2. THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH
CENTURIES
There are several references to the church in the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries. In 1205, the third week of Easter in that year,
the curia regis sat in St Bride's Church and gave judgement in legal
issues affecting several English counties. (fn. 1) In 1210 King John granted a charter
in St Bride's Church to Rogarde Mari and Isabell his wife to hold a market
on Tuesdays and a fair on the eve, day, and morrow of St Lawrence at
Lechlade, Co. Gloucester. (fn. 2) In 1310 the King's Escheator on this side Trent
was ordered 'to empanel a jury of eighteen good and lawful men of the
venue of Scholane (Shoe Lane)' at the church of St Brigide to inquire on oath
concerning a tenement of Maud de Caumpeville in Shoe Lane which the
Abbot of Rievaulx was said to have appropriated without the King's licence
in mortmain. (fn. 3)
Three cases of sanctuary in the Church occur—in 1234, 1321 and 1325. The
first concerned Henry de Battle, who had slain Thomas de Hall on the King's
Highway and came to the Church by night. (fn. 4) In the second a certain Stephen
de Thirsk fled from Newgate Prison and took sanctuary in St Bride's and was
apparently forcibly taken back to prison. The King thereupon, informed by
the Bishop of London, commanded the Sheriff to restore him to the Church. (fn. 5)
In the third case Henry Seward of Chippenham, Co. Wilts, took sanctuary
here and, confessing himself a thief, undertook to abjure the realm. (fn. 6)
Convocation of the Province of Canterbury met here on 1 October 1337
to grant a tenth on ecclesiastical goods and benefices to the King. (fn. 7) Similar
meetings (fn. a) took place in 1338 (fn. 8) and 1357. (fn. 9) In the Letter Books of Guildhall
under the dates 1370, 1376 and 1391 we find the curfew was to be rung from the
tower of St Bride, which was one of the four churches appointed for this in
the City. (fn. 10) 'No man shall be so daring', says the proclamation of Mayor John
de Bernes (1370) 'on pain of imprisonment, as to go wandering about the
city after the hour of curfew rung out at St Mary-le-Bow, Barking Church
in Tower Ward, St Bride's and St Giles without Cripplegate', unless he be
some man of the city of good repute or his servant, and then with reasonable
cause and with light.
The first rector of St Bride's whose name is known to us is Robert Bat, who
on his relinquishment of the rectory in 1255 was granted by Henry III the
Hermitage within the City Wall near Cripplegate (fn. 11) that was later known as
St James on the Wall. (fn. b) This ankerhold had been tenanted by Warin, Chaplain
to Richard I, and Robert Bat followed him there as a recluse. We have records
of the endowment by William de Ware (1274) and John de Fleet (1280) of
chantries in the Church but they apparently had no permanence. The next
reference to a rector of St Bride's, John de Pelham, is found in a document
witnessed by him in 1289, (fn. 12) and three years later (1292) John Uggeley endowed the first of the five major chantries in St Bride's Church, the one
supposed to be at the altar of St John the Baptist. In 1302 William de Aula,
rector and acolyte, had a dispensation from Richard de Gravesend, Bishop of
London, to absent himself for study at a university in preparation for higher
orders. (fn. 13) It appears that the rectory had been granted to the young man to pay
for his education. In 1307 Nicholas Beaubelot left property to endow a
chantry, and this was still yielding rent in 1545. During the vacancy between
Abbots Hydington and Curtlington the Crown presented John de Wodeford (fn. 14)
(1308) and Thomas de Shoreham (fn. 15) (1309) to the rectory. Thomas de Loppedelle, rector, is found in 1313 joining with William de Loppedelle, vicar of
Bexhill (Byxle), Sussex, in acknowledging a debt to Nicholas de Langton of
£20, secured on their property in Sussex. (fn. 16) The year 1316 is the date of the
wills of three parishioners who were benefactors to the Church: John de
Merlaw, whose bequest seems to have been connected with Uggeley's
chantry; William de Graham, whose provision for prayers at the altar of Our
Lady for the soul of Adam Mason is the earliest reference to the Lady Chapel;
and Hugh de Strobi, whose bequest for two chantry priests was made without
licence and was the subject of a royal pardon.
