A HISTORY OF DORSET 



The king the following year granted the 

 house and site of the abbey, with the church, 

 belfry, bells, and churchyard, the advowson of 

 the vicarage, manor, and rectory, to John Tre- 

 gonwell, the commissioner deputed to receive the 

 resignation of the community.'* 



Abbots of Milton 

 Cyneward, appointed 964 by King Edgar " 

 Egelric, deposed 11 02 for simony'^ 

 R., occurs in reign of Henry I " 

 A., occurs in reign of Henry II ** 

 Eustace, elected 1198 '' 

 William de Stokes, elected 1222^" 

 William de Taunton, elected 1256,^* died 



1273 

 Robert de Corfe, elected 1273 '^- 



Walter de Sideling, elected 1291,"^ died 



1314 

 Robert le Fauconer, elected 1314," died 1331 



Richard de Mauro or Maury, elected 1 33 1," 



resigned 1352 

 Robert de Burbache, elected 1352,"^ died 1382 

 John Hentin, elected 1382," died 1383 

 Walter Archer, elected 1383,^ died 141 7 

 Richard Cley, elected 141 7,''' resigned 1 43 1 

 John Haselbere, elected 1 431,™ died 1458 

 John Breweton or Bruton, elected 1458,'' 



died 1482 

 William Middleton, elected 1482'^ 

 John Bradley, elected 1525," surrendered 



1539 

 The round, thirteenth-century seal of the 

 abbey ,'^ the impression of which is very fine 

 though the edge is imperfect, represents on the 

 obverse side the abbey church with a centre 

 and two towers, each having a tall spire and 

 two side turrets. Under the central tower be- 



" L. and P. Hen. VIII, xv, 282 (g. 90). 



" Jngl.-Sax. Chron. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 94. 



''^ Wm. of Malmesbur)', Gata Pontif. (Rolls Ser.), 

 119. 



" Red Bk. of the Exch. (Rolls Ser.), i, 21 1. 



" Ibid. ■'' Ann. Mon. (Rolls Sen), ii, 69. 



«> Close, 7 Hen. Ill, m. 28. 



" Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 96. 



^' Pat. I Edw. I, m. I 7. He is probably identical 

 with Walter de Corfe, to whom the temporalities of 

 the abbey were restored 17 June in the same year ; 

 ibid. m. i 5. 



" Ibid. 19 Edw. I, m. 16. 



*' Ibid. 8 Edw. II, pt. I, m. 9. 



" Ibid. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 2, 32. 



^ Ibid. 26 Edw. Ill, pt. 3. 



" Ibid. 6 Ric. II, pt. 1, m. 16. 



"^ Ibid. pt. 2, m. 23. 



" Sarum Epis. Reg. Chandler, fol. 1 1. 



"" Ibid. Neville, fol. 11. 



" Ibid. Beauchamp, i, fol. 50. 



" Pat. 21 Edw. IV, pt. I, m. 7. 



" L. and P. Hen. VIII, iv (l), I 291-1424 ; xiv 

 (l), 500. 



" B.M. Seals, xl, 3. 



neath a trefoiled arch the Virgin is seated, 

 crowned, the Holy Child with nimbus on her 

 left knee, in her right hand an orb. Under the 

 arch of each of the side towers a mitred abbot 

 or bishop, full-length. In the foreground an 

 embattled wall. In the field over the roof two 

 demi-angels issuing from the heavens, each swing- 

 ing a censer, and on the left a cross. Legend : — 



+ SIGILL' : CONVEN .... AN ... . MID- 

 ELTONENSIS : E . . . . l'iE 



The reverse represents the abbey church from 

 another point of view. Under two trefoiled 

 arches in the centre, the Annunciation of the 

 Virgin. In the triangular pediment above is a 

 bust. Legend : — 



[porta : sa]lvtis : ave : .p : te : patet : 



e[xitvs : A : ve] [venit : ab : eva :]ve : 



ve : Q : tollis : ave 



A fine fragment of the same seal is found 

 attached to a deed dated 131 5," and to the sur- 

 render deed of the abbey in 1539.^° 



4. THE ABBEY OF SHERBORNE 



The foundation of the abbey of St. Mary is 

 usually attributed to Bishop Aldhelm at or about 

 the time of the establishment of the episcopal see 

 at Sherborne in 705,^ and though, according to 

 an ancient record mentioning a grant to the 

 house of 100 hides of land at ' Lanprobi ' by 

 Cenwalch, king of the West Saxons, who died in 

 672,' it might be said to claim even greater 

 antiquity, this is the date popularly accepted. 



Among the grants enumerated in a list of the 

 names and benefactions of the ' kings, founders of 

 the church of Sherborne,' ' are lands, many of 

 which figure later in the possessions of the monks 

 on the reconstruction of the house originally built 

 for secular canons, and must have formed its 

 earlier endowment : 5 hides of land at Oborne 

 the gift of King Edgar ; 5 hides out of 36 at 

 Bradford, ' Cerdel,' Halstock, and Yetminster, 

 with Netherbury and ' Ethelaldingham ' granted 

 by King iEthelwulf (Athulfus) ; King Athertus 

 gave the liberty of 140 hides, and in Up Cerne 

 12 hides, in Tavistock 8, in Stalbridge 20, in 

 Compton 8 ; King Kenewulf gave 5 hides at 

 Affpuddle and I hide in Lyme ; King Cuth- 

 red 12 hides in ' Lydcne,' ID in Corscombe, 25 

 at 'Menedid'; King Kenewulf 6 hides in Chard- 



" Harl. Chart. 86 A. 43. 



" Deeds of Surrender, No. 153. 



' Wm. of Malmes. Gesta Pontif. (Rolls Ser.), 375-8. 



Leland states that it was founded by King .^Ethelred 



\c. 870], but probably confuses its foundation with its. 



reconstruction ; Coll. i, 66 ; Tanner, Notitia, Dorset 



XXV. 



' Cott. MS. Faust. A. ii, fol. 23. ' Ibid. 



