RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Adam de Stratton in 1277-8, to whom the 

 convent had demised much land, led to 

 many petitions to Parliament after the restora- 

 tion of the property to the priory from 

 the tenants of the evicted party and from 

 his brother Henry de Stratton, who claimed 

 the restitution of a bond for a pension 

 of 4.0s. made to him by the prior and 

 convent of Bermondsey, which had been 

 included among the deeds of his brother 

 taken into the king's custody at the time 

 of his ejection.' In 1293 a plea of the 

 prior against the exercise of the king's right 

 to present to the church of Camberwell 

 during a vacancy came before the Court of 

 Chancery. The prior stated that his im- 

 mediate predecessor had presented a certain 

 Geof&ey de Wytelbyri to the vicarage of 

 Camberwell, being of the advowson of the 

 priory. Before Geoffrey's institution the 

 prior died, and the priory came into the king's 

 hands, whereupon the king, ignoring the 

 former presentation, presented his clerk to 

 the same. The prior held that this presenta- 

 tion was to the prejudice and disinheritance 

 of the priory, and supplicated the king to 

 revoke it. The case however being tried 

 in full council it was found that the king had 

 acted within his prerogative and that of his 

 predecessors, and the Bishop of Winchester 

 was ordered to admit his presentee." 



1 R. of Pari. i. 54-8, 171. 



2 Ibid. 116. Other disputes, mainly relating 

 to tithes, can be briefly enumerated. In 1 146 

 between Prior Clarembald and the Bishop of Wor- 

 cester respecting tithes in Lytelhoo by Charlton 

 {Ann. Mon. [Rolls Ser.], iii. 438). With the 

 Abbot of Bee in 1227 for tithes in Dorset (ibid. 

 456). Two years later it was arranged by the 

 mediation of Pope Gregory that the priory of 

 Bermondsey should retain the tithes of Lewisham, 

 paying annually to the abbey of Ghent 2 candles 

 of li lb. (ibid. 457). In 1224 by a composition 

 between the priors of Bermondsey and Merton the 

 tithes in Carshalton were let to the priory of Mer- 

 ton in perpetuity for the annual sum of 20/., to be 

 paid on the morrow of All Saints' with a penalty 

 in default of payment of 60s. in subsidy to the Holy 

 Land (ibid. 463). In 1229 with the rector of 

 Lambeth (Ibid. 457). In 1236 with the rector 

 of Woodchester (ibid. 458). In 1240 with the 

 abbot and convent of St. Osyth, or Chich, 

 by Colchester respecting tithes in Oakley (ibid. 

 459). In 1241 and 1245 with the prioresses 

 of Ankerwyke and Haliwell, or Holywell, for 

 tithes in Greenford and East Dulwich respec- 

 tively (ibid. 459). In 1252 an agreement was 

 made with the prior and convent of Thetford 

 respecting tithes in Ditton (ibid. 462), in 1274 

 vsdth the abbot of Bayham for tithes within the 

 parish of West Greenwich let to the abbey and 



The relations of the brethren with their 

 tenants and neighbours were not always of 

 the happiest description ; scuffles were not 

 unknown and complaints were lodged of 

 rough treatment on the part of the monks. 

 A commission was appointed by the Crown 

 in March 1303 to inquire into the complaint 

 of seven of the tenants of the manor of 

 Waddon, Surrey. It was alleged to have 

 been ancient demesne, and whereas the king 

 had ordered the prior not to exact from the 

 tenants of that manor any other customs or 

 services than they were accustomed to per- 

 form when the manor was in the hands of 

 the king's progenitors, yet Prior Henry with 

 Brother Bartholomew de la Douse and others 

 by night plundered the goods of Robert le 

 Wylde to the value of ;^ioo and others in 

 proportion.^ There was a further statement 

 of these charges in 1304, but the result is 

 not known. In November 1317 Henry 

 Spigurnel and Geoffrey de Hertelpole were 

 deputed to hold a commission on the com- 

 plaint of Simon de Stowe that Peter, prior of 

 Bermondsey, had with others broken into his 

 house at Southwark, assaulted him, and carried 

 away his goods.* Again, the following May, 

 Hugh le Despenser the elder stated that Peter 

 and Brother Bartholomew de la Douse, of 

 whom complaints had already been made, 

 had robbed him of goods at Bermondsey.^ 

 Unfortunately the result of the judicial 

 enquiry into these doings is never given. 

 The religious had also complaints to make of 

 robbery and marauding expeditions on the 

 part of their neighbours. In April 1284 a 

 great outrage was committed at the priory. 

 Certain persons made forcible entry there, 

 broke open the doors of the prior's chamber 

 and the chests and coffers there, carried away 

 j^68 in money together with silver vessels 

 and jewels of gold to the value of ,^40, and 

 imprisoned the prior himself, Eymon his 



convent (ibid. 465). In 1362 the priory recovered 

 tithes in Charlton Camvyle, Somerset, m a suit 

 against the prior of Kenilworth (ibid. 477). 

 In 1363 John de Cobham, founder of a college of 

 five chaplains at Cobham, and the prior of Ber- 

 mondsey agreed that when the church should be 

 vacant John and his heirs should nominate a person 

 from the said coUege or from the priory of Ber- 

 mondsey (ibid. 477). In 1428 ^n agreement 

 was entered upon by Thomas Thetford, abbot ot 

 Bermondsey, and Nicholas Buklond, master of the 

 hospital of St. Thomas Martyr in Southwark, 

 respecting lands held of the abbot and convent and 

 an ancient rent due to them (ibid. 486). 



3 Pat. 31 Edw. I. m. 3od. 



« Ibid. llEdw. II. pt.i. i8d. 



6 Ibid. pt. ii. m. iid. 



67 



