MONASTIC GARDENING 
17 
“ green garden/' 1 There was a “ gardinum Sacristae " at Win¬ 
chester as early as the ninth century, 2 and to this day a piece 
of ground on the east side of the north transept of the cathedral 
bears the name of “ Paradise/' and marks the site of the 
Sacrist's garden. The fifteenth-century doorway, which was 
the entrance to the enclosure, is still standing. 
Such a garden as this is referred to when the Abbot of 
Ramsey, between 1114-1130, had to come to some agreement 
about certain pieces of land in London which adjoined the 
property of the Priory of the Holy Trinity ; and the Prior con¬ 
sented 3 “ to give up his claim which he had upon the chapel 
of the Abbot, and the garden which is before the chapel/' 
These “ gardini Sacristae " were not only found within monastic 
precincts, but were attached to many churches and chapels. 
The Hortulanus of Abingdon let out a garden “ next to St. 
Nicholas' Church " to the Rector, for a term of years. 4 There 
is an interesting record of the chapel garden in the Manor of 
Wookey, in Somersetshire, which belonged to the Bishops of 
Bath and Wells, in the account of the Reeve of that place for 
the year 1461-2. 5 Three men were employed for four and a half 
days at 2d. a day, “ digging and cleaning the chapel garden." 
Henry VI. left such a garden to the church of Eton College. 
The clause in his will runs thus : “ The space between the wall 
of the church and the wall of the cloister shall conteyne 38 feet, 
which is left for to sett in certaine trees and flowers, behovable 
and convenient for the service of the same church," and it was 
to be surrounded by “ a good high wall with towers convenient 
thereto." 6 Many other such examples of gardens connected 
with churches could be enumerated. 
1 Sacrist’s Account, MS., Norwich : 
1431. “ In weeding in the garden of St. Mary, 2s.” 
1428. “ For weeding in the ‘ green garden.’ ” 
1489. “ Received for the trunk of a pear-tree blown down by the 
wind, 1 id.” 
Gardener’s Account, 1472 : “ For farm of the garden of the Sacrist, 2s.” 
2 Wharton, Anglia Sacra, Part I., p. 209. 
3 Cartularium Monasterii de Rameseia, vol. i., p. 133. 
4 1413. Accounts, by Kirk. 
6 History of the Parish and Manor of Wookey, by T. S. Holmes. 
6 Nichols’ Wills of the Kings and Queens of England, ed. 1780, 
p. 298. 
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