A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



5. THE PRIORY OF ST. JAMES, 

 BRISTOL 



The priory of St. James, Bristol, was founded 

 about 1137, by Robert, earl of Gloucester, as a 

 cell to the Benedictine monastery of Tewkesbury. 1 

 He set aside a tenth of the stone which had been 

 brought from Normandy for the keep of Bristol 

 Castle for the building of a Lady chapel in his 

 new foundation. 3 He died 31 October, 1147, 

 and was buried in the choir. 3 His son William, 

 earl of Gloucester, completed the endowment 

 which was confirmed by Henry II about Ii8i. 4 

 It included the manor of Ashley, the profits of 

 his fair at Bristol in the week of Pentecost, a 

 tenth of the rent of the earl's mills at Newport, 

 a tenth penny of the rent of that vill in Mon- 

 mouthshire, of his forest, and of three other 

 mills, a burgage in the new part of the town 

 which was then growing up around the castle on 

 the land which separated it from the monastery. 

 For the sustenance of the monks he gave the 

 church of Escremoville in the diocese of Bayeux, 

 and all the churches of his fee in Cornwall, viz. 

 Eglosbrech, Connarton, Egloshale, Eglossant, 

 Egloscrawen, with the chapel of Bennarton, and 

 Melidan, with the chapel of St. Germoch. 



The priors were appointed absolutely at the 

 will of the abbot and convent of Tewkesbury, 6 

 and in the absence of other evidence, it may be 

 concluded that the monks were sent there for a 

 time from the mother house. The priors were 

 usually summoned to take part in the election of 

 the abbot. 8 The house was subject to the 

 visitation of the bishop of Worcester. 7 



In 1230 the prior and monks of St. James 

 were in conflict with the Dominicans, who had 

 built an oratory within their parish. 8 When, at 

 the request of the friars, William of Blois, 

 bishop of Worcester, came to dedicate their 

 altar and burial-ground, the monks protested 

 against the dedication ; they petitioned that 

 their privileges might remain intact, and that the 

 friars should be forbidden to receive oblations or 

 to have a burial-place. However it is recorded 

 in the Annals of Tewkesbury that the bishop 

 did not desist from the dedication nor the friars 

 from building and taking offerings, to the great 

 prejudice and loss of the church of St. James. 



It was doubtless to attract offerings that in 

 1238 the prior and convent persuaded Walter de 

 Cantilupe, bishop of Worcester, to institute the 

 Feast of Relics which was celebrated on the 

 Thursday of the week of Pentecost, when 



1 Dugdale, Man. iv, 333. 



' Ibid, iv, 335. ' Ibid. 333. 



4 Ibid. 335. Bickley, Little Red Book of Bristol, 

 i, 1 08. Dugdale, op. cit. ii, 69. 



' Ann. Man. (Rolls Ser.), i, 94, 157, 169. 



Wore. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. 132^. 



' Wore. Epis. Reg. GiffarJ (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 

 234 ; Montacute, fol. 48 d. 



8 Ann. Man. (Rolls Ser.), i, 78. 



Bristol was thronged with visitors to the fair.* 

 He granted an indulgence of fifteen days to all 

 who came to the church and gave alms. Pro- 

 bably the offerings were needed for the fabric, 

 as some building was then proceeding, and on 

 St. Luke's Day 1239, Cantilupe dedicated the 

 church. 10 



It is evident from the charter of Henry II 

 that, as at Tewkesbury, the nave of the priory 

 church had always been used by the parishioners. 11 

 In virtue of a papal bull the prior and convent 

 had the right of sending a monk to serve the 

 parishioners or of appointing a chaplain, and in 

 1242 they successfully resisted Walter de 

 Cantilupe's attempt to create a perpetual vicar- 

 age. 13 In 1374 the parishioners undertook to 

 build a bell-tower, but they resisted the obliga- 

 tion to rebuild the roof of the nave, and the 

 prior and convent agreed to undertake it for an 

 annual payment of 31. 6d. in Redland. 13 



In 1310 the prior and convent proved their 

 right to take T,d. for every hogshead of wine 

 which came to the port of Bristol from twelve 

 o'clock on the Saturday before the Feast of 

 St. James for a full week. 14 



In 1394 a dispute with the steward of the 

 honour of Gloucester was concluded. 18 When 

 he came to hold a court at Bristol he claimed 

 hospitality for a day and a night at the priory for 

 himself, his bailiffs, servants and horses, but on 

 inquiry he failed to prove the right. 



The history of this priory, as of most other 

 cells, was uneventful. It was reckoned as part 

 of the possessions of the abbey of Tewkesbury, 

 which was surrendered on 9 January, I539- 1 ' 

 There were probably at that time not more than 

 three or four monks, and they would be included 

 in the pension list of Tewkesbury. The prior 

 received 13 6s. Sd. a year. 17 



In 1535 the clear yearly value of the property 

 was 57 Js. 4^. 18 ; of this sum over ^31 was 

 drawn from rents in Bristol and the immediate 

 neighbourhood. 



PRIORS OF ST. JAMES, BRISTOL 



Jordan, ob. 1231 19 



Henry of Washbourn, resigned I234 30 

 Thomas of Keynsham, appointed 1234" 

 Thomas de Stokes, occurs 1255 23 

 Richard of Devizes, appointed 1255 23 



Ibid. no. 10 Ibid. 112. 



11 Dugdale, op. cit. iv, 335. 

 " Ann. Man. i, 126. 

 11 Nicholls and Taylor, Bristol Past and Present, ii, 



3- 



14 Bickley, Little Red Book of Bristol, i, 241. 



15 Birch, Orig. Doc. relating to Bristol, p. 299, n. 49. 



16 Dugdale, op. cit. ii, 57. 

 " Ibid. 



18 Vahr Eccles. (Rec. Com.), ii, 484, 485. 



19 Ann. Man. (Rolls Ser.), i, 80. 



" Ibid. 94. " Ibid. "Ibid. 155. 



"Ibid. 157. 



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