14 Amesbury Church. Reasons for thinking that it 



The document refers to the possessions of other dissolved monas- 

 teries, besides Amesbury, and contains an estimate of the value of 

 the lead on the monastic buildings at Amesbury. There is the 

 following memorandum : — " The King's Majesty must discharge 

 the said Earl of all incumbrancies except leases, and except 8£ for 

 the salary of a priest to serve the cure of Ambresbury, and 7 s - 6 d -> 

 for synods and proxters," which Canon Jackson interprets to mean 

 procurations, " to the Archdeacon of Salisbury." The priest was 

 apparently a perpetual curate, as in later times. There is also the 

 following memorandum : — " That one, for the said Earl, must be 

 bounden in recognisances for," amongst other things, " the Burgage 

 and the parsonage of Ambresbury, late, parcel of the late Monastery 

 of Ambresbury, &c." This shows that the Earl had the lay 

 Eectory. 1 



The document, which Canon Jackson quotes second, is from the 

 Augmentation Office, and is printed, at length, by Sir Eichard 

 Hoare in his History of South Wilts, who says : — " by favour of 

 Mr. Caley, I am enabled to add the surrender of this Monastery." 

 No date appears to be given, but it must, of course, be later than the 

 4th Deoember, 1539, the date of surrender, and probably earlier than 

 the 22nd September, 1540, when the lead on the standing buildings 

 was valued for the King. It appears to be the first, in order of 

 time, of the documents quoted by Canon Jackson, who only gives 

 a small part of it. 



This document contains the pensions, paid to the late inmates of 

 the convent, and a schedule of " Houses and buildings assigned to 

 remain undefaced," consisting of " the lodging called the Prioress's 

 lodging, viz., hall, buttery, pantry, kitchen, and gatehouse, as it 

 is enclosed within one quadrant unto the convent kitchen : the long 

 stable with the hay barn adjoining : the wheat barn, the baking 



1 The Rectory is now and has long been in the hands of the Dean and 

 Canons of Windsor. Mr. Ruddle informs me that he has ascertained, from 

 the present Dean, that Amesbury Rectory was part of their " New Dotation '' 

 (1st Edward VI.) and came to them, in lieu of property which Henry VIII. 

 had taken from them. The Duke of Somerset took advowsons, &c; elsewhere, 

 for what he gave up. It appears that there is an account of this in Ashmole's 

 Order of the Garter. 



