A HISTORY OF DORSET 



frequently invaded by Spaniards, Normans, and 

 Bretons, and eaten up by the defenders of the 

 kingdom, so that unless help could be afforded it 

 must be destroyed and divine services cease, re- 

 quested the bishop of Salisbury to appropriate the 

 church of Tolpuddle to the uses of the breth- 

 ren.'* The convent in 1390 obtained from 

 Boniface IX a grant appropriating anew the 

 parish churches of Abbotsbury, Portisham, Win- 

 terborne St. Martin, Toller Porcorum, and Tol- 

 puddle, ' of which the first two were of old and 

 the next 3 over 40 years ago incorporated by au- 

 thority of the ordinary, and the last 2 by papal 

 authority.' Their revenues, after deducting 

 vicars' portions, came to 400 marks, the revenues 

 of the monastery being 500, and 14 marks were 

 to be assigned to each vicar. ^^ 



With the exception of the appointment of 

 abbots, references to Abbotsbury in the fifteenth 

 century are rare." VVe have the decrees pub- 

 lished by Bishop Chandler after visiting the 

 abbey in 1436. The community were warned 

 generally against making grants rashly, and 

 greater formality in their drawing up was en- 

 joined. The abbot was directed, 'as wine and 

 women cause men to err,' not to buy more wine 

 than was absolutely necessary for the use of the 

 monastery ; he was to be permitted to have 

 sweet wine for his table and the entertainment 

 of his guests ' in small and minute vessels ' (vasis) ; 

 the entrance of women was prohibited, the 

 abbot, if convicted on the evidence of two 

 witnesses, should be suspended for a month ; 

 the brethren were forbidden to resort to a cer- 

 tain chamber for the purpose of 'confabula- 

 tion."" 



The notorious Dr. Legh appears to have 

 visited this house on the eve of the Dissolution, 

 for in a letter headed ' Thos. Legh, visitor of 

 Abbotsbury,' he appoints a certain Vincent to be 

 prior in the house, and desires tiie inmates to be 

 attentive and obedient to him.^^ Thomas Brad- 

 ford occurs, however, as prior in the surrender 

 deed of the house. 



In the Fa/or of 1535 the spiritualities of the 

 abbey were returned at £i\.^ gs. ^d- from the 

 churches of Tolpuddle, Portisham, Abbotsbury, 

 Winterborne St. Martin, and Toller Porcorum*'"; 



" Sarum Epis. Reg. Erghum,fol. 81,82. Richard II 

 licensed the appropriation on account of expenses 

 connected with the defence of the coast ; Pat. 9 

 Ric. II, pt. I, m. 19. 



'° Cal. Pap. Letters, iv, 342 ; v, 77. 



'" With the exception also of bequests and references 

 in wills. 



" Sarum Epis. Reg. Chandler, fol. 6j d. Unfor- 

 tunately no report can be found of the visitations 

 ordered in 1488 and I 503. 



''■' Cott. MS. Cleop. iv, 57. The letter is inscribed 

 on the back. 'To the abbot of Abbotsbury, or in his 

 absence to Dom Vincent.' 



«° Valor EccL (Rec. Com.), i, 277-8. 



the temporalities were valued at ;^356 6j. "jd.^^ 

 making a total income of £^\o\ 15J. \od. It 

 would seem, from the list of anniversaries kept 

 by the monks, that the community were faithful 

 in the observance of one of their main duties, the 

 obligation to commemorate for the souls of their 

 founders and benefactors.^^ 



A curious document, cited by Hutchins in 

 full,*' brings certain charges against the last abbot 

 of Abbotsbury, Roger Roddon, elected in 1534." 

 Headed 'of the monasterye of Abbotsburye and 

 of the saide Abbate thereof, of the mysse-usynge 

 of hymselfe,' it runs, ' whereas he doth breke the 

 kyng's foundacons and the injuncyonsof the same,' 

 and proceeds to denounce the superior for non- 

 observance of the conditions on which the 

 monastery had received land from benefactors ; 

 for wasting and wrongfully selling woods ; for 

 making away with jewels and plate out of the 

 treasur)' of the value of which no record has been 

 kept ; 



also that he hath an abhomynable rule wyth kepyng 

 of wymen nott wyth i, ii or iii but wyth manie more 

 . . . and no relegon he kepyth nor bye day nether 

 bye nyghte. 



Unfortunately we have no information as to the 

 veracity of the writer *^ who signs himself ' Dan. 

 Will. Grey, Muncke of Abbatsburie.' He is 

 included in the list of those who received pen- 

 sions on the surrender of the abbey, 12 March, 

 1539 ; the abbot who surrendered with the prior 

 and eight brethren receiving a pension of ;^8o ; 

 the prior, Thomas Bradford, ^^9 ; Thomas Tol- 

 puddle, j^7 ; six other brethren, among whose 

 names are entered William Grey and John 

 Vynsant, j^6 to ^^5 each ; Thomas Holnest, 

 405.'^'^ 



The site of the abbey was afterwards granted 

 to Sir Giles Strangewa}S, knt., by Henry VIII.*" 



*' Ibid. 228-30. 



''" On 2 April, 22/. \d. was distributed to the poor of 

 Abbotsbury for the souls of Thomas Strangeways and 

 Alianor or Eleanor his wife (ibid. 227) ; on 6 July 

 and 7 Sept. 2 \s. ^J. for the souls of Henry Russell and 

 Alice his wife (ibid. 223) ; 6/. 8t/. on the feast of the 

 Eleven Thousand Virgins for the souls of Walter 

 Clopton and Joan his wife (ibid. 229) ; on 16 June, 

 9/. id. for the soul of John Mautravers ; on 26 May, 

 7/. zd. for the soul of John Cary (ibid. 229-30) ; on 

 1 2 March, Ss. Sd. for the soul of Robert Bylsay ; a 

 pension in the abbey and certain doles were assigned 

 in commemoration for the souls of ' Orke and Thole 

 his wife,' the original founders. 



'^ Ibid. Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset, ii, 720. 



" L. and P. Hen. Fill, vii, 1607 (21). 



" In many cases of this kind close examination 

 has tended to destroy much of the value of ac- 

 cusations levelled against superiors by discontented 

 monks. See ' Religious Houses,' V.C.H. Worcs. ii, 

 135- 



"'' L. and P. Hen. Fill, xiv (l), 506. 



" Dugdale, Man. iii, 60. 



52 



