A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and in 1469 he presented a young man, whom 

 he had educated from a boy, to the living of St. 

 .Michael's that he might have the means to study 

 at Oxford.'^ 



Visitations of the abbey ^ve^e made by the 

 Abbot of Peterborough in 1465, and by the 

 Abbot of Eynsham in 1468,** but the results 

 are not recorded. Albone's gifts to the church 

 were valued at 600 marks,*' and he acquired 

 property for the abbey worth 166 a year " ; but 

 on the other hand at his death in July 1476 he 

 left debts amounting to ^^1,830.*' 



The burden on the house may have been the 

 determining cause of the unanimous election of 

 William Wallingford,*' who had a gift forfinance. 

 If there had been any scandal connected \nth 

 him, it was many years before, and had certainly 

 made no difference to his career : he had con- 

 tinued to hold office under Wheathampstead, 

 and had been made prior by Albone.^"" He had 

 to his credit the accomplishment of expensive 

 works and payment of debts,' and the education 

 of ten young religious at his own cost.^ 



He inaugurated his abbacy with much 

 splendour, giving two great banquets, one at 

 Tyttenhanger, and another at St. Albans, which 

 he entered accompanied by a train of 440 

 servants and tenants.^ Outwardly the abbey 

 might be unchanged. In reahty its position had 

 been much altered by the Civil Wars, so that for 

 its security the conciliation of those in power 

 became an ever-increasing necessity. This seems 

 the meaning of the grants of nominations 

 to benefices begun by Wheathampstead * and 

 continued by Albone and WalUngford,' and the 

 bestowal of the office of steward on one of 

 the dominant political faction.' The same 



" Reg. of St. Albans, ii, 83. 



*' Ibid. 47-9, 76-9. 



" Ibid, i, 475, App. D. Armng them were 

 seven copes of purple velvet embroidered with golden 

 flowers, which he presented at the beginning of his 

 rule in honour of the Seven Joys of Mary, and six 

 missals and six graduals for the choir. 



" Ibid. 



^* Ibid. 477, App. D. 



»s Ibid. 142-58. 



100 On 18 M.irch 1464 (ibid, ii, 50). 



' Ibid, i, 476-7, App. D. 



2 Ibid. 476. 



' Ibid, ii, I 59-60. 



■• In 1 464 he gave George Nevill, the chancellor, 

 the next nomination to Great Stanmore Church 

 (ibid. 21-2). 



' Albone made six such grants (ibid. 58, 60-1, 97, 

 106, III, 198), Wallingford seventeen, of which 

 three occurred in the first four months of his rule 

 (ibid. 161, 162-3, 164, 166-7, '67-8, 183-4, 

 197-8, 202, 223, 224, 227, 238, 246, 255, 257, 

 25S-9, 2 So). 



' Lord Hastmgs received this office for life in 1478 

 (ibid. 199), and after his execution in June 1483 

 it was given to William Catesby (ibid. 266-7). 



policy caused Wallingford's confirmation of 

 Richard Lamplew as Prior of Hertford for hfe 

 in 1484 at the request of the Chancellor, Chief 

 Justice, Sir William Say and William Catesby.' 

 It may also account in part for Wallingford's 

 conduct with regard to Tynemouth Priory. 

 The abbot promised the Duke of Gloucester 

 and Sir John Say that Nicholas Boston, Arch- 

 deacon of St. Albans, should be Prior of Tyne- 

 mouth when John Langton died or retired ^ ; on 

 15 March 1477-8 he removed Langton for re- 

 belUng against a visitation," and in May made 

 Boston prior for life." On 8 May 1480, as the 

 result of disclosures at a visitation held by 

 Langton and William Dixwell," Prior of Bin- 

 ham, as it was said, Boston was deposed by 

 the abbot and replaced by Dixwell." In 

 September Wallingford authorized Dixwell to 

 inquire into Boston's conduct, and after a short 

 interval requested the Bishop of Durham to 

 arrest the ex-prior as an apostate." About ten 

 weeks later he had to order another visitation of 

 the priory owing to the mutual recriminations 

 of Dixwell and Boston." On 8 March 1482-3 

 Dixwell, again Prior of Binham, accused himself 

 of having procured Boston's deposition and 

 destroyed the deed giving him his post for life, 

 and asked that his opponent might have a 

 new grant of his office in perpetuity.** The 

 object of the confession seems to have been 

 to exculpate Wallingford for the past proceed- 

 ings. Boston, however, must still have felt 

 unsafe until the convent's seal as well as the 

 abbot's was affixed to the fresh grant, and on 

 19 November this was done at the request of 

 King Richard.'" 



The abbot's course looks bad from any point 

 of view. The discovery of Langton's unfitness 

 just then was too convenient not to be sus- 

 picious, and if his removal was warranted, he 

 was unsuitable as a visitor. For the same 

 reason Boston's deprivation and re-appoint- 

 ment cannot both be jxistified ; and in any 

 case he was treated most unfairly. Moreover, 



' Rtg. of St. Albans, ii, 268. 



8 Ibid. 165. 



'Ibid. 186-7. 



10 Ibid. 184. 



'1 Wheathampstead in January 1454 had asked for 

 Dixwell's arrest because he was wandering about like 

 a vagabond and apostate (Chan. Warr. [Ser. 1], 

 file 1759, no. 36 ; Reg. of St. Albans, ii, 16-17). 



'^ Boston was deposed 8 May, and on 17 May 

 'of his own free will' resigned the priory {Reg. of 

 St. Albans, ii, 214-15). 



1' Ibid. 233-4. 



" As to losses of the house through them (ibid. 

 239). Boston had apparently been inconsiderate 

 aboat expenses (ibid. 182). 



" Ibid. 254. 



'° The king had promised to contribute ;£loo to 

 the priory (ibid. 262-3). 



406 



