A HISTORY OF DORSET 



to the throne of Elizabeth brought about the 

 destruction of the order anew, and the queen in 

 April, 1564, in consideration of the sum of 

 j^ 1,189 '9*- 7^- re-granted the manor in rever- 

 sion of the former lease of Edward VI to 

 William Pole of Shute and Edward Downing 

 and their heirs." In addition to the preceptory 

 of Mayne with its members West Knighton and 

 Waye, the order possessed a smaller estate re- 



turned in 1338 as the 'camera' of Chilcombe, 

 which comprised the manors of Chilcombe and 

 Toller Fratrum with the rectory of the latter; 

 it was valued at £\ 55. 4^., paid 30 marks 

 into the treasury at Clerkenwell, and was farmed 

 out to Ivo de Chilcombe.'* The HospitaUers 

 also held lands in Hammoon, Watercombe, 

 MarnhuU, Wareham, Upway, Charlton Marshall, 

 Turnworth, and Shroton.*' 



FRIARIES 



12. THE DOMINICAN FRIARS OF 

 GILLINGHAM 



On 8 December, 1267, Henry III granted 

 twelve oaks in Gillingham Forest to the Friars 

 Preachers to repair the fabric of their church at 

 Gillingham.' This was probably a chapel con- 

 nected with the royal palace.^ No other reference 

 to the house has yet been found. 



13. THE DOMINICAN FRIARS OF 

 MELCOMBE REGIS' 



The friary at Melcombe Regis was the last 

 Dominican house established in England. It was 

 founded by Hugh Deverell, knt., and John Rogers, 

 chief of the house of Rogers of Bryanston in 

 Dorset.* In furtherance of their purpose the 

 provincial of England, supported by the master- 

 general of the order, applied to the Holy See in 

 141 8 for powers to make the foundation; and 

 on 1 7 August Martin V gave the necessary leave 

 for erecting a convent here, with church, belfry, 

 churchyard and cloister, and all things necessary for 

 a religious house, even without the consent of the 

 ordinary of the diocese, provided there was no 

 other house of Mendicants within the distance of 

 150 cannae (about 280 yards) and saving the 

 rights of the parochial churches.' Deverell and 

 Rogers then gave two messuages, two tofts and 

 four curtilages, containing altogether 270 ft. in 

 length and 160 ft. in breadth, held of the crown 

 in free burgage at a rent of 2J. I^;^. a year and 

 estimated at the annual value of 65. ^d. This site 

 wasconveyed toEdward Polyng, who was appoint- 

 ed thefirst prior ' both by the superiors of theOrder 

 and by the aforesaid Hugh and John,'' and with 



" Tanner, Notitia, Dorset, xvi. 



" Larking, The Knights Hosf'italUrs in England 

 (Camd. Sec), 105-6. 



" Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset, ii, 502. 



' Close, 5 2 Hen. Ill, m. 12. 



' Cf. the houses of Friars Preachers and Minors at 

 Clarendon ; Liberate R. 34 Hen. Ill, m. 5 ; 54 Hen. 

 lll,m. 2. 



' Rev. C. F. R. Palmer, ' The Friar-Preachers of 

 Melcombe Regis,' in The Reliquary, xxi, 72-6. 



* Cf. Leland, Itin. ( ed. 1745), iii, 65. 



'Refill, xxi, from Bull. Ord. Pracd. 



'Pat. 8 Hen. VI, pt. 3, m. 4. 



him were associated friars John Lok and John 

 Lowen to carry on the new foundation. They 

 immediately established a chapel and set up an 

 altar in one of the houses and began their spiritual 

 ministrations among the people. John Chandler, 

 bishop of Sarum, opposed the new foundation, and 

 in 1426 shortly before his death declared the 

 friars contumacious and forbade their proceedings.' 

 Deverell and Rogers, however, secured the royal 

 licence for the foundation 16 February 1 430-1 * 

 and addressed a petition to the bishop, Robert 

 Neville.' In this they stated that they had begun 

 the house moved by the desolation of the town ; 

 that there was no place dedicated to God in Mel- 

 combe ; that the parochial church of Radipole 

 was a long mile and a half away and was incon- 

 venient for the burgesses ; that the inhabitants 

 were rude, illiterate, and situated in angulo terrae : 

 that the vill lay open to enemies, whereby the 

 king's rent was not paid and the customs were 

 diminished. An arrangement was soon made 

 with the bishop and the prohibition removed. 



The friars did not confine their attention to 

 the spritual welfare of the inhabitants, but contri- 

 buted to the defence of the town and increase of 

 the port by building a jetty against the ebb and flow 

 of the tide. After they had begun this work, 

 they determined to add a tower as a fortification 

 for the town, port, and their own house. They 

 therefore applied to the crown for help, and on 

 17 February, 1445-6, received from the king and 

 council a grant of land, 1,000 ft. long and 600 ft. 

 broad by the sea for the site of the tower in free 

 alms without any rent, and also a sum of ^10 a 

 year for twelve years out of the customs and sub- 

 sidies of the port of Poole towards the expenses 

 of making the jetty.'" In the Act of Resumption 

 passed in 1450 this grant was specially exempted 



in consideration of the great charge and costs that 

 they have had and yet must have in making and re- 

 pairing of a jetty in defence of the said town of Mel- 

 combe against the flowing of the sea." 



'Sarum Epis. Reg. Chandler inter acta, fol. 54; 

 Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset (ed. 3), ii, 454. 



»P.it. 8 Hen. VI, pt. 3, m. 4. 



' Sarum Epis. Reg. Neville, inter acta, fol. 34 ; 

 Hutchins, loc. cit. 



'"Pat. 24 Hen. VI, pt. 2, m. 24. 



" Par/. R. v, 187. 



92 



