A HISTORY OF SURREY 



scripts entitled Registrum priviUgiorum et ter- 

 rarum rmnasterli de Shene. It contains ab- 

 stracts of charters and other particulars relative 

 to the possessions of the alien priories of 

 Ware and Hayling, and the rest of the pro- 

 perty bestowed upon it at its foundation.' 



Among the Lansdown MSS. (No. 1201) 

 is a small fifteenth century manuscript on 

 vellum described as a Formulare et Consuetu- 

 dinarium Carthusianorum de Shene In com. Surr. 

 It opens with the form of receiving postulants 

 and novices, in English, inserted on paper. 

 On the postulant seeking admission the prior 

 first asked four questions, as to whether the 

 candidate had been professed in any religious 

 order, whether he had any impediment to 

 taking holy orders, whether he was suffering 

 from any incurable disease, or whether he 

 was in debt or owed any money ? If these 

 were answered satisfactorily, the candidate 

 retired, and the prior thus addressed the 

 chapter : — 



Venerable Fathers, you have heard his humble 

 petition, you see with what earnest desire he 

 solisets to be receaved to our order. Bee pleased 

 therefore, to let me knowe your mindes wheather 

 you judg him fit to be admitted or noe. 



What thinke you father Vicar f etc. 



The candidate was then recalled, if the de- 

 cision of the chapter was favourable. On 

 readmission the following was the proced- 

 ure : — 



Pr. Quid petis ? 



Postulans prostratus. Misericordiam. 



Pr. Surge. 



Post. Supplico, etc. 



Pr. The convent hath deliberated of your 

 humble petition. And now our Statutes doe 

 appoint me breefly to set before your eyes the 

 strictness and austoritie of our order, and the length 

 and prolixitie of the divine office as well of the day 

 office as the night office, which in the wynter is 

 farr longer, besides the office of our Blessed Lady 

 which you are to say daylie in your cell ; morover 

 you are to say yearly a hundred dead offices in 

 private, likewise many Psalters (or as wee tearme 

 them monachales) which you are yearly to say 

 unless you performe them in masses. For your 

 doathing and lodging after you have received the 

 habitt you can make no further use of lynen except 

 handkerchers, towels and the like, but for your 



> Cott. MS. Otho B. xiv. The first 149 folios 

 relate to Sheen, the remainder of the 280 folios are 

 a chartulary of Pipewell Abbey and certain general 

 chronicles. There are also various rentals of 

 different manors pertaining to the priory of Sheen 

 in the time of Henry VIII. in another of the 

 British Museum volumes ; but in neither of these 

 are there names of priors or other details as to the 

 monastery (Cott. MS. Jul. C. ii. ff. 279-86.) 



90 



body you are to weare a shirte of heare and a cord 

 aboute your loynes and a wolen shirte. You are 

 to lie upon strawe or a bed of chaffe virith a blanket 

 betweene. For your diet it is a perpetuall absti- 

 nence from flesh insomuch that in the greatest or 

 most dangerous sickness you can expect no dispen- 

 sation theirin. Also a good parte of the yeare we 

 abstaine from all Whitmeates, as in Advent, Lent 

 and all the Fridayes of the yeare, besides many 

 other fasts both of the church and of our order in 

 which wee abstain from Whitmeat. 



Likewise from the exaltation of the holie Crosse 

 untill Easter wee fast with one meall a day except 

 some few days of recreation before Advent and 

 Lent. For silence and solitude it ought to be 

 perpetuall except when our Statutes giveth license 

 or that you aske leave. These be the generall 

 observances of our order common to all as well as 

 seniours as juniours. But besides these generaU 

 there are some particular ordained and appointed 

 for novices or newly professed to exercise them in 

 the purgative way, and for theire soner attaining 

 of humility and solid vertue. As is the dressing 

 up of Alters, sweeping of churches and chappels, 

 making cleane of candelstickes, serving of others 

 and suchlike. Which workes by how much they 

 are more vile and contemptible in the eyes of the 

 world, by so much they are more precious and 

 meritorious in the sight of Almighty God, and by 

 how much that men, wether more noble better 

 learned or of greater talents doth wdllingly and 

 affectionately perform the same for the love of 

 God by so much soner they will obtain remission 

 of theire sinnes, be purged from their reliques, be 

 freed from theire former eviU habitts and obtaine 

 puritie of hart humility and other solid vertues, 

 which are not gotten without humiliation and 

 therefore those who doe flye or withdraw them- 

 selves from ye works of humility, doe deprive them- 

 selves of the best meanes to gaine the vertue it- 

 seHe. These according to our Statutes and the 

 Custome of our house I have layed unto you. 

 Putas te ista posse performare f 



The postulant made reply in Latin, that 

 with the help of God and the prayers of the 

 brethren, he trusted to be enabled to fulfil 

 the rules. Then he knelt before the prior, 

 and placed his hands within those of the 

 prior, whilst the superior stated that he ad- 

 mitted him to the fellowship (societatem) of 

 the order, but that before his profession he 

 had liberty to depart. 



The following are the heads of the Latin 

 portion of the book : De novitio induendo : 

 De profemone novitiorum : De vuitatione 

 egroti : ^^uomodo tractandum sit qui moritur : 

 ^id agendum sit cum defertur nobis mortuus 

 a foris : ^id agendum sit in trecennario at 

 anniversario extraneorum : Forma ahsolvendi 

 personas ordinis in extremis agentes : Tria 

 responsoria que cantantur in exequiis mortuorum. 



The book concludes with four pages in 

 English ' for the receiving of conversi (lay 



