A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



to the poor from the issues of the manor of 

 Standish, 1 over and above other regular alms. 



It is not easy to discover the mortality from 

 the Black Death. In 1339 the number of the 

 monks was forty-six,* in 1351 it was only thirty- 

 six, 3 but during the abbacy of John Boyfield 

 (1377-81) there were fifty-four monks, 4 so the 

 numbers suffered no permanent diminution. The 

 register of Thoresby, bishop of Worcester, bears 

 witness to serious internal discord in 1350. The 

 custom, or, as the bishop termed it, corruption, 

 had grown up of allowing the monks so much 

 a year for their food and clothes. 5 In 1350 

 Abbot Staunton experienced some difficulty in 

 carrying on the administration of the house, 

 the revenues being seriously diminished. Accord- 

 ingly he abolished this custom, and provided the 

 food and clothing. Although his object was 

 evidently to economize, for he had been obliged 

 to borrow money, the monks complained to 

 the bishop of his action as an infringement of 

 their privileges. However, the abbot seems to 

 have effected his purpose, for on his death in 

 1351 he left the house free of debt and with 

 1,000 marks in the treasury. 8 



During the abbacy of Thomas Horton be- 

 tween 1368 and 1374, the new work in the 

 north transept was completed at a total cost 

 of ^581 os. 2d., out of which the abbot con- 

 tributed no less than ,444 os. zd. 7 Further 

 building was undertaken ; 8 vestments, silver 

 vessels, and candlesticks were among his gifts, 

 and at his own cost he purchased the tenement 

 of Le Wast near Lettrington, and defrayed the 

 expenses of the appropriation of Cam, which, 

 although sanctioned by Edward III in 1328, 

 had not as yet been effected. It became more 

 and more necessary to make out a good case to 

 induce bishops to consent to the appropriation of 

 churches by religious houses, and the petition of 

 the abbot and convent to Brian, bishop of Wor- 

 cester, was strongly worded. 9 They urged that 

 their buildings within and without the monas- 

 tery were ruinous and in need of costly repair ; 

 the property in Wales from which they de- 

 rived the greater part of their food was in the 

 hands of enemies ; their lands were sterile and 

 numbers of their sheep had died in the pestilence. 

 These arguments found favour with the bishop 

 and he allowed the appropriation of Cam. 

 Abbot Horton proceeded to charge the revenues 

 of Cam with a provision of cakes, wines, and a 

 pittance of fruit for the keeping of his anniversary. 10 



In 1359 the abbot and convent were able to 



1 Valor Eccles. (Rec. Com.), ii, 41 1. 

 1 Wore. Reg. Scdc Vac. (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 281. 

 J Fosbrooke, History of Gloucester (ed. 1819), 175. 

 4 Ibid. 



6 Wore. Epis. Reg. Thoresby, fol. 9, 24, 24^. 

 ' Hist, et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 48. 



7 Ibid. 50. 8 Ibid. 49-51. 

 9 Wore. Epis. Reg. Brian, fol. 36. 



10 Hist, et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 51. 



withdraw their monks from the cell of Ewyas 

 in Herefordshire, on the plea that its revenues no 

 longer sufficed for the maintenance even of a 

 prior. 11 



The revenues of the house, which under 

 Abbot Boyfield (1377-81) were said to be 

 greatly reduced through inundations, pestilences, 

 and excessive hospitality, amounted to 1,700 

 marks a year. 13 There were at that time fifty- 

 four monks besides the abbot and 2OO servants. 

 The most important event of his rule was the 

 meeting of Parliament at Gloucester in 1378 

 from 22 October to 1 6 November. 13 Richard 

 II and the court lodged in the abbeys of Glou- 

 cester and Tewkesbury. Parliament met in the 

 great guest-hall of St. Peter's. The place was 

 more like a fair than a house of religion, and 

 games were played on the cloister garth. Accord- 

 ing to the chronicler Boyfield was a gentle, 

 simple-minded man, and his enemies gave him 

 little rest. 14 He engaged in a dispute with 

 Wakefield, bishop of Worcester, who is said to 

 have demanded a sum of money on the resigna- 

 tion of Abbot Horton, and to have defamed the 

 convent at the papal curia. In spite of the 

 grant by Edward III of a reduction in the sum 

 due to the crown during a vacancy, in 1377 the 

 escheator demanded 200 marks. 15 A lawsuit 

 followed, but at length judgement was given in 

 favour of the abbot and convent. It was pro- 

 bably in consequence of these troubles, that, when 

 Abbot Walter Froucester succeeded in 1381, he 

 found a debt of 8,000 florins, 16 but under his 

 rule the monastery recovered its prosperity. 17 

 The cloisters which had been begun by Abbot 

 Horton were completed, much rebuilding took 

 place on the manors, and they were well stocked 

 with cattle and sheep. He pursued a very de- 

 liberate policy of increasing the rental of the 

 house by appropriating churches. Richard II 

 and John of Gaunt supported the petition of the 

 abbot and convent to Urban VI in which they 

 asked to be allowed to appropriate the vicarage of 

 St. Mary de Lode, and to serve the church by one 

 of their own number or a secular clerk remov- 

 able at will. 18 They urged that 1,700 marks a 

 year was not sufficient to maintain forty-four monks 

 and 2OO servants, and to meet other charges. 

 After an inquiry which Urban VI directed the 

 abbot of Winchcombe to hold, the appropriation 

 was effected. On 30 June, 1391 he also con- 

 sented to the appropriation of the parish church 

 of Chipping Norton, which was worth 70 marks 

 a year. 18 It was urged that the convent was 



11 Reg. Froucester A, No. xc (MSS. of Dean and 

 Chapter of Glouc.). 

 " Fosbrooke, History of Gloucester, 175. 



13 Hist, et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 52-4. 



14 Ibid. 52. ls Ibid, iii, xxv, xxvi. 

 "Ibid, i, 57. "Ibid. 55-8. 



Is Cal. Papal L. v, 599. 



19 Ibid, v, 599-600 ; cf. Line. Epis. Reg. Bucking- 

 ham Mem. fol. 443 d. 



