RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Nothing is known of the foundation except that 

 it was a college of secular canons. In 1146, 

 with the consent of the prior and canons, Roger 

 of Berkeley III gave the church of Stanley 

 St. Leonard to the Benedictine abbey of 

 St. Peter at Gloucester, 1 and it became a cell to 

 that house. The endowment of the priory 

 consisted of the churches of Ozleworth, Coaley, 

 Arlingham, Slimbridge and Uley,* and in 1156 

 he added the church of Cam, 3 the church of 

 Easton Grey, 4 a mill and messuage in Coaley,* 

 and Fyfacre Wood.' In 1224 a dispute arose 

 between Thomas of Berkeley, and Thomas, 

 abbot of Gloucester, about the church of Slim- 

 bridge. The abbot renounced his rights in 

 exchange for a grant of the hospital of Lorwing 

 with its lands and appurtenances. 7 



There is no evidence as to the number of 

 monks who were usually at the priory, but 

 probably it did not exceed three or four. Monks 

 usually disliked being sent to a cell. After his 

 visitation of Gloucester in 1301, Winchelsey, 

 archbishop of Canterbury, decreed that the 

 brethren should be sent to dwell for a time at 

 any of the cells, and also recalled, by a council 

 consisting of the abbot, prior, sub-prior, third 

 prior, precentor and five of the older monks 

 who held no office. 8 Their stay should not ex- 

 ceed a year, and until they had spent a year in 

 the monastery after their return, they could not 

 again be sent to a cell unless they were conten- 

 tious or out of health. The priors of the cells 

 were bound to provide all things for the monks 

 except clothes and boots. Like the other cells of 

 Gloucester, Stanley St. Leonard was at no time 

 wealthy, and in 1317, on account of a general 

 complaint of poverty from the priors, Abbot 

 Thoky decreed that they should receive a mark 

 a year from the mother house for each of their 

 brethren." The prior was doubtless appointed 

 by the abbot and convent. He was summoned 

 to be present at the election of an abbot, 10 and in 

 1510" and 1514" the two monks who were 

 with him at the cell, also recorded their votes. 

 The house was subject to the visitation of the 

 bishop of Worcester. 18 



In 1361, at the urgent petition of the abbot 

 and convent of Gloucester, Reginald Brian, 

 bishop of Worcester, appropriated the church of 



I Hiit. tt Cart. Mon. Gkuc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 113. 

 Ibid. 



' Ibid. 114 ; Dugdale, Mon. iv, 470 ; Red Book 

 of St. Augustine's, Bristol, fol. 80, Berkeley Castle 

 MSS. 



Ibid. 



Hiit. et Cart. Gkuc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 113. 



Ibid. 114. 



Ibid.; Dugdale, op. cit. iv, 469. 



Hiit. tt. Cart. Glouc. i, Ixxxvii (Rolls Ser.). 



Ibid, i, 42. ' Ibid, iii, 22. 



II Ibid. xxxiv. Ibid. xlix. 



" Wore. Epii. Reg. Gi/ard (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 

 434- 



Cam to their use. 14 According to an ordinance 

 of Abbot Horton, the custody of the church was 

 left to the prior of Stanley St. Leonard, but he 

 was bound to pay over a fixed sum out of the 

 issues to the obedientiars of Gloucester for the 

 provision of cakes, wines and a pittance of fruit 

 on the abbot's anniversary. 1 * 



In 1535 the clear yearly value of the cell was 

 106 I7J. 1 * Its possessions included rents in the 

 vill of Stanley St. Leonard, in Slimbridge, 

 Stinchcombe, Easton Grey and elsewhere, the 

 manor of Lorwing, the rectories of Cam, 

 Arlingham, Coaley, Stanley St. Leonard and 

 other tithes and pensions. 17 At that time there 

 were only three monks at the priory. 18 As the 

 revenues were under 200 a year the priory was 

 visited by the commissioners who were appointed 

 under the Act of 1536 for the suppression of 

 the lesser monasteries. The prior showed that 

 his house was appropriated to St. Peter's, 

 Gloucester. The commissioners gave him an 

 injunction to appear before the chancellor and 

 council of the Court of Augmentations on 

 16 June, 1536, upon pain of a fine of 500 

 marks. 19 On II June, 1538, Henry VIII sent 

 an imperative request to the abbot and convent 

 of Gloucester to recall the monks from Stanley 

 St. Leonard and grant a lease of the priory to 

 Sir William Kingston." They had no choice, 

 and on 1 8 July the lease was drawn up at a rent 

 of ^36 131. 4</., and a payment of king's tenths 

 of 8 21. 4*/.* 1 On the surrender of the 

 monastery of Gloucester on 2 January, 1540, 

 the rent passed to the crown.** 



PRIORS OF STANLEY ST. LEONARD 



Tabrith, occurs 1146** 



Thomas of Tyringham, occurs 1 284 * 4 



John Crosse, occurs 1449" 



Peter, occurs circa 1494" 



William Monynton, occurs 1510 r 



Richard Wolryge, occurs ISH 18 



John Rodley, 1535*" and I538 80 



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

 " Hiit. et Cart. Clone. (Rolls Ser.), i, 51. 

 " Valor Eccles. (Rec. Com.), ii, 419. 

 " Ibid. 



11 Dugdale, op. cit. iv, 469. 

 " Dublin Rev. April, 1894, p. 276. 

 Reg. Parker, ii, fol. 163 (MSS. of D. and C. of 

 Glouc.). 

 " Ibid. 

 " Dugdale, op. cit. iv. 469. 



* Hiit. et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), 1 1 3. 

 " Ibid, iii, 23. 



* Dugdale, op. cit. iv, 469. 



* MS. Furney, 3, Brist. and Glouc. Arch. Soc. 

 Lib. 



" Hut. et Cart. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), iii, p. xxxiv. 

 " Ibid, iii, xlix. 



" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 419. 

 *> Reg. Parker, ii, fol. 163 (MSS. of D. and C. of 

 Glouc.). 



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