24. THE TRINITARIAN FRIARS OF THELSFORD
Near the banks of the Avon, not far from the
road to Warwick from Wellesbourne, was founded, about the beginning of the thirteenth century,
a small monastery, to the honour of God, St. John
Baptist, and St. Radegund. Henry de Bereford
and Isabel his wife, some time between the years
1200 and 1212, granted the church of Barford
and property in the parish to the canons of St.
Radegunde of 'Theuelisford.' (fn. 1) This mention
of canons suggests that Tanner was correct in
believing that this monastery was originally a
house of canons of the short-lived order of the
Holy Sepulchre, most of whose possessions passed,
early in the thirteenth century, to the order of the
Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives.
The friars of this order were under vows to
divide all the possessions they enjoyed into three
parts; one for their own sustenance, the second
to relieve the poor of the district where their
house might be established, and the third to
redeem Christians kept captive by the infidels.
The transference of Thelsford and its property
to the friars may possibly have taken place about
1214, in which year, according to Dugdale, Sir
William Lucy of Charlecote endowed this house
with 13 acres of land and the adjacent meadows
where the priory stood, and other lands on the
opposite side of the way. He also gave them
the advowson of the church of Charlecote and
half a virgate of land there, and desired that
the house should be used not only for the shelter
and sustenance of the religious men of the order,
but also as a hospital for the relief of the poor
and for the reception of pilgrims. (fn. 2)
Fulk Lucy, grandson of Sir William, gave
the friars leave to inclose a road which passed
between their church at Thelsford and their
habitation. From a subsequent Sir William
Lucy, temp. Henry III, they had liberty to
inclose 2 acres of land adjoining their house, so
as to include them in their precincts. In the
adjacent parish of Barford they had various gifts
of land, as well as the advowson of the church.
From William de Nasford, some time lord of
Barford, they had a grant of the fishing in the
Avon from Le Milne to his own mill-dam, with
leave to make a pound at Barford for such cattle
as should trespass on their lands, also 3 virgates
called the Free Hide, exempt from all secular
service, together with free egress and ingress for
their cattle to and from the common pasture of
Barford. From Richard Malore they received
lands at Kirkby, Leicester, with the advowson of
that church and the chapels of Shilton and Packington. Among other benefactions were three
parcels of land from William Beauchamp, earl of
Warwick, and lands and tenements at Heathcote from Roger de Charlecote. These considerable gifts enabled the friars to extend their
buildings and erect a larger church than had
sufficed at their first foundation. (fn. 3)
At the feast of the translation of St. Thomas
the Martyr, 1285, Bishop Giffard consecrated
this new church and churchyard, and preached
from Psa. xcii. 5, Domus tua decet, &c. (fn. 4) In
the previous year the bishop had commissioned
Robert, prior of Thelsford, to hear confessions
and enjoin penances throughout the diocese. (fn. 5)
In 1312 the bishop of Worcester issued a
commission to the deans of Warwick and Hampton concerning the minister and brethren of
Thelsford, who had been excommunicated for
the damnable presumption of fabricating letters
of Pope Clement, being of an order privileged
and exempt, to be publicly absolved. (fn. 6)
In November, 1329, when Edward III was
at Kenilworth, confirmation was granted to
Thomas de Offyngton, then minister, and the
brethren of the house of St. John the Baptist
and St. Radegund, Thelsford, of a large number
of small grants to that house. (fn. 7)
The minister and Trinitarian Friars of Thelsford obtained licence, in 1332, to acquire land
and rent in mortmain to the yearly value of
10 marks. (fn. 8) In 1334 these friars, under a like
style, and their attorneys obtained protection for
three years to collect alms, by virtue of an indulgence by the pope to their order. (fn. 9) A variety
of small grants in mortmain were confirmed to
the friary in May, 1337, on payment of a fine
of 1 mark. (fn. 10)
In 1411 the pope granted plenary remission
to the minister, friars,' and sisters' of the Trinitarian house of St. Radegund, Thelsford, (fn. 11) and
in July, 1467, Bishop Carpenter renewed letters
of indulgence for the sustentation of the order of
the Holy Trinity and Redemption of Captives
of the house of St. Radegund, Thelsford, to last
during the pleasure of the diocesan. (fn. 12)
In 1354 Thomas Lucy, then lord of Charlecote, and Philippa his wife, gave certain lands
at Charlecote to the friars of Thelsford to celebrate mass for their souls and for the soul of
William de Clinton, earl of Huntingdon, the
founder of Maxstoke Priory. In 1394 Sir William Lucy, Roger Strange, and John, vicar of
Wellesbourne, gave to their house a messuage,
40 acres of land and 6 acres of meadow lying in
Ashowe and Newbold Pacy. In 1492 another
Sir William Lucy ceded to the house certain
privileges that his ancestors had always enjoyed
at Thelsford, and by his will of the same year
left 40s. to the friars for his obsequies. (fn. 13)
His son and heir, Edmund Lucy, whose will
was proved in 1498, desired to be buried in the
Lady chapel of the conventual church of Thelsford, on the north side of his mother Margaret.
