RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



the right of visiting the monastery of St. Peter 

 at Gloucester. In spite of this award, the abbot 

 and convent offered resistance at the next 

 vacancy, and in December, 1313, Thoky and 

 eleven of the great officers were excommuni- 

 cated. 1 However, in 1317 the prior of 

 Worcester's claims were admitted, 1 and no further 

 controversy was raised during later vacancies. 



The most interesting feature of the history of 

 the monastery throughout the fourteenth century 

 is the continuance of the building, which only 

 falls within the scope of this article in so far as 

 it throws light on the financial position of the 

 house. Abbot Thoky continued the policy of 

 his predecessors, and of him, too, the chronicler 

 wrote : ' He obtained many good things in 

 building and other ornaments ' for the church. 1 

 On the feast of the Epiphany, 1300, a fire 

 which began in a timbered house in the great 

 court spread to the small bell-tower, the 

 great camera, and the cloister. 4 The dorter 

 suffered some damage ; in 1 303 it was pulled 

 down to build a new one, which was not finished 

 till 1313.' About 1318 the south aisle was 

 rebuilt at great cost. 8 It was most probably in 

 aid of the expenses that, in 131 8, the abbot and 

 convent sought to obtain from Cobham, bishop 

 of Worcester, the appropriation of the church 

 of South Cerney, urging that they were oppressed 

 by grievous burdens, and that ruin threatened 

 the fabric of their church. 7 The bishop ordered 

 an inquisition. 8 The administration of the house 

 was known to be unsatisfactory, and after the 

 visitation, during the vacancy of the see in 

 1317, the prior of Worcester issued letters of 

 absolution to Abbot Thoky, who was found to 

 have transgressed certain rules, and especially the 

 injunctions of Robert Winchelsey, archbishop 

 of Canterbury.' On 18 March, 1318, Bishop 

 Cobham wrote to remind the abbot that he had 

 already bidden him to desist from wasting the 

 goods of the house, and to compel others to 

 refrain also. 10 Nevertheless, the abbot retained 

 Walter de la Hurst as cellarer, who had already 

 entirely cut down the woods of Littleton and 

 Linkenholt in Hampshire, and was now felling 

 those of Hope Mansel and Birdwood in Here- 

 fordshire. There can be no doubt that the 

 maintenance of lavish hospitality was a serious 

 drain on the finances of the house, and it would 

 be felt chiefly by the office of the cellarer. 

 However, in 1323 the bishop was satisfied, and 

 effected the appropriation of South Cerney. 11 A 



Wore. Reg. Sette Vac. (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 145. 



Ibid. 183. 



Hiit. tt Cart. Glotu. (Rolls Ser.), 41. 



Ibid. 35. *Ibid. 41. 'Ibid. 44. 



Wore. Epis. Reg. Cobham, fol. 56. 



Ibid. 



If ore. Rig. SeJt ?*. (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 188. 

 ' Wore. Epis. Reg. Cobham, fol. 56. 

 11 Reg. Froucester A. No. liii (MSS. of Dean and 

 Chapter of Glouc.). 



2 57 



new and important source of revenue was ob- 

 tained in 1327. After the murder of Edward II 

 at Berkeley Castle, the abbots of Bristol, Kings- 

 wood, and Malmesbury feared the vengeance of 

 Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella if they gave 

 the king burial in any one of their churches. 1 * 

 Edward II was well known to Abbot Thoky, 

 who had entertained him sumptuously at 

 Gloucester, and he sent an escort to Berkeley 

 to bring the body of the king to Gloucester, 

 where it was buried with great honour near the 

 high altar on the north side of the choir. It is 

 somewhat strange, after the misgovernance of 

 the king and the general unrest throughout the 

 country during his reign, that his tomb became 

 immediately an object of pilgrimage. According 

 to the chronicler, the crowds which flocked thither 

 were so great that the town of Gloucester could 

 scarcely contain them." Moreover, the offerings 

 were so numerous and costly that the new work 

 in the south transept was completed in 1335. 

 The offerings at the tomb also paid for the 

 vaulting of the choir in the time of Adam of 

 Staunton. 14 In consideration of the great ex- 

 penses incurred at the funeral of his father, 

 Edward III granted many privileges to the 

 monastery. In 1328 he diminished the payment 

 to the crown during each voidance of the abbey, 

 fixing it at the rate of ^100 a year. 1 * At the 

 same time he also granted a licence to appropriate 

 the churches of Chipping Norton, Cam, and 

 Wyrardisbury. 1 * These were not effected for some 

 time, and in 1345, in exchange for the advowson 

 of Wyrardisbury, Edward III granted the manor 

 of King's Barton by Gloucester, the weir of 

 Minsterworth, and half the weir of Duneye at a 

 fee farm rent of ^48 a year. 17 In 1336 he 

 granted the hundred of Dodeston for a fee farm 

 rent of \ 2 a year. 18 



The manor of Standish, which had been 

 given to St. Peter's by Bernulph, king of the 

 Mercians, when he founded a college of secular 

 priests, 19 had from an early date been assigned to 

 charity. In 1202 Mauger, bishop of Worcester, 

 made an ordinance that it should be restored to 

 the use of the poor, except in case of great 

 necessity, and that the revenues should be ad- 

 ministered for them by the almoner.* In 1301 

 Winchelsey, archbishop of Canterbury, issued 

 an injunction that the poor should not be de- 

 frauded of the profits of the manor. 11 In 1346 

 Wulstan de Bransford was compelled to intervene 

 again on their behalf.** In 1535, according to 

 his ordinance, as much as 92 was distributed 



" Hut. et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 44, 45. 



11 Ibid. 46. " Ibid. 47. 



" Cal. of Pat. 2 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. ^t > . 



" Ibid. 



17 Ibid. I Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 13. 



w Ibid. " Dugdale, Mm. i, 563. 



" Wore. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. 1 1 2 / 



" Hiit. tt Cart. Gloiu. (Rolls Ser.), i, Ixxrviii. 



" Wore. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. i itJ. 



8 



