A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



The episcopal registers of Worcester, Hereford, and York give a clear 

 view of the ecclesiastical organization of Gloucestershire in the latter half of 

 the thirteenth century. The county east of the Severn constituted the 

 archdeaconry of Gloucester, 1 and was divided into the rural deaneries of 

 Campden, Stow, Cirencester, Fairford, Winchcombe, Stonehouse, Hawkes- 

 bury, Bristol, 3 Dursley, and Gloucester. The jurisdiction of Bibury was exempt 

 from the visitation of the archdeacon, 3 but not from that of the bishop. 4 In 

 virtue of a papal privilege granted by Urban II (1088-1099) an ^ confirmed 

 by Eugenius III (u45-53)> tne abbot and convent of the Augustinian 

 monastery of Oseney sent one of their brethren to serve the parish church of 

 Bibury and the dependent chapels of Aldsworth, Barnsley, and Winson. 6 



The jurisdiction of St. Oswald's, by a grant from William Rufus in 1094, 

 was a peculiar of the see of York. 6 It included the priory of St. Oswald, 

 Gloucester, and the chapels of Churchdown, Norton, Sandhurst, and Compton 

 Abdale, 7 and was administered by a dean or keeper, 8 who installed the priors 

 of St. Oswald's 9 and received and transmitted procurations to the archbishop 

 of York, 10 unless he came on a personal visitation. The prior and convent of 

 St. Oswald's were in the habit of obtaining chrism and oil from the bishops 

 of Worcester, but as they had attempted to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction 

 over the monastery, Archbishop Corbridge (1300-1304) bade the canons 

 send to Southwell for the chrism and oil, and pay pentecostals and Peter's 

 pence to the dean of his jurisdiction. 11 



The county west of the Severn and the Leadon was in the diocese and 

 archdeaconry of Hereford. The rural deanery of the Forest contained all the 

 Gloucestershire parishes save those of Newland and English Bicknor and 

 Preston, which were in the deanery of Ross, 12 and Staunton in the deanery of 

 Irchinfield. 



The zealous administration of Bishop Cantilupe bore fruit, and the 

 carefully kept register of his successor Godfrey Giffard (1268-1302) shows 

 that the evils of non-residence and pluralism were not very prevalent in 

 Gloucestershire. In accordance with Bishop Cantilupe's constitution, a 

 number of licences were granted to rectors to farm their churches and study 

 canon law and theology at a university. 13 When rectors under age were presented 



I Won. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Wore. Hist. Soc.), the first extant register of the see. 



1 Including the city of Bristol with the exception of the small part beyond the Avon which lay in the 

 diocese of Bath and Wells. It was a privilege of the burgesses of Bristol, which was confirmed to them by 

 Robert Kilwardby, archbishop of Canterbury (1273-79), ^ at tne 7 cou ld not be cited to appear before the 

 ordinary of the bishop of Worcester outside the rural deanery of Bristol. Bickley, Little Red Book of Bristol, \, 

 93 ; Wore. Epis. Reg. Reynolds, 42, 'as his predecessors had granted.' 



* Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 220 ; Thomas, Survey of Worcester, App. 14. 



t Worc. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 272. In 1285 the abbot and convent of Oseney agreed to 

 pay an annual procuration of four marks to the bishop in lieu of giving him food and lodging at their 

 monastery. 



'Ibid. 14. Entries of presentations of canons of Oseney to the cure of souls of Bibury occur 

 frequently in the registers. In 1535 the rectory was farmed. Valor Eccles. (Rec. Com.), ii, 220. The jurisdiction 

 of Bibury remained a peculiar after the Reformation, and in 1813 the archdeacon was still excluded. 

 Ibid. 512. 



6 Archbishop Peckham and Bishop Giffard in vain attempted to exercise jurisdiction over it. V. C. H. 

 Glouc. Re Kg. Houses, St. Oswald, Gloucester, 85. 



' Wore. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 138 ; Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.),ii, 487. 



8 York Archiepis. Reg. Wickwane, 570. 9 Ibid. 574. 10 Ibid 571, Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 487. 



II Historians of York (Rolls Ser.), ii, 2 2 5. " Pope NicA. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 1 6 1 . 



13 Wore. Epis. Reg. Giffard, 13, Licence in 1268 to the rectors of Coates and St. Lawrence, Bristol, to let 

 their church to farm and reside at the schools ; also 47, 50. 



