RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



present, who had been temporarily banished to 

 Dureford at the chapter in I478. 106 Six years 

 later, in 1488, the community still consisted of 

 only the abbot, Robert Kyppyng, and four 

 canons, a note being added that the others are 

 dead. 108 Orders were again given for the in- 

 crease of their number ; and a newly contracted 

 debt of 50 marks was attributed to the burning 

 of certain buildings. This time the orders 

 were obeyed, five novices being added before 

 October, 1491, when Redman was again 

 here and found practically nothing to correct. 107 

 In 1494 there were eight canons besides the 

 abbot, but the bishop considered the number too 

 small ; he further gave strict orders for the re- 

 building of the cloister, which was quite ruined. 108 

 At the visitation of 1497 the abbot is not men- 

 tioned, but the names of ten canons are given, 

 and they are stated to be lax in the observance 

 of silence and given to leaving their monastery ; 

 the cloister also had got into a still worse state, 

 but the debts of the house were only 16 and its 

 stock sufficient. 109 The debt had fallen to I o marks 

 in 1500, but the cloister had not been rebuilt, 

 and the number of canons was only eight in- 

 clusive of the abbot and two novices ; moreover 

 the prior was acting as vicar of Rogate, but was 

 ordered to give up his cure and reside amongst 

 his brethren. Three of the canons had incurred 

 punishment by going out of the precincts with- 

 out licence, but nothing else was found amiss. 110 

 There was another visitation, by the abbot of 

 Welbeck, in September, 1506, but no details 

 have been preserved. 111 



Layton, in a letter to Cromwell, 112 dated 

 26 September, 1535, writes contemptuously of 

 the poverty of Dureford : 



which might better be called Dirtforde the poorest 

 abbey I have seen, as this bearer, the abbot, can tell 

 you far in debt and in great decay. This young 

 man, for his time, has done well, and I have licensed 

 him to repair to you for the liberty of himself and his 

 brethren. 



The income of the house being only 

 jio8 135. 9^. the abbey was suppressed in 

 1536- The abbot, John Sympson, was ap- 

 pointed to the abbacy of Titchfield in Hamp- 

 shire, 113 and on resigning that house was 

 offered the Sussex living of Horsted Keynes. 114 

 In 1541 he was called to account for having 

 fraudulently sold various cattle between the time 

 that the abbey was taken into the king's hands 

 and its actual dissolution. 116 



104 Gasquet, Coll. Angl. Fremont, i, 84. 



106 Ibid, ii, 195. Ibid. 106. 



"Ibid. 197. ""Ibid. 199. 



110 Ibid. 200. ' Ibid, i, 102. 

 ' L. and. P. Hen. nil, ix, 444. 



111 Suss. Arch. Coll vii, 225. 



114 L. and P. Hen. V111, xiii (i), 728. 



115 Suss. Arch. Coll. yii, 224-6. 



ABBOTS OF DUREFORD 



Robert, occurs 1173 n8o 118 



W., occurs ngS 117 



Robert, occurs 1204 1I8 



Jordan, occurs 1 2 1 9 119 



Robert, occurs 1229 120 



William, occurs 1 231-1 244 121 



Valentine, occurs 1248-1252 122 



Nicholas, occurs temp. Henry III m 



John, occurs 1258 124 -i 286 125 



Osbert, occurs I3io 12a 1315 127 



John, occurs 1321 128 



Thomas, occurs 1323 129 -i329 13 



Henry, occurs I334 131 



John atte Re, occurs I3&4 132 



John Heuerwyk, occurs 1380 133 



John, occurs 1 400 134 



John Chelchester, elected 140 1 138 



John Ultyng, elected I4O4, 136 resigned 1411 



Nicholas Baldewyn, elected 1411 137 



John Ultyng, re-elected I4i8 138 



Thomas Dollyng, occurs 1424 to I432 139 



Stephen Mersey, occurs I44O, 140 deposed c. 



H44 141 



Walter Mene, occurs c. I454, 142 died 1465 143 

 Robert Kyppyng, elected c. I465, 144 resigned 



1501 



Robert York, elected 1501 145 

 Henry Skynner, occurs I528, 146 1529"' 



116 Chartul. fol. 30. 



17 Cal. Papal Lei. i, 5. " 8 Chartul. fol. 4. 



119 Sarum Charters (Rolls Ser.), 91. 



110 Chartul, fol. 35. 



181 Feet off. (Suss. Rec. Soc.), Nos. 267, 419. He 

 resigned before 1 248, when he was impleaded as 

 'quondam' abbot : Assize R. 909, m. 21. 



" Ibid. No. 447 ; Feet of F. Sussex, File 1 8, No. 1 1. 



'" Assize R. 929, m. 12 d. 



114 Feet of F. Sussex, File 21, No. 1 8. 



'" Chartul. fol. 95. 



186 Gasquet, op. cit. i, No. 3. 



117 Close, 8 Edw. IV, m. 9 d. 



128 Chartul. fol. 198. I29 Chartul. fol. 196. 

 130 Close, 3 Edw. Ill, m. \\d. 



111 Ibid. 7 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 2 d. 

 1M Chartul. fol. 143. 



"* Cler. Subs. J^. There were then six canons 

 besides the abbot. 



154 Cal. Papal Let. v, 327. Probably resigned this 

 year, as he had indult to retain the grange of Weston 

 for life, even if he resign. 



'" Chich. Epis. Reg. Reade,fol. 83. 



"Ibid. fol. 87, in. 



157 Ibid. fol. 147. He was sub-prior of Bayham. 

 ** See above. 



'" Court R. bdle. 126, Nos. 1871-2. 



140 Early Chanc. Proc. bdle. 1 1, No. 138. 



"'Ibid. bdle. 15, Nos. 27, 28. 



" Ibid. bdle. 26, No. 6 1 5 ; Exch. of Pleas, 4 Edw. 

 IV, m. 75'. 



148 Gasquet, op. cit. ii, No. 373. M See above. 



145 Chich. Epis. Reg. Story, fol. 92. 



146 Magd. Coll. Oxon. muniments, Misc. 231. 



147 L. and P. Hen. rill, iv, p. 2701. 



