MONASTIC GARDENING 15 



fell short. But this " great garden " under the care of the 

 Hortulanus was not by any means the only garden. Many 

 other office-holders had gardens too. 



In a plan compiled from the remains and the records of 

 Bicester Priory the relative positions of the various gardens, the 

 Prior's, Canon's, Infirmarian's, and the Sacrist's, as well as the 

 great garden, kitchen-garden, and orchard is shown, and this 

 quantity of distinct gardens is not in excess of the usual 

 number.^ As a rule the Prior had an enclosure of his own. At 

 Melsa there was both " the garden which is called the Prior's," 

 and " the garden of the Abbot's chamber."^ At the Abbey of 

 Haghmon, in Shropshire, the Prior was allotted " for his recrea- 

 tions a certain chamber under the dormitory, . . . with the 

 garden of old called ' Longenores gardine,' annexed to the 

 chamber before-mentioned, together with the dovecote in the 

 same."^ 



At Norwich, payments occur to the gardener from the Lord 

 Prior for a " parcel of the garden," or small piece reserved for 

 his special use. The " little garden," or " garden within the 

 gates," at Norwich, was let to the cellarer. The Sacristan, the 

 Treasurer, the Precentor, and the " Gustos operum," all had 

 separate gardens at Abingdon, and paid rent for them to the 

 gardinarius. At Winchester, the payment to the gardener, 

 " Roberto Basynge, custodi gardini conventus," occurs in the 

 Receiver's account (a.d. 1334) as well as charges for mowing the 

 Almoner's garden, and besides these the " custos operum " 

 defrayed the expenses of a garden called " Le Joye." The 

 InfiiTnarian's garden was usually an important one, as in it 

 he grew healing herbs for the sick of the monastery, and for 

 convenience this plot was, as a rule, placed near the infirmary 

 or hospital. At Westminster, the present Httle cloister is part 

 of the old infirmary, and the ground near it now known as the 

 " College garden " formed part of the old Infirmary garden. 

 Fruit-trees were grown in it besides the usual medicinal herbs, 

 and there must have been more than enough for their needs, 

 as John de Mordon, the Infirmarian, sold 9s. worth of apples 



^ J. C. Blomefield, History of the Deanery of Bicester. 

 ' Abbot Burton's Chronicle of Melsa, vol. iii., p. 242. 

 ' Dugdale, Monasticon (new ed.), vol. vi., p. 112. 



