RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



value of the manor of Stokeland Gaunts and the 

 lands of Gauntesham and Colic was 40. The 

 manor and lands were seized into the king's 

 hands in consequence, but after investigation 

 they were restored to the master and brethren. 

 The numbers did not again exceed four or five. 1 

 It is not clear how the charity of the hospital was 

 exercised, and indeed its history in the fifteenth 

 century is quite obscure ; but apparently the 

 administration satisfied so vigorous a ruler and 

 reformer as Bishop Carpenter. In 1487 the tower 

 of the church was finished. 1 Sir Robert Poyntz of 

 Iron Acton (ob. 1520) built the Jesus Chapel, 

 and founded a chantry therein. 1 In the six- 

 teenth century the hospital, like a number of 

 other religious houses, took gentlefolks as 

 boarders. Among these, in 1535, was Lady 

 Jane Guildford, 4 who had an annuity of ^60. 

 \fter the visitation by Cromwell's commissioners 

 uv 1535, women were excluded by the injunc- 

 tions, and she wrote to Cromwell begging his 

 favour. 'I have a lodging there chosen as meet 

 for a poor widow to serve God in her old days. 

 Ami I trust both for myself and my women like 

 as w,e have been hitherto, to be of such govern- 

 ance^ with your licence to the same, that no 

 inconvenience shall ensue thereof. And where 

 hereto before I have been used from my house 

 to go Vhe next way to the church, for my ease, 

 through the cloister of the same house to a 

 chapel that I have within the quire of the same, 

 I shall be content from henceforth, if it shall so 

 seem convenient unto you, to forbear that, and 

 to resort to the common place, like as others do, 

 of the same church.' John Coleman, the master, 

 urged Cromwell to dispense with the injunction 

 forbidding any of the brethren to leave the 

 precincts, because he was bound to ride from 

 place to place about the profits of the house.* 



In 15^4 the master and four brethren ac- 

 knowledged the royal supremacy,* and five years 

 later, on 9 December, 1539, they surrendered 

 the house to Cromwell's commissioners. 7 The 

 master received a pension of 40 ; Richard 

 Fletcher, the steward, got 6 131. 4^., Thomas 

 Pytichyn ^6, and John Ellis was appointed 

 ci.rate of the parish of St. Mark at a salary of 

 8, but if he refused, a pension of 6 was to 

 be awarded him. 



Sixteen men and children, servants, and 

 choristers of the house were paid 10 91. 4^. 

 in all for their wages and liveries. The clear 

 yearly value of the property of the hospital 

 amounted to 165 2*. 4^., the manors of Erdcote 

 Gaunts and Lee in Gloucestershire, Stokeland 

 Gaunts, Overstowey, and Poulet Gaunts in 



Wore. Epis. Reg. Bourchier, fol. 82. 



'The Mayor's Chapel,' 26. (Clifton Antiq. Club). 



Ibid. 27. 



L. and P. Hen. VIII, ix, No. 289. 



Ibid, ix, No. 296. 



Dep. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. ii, 281. 



L. and P. Hen. yill, xv, No. 1 39. 



Somerset, and Winterbourne Gunner in Wilt- 

 shire, besides the rectories of Stokeland Gaunts 

 and Overstowey. 8 The site and the greater 

 part of the possessions were sold to the mayor 

 and corporation of Bristol in 1541.' 



MASTERS OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. MARK 



Henry de Gaunt (brother of the founder), 



occurs 1 25 1, 10 resigned 1268" 

 Gilbert de Watham, 1268" 

 John of Trowbridge, resigned 1273" 

 Thomas, occurs 1282" 

 Robert of Reading, 1287," resigned 1298 " 

 William de Beaumier, I298, 17 occurs 1313 18 

 William, occurs 1330" 

 Ralph of Tetbury, occurs 1336,* resigned or 



deposed 1346 2l 

 John of Stokeland, 1346" 

 Richard of Yate, resigned 1360** 

 Walter Browning, 1360,** resigned 1370" 

 Thomas of Over, 1370,** resigned 1372" 

 Walter Browning, 1372,** resigned 1391 " 

 William Lane, 1391,* occurs 1406 31 

 John Molton, occurs 1424," resigned 1442" 

 William Wyne, 1442,** resigned 1486" 

 Thomas Tyler, 1486** 

 Thomas, occurs 1501 * 7 

 John Coleman, occurs 1534** to 1539 ** 



The seal attached to the acknowledgement of 

 the king's supremacy represents two crocketed 

 canopied niches supported by crocketed but- 

 tresses. 40 In the sinister niche is a seated figure 

 of St. Mark, writing his gospel on a desk or 

 stand before him, holding in his right hand a 

 stilus. On the dexter side before him is a lion 

 sejant rampant. In the space above between the 



' Dugdalc, op. cit. vii, 688. Ibid. 



10 Red Book of St. Augustine's, Bristol, fol. zo. 

 MSS. of Berkeley Castle. 



" Won. Epit. Reg. Giffard (Wore. Hist. Soc.), 19. 



" Ibid. " Ibid. 59. 



"Ibid. 153. "Ibid. 304. 



16 Briit. and Gloiu. Arch. Sac. Trans, iii, 247. 



" Ibid. 



18 Wore. Epis. Reg. Reynolds, fol. 96. 



" Cat. of Pat. 4 Edw III, pt. ii, m. 39. 



" Ibid. 15 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 14. 



11 Wore. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. 97 d. 

 " Ibid. 97 ^.-98 d. 



n Ibid. Brian, i, fol. 30 d. 



"Ibid. "Ibid. Lynn, fol. 21. 



M Ibid. " Ibid. Brian, &c. ii, fol. 5 



" Ibid. " Ibid. Wakcficld, fol. 82 d 



10 Ibid. fol. 90. 



11 Briit. and Glouc. Arch. Soc. Trans, iii, 249. 

 " Cal. of Pat. 3 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 22. 



u Wore. Epis. Reg. Bourchier, fol. 82. 



14 Ibid. * Ibid. Alcock, fol. 1 54 d. 



" Ibid. 



" MS. Harl. 6966, fol. 160 (B.M.). 



" Dep. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. ii, 281. 



" L. and P. Hen. fill, xv, No. 139. 



* Clifton Antlj. Club Proc. iii, 1 1, 12. 



117 



