39. THE COLLEGE OF ST. MARY, WARWICK
The design of making the church of St. Mary,
Warwick, a collegiate establishment, and uniting
with it the priests of the church of All Saints
within the Castle, originated with Henry de
Newburgh, earl of Warwick. He gave to it the
church of Compton Murdock, as a prebend for
the maintenance of one canon, for his own good
estate and that of Margaret his wife. (fn. 1) His son
Roger, in 1123, completed the foundation, at
the request of the clergy of both the churches,
for the health of the souls of William the Conqueror and Maud his wife, of William Rufus, of
Henry I and Maud his wife, and of the present
and late earls of Warwick, and all the faithful
departed, to the end that all the said clerks might
serve God canonically day and night in the
church of Our Lady. They were granted for
their sustenance the Warwickshire churches of
SS. Nicholas, Laurence, Michael, Sepulchre, and
Helen, with their respective appurtenances; two
parts of the tithes of Bidford, Wellesbourne, and
Hardwick; 2 carucates of land near the Long
Bridge; ½ hide of land at Charlecote, with tithe
of the demesnes and of two mills there; ½ hide
of land at Fulbrook, with two parts of the tithe
of the demesne and of the village mill; 1 hide
at Snitterfield, with two parts of the tithe of the
inclosures; and other tithes, lands, or mills at
Claverdon, Sherborne, Milverton, Cotes, Compton, Walton, Caldecote, and Miton. The endowment charter also included the church of
Budbrooke, with all the tithes of that village;
the church of Greetham (Rutland), and the
Warwick churches of SS. John and Peter, as well
as the school of Warwick and sixty houses
within the walls or thereto adjacent. The
charter provided that they might have a dean
and chapter and enjoy the premises as freely and
honourably as the churches of Lincoln, Salisbury,
or York. To these considerable endowments
Earl Roger subsequently added the chapel of
St. James, over the west gate of the town, with a
croft thereto belonging, without the town ditch,
and extending as far as St. John's Chapel on the
other side of the way.
Robert de Curli confirmed the grant of the
church of Budbrooke, acknowledging it to be a
chapel of the mother church of St. Mary, with
120 acres of inclosed land and a house for the
priests thereto pertaining, and the tithes of Budbrooke and its mill; provided that the canons
placed a vicar there, with the consent of Robert
and his heirs. Bishop Simon of Worcester confirmed these grants in 1128, and translated the
priests from the old castle church of All Saints,
uniting them with those of St. Mary, under the
rule of a dean and a chapter of secular canons.
The ordering of this college was considered sufficiently important to require the confirmation of
St. Thomas of Canterbury, Pope Eugenius III,
and afterwards Pope Adrian IV, King Henry I,
and many successive bishops of Worcester.
Early in the reign of Henry II there was a
considerable dispute between Ralph, prior of St.
Sepulchre's, Warwick, and the dean and canons
of St. Mary's. The prior renounced his dependence on the collegiate church, and claimed
parochial rights for his chapel of St. Sepulchre.
Eventually judgement was given in favour of the
college by Pope Adrian IV (1154-9), and this
judgement was afterwards confirmed by St.
Thomas of Canterbury, and other popes and
bishops. (fn. 2)
The canons of St. Mary took curious action
in the reign of Henry III with regard to the
Warwick church of St. Nicholas, on the south
side of the Avon, which was in their gift. They
divided the rectory into three parts, presenting
three rectors. In 1237 Thomas, one of the
rectors, appealed to Pope Gregory on the legality
of their action, and the cardinal of St. Nicholasin-Carcere was ordered to hear the cause.
Thomas alleged that the church had been usually
given to one parson, and that two of these portions being at length void he had demanded of
the late bishop of Worcester to have the church
restored to its original state, as it had been formerly settled in provincial council that in a
church having more than one parson the portion
of one deceased should go to the survivor, but
the bishop had instituted others to these portions. (fn. 3)
Walter de Cantilupe, bishop of Worcester
1237-66, found when visiting this church towards the end of his episcopate that the dean and
canons, though bound to personal residence by
ancient usage, through the connivance or negligence of previous bishops had withdrawn their
attendance and left the performance of worship
to six hired chaplains, who had for their salaries
merely the oblations and obventions of the
parishioners and congregation, and that these
chaplains were being reduced in number, as the
offerings were not sufficient for their support.
The bishop thereupon ordained that the six
chaplains should be definitely established; the
sum of £16 18s. 8d. was to be annually raised for
their support, the prebends of the different canons
being bound to pay certain proportions in addition to the altar profits; the first and principal
chaplain, and the sixth, or last, who were to be
respectively sacrists and rectors of St. John's,
Warwick, were to have £6 18s. 8d. between
them, and the other four chaplains were to divide
the remaining £10. The dean and canons were
also solemnly warned as to personal residence.
This ordinance is cited by Dugdale (fn. 4) from Bishop
Giffard's (1268-1302) register, but the page is
now much mutilated.
On 6 March, 1267, Bishop Giffard visited the
church after sending a letter acquainting the
dean and chapter with his intention. In 1270
John de Plesset, canon of this church, was episcopally warned to make personal residence as
required by his oath.