He bequeathed to that house a cross of silver-gilt
of the value of £10, to be bought by his executors. Forty marks were appointed to be spent
there on the day of his burial among the priests,
clerks, and poor people. He also willed that at
his 'month's mind' twelve poor men should
hold torches round his grave, each of them receiving a black gown and hood and 4d. in
money. He likewise provided that his anniversary should be kept at Thelsford for twenty
years after his death at an annual cost of 40s.;
and that one of the Thelsford priests should sing
mass in the chapel for his soul and the souls of
his relatives for six years, 8 marks being paid for
the same. His grave was to be covered with a
marble stone 7 ft. by 4 ft., with the arms and
effigies of himself and wife. (fn. 14) Edmund's wife,
Joan Hungerford, by her will, dated 1514,
desired to be buried by his side, and left 40s.
to the house of Thelsford. (fn. 15)
The Valor of 1535 (fn. 16) gave the clear annual
value of this house as £24 19s.; being a house
of friars it did not come under the provisions of
the Act of 1536.
On 18 March, 1538, William Lucy, of
Hampton Lucy, wrote to the bishop of Worcester that there was a small house near him of the
order of the Trinity, of which he was patron.
There were very few houses of this order in the
realm, the chief being that of St. Robert of
Knaresborough. He was anxious to make an
agreement with the head of the house by which
he might recover the house and land, and he
would continue payment of the tenth yearly
due to the king. (fn. 17)
Edmund David, prior, and three others signed
the surrender of their house to Dr. London for
the king's use on 26 October, 1538. (fn. 18)
Two days later London wrote to the Chancellor of the Augmentations, to the effect that
the house of 'the crossed friars of Thelisforde'
was worth but £18 a year, and that they had
assigned to 'Edmund Davie, late minister there,'
a pension of £5. (fn. 19) Three days later, in a letter
to Cromwell, London stated that he had left
the Thelsford House in the custody of the late
minister and one of the king's servants. He
added the following particulars of an alleged
fraud:—
In the body of the church was an image, at an
altar's end, called 'Maiden Cutbroghe,' and under
her feet a trough of wood descending under the altar
which was hollow. Thither resorted such as had
headache or had any 'slottich widow locks, viz., hair
grown together in a tuft.' They put a peck of oats
into the trough, and when they were once slid under
the altar the friars stole them out from behind, and
the sick must pay a penny for a pint of these Maiden
Cutbroghe oats, and ' then their heads should ache
no more till the next time.'
He pulled down this idol with her manger. (fn. 20)
With regard to Mr. Lucy's request to have
this house, Cromwell at first told London to put
him in possession, but he almost immediately
changed his mind and assigned it to Mr. Cheney. (fn. 21)
On 22 January, 1539, London wrote to
Cromwell that he had committed the custody of
the late friary of Thelsford to Mr. Lucy. He
described the house as in much ruin and the
church little and unfinished. To have defaced
them would not have put £20 in the king's
pocket, but standing as it does it may do
Mr. Lucy's pleasure, whom he describes as a
man of learning, living quietly with his neighbours, and having many children and brothers
and sisters on his hands. (fn. 22)
Ministers Of Thelsford (fn. 23)
Elias, 1247
Robert, temp. Edw. I
Henry, 1309
Simon de Charlecote, 1312
Thomas de Offinton (Offyngton), 1328
Thomas de Charlecote, 1353
William de Clarindon, temp. Ric. II
Robert Bowston, occurs 1440 (fn. 24)
Robert Bolton, 1473
Roger Lynton, 1474
John Brokeden, 1492 (fn. 25)
Robert Brokeden, 1513
Edmund Alcester, 1535
Edmund David, 1538