 ; but not enough 

 is known of the circumstances to enable us to 

 judge the matter fairly. 13 A commission was 

 issued by the same bishop a few years later for 

 the visitation and correction of the abbey of 

 Nutley, but no report is preserved. 14 In 1323 

 an order was given for the readmission of an 

 apostate monk after absolution by the bishop. 15 

 In 1350 there was certainly no unfriendly 

 feeling between the abbot and his diocesan, 

 for the former was commissioned to examine 

 the election of a prioress of Little Marlow in 

 that year. 16 The first formal report of visita- 

 tion is dated 1379. It does not point to any 

 special laxity, but only to some defects of ad- 

 ministration. It was enjoined that two 

 bursars should be elected annually by the 

 abbot and the ' greater and wiser part ' of the 

 convent, who should receive all moneys and 

 render an account of the same. The officers 

 of the monastery were to be appointed and 

 removed by the abbot with the concurrence 

 of the ' greater and wiser part ' of the breth- 

 ren ; but all should render due obedience to 

 the abbot. No pensions or doles should be 

 given without consent of the abbot and the 

 ' greater and wiser part.' The kinsmen of 

 the abbot or the canons were not to be charge- 

 able to the monastery without consent of the 

 abbot and the ' greater and wiser part.' 17 



The exact value of these injunctions cannot 

 be estimated without more knowledge of the 

 contemporary history of the house. They 

 read like a temporary expedient to check the 

 power of an abbot who had not shown suffi- 

 cient consideration for his brethren, nor con- 

 sulted them duly ; for the stress laid upon the 

 consent of the majority is very unusual. 



In 1391 an indult was granted by the pope 



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



12 Line. Epis. Reg. Rolls of Gravesend. 



13 Ibid. Memo. Dalderby, 15. 



14 Ibid. 202d. 



15 Ibid. Memo. Burghersh, 109. 

 '" Ibid. Inst. Gynwell, 243. 



17 Ibid. Memo. Bokyngham, l8ld. 



