RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Katherine, the widow of Henry V., passed 

 the remainder of her life within the convent 

 and Elizabeth, queen of the Yorkist monarch 

 Edward IV., was condemned by an order in 

 Council in i486 to forfeit all her lands and 

 goods and be confined in Bermondsey Abbey, 

 where she died. William de Ramsey or de 

 Scotia, who during the reign of Edward III. 

 received letters of safe conduct for himself 

 and his attendants during their sojourn in 

 England, was placed in 1377 under the care 

 of the prior of Bermondsey for a year, until 

 his health should be re-established and he 

 could return to Scotland.* 



Many of the benefactors of this favoured 

 house were buried within its walls : Adelaide 

 or Adelize, wife of Hugh de Grentniaisnil 

 and mother of Ivo ; Mary, sister of Queen 

 Maudandwife of Eustace, Count of Boulogne, 

 from whom the brethren obtained the manor 

 of Kingweston. Walchelin de Mamynot is 

 said to have died here. 



The king exercised his prerogative to pre- 

 sent boarders to the prior and convent for 

 life maintenance. In 13 13 William de Top- 

 clyve, who had long served the king, was sent 

 by Edward II. to receive the necessaries of 

 life in food and drink in place of Thomas le 

 Long,* and on his death the convent received 

 William Bale.^ 



The Earls of Gloucester, early benefactors 

 of the priory, also claimed the right to receive 

 maintenance within the monastery when they 

 should be afS8«sjgondsey.* Ralph, Earl of 

 Stafford, who had married Margaret daughter 

 and heiress of Hugh de Audley, Earl of 

 Gloucester, died in 1372 seized of a lodging 

 within the priory.* 



The Bishop of Winchester formerly claimed 

 of this house, though itself exempt from dio- 

 cesan visitation, annual procuration for one 

 day when visiting that part of the diocese. 

 In 1276 this claim was revived and resisted, 

 and a compromise was at length effected 

 whereby the prior and convent agreed for 

 themselves and their successors that on the 

 first coming of a bishop to Bermondsey after 

 his installation they would meet him in pro- 

 cession and in lieu of entertainment pay him 

 that year at his own house in Southwark 

 5 marks and every succeeding year 2^ marks. 

 Further that whenever the bishop should go 

 beyond seas, the prior and convent would 

 meet him on his return in procession.® 



1 Rymer's Fcedera (Rec. Com.), iii. pt.ii. 1079. 



2 Close, 6 Edw. II. m. 6d. 



3 Ibid. 16 Edw. II. m. 14. 



* Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. III. No. 59. 



6 Ibid. p. m. 46 Edw. III. No. 62. 



* Winton. Epis. Reg., Pontissara, ff. 109-55. 



The size and importance of the monastery 

 made it at an early date suitable for large 

 assemblies and councils of state. The large 

 council said to have been held by Henry II. 

 at Bermondsey during Christmas 1154, when 

 the nobles discussed the affairs of the king- 

 dom and the prospects of peace,' was probably 

 held at the convent itself as being the only 

 building of sufficient magnitude on that side 

 of the river for such a purpose. On St. 

 Calixtus day 1249 a chapter of the Bene- 

 dictine order was held here at which several 

 measures for the reformation of the order 

 received consideration.^ Here in the reign 

 of Henry I. many of the magnates of the 

 kingdom having taken the cross met to de- 

 liberate on the order of their journey,' and 

 Robert de Chance, queen's clerk, was con- 

 secrated Bishop of Carlisle in 1258 by the 

 Bishops of Salisbury and Bath." 



This contact with English political events 

 and proximity to the centre of vast and impor- 

 tant life lends more lustre to the abbey of 

 Bermondsey than can be found in the record 

 of its internal history. 



Priors of Bermondsey 

 Peter," 1089, died 1 119 

 Herebran,^^ 111^, died 11 20 

 Peter," 1120 

 Walter," died 1134 

 Clarembald,'^ 1134, made first abbot of 



Faversham 1 148 

 Robert of Blois,^^ 1148) resigned 1155 

 Roger," 1 1 56, made abbot of St. Owen 



II57 

 Adam,^^ ii57> made abbot of Evesham 



1161 

 Geoffrey,'^ 1 161, resigned 1163 

 Peter,^° 1163, resigned 11 66 

 Raynold,^"^ 11 66, resigned 1 167 



^ Gervase of Canterbury (Rolls Ser.), ii. 77. 



8 Matt, of Paris (Rolls Ser.), v. 81 ; Chron. Job. 

 Oxenede (Rolls Ser.), p. 180. 



9 Matt, of Paris (Rolls Ser.), v. 102. 

 1" Ibid. p. 678. 



" Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 427. 



" Ibid. 433. 13 Ibid. 



" Ibid. 433-S. 



•5 Ibid. 435. Robert de Bellismo is given as 

 prior of Bermondsey in the reign of Stephen by 

 Manning. {Hist, of Surrey,!, iqz). Itwastheuse 

 of Cluny and I^a Charite occasionally to appoint 

 temporary priors during a short period of recall or 

 suspension both at this date and in the two follow- 

 ing centuries, which may explain discrepancies 

 between the Annals and other records. 



18 Ibid. 438-9. " Ibid. 439-440. 



18 Ibid. 440-1. 19 Ibid. 441. 



20 Ibid, and 442 " Ibid. 442. 



75 



