RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



living at the grange of Dulek in East Meath. 1 

 They transmitted the proceeds to England, and 

 in one year, during the rule of Prior Walter 

 (1283-1300), the sum amounted to 8 1 51. "]d? 

 In 1291 the English temporalities were assessed 

 at less than j8o. s The profits of the wool-trade 

 were a valuable asset : in 1318 or 13193 burgess 

 of Cirencester covenanted to purchase the wool 

 of the convent for that year for 100 marks. 4 It 

 is impossible to ascertain the exact income of the 

 monastery, but until late in the fourteenth cen- 

 tury there is evidence of financial embarrassment. 

 Laxity of discipline and maladministration were 

 revealed at the visitation of Giffard, bishop of 

 Worcester, in 1276.* Divine service was neg- 

 lected, the prior and obedientiars absented them- 

 selves too frequently, the sacred vessels and other 

 ornaments of the church were pledged to creditors. 

 The canons went out into the town without licence, 

 and the finances were in confusion. The bishop 

 enjoined more regular attendance in church and 

 forbade the canons to go beyond the precincts 

 without leave. He insisted that the almoner should 

 be removed from his office, and suggested that a 

 more cautious cellarer should be chosen, while 

 better appointments might be made to the offices 

 of sub-cellarer and kitchener. To insure more 

 prudent management, he ordered that two of the 

 wiser and more careful canons should be chosen 

 by the prior and convent to receive all the money 

 of the house and act as treasurers ; they were to 

 be bound to render an account four times a year 

 in the presence of the prior, obedientiars, and the 

 wiser members of the convent. Two or three 

 canons should be chosen to act as the prior's 

 council in spiritual and temporal matters. With- 

 out their consent he might not transact any busi- 

 ness touching the churches, manors, or granges, 

 nor appoint either secular bailiffs or lay brothers 

 to hold the custody of them. The bailiffs were 

 to render their accounts at least once a year. As 

 the house was heavily burdened with liveries and 

 corrodies, the bishop forbade that these should be 

 granted without his special licence. He also 

 attempted to check sales and alienations in per- 

 petuity. He threatened those who were guilty 

 of disobedience to their superiors with condign 

 punishment. 



On i April, 1301, the vigil of Easter, the 

 monastery suffered a great disaster, the church 

 with its four bell towers was burnt, and only 

 the bare walls were left standing. 8 The re- 

 building was a heavy charge. In 1308, Henry 

 Woodlock, bishop of Winchester, appropriated 

 the rectory of Barton Lacy to the prior and 

 convent ; they pleaded their losses from hostile 



MS. Top. Glouc. C. 5, fol. 635. 



MS. Corpus Christ! Coll. Oxon. No. 154, fol. 



Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 233. 

 Briit. and Glouc. Arch. Sof. Tram, xviii, 44. 

 M'orc. Epit. Rfg. Giffard (Wore. Hist. Soc), 87. 

 Hut. et Cart. Mon. Glouc. (Rolls Ser.), i, 35. 



invasions of their Irish possessions, and the 

 burden of hospitality. 7 Edward II remitted the 

 payment of a fine of sixty marks for the 

 licence. 8 Serious quarrels followed the resig- 

 nation of Prior William de Pendebury in 1324.* 

 Acting on a mandate from Edward II, on 

 5 April Bishop Cobham ordered him to go to 

 the Augustinian monastery of Studley until 

 after the election 10 of a new prior. Some of 

 the canons chose Robert of Gloucester, others 

 Walter de Longeneye, 11 and both parties pre- 

 sented their candidates to the king for con- 

 firmation. On 24 May, 1324, in consequence 

 of these discords, Edward II gave the custody 

 of the monastery to his servant, Adam de 

 Helnak, and bade him dispose of the revenues 

 of the house with the counsel of the sub-prior." 

 For two years the convent was without a head, 

 some of the canons set the sub-prior at defiance, 

 and it was reported to Bishop Cobham that they 

 wandered at will to the dwellings of the great, 

 robbed the manors on the plea that they had 

 come thither as proctors, impoverished the 

 monastery, and withheld hospitality. On two 

 occasions the bishop wrote in remonstrance to 

 the sub-prior. 13 In 1326 the rival candidates 

 agreed to submit their claims to John Stratford, 

 bishop of Winchester. 14 The late prior, William 

 de Pendebury, declared that the election was 

 invalid, stating that he was taken by the 

 secular power, and kept in prison until he 

 resigned, but he revoked his resignation. 1 * The 

 bishop of Winchester weighed the evidence, and 

 decided that William de Pendebury was the 

 lawful prior, and bade the convent render 

 obedience to him. 1 * Walter de Longeneye was 

 to remain at the monastery with the same 

 privileges as were granted to Prior William de 

 Ashwell when he resigned his office. At the 

 request of Robert of Gloucester he was per- 

 mitted to enter the abbey of St. Thomas at 

 Dublin with an allowance of forty marks a 

 year for his life, and had leave to take his 

 books with him. 17 After his reinstatement 

 William de Pendebury ruled the monastery for 

 thirty-six years. He found that the house was 

 not only seriously impoverished but heavily in 

 debt. 18 In a lamentable petition to Bishop 

 Orlton, in which the misfortunes of the great 

 fire, frequent ravages of Irish lands, floods, and 

 murrains were set forth, the prior and convent 

 pleaded for the appropriation of the church of 

 Tytherington. In 1330, after due investigation, 

 Orlton granted their request, and four years 



' MS. Top. Clone. C. 5, fol. 647. 



Cal. of Pat. 2 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 2. 



1 Ibid. 17 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 27. 



10 Wore. Epis. Reg. Cobham, fol. 102. 



" Cal. of Pat. 17 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 27. u Ibid. 



" Wore. Epi. Reg. Cobham, fols. in, 1 12 d. 



"Ibid. \^ t d. "Ibid. 125. 



'Ibid. 125, 126. "Ibid. 126. 



" Wore. Epis. Reg. Orlton, fol. 21. 



9 12 



