68 
LIFE OF LORD SCUDAMORE. 
Vicar of Sellack, unto John Viscount Scudamore, his Lady, and their Sonn, in respect of 
manifest sickness and infirmityes, to eate flesh upon dayes prohibited during the time of their sick¬ 
ness and infirmityes. Registered in the sight of Walter Collowe, one of the Church Wardens, the 
22nd of November, 1632.”—This son was James, then eight years old. 
From his earliest years, Lord Scudamore had been embued with a deep religious feeling, 
which strengthened more and more as life went on. It was this that gave rise to his great friendship 
with Archbishop Laud, and it was itself doubtless much heightened by that great prelate’s influence. 
At the age of 26, Lord Scudamore had become so strongly impressed with the impropriety of 
receiving the great tithes which his ancestors had acquired in several parishes that he consults Laud, 
then Bishop of Bath and Wells, on the subject. The Bishop’s long letter is given by Gibson in full, 
but the essence of the advice contained in it, is, that he should “ restore back to the Church what 
had been bought from those, who had no right to sell.” Lord Scudamore immediately resolved to 
follow this advice, but it was no easy matter to make the restoration. It was not until six years 
after that he obtained from King Charles I a License in Mortmain to restore and endow with the 
impropriated tithes, all the parishes in which he held them, viz : Dore, Holme Lacy, Boulstone, 
Bosbury, and Bredwardine. The License is dated December 6th 1632. 1 
Lord Scudamore at once set about the restoration of Dore Abbey Church. 2 He “rebuilt 
the Quire and Cross Isle,” repaired and roofed the whole church; and it was eventually re-consecrated 
and dedicated on March 22, 1834, the anniversary of his own baptism. This restoration of the 
Church of Abbeydore was almost the first, if not quite the first, which had taken place since the 
dissolution of monasteries. It was therefore much commented upon, and the ceremonies used at 
the consecration, which were doubtless arranged by Laud, were much called in question. 3 
Lord Scudamore afterwards re-built the rectory and out buildings and endowed it with all the 
tithes, “ as well great, as small, Predial, Personal, and mixt.I find ” says Gibson “ by the 
1 It affords a curious example of the troubled state of the times, and of Lord Scudamore’s caution, that many years after 
(Anno 13-14 Car. II., c. 44,) he should have thought it necessary to obtain a Special Act of Parliament to legalise the acts 
done under the authority of this License. 
2 “ This venerable Place ” says Gibson “ had been reduced to a condition so Ruinous and Mean, that one, who well 
remembered the Rebuilding of the Church of Door, saith, Mr. John Gyles, otherwise called Sir Gyles, Curate here, before the 
present Church was rebuilt, read Prayers under an Arch of the old demolished Church, to preserve his Prayer-Book from wett in 
rainy weather ’ (Deposition of Hugh Powell in the case of Tithes inter Watts and Watkins, &c., Curia Scac. 4, W. & M.).” 
Gibson compares its condition to the desolation of Jerusalem “ As the Altar there had been prophan’d, so the Communion- 
Table here had been pulled down, and buried in the Ruins of the Church; till carrying a great deal of Stone away for Co7nmon- 
uses, it was dug up, among the rest; and appropriated (if by way of abuse I may be allowed to call it so, tho’ I tremble at it) 
to the salting of Meat , and making of Cheese upon. Thus it continued for a while, till it was very strangely (tho’ without a 
Miracle) discovered where it was. Whereupon the Lord Scudamore, when he rebuilt this Church, with great Awfulness 
ordered it to be restored, and set upon three Pilasters of Stone: where now it stands, the most remarkable Communion-Table 
of any in these parts, being one entire Stone, 12 Foot long, 4 Foot broad, and 3 Inches thick ” (p. 41.) 
3 The form and order of the service used on this occasion is in the Library of the British Museum (Add. MSS., No. 15,645) 
and another MS. copy is also preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library, at Lambeth. It was reprinted by the Rev. John Fuller 
Russell, in 1874 (Pickering, 196 , Piccadilly,) to prove the church usage of the XVII. Century. 
