A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



quiet and remote part of the country, seems not 

 to have been uneventful. Thus in 1317 the 

 abbot complained that his house had been broken 

 into and robbed by thieves. 90 Other visitors, 

 more honourable, but probably not much less 

 expensive^ came in September, 1324, when the 

 king and his suite stayed here one day. 91 Walter 

 Hussey came to the rescue in 1327 with a gift 

 of 100 marks, in return for which one extra 

 canon was to be supported to pray for the bene- 

 factor and his family ; 9S but in spite of this, the 

 bishop of Chichester, writing about 1335, said 

 that the monastery was reduced to great poverty 

 by thieves stealing their goods and burning their 

 buildings. 93 



Fire again inflicted serious injury in 1417, 

 when the tower of the church was struck by 

 lightning and destroyed, with its eight bells, of 

 which five were remade the next year by John 

 Ultyng, ' abbot elect (provlsus) and formerly 

 canon professed of Bileigh.' M This abbot had 

 been elected in 1404, but had resigned in 1411, 

 when Nicholas Baldewyn, sub-prior of Bayham, 

 succeeded htm; he seems, however, to have tem- 

 porarily recovered his abbacy, probably about 

 1417, as he addressed a petition 95 to the chan- 

 cellor complaining that whereas he had been 

 restored by authority of the court of Canterbury 

 to his monastery, John Chetham, abbot of Bay- 

 ham, with two of his canons, and three canons of 

 Dureford, had ejected him by force, so that for 

 fear of his life he dared not remain; they had further 

 carried off a pastoral staff and other ornaments, 

 vestments, relics, and muniments to the value of 

 ^400. The outcome of this action is not certain, 

 but in 1418 John Ultyng, canon of Beeleigh 

 was arrested for felony. 96 



Abbot Stephen Mersey was deposed about 1444 

 for running into debt, allowing the buildings to 

 go to ruin, pledging the jewels, and other acts of 

 misgovernance. Foreseeing his fate he secretly 

 sealed a deed granting an annuity of ^20 to one 

 Thomas Browne to his own use for the term of 

 his life. This deed was declared void by the 

 Court of Chancery and also by the ' faders of the 

 Ordre,' at their general chapter, when Stephen was 

 ' assigned to abide in another place of that religion 

 called Newe Hous in the diocese of Lincolne 

 under obedience upon the peyn of cursyng, 

 the which he utterly disobeieth,' continuing to 

 distrain, as Abbot Walter complained, ' to the 

 infinall distruccion of sayd monasterie for ever- 

 more onlasse then ye of your gracious fader- 

 whode sette your hand of supportacion,' as the 

 house had barely 100 marks a year and was 



90 Pat. 10 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 4 d. 

 n Suss. Arch. Coll. vi, 50. 



91 Ibid, viii, 77. 



91 Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xxiii, fol. 201. 

 M Ibid. fol. 83. 



94 Early Chanc. Proc. bdle. 6, No. 350. 

 * Pat. 6 Hen. V. pt. ii, m. 1 3 </. 



much in debt, 'also the reparacon of the chyrche 

 of the sayd monasterie wyth all that longyth 

 thereto wyth granges myllys byth soo rewnys 

 that ys grate pyte to see and passyth your por 

 bedmen power to repayre.' Moreover for fear 

 of distraints many tenants had departed and even 

 some of the brethren, 'and moo ben like with- 

 oute hasty remedi be had soo that devyn servyce 

 their is like to ceisse.' 97 



The same Abbot Walter who uttered this 

 piteous complaint had also to complain of the 

 action of Sir Henry Hussey of South Harting, 

 who in 1454 came with an armed mob, and 

 threatened to burn the monastery, so that the 

 canons had to watch all night, and divine service 

 was neglected, and two years later he twice came 

 and threatened to slay the abbot, and actually 

 ' felonsly slough ' one of his servants. 98 



In November, 1465, Abbot Walter died and 

 the convent sent brother Robert Kyppyng to 

 take the news and the late abbot's seal to the 

 abbot ofWelbeck." At the same time Nicholas 

 Hussey, who had succeeded the turbulent Sir 

 Henry as patron, wrote to the same father abbot 

 asking that the head of the neighbouring abbey 

 of Titchfield might hold the election as soon as 

 possible. 100 The abbot of Welbeck agreed to this 

 and wrote to his brother of Titchfield to act for 

 him. 101 It is probable that the bearer of the letter 

 to the father abbot was himself chosen abbot, as 

 in 1475, when Bishop Redman visited Dureford, 

 Robert Kyppyng was head of the community, 

 with five brethren and two novices not yet pro- 

 fessed, as well as two other brethren, who are 

 noted as 'apostate and fugitive.' 102 At his visita- 

 tion in 1478 the bishop found the two apostates 

 had returned, but were in disgrace, deprived of 

 their stalls and of all voice in the affairs of the 

 convent ; at the abbot's request he restored 

 them. He further enjoined that all should rise 

 for mattins, and should do the work assigned 

 them indoors or out. The debts of the house, 

 which had stood at j8o, had been reduced to j8, 

 and the stores of grain, &c., are noted as suffi- 



cient. 103 



By 1482 the debt of ^8 had been wiped out, 

 but plague had visited the house and carried off 

 most of the inmates, the abbot and three canons 

 alone surviving, apparently. Bishop Redman, who 

 held his visitation at the Grey Friars' church in 

 Chichester, 104 possibly because the plague was still 

 prevalent at Dureford, condoled with the abbot, 

 but required him to repair his buildings and to 

 fill up the number of brethren, assigning to his 

 house Walter Speer, canon of Torre, then 



97 Early Chanc. Proc. bdle. 15, Nos. 27-8; bdle. 

 27, No. 178. 



98 Ibid. bdle. 26, No. 615. 



99 Gasquet, Coll. Angl. Premons. ii, 187. 



100 Ibid. 1 88. 



101 Ibid. 191. 

 104 Ibid. 194. 



101 Ibid. 190. 

 105 Ibid. 192. 



9 



