RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



The house from the outset received much 

 attention and kindness from the Plantagenets. 

 The abbot occurs frequently in the records of 

 John's reign, and from various entries in the 

 Liberate and Misae Rolls appears to have been 

 employed by the king in affairs of a confidential 

 nature.^' On 27 July, 12 13, while staying at 

 the abbey, John issued letters allowing the 

 monks tiiirty cart-loads of lead for the purpose 

 of roofing their monastery, together with fifty 

 oak logs." During the year 121 5 the king's 

 treasure was dispersed about in the custody of 

 various monasteries, preference apparently being 

 shown for those of the Cistercians and Premon- 

 stratensians ; an order issued on 24 June of that 

 year directed that it should be delivered up to the 

 king, and an entry under date of 3 July in the 

 patent rolls records that on the feast of St. Peter 

 and St. Paul (29 June) John, while at Marl- 

 borough, received at the hands of Robert the 

 precentor a staff {haculum) set with nineteen 

 sapphires, and another set with ten, which had 

 been deposited in Bindon Abbey.'' 



Henry III also showed favour to the community, 

 to whom, in 1229 and 1247, he granted letters 

 of protection. '* In 1235 they received by gift 

 of the king an order allowing them fifty oak 

 logs to rebuild their church." In 1272 Henry 

 de Newburgh, who at that time held the advow- 

 son, granted the monks leave to elect whom 

 they would to be their patron, and in view of 

 past favours it is not surprising that the choice 

 of the brethren fell on the king and Queen 

 Eleanor. Henry and his consort accepted their 

 election, the former, by his charter, signifying 

 that he had taken the abbey, of which he and 

 his heirs were now the patrons, into his protection 

 and defence.'* Early in the reign of Edward I 

 Queen Eleanor granted to the church of St. 

 Mary of Bindon and the monks serving God 

 there, for the soul of her late husband and his 

 ancestors, 'our' children, ancestors and successors, 

 all lands and tenements in Wool which she held 

 by gift of Thomas de Wool, son and heir of 

 William de Wool, to be held by them in free 

 alms.'' 



The abbot and monks bore their share in all 

 charges and contributions incidental to the 

 tenure of ecclesiastical landowners. In May, 

 1278, they contributed to the 'courtesy' of 

 ^TijOOO raised for the king by the whole order 



" Rot. de Liberate (Rec. Com.), 128, 144, 146. 



" Close, 15 John, m. 7, 8. 



" Pat. 17 John, m. 21. 



'' Pat. 13 Hen. Ill, m. 3 ; 31 Hen. Ill, m. 6. 



" Close, 19 Hen. Ill, m. 12. 



" By inspex. Pat. 7 Edw. I, pt. i, m. i. 



" Pat. 4 Edw. I, m. 32 ; Edward I in 1275 granted 

 letters of simple protection to the abbot to List two 

 years (ibid. 3 Edw. I, m. 32) ; and a few years later 

 confirmed his mother's gift of Wool to the abbey (ibid. 

 9 Edw. I, m, 13). 



83 



in England,^" and in 1294 the abbot received 

 protection for a year in favour of his person and 

 goods in consideration of the fact that with the 

 rest of ' exempt ' abbots he had granted a moiety 

 of his benefices and goods towards the Holy 

 Land.2' In the reign of Edward II the house 

 was twice called on to assist in the Scotch war.-^ 

 In December, 1309, John Dassh was sent in place 

 of William Brid to lodge in the abbey and receive 

 the necessaries of life,^^ and in May, 1335, in 

 the midst of financial and other embarrassments, 

 the community was requested by the king to 

 allow Hugh Prest such maintenance in their 

 house as their earlier boarder William Brid had 

 had.^* In return for these accommodations the 

 abbot received frequent grants of protection and 

 was permitted freely to visit the parent house at 

 Citeaux and to attend the general chapter of his 

 order.^' 



It is to be regretted that however favourable 

 the circumstances of the house under the earlier 

 Plantagenets, frequent references to the com- 

 munity in the fourteenth century range them- 

 selves for the most part under the head of debt 

 and disorder, internal dissension among them- 

 selves, and open strife with their neighbours, 

 making up a sufficiently sordid story. The first 

 mention of financial insecurity occurs in the 

 year 1275, when Edward I appointed Henry de 

 Monte Forte custodian during pleasure of the 

 abbey, which had fallen into debt.^^ Passing over 

 a small incident in 1283 of a common enough 

 nature in those days," the first breach with 

 the neighbourhood occurred in 1296, when a 

 charge was brought against the abbot of causing 

 the death of brother Nicholas de Wyther of 



'° Ibid. 4 Edw. I, m. 88. The Cistercians by 

 special privilege were exempt from the payment of all 

 such tithe and subsidy and at one time were inclined 

 to uphold their right to refuse any contribution ; 

 gradually, however, they found it politic to yield so 

 far as to give ' by courtesy ' what they declined to pay 

 as an obligation. ^' Pat. 22 Edw. I, m. 8. 



" Close, 3 Edw. II, m. 5, ced. ; Pari. Writs (Rec. 

 Com.), ii, div. 3, p. 542. 



" Close, 3 Edw. II, m. i 5 </. 



" Ibid. 9 Edw. Ill, m. z-] d. Ten years later, in 

 April, 1345, the monks were ordered to send a strong 

 horse to Chancery for carrying the Chancery rolls. 

 Ibid. 19 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 16. 



" On 27 July, 127S, the abbot going beyond seas 

 had letters of protection till All Saints (Pat. 6 Edw. I, 

 m. 8). In 1286 and 1290 he obtained letters of 

 protection to attend the general chapter of his order 

 (ibid. 14 Edw. I, m. 8 ; 18 Edw. I, m. 29), and in 

 January, 1333, he nominated attorneys to act during 

 hisabsence at the general chapter. (Ibid. 7 Edw. Ill, 

 pt. I, m. 21). 



'° Pat. 3 Edw. I, m. 32. The house may for the 

 time have recovered itself, for it seems to have met all 

 the various charges of ihe reign of Edward II. 



" A commission was appointed to inquire touching 

 those persons who had depastured the corn of the abbot 

 and convent at Lulworth (ibid. I 1 Edw. I, m. I2<i'.) 



