RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



stated that the grant had been made on condi- 

 tion that the brethren should pay the said 

 Ingelram the true yearly value of the same 

 during his life and after his death should provide 

 a chaplain to celebrate daily for the souls of the 

 kings of England, of Ingelram and the faithful 

 departed,' without mention of the daily pro- 

 vision for mendicants ; possibly it may have ceased 

 owing to the financial condition of the house, 



and his consort and for their souls after death. ''' 

 Henry VI the following year, 17 December, 

 1470, ratified the estate of William Brown 

 as master of the hospital of St. John the 

 Baptist, Dorchester, and as master of the house 

 or chapel called ' le priory hermitage ' by Dor- 

 chester." On the death or cession of William 

 in 1473 Edward IV made a grant of the 

 custody of the ' chapel ' to Robert Bothe, 



for the grant of the following February, enabling doctor of law,'° the deed being annulled four 



them to retain the land and premises, records that 

 it was made by fine of 1 00s. because of the 

 poverty of the said chaplains.* 



A few particulars as to this forest house may 

 be gleaned from the episcopal registers. They 

 record that the house belonged to the order of 

 St. Augustine and that the prior and brethren 

 were presented to the ordinary for examination 

 and approval before admission, as in the case of 

 John de Ramesham, 28 October, 1327 ; ' Wil- 

 liam de Bradewas, who was presented to the 

 custodian of the spiritualities of the bishopric, 

 Robert de Worth,'" in the vacancy of the see, 

 8 May, 1330 ; another instance is recorded 

 2 October, 1387." On the resignation of 

 John de Ramesham the house presented John 

 de Wyke to the bishop, who on account of the 

 poverty of the brethren proceeded to admit him 

 in a summary manner, 9 July, 1340.'^ In 

 1389, all the inmates being dead, the bishop 

 bestowed the house in commendam on Thomas 

 Wilton 25 August. '^ An inquisition being 

 held as to its state in 1424 it was found that 

 the house was of royal foundation and that 

 the king held the custody of it when vacant, 

 that the brethren elected a prior subject to the 

 royal assent, and that the house was not taxed at 

 10 marks per annum. 



After this date the style of the house alters 

 and it becomes known as the free chapel of St. 

 Mary, 'called the Hermitage,' and as such was 

 placed by Edward IV in 1469 in the custody of 

 William Brown, clerk, who already held the 

 mastership of the hospital of St. John the 

 Baptist, Dorchester, with a grant for life of the 

 yearly pension or annuity of 52^. 2d. with which 

 the chapel was charged to the king, of which 

 38J. lod. was payable to the Exchequer and 

 1 35. ^d. to the bailiff of the king's manor of 

 Fordington for the use of the duke of Cornwall, 

 on condition that he should maintain the old 

 service and pray for the good estate of the king 



' Inq. p.m. 2 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), No. 147. 

 . ' Pat. 3 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 3;. 



' Sarum Epis. Reg. Mortival, fol. 164. 

 '" Ibid. Wyville, fol. 3. 

 " Ibid. Erghum, fol. 84. 

 " Ibid. Wyville. " Ibid. Waltham. 



years later, November, 1477, in favour of 

 Master Robert Myddelham, bachelor of 

 theology." He was succeeded by Richard 

 Hill, dean of the king's chapel, appointed by 

 Henry VII in the first year of his reign,'* who 

 was again followed by John Cole, appointed by 

 Henry VIII in 15 11." Two years later, on 

 the surrender of the patent by which it had been 

 bestowed on John Cole,^" the king granted the 

 free chapel called ' le Hermytage ' in Blackmoor 

 to the abbot and convent of Cerne. 



No reference is made to this house in the 

 chantry certificates of Henry VIII and Ed- 

 ward VI. 



Priors or Masters of Blackmoor 



William, occurs 1327^' 



John de Ramesham, resigned 13.1.0^^ 



John de Wyke, presented 1340^^ 



Richard Andrew, presented 1349" 



Thomas Marshall ^'^ 



Thomas Wilton, appointed 1389^' 



John Baret, appointed 1424" 



William Brown, appointed 1469"* 



Robert Bothe, appointed 1473"'' 



Robert Myddelham, appointed 1477'° 



Richard Hill, appointed 1485-6" 



John Cole, appointed 151 1, surrendered 15 13 



on the annexation of le Hermytage ' to the 



abbey of Cerne ^^ 



" Pat. 9 Edw. IV, pt. 2, m. 22. 

 '' Ibid. 49 Hen. VI, m. 12. 

 ■' Ibid. 13 Edw. IV, pt. I, m. 3. 

 " Ibid. 17 Edw. IV, pt. 2, m. 23. 

 '" Hutchins, Hisl. of Dorset, iv, 467. 

 " Pat. 3 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. ^ d. 

 '"' L. and P. Hen. Vlll, i, 3853. 

 " Sarum Epis. Reg. Mortival, fol. 1 64. 

 " Ibid. Wyville. 



■'' Ibid. " Ibid. 



'■' Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset, iv, 467. 

 "'■ Sarum Epis. Reg. Waltham. 

 " Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset, iv, 467. 

 '' Fat. 9 Edw. IV, pt. 2, m. 22. 

 " Ibid. 13 Edw. IV, pt. i, m. 3. 

 " Ibid. 17 Edw. IV, pt. 2, m. 23. 

 " Hutchins, Hist, of Dorset, iv, 467. 

 '^ Pat. 3 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 3 a'.; L. and P. 

 Hen. nil, \,38S3. 



97 



13 



