A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



of Chertsey by his royal relative.^ On Hugh's 

 cession, about 1151, Daniel was reinstated 

 as abbot. ^ He began to build a new chapter- 

 house and dorter for the monastery, and 

 built the hospital of St. James, Horning. 

 Abbot Daniel ordained that on the ' month's 

 mind ' of a deceased monk sixty poor folk should 

 be fed with bread, vegetables, and two dishes 

 from the cellarer ; also that the chanter on the 

 seven principal yearly feasts should receive from 

 the abbot a cake [placentum) and a pottle of wine, 

 with one dish from the kitchen. He died on 

 8 November, 11 53. 



William II, who succeeded Daniel, completed 

 the chapter-house and dorter begun by his pre- 

 decessor ; he died on 8 February, 1 168, when 

 the abbacy was apparently left vacant for seven 

 years, to its great injury.' Thomas, prior of 

 Tofts, whom William of Worcester particu- 

 larizes as ' the good abbot,' was the next ruler of 

 St. Benet's ; he reconstructed the frater and parts 

 of the cloister, and did other necessary work for 

 the house, dying on 1 1 September, n86, when 

 Ralph, the prior of the house, was elected abbot. 

 He is described as a man who was provident and 

 discreet in matters spiritual as well as temporal. 

 He conferred many benefits on the monastery, 

 rebuilding from the foundations the rest of the 

 cloister, and the farmery with its chapel and 

 cloister, and covering with lead the church, 

 'rater, dorter, chapter-house, farmery, and other 

 offices. He also assigned to specific monastic 

 purposes the revenues from the churches of 

 Hoveton, whose appropriation he had secured.* 

 He died on 4 February, 12 lO, during the 

 interdict, and was buried outside the cemetery. 

 The body was, however, re-interred with much 

 honour in the abbey church by his successor, 

 Abbot Reynold. His anniversary was specially 

 solemnized in albs. After Ralph's death John, 

 a monk of St. Edmund's, styled John leChamiel 

 by William of Worcester, was elected abbot. 

 He only ruled for about half a year, dying 

 suddenly before he had even received episcopal 

 benediction, in the year 12 14. It is manifest 

 from this that King John must have kept the 

 abbey vacant during the interdict, after the death 

 of Abbot Ralph. Reynold, who succeeded on 



' Oxenedes, Chron. (Rolls Ser.), 295. It is clear 

 from this passage that the Hugh, ' nepos ' of King 

 Stephen, and abbot of Chertsey, was not identical 

 with the Abbot Hugh who rebuilt the church in 1 1 10, 

 as he was alleged to be, in the account of that abbey 

 in F.C.H. Surrey, ii, 57. 



' Oxenedes, loc. cit. says nothing about his first 

 period of office, which is, however, definitely referred 

 to in a passage quoted from ihe chartulary by Dug- 

 dale, Mon. iii, 63. 



' Dugdale, Mon. iii, 69, A', g ; from William of 

 Worcester. 



* The two churches of Hoveton were those of 

 St. Peter and St. John ; Ca/. Bodl. Chart. 248. 



the death of John, built the great hall of the 

 guest-house, and covered it with lead. 



On the death of Reynold in 1229, Sampson, 

 the prior of St. Benet's, was elected abbot, and 

 received the royal assent to his election in June 

 of that year.' Oxenedes describes him as a 

 man of holy conversation, leading a regular and 

 simple life, and during his spare time giving 

 himself up altogether to painting, in which art 

 he had much skill. He died on 27 May, 1237. 

 Robert de Thorkeseye, prior of Ramsey, was the 

 next choice of the convent ; the king's assent to 

 his election was given on 15 June, 1237.* 

 Abbot Robert sold much of the wood of Swan- 

 ton, but he bestowed on the church three copes, 

 one of which was embroidered with Indian gold 

 and silver ; two great silver basins, and a silver- 

 gilt thurible of great price. He also built a 

 stone chamber with a chapel at the eastern part 

 of the church, and rebuilt the bakehouse from 

 the foundations. He died on 12 August, 1251 ; 

 but his successor, William de Ringfield, chanter 

 of St. Benet's, did not receive the royal assent 

 to his election until 15 October.' Oxenedes 

 describes him as a somewhat pompous man and 

 greedy of praise. He endeavoured to secure the 

 exemption of the abbey from seizure by the 

 royal escheator during vacancies, but died when 

 in the midst of these negotiations, on 21 April, 

 1256. On 8 May Adam de Neatishead re- 

 ceived the royal assent to his election as William's 

 successor.* Oxenedes gives him a high character, 

 and says that he was much more worthy of 

 praise than some of his predecessors. In the 

 second year of his rule he laid with his own 

 hands the first stone of the foundations of the 

 new presbytery, and added much to the orna- 

 ments of the church. He procured the appro- 

 priation of the churches of Felmingham, Neatis- 

 head, and Bastwick, assigning their incomes for 

 the sustaining of hospitality ; and he reassigned 

 the fruits of the church of Horning for the re- 

 lief of the poor. Although he ruled during a 

 time of strifes and war, nevertheless Abbot 

 Adam safely secured all the possessions of the 

 abbey. 



Abbot Adam died on 19 August, 1263, and 

 Richard de Bukenham received the royal assent 

 to his election as Adam's successor on 2 

 October.' Richard is described as severe in the 

 correction of offences, but solicitous for the 

 saving of souls, of good life, and of honest conver- 

 sation. He brought to an honourable conclusion 

 the work that his predecessor had begun in the 

 new presbytery. On 4 December, the day of 

 the interment of St. Benedict, 1274, Abbot 

 Richard celebrated solemn mass in honour of 



' Pat. 13 Hen. Ill, m. 7. 



^ Prvnne, Papal Usurpations, iii, 69-70. 



' Pa't. 35 Hen. Ill, m. I. 



' Ibid. 40 Hen. Ill, m. lo-l I. 



' Ibid. 52 Hen. Ill, m. 2. 



332 



