A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



they should only provide for thirty each day. In 

 the next year they should feed sixty persons 

 daily, and in the third year the full number of 

 I oo. He insisted that the master and obedientiars 

 should render an account of expenses once a year, 

 or oftener if needful, in the presence of the 

 brethren. He utterly forbade seculars, and 

 especially women, to enter the cloister or other 

 private places of the house, and he prohibited the 

 brethren from going outside the precincts except 

 with a companion, when necessary, and with the 

 master's leave. Although Winchelsey does not 

 explicitly state that the brethren were to live 

 according to the rule of St. Augustine, the peti- 

 tion of John Ap Adam, in 1300, about the 

 ' canons ' of St. Mark's suggests that, as is 

 apparent before the middle of the fourteenth 

 century, the community had already adopted the 

 rule of St. Augustine and the customs of Augus- 

 tinian canons, probably modifying the observances 

 according to the needs of the house. 1 In 1312 

 the condition of the hospital caused grave dis- 

 satisfaction. Bishop Reynolds commissioned his 

 official to hold an inquiry, because he had heard 

 from four of the brethren that the master, 

 William de Beaumier, was alienating the goods 

 of the house. 3 Information also reached the 

 bishop that the aforesaid brethren had committed 

 grave offences against the observance of the rule. 3 

 Pending the inquiry the bishop forbade the 

 master to take any steps against the brethren. 4 

 Nevertheless the master imprisoned William of 

 Kent and imposed penance on him. 6 On 

 inquiry his guilt was proved and, as he expressed 

 great contrition, the bishop bade the master 

 punish him according to the rule of the house, 

 but with gentleness. 6 However, news of the 

 master's violent conduct afterwards reached the 

 bishop, and in October, 1313, he ordered 

 William de Beaumier, under pain of the 

 greater excommunication, to restore the erring 

 brother to his former condition and bade the 

 abbot of St. Augustine's see that it was done. 7 



The church of Stokeland was appropriated to 

 the hospital in 1316." In 1326 Edward II 

 allowed the master and brethren to exchange their 

 lands at Compton, Cheddar, and Netherwere 

 with the bishop of Bath and Wells for the 



1 In 1445, in return to the king's writ to scrutinize 

 the registers, Bishop Carpenter stated that the house 

 was dedicated for a master and convent of the order 

 of St. Augustine, thus making the hospital a convent 

 of Augustinian canons from its first foundation, 

 which the evidence does not support. Wore. Epis. 

 Reg. Carpenter, fol. 25 d. In 1346 nine of the 

 brothers, who were competent to elect, stated that 

 they lived according to the rules of St. Augustine and 

 the regular observances of that house. Ibid. Brans- 

 ford, fol. 97 d. 



1 Ibid. Reynolds, fol. 64 d. 



1 Ibid. fol. 77. 4 Ibid. fol. 96. 



5 Ibid. "Ibid. fol. 8 1,/. 



7 Ibid. fol. 96. 



* Wells Epis. Reg. Drokensford(Som. Rec. Soc.), 109. 



advowson of the church of Overstowey that 

 they might appropriate it. 9 In 1336 Bishop 

 Montacute visited the hospital, and it is briefly 

 recorded in his register that he 'corrected ' there. 10 

 A few years later the house was seriously in 

 debt, in 1343 owing ^20 to William de Lange- 

 ford of Bristol, 11 and in 1344 ^100 to Adam 

 Brabazon, a fishmonger of London, and William 

 de Stoures, a grocer of London. 12 In 1339 

 Bishop Wulstan de Bransford gave leave of a 

 year's absence to the master, Ralph of Tetbury, 

 to go on a pilgrimage to St. James of Compo- 

 stella, and he committed the custody of the 

 house to John of Stokeland. 13 In 1346 Ralph 

 was still absent, and the nine brethren elected 

 John of Stokeland 14 in his place. 



The Black Death wrought great havoc in 

 Bristol, and it is clear that the brothers of 

 St. Mark's were fewer in number during the 

 latter half of the century. After holding the 

 office of master for ten years, Walter Browning 

 resigned in 1370," but two years later, owing to 

 urgent necessity, he again consented to hold 

 office 16 till 1391, when being very old and weak 

 he finally resigned. 17 In consideration of his long 

 and careful service he was assigned two rooms in 

 the house and a daily allowance of food and 

 drink for himself and his servant. There were 

 then only three priests besides himself, and they 

 constituted the whole community. 18 One of 

 them, Thomas Over, had resigned the office of 

 master in I372. 19 Another, Philip Russell, 

 attempted to secure it for himself by papal pro- 

 vision, but the letters in his favour arrived too 

 late, 20 as William Lane, a canon of the monas- 

 tery of St. Augustine, Bristol, had already been 

 elected and confirmed. 21 However, he was not 

 left in undisturbed possession. On 30 April, 

 1400, Henry IV granted the office of master to 

 his clerk, John Trowbridge. 23 Lane remonstrated, 

 and the appointment was revoked on 13 July. 23 

 In 1406 complaint was made to the king that 

 works of piety, including the feeding of the poor, 

 had been wholly omitted by William Lane, and 

 that there were only three chaplains besides 

 himself. 24 It was stated that the clear yearly 



9 Cal. of Pat. 20 Edw. II, m. 17. It was appro- 

 priated in or before 1327. Wells Epis. Reg. Drokens- 

 ford (Som. Rec. Soc.), 270. 



10 Wore. Epis. Reg. Montacute, fol. 48 d. 



11 Cal. of Close, 17 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 18 d. 

 " Ibid. 1 8 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 24^. 



" Wore. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. 8 d. 



14 Ibid. fol. 97 ^.-98 d. 



15 Ibid. Brian, i, fol. 3O</. ; Lynn, fol. 21. 



16 Ibid. Brian, &c. ii (numbered xi, 2), fol. 5. 



17 Ibid. Wakefield, fol. 82</. 



18 Ibid. fol. 90. " Ibid. Brian, &c. ii, fol. 5. 

 * Cal. of Pat. 17 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 18. 



11 Wore. Epis. Reg. Wakefield, fol. 90. 

 " Cal. of Pat. i Hen. IV, pt. vi, m. 3. 

 13 Ibid. I Hen. IV, pt. vii, m. 2. 

 '* Brist. and G/ouc. Arch. Soc. Trans, iii, 249 ; 

 Close R. 7 Hen. IV, m. n. 