In 1324 the Bishop of London commissioned Henry de London, rector of
St Bride, together with the rectors of Chelsea and St Martin Ludgate, to act
for him in claiming such clerks as were convicted in the King's Courts. (fn. 17) Two
bequests for chaplains to celebrate within the Church occur, in 1328, by
Joan, daughter of Eleanor de Kent, and in 1337 by Thomas de Chetyndon, by
direction to his godson, Thomas, son of Walter de Mordon. In 1340 Adam
de Tange, rector of St Bride, together with Perceval Simeon, acknowledged
a debt of fourteen marks due to Henry Palmer, vintner, (fn. 18) and in 1349 the King
presented Peter Grevet during the vacancy of the Abbey. (fn. 19) In the latter year
Robert de Asshe left ten marks for the service of two chaplains. The name of
Thomas de Hayton, rector of St Bride, occurs as one of the collectors of the
clerical subsidy in 1350, (fn. 20) twelve years before the presentation of his namesake
who was rector for thirty-four years. In 1351 the King presented Thomas de
Holborn, (fn. 21) who in 1356 exchanged with Giles de Bolumbla. (fn. 22)
In the former year William Evesham left a benefaction that greatly augmented Uggeley's chantry, and ten years later (1361) John Wygan bequeathed
property in Fleet Street, on both sides of Shoe Lane, to found the second of
the major chantries in the Church. He was buried in the Lady Chapel and
his bequests assisted in maintaining the important Brotherhood of Our Lady,
the guild that had charge of the chapel since it was built. In the same year
Elena Brix was buried in this chapel by the side of her former husband,
Thomas de Banham, and their property went to provide another Chaplain
there, as we shall see under Nicholas Spurier's will. Elena Brix held the
Abbot of Tewkesbury's Inn on lease, on the site of which the Parsonage
House was built. Her first husband's name appears also as Thomas de
Fletestrete. This year is also the date of the will of John Gilbert, who had
given an image of St Katherine to stand in the Lady Chapel, who wished to
be buried before it, and who left money for the maintenance of chantries in
the Church.
These important bequests were made in the year preceding the presentation
of Thomas de Hayton to the rectory and heralded a period of prosperity
during which plans were probably laid for the rebuilding of the Church.
Hayton was rector from 1362 (fn. 23) until his death in 1396, and it was to him that
Sir John Knyvet and Eleanor his wife granted the land to the south of the
churchyard on which he built a rectory house. The actual building probably
took place between 1380, the date of the gift, and the grant of an extra strip
of land on the west side in 1385 by Ralph Ergham, Bishop of Salisbury. In
1389 detailed returns concerning the Guilds of St Bridget and St Mary were
made. While Hayton was rector there were a number of bequests to the guilds
and also to the chantry priests. William de Bath in 1375 and Matilda Chobham
in 1379 left money for these purposes, and in 1383 Nicholas Spuryer, acting
apparently as trustee for Thomas Brix and Elena his wife, founded a chantry
which functioned for twenty-five years at least. In 1391 Simon Pettigru
alias atte Nax endowed two Chaplains, who were probably those who
served St Mary's Guild in the Lady Chapel, these foundations figuring as the
fourth and fifth chantries in the Return of 1545. Lastly, John Walworth, one
of the wardens of St Mary's Guild, left an endowment for a chantry in 1396.
In his will, (fn. 24) dated 6 May 1396, Thomas de Hayton desires to be buried in
Ewell Church by the tomb of his parents. He left all his 'Church books' to
St Bride's.
No time was lost in instituting his successor, William Waltham, on 8 May
following, (fn. 25) but he lived only a few months, and on 11 October, the same year
(1396), John Skarle was instituted rector. (fn. 26) He was Master of the Rolls and
Archdeacon of Lincoln. In his will, dated 1405, (fn. 27) he expressed his desire to be
buried in the Church, to which he left a silver thurible and incense boat.