A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



the canons to dwell in, and to allow them to 

 have the herbage of the castle within the will of 

 Hjktings towards the repairs, and also the custody 

 of the castle in time of peace ; as for lack of 

 such inclosure, which had been destroyed partly 

 when the-castle was forfeited to the king by 

 the count of Eu, and still more by the daily 

 incursions of the sea, so that the king's pre- 

 decessors had abandoned the castle and left it 

 derelict, the chapel had been often broken into 

 by malefactors, its relics, ornaments, and treasures 

 plundered, its ministers beaten and wounded, and 

 its cemetery defiled by wandering animals. This 

 petition had been granted, and it was possibly 

 owing to the castle being in such unwarlike 

 hands that the French found it so easy a prey 

 in 1339, when they landed and plundered the 

 castle, free chapel, and the canons' houses. 

 Shortly afterwards the king warned the canons 

 of the probability of a renewed raid, and ordered 

 them to secure the castle. 116 This order was 

 apparently supplemented by the appointment of 

 William de Percy as constable, in the exercise of 

 which office he prevented the clergy from in- 

 habiting their houses within the castle or serving 

 in the chapel, and also prohibited the entrance 

 of pilgrims, by whose offerings the college was 

 supported. 117 Some idea of the injury done to 

 the town at this time may be gathered from the 

 respite granted to the canons of the annual tenth, 

 payable from their churches of St. Michael, 

 St. Peter, and St. Margaret, because their build- 

 ings and those of their parishioners had been 

 burnt, so that the issues did not suffice to support 

 any priest in these churches or for any other 

 charges. 118 At a later date, in 1341, it is noted 

 that the stipends of the vicars choral had been 

 paid since 1322 out of the oblations made to the 

 Holy Rood, which were then sufficient, but 

 now, on account of the notorious poverty of 

 the neighbourhood, the oblations were so 

 diminished that they did not suffice, and the 

 vicars, in default of payment, which should be 

 made from the issues of the prebends, would soon 

 have to withdraw from the church if remedy 

 were not applied. 119 



These misfortunes were aggravated, by in- 

 ternal disorder due to disputes concerning the 

 deanery. In January, 1337, a mandate was 

 addressed to the keeper and chapter of the free 

 chapel, which is stated to have been long without 

 a dean and to have suffered much harm thereby, 

 to meet and elect a dean. 120 This is the only 

 instance in which the chapter exercised the 

 right of election, and it is specially stipulated 

 that if the right to collate to the deanery be in 

 the king, it shall not be prejudiced by this 



"' Pat. 1 3 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 9. 



"' Close, 13 Edw. Ill, pt. iii, m. 22. 



"'Ibid. . 



"' Pat. I $ Edw. Ill, pt. iii, m. 9 d. 



110 Pat. 10 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 7. 



mandate. Walter de Lyndrigge was accordingly 

 appointed, but resigned in November, 1339, 

 upon obtaining the archdeaconry of Lewes. 121 In 

 February, 1340, Walter was again granted the 

 custody of the deanery, which is here stated to 

 have been long void. 122 In March, however, 

 Geoffrey de Clare, representing Lyndrigge to be a 

 careless custodian, obtained his own appointment, 123 

 which was quashed in May. 124 The custody 

 of the chapel was then granted for life to John 

 Wade in I342, 126 but next year Walter de Lynd- 

 rigge 126 was again appointed to administer the 

 church, 'now greatly decayed by the neglect and 

 insufficient rule of the keepers, whereby the 

 vicars and other ministers are withdrawing from 

 the service thereof.' Lyndrigge and Wade were 

 then summoned to appear in Chancery to decide 

 their claims, 127 and the abbot of Robertsbridge was 

 ordered in the meanwhile to take charge of the 

 chapel and deanery. 128 The dispute was settled in 

 favour of Wade, who in February, 1344, was 

 granted the deanery and wardenship of the king's 

 chapel of Hastings. 129 It was no doubt in con- 

 nexion with these disputed claims to the deanery 

 that certain persons 



by night forcibly entered by ladders over the walls of 

 the castle of Hastings and assaulted the minister of 

 the king's chapel and carried away books, chalices, 

 vestments, and ornaments of the chapel, and now keep 

 themselves in the said chapel by armed power. 130 



At the visitation held in April, I345, 131 it was 

 found that there were defects in the roof of the 

 chapel, the belfry, bells, books, vestments, win- 

 dows, &c., whose repair would cost j2O. At 

 the last visitation Geoffrey de Clare, then dean, 

 said that he had 15 for such repairs, but he 

 did not expend the money for that purpose but 

 kept it ; he also allowed certain rents to remain 

 uncollected. Master Geoffrey further carried off 

 two papal bulls, conferring privileges on the 

 chapel ; one of these he sold to Master Walter 

 de Lindrigge, formerly dean. He also carried 

 away a chalice and other things, and by the 

 carelessness of his sacrist the cross from the top 

 of a silver-gilt monstrance was lost ; his prebend 

 of Bulverhythe was therefore sequestrated. At 

 the same time four of the vicars were ejected 

 for continuing to keep concubines in spite of the 

 dean's prohibition. 



Another visitation was made in 1407, when it 

 was noted that the vicars' houses at the west end 



"' Close, 13 Edw. Ill, pt. iii, m. 22 d. 

 ln Close, 14 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 39. 

 * Ibid. m. 30. 

 IM Ibid. m. 10 ; and pt. ii, m. 13 d. 



115 Pat. 1 6 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 30. 



116 Pat. 17 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 23. 



117 Close, 17 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 22 d. 



118 Pat. 17 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. ^d. 

 l *> Pat. 1 8 Edw. III. pt. i, m. 36. 

 130 Pat. 17 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 32 d. 

 U1 Chanc. Misc. R. A- 



116 