The dean and canons continued to evade the
settlement made by Bishop Cantilupe, notwithstanding the pressure put upon them by his
successor. In 1282 Robert de Plesset, dean, and
Richard de Preston and Robert de Northampton,
canons, appealed to Canterbury against the visitorial powers of their diocese, for matters had
been brought to a crisis by Giffard excommunicating them for refusing him admission. When
Giffard was visiting the monasteries of Warwickshire in 1284, he issued his mandate on 31 July
to the prior of St. Sepulchre's Warwick to pronounce sentence of excommunication on Robert
de Plesset, 'who called himself dean of the church'
of the Blessed Mary of Warwick,' Richard de
Preston, Robert de Northampton, and other the
canons and chapter of the same church, and to
examine into the rule of the house. On 28 July
the dean of Arches, in the consistory of the
Arches, had confirmed the bishop's sentence of
excommunication, reaffirming his powers as a
visitor. Giffard, who was then at Alcester, must
have issued his mandate immediately on receipt
of the news from London. The earl of Warwick, however, the patron of the college, now
interfered, and he was strong enough to induce
the bishop to withdraw the sentence of excommunication. Meanwhile the dean of Arches
condemned the college in 20 marks as the cost of
their appeal. On 18 September the bishop wrote
to the canons from Bredon, telling them of his
intention to visit. The visitation was made on
5 October, when the bishop was accompanied
by four of his officials; the bishop preached to
the conquered canons from the text 'Cor tuum
fantasias pacietur nisi ab altissimo emissa fuerit
visitatio per Spiritum Sanctum.'
Meanwhile, although excommunication had
been formally withdrawn as against the rest
of the canons and chapter, the bishop was still
engaged in a suit against Robert de Plesset, whom
he declined to recognize as dean; he had probably never been episcopally instituted. On 9
June, 1285, the official of the court of Canterbury ordered the official of the archdeacon of
Worcester to cite Robert de Plesset in an appeal
by William de Herton, late dean of Arches. In
January, 1286, an appeal was entered by the
proctor of the bishop to the apostolic see against
Robert de Plesset, together with a letter from the
bishop to the pope, complaining of Robert having
invoked the power of the secular arm, and having
also appealed to the court of Canterbury against
the sentence of excommunication pronounced on
him by his diocesan. Meanwhile, on the feast
of St. John Baptist of that year, Giffard celebrated
and preached in his prebendal church. The
would-be dean seems to have failed in his appeal
to Rome, for in November of the same year
Giffard wrote to the earl of Warwick stating that
Robert de Plesset, who claimed to be dean of
St. Mary's, Warwick, was involved in the sentence of the greater excommunication, and that,
therefore, the earl should not delay to present a
fit person to the same. At the same time mandate was issued to Peter de Leicester, a canon of
the church, to induct Thomas de Sodynton to
the prebend formerly held by Robert. In March,
1287, the dean of Arches directed the official of
the archdeacon of Worcester to pronounce sentence of excommunication on Robert de Plesset
for contumacy.
On 27 January, 1290, the bishop visited the
canons of St. Mary's, Warwick, and preached.
Eventually, on 16 February of that year, Thomas
de Sodynton was appointed dean, on the presentation of the earl of Warwick, having personally
sworn obedience to the bishop in the cathedral
church of Worcester. (fn. 5)
At the time of the Taxatio of 1291, the gross
disproportion of the prebends of this college
became manifest. The prebend formerly held
by Robert de Plesset was valued at 15 marks, that
of Ralph Hengham at 9 marks, that of Robert de
Northampton at 6½ marks, that formerly held by
Nicholas Warin at 5 marks, that of Peter de
Leicester at 4 marks, and that of the prior of
St. Sepulchre's at ½ a mark. (fn. 6)
In 1302 a dispute arose between Ralph de
Hengham, canon of the church of the Blessed
Mary of Warwick, and William de Apperley,
dean of the same church, as to the advowson
of the church of Budbrooke. On 5 November
the king issued a writ prohibiting the prior of
Worcester from admitting any one to the church
until the matter was settled. (fn. 7)
In 1334 Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, gave to the college the advowson and
appropriation of the church of Pillerton. (fn. 8)
Through the carelessness of the college chapter,
and the aggressive action of those who resisted
their control, it came to pass that by the middle
of the fourteenth century St. Mary's had lost
many of its former privileges and rights. At the
instigation of the then earl of Warwick, Bishop
Whittlesey (1364-8), afterwards archbishop of
Canterbury, fully investigated the circumstances,
and was able to restore most of its rights. But
in two cases their rights had been irretrievably
forfeited, namely over the priory of St. Sepulchre, Warwick, and the church of Greetham,
Rutland. With regard to the old Warwick
churches of SS. John, Michael, Laurence, Peter,
and James, that were then all standing within
the walls of the town, but mostly in ruinous
condition or lacking churchyards, the bishop
decided, by ordinance dated 24 December, 1367,
that there was no necessity for repairing them,
forasmuch as the collegiate church had sufficient
room to receive all the inhabitants, and the
churchyard was spacious enough to bury all
the dead. The parishioners of these small
parishes were therefore enjoined constantly to
frequent St. Mary's, and to make their processions there as heretofore, in acknowledgement of
subjection as their mother church, and to have
sepulture in that churchyard, all other places
within the limits of the town, save the church
and churchyard of St. Nicholas across the water,
being closed for ecclesiastical burial. At the
same time special provision was made towards
equalizing to some extent the values of the different
prebends, the dean's income being scarcely that
of an ordinary chaplain. Notwithstanding, however, the decree of Bishop Whittlesey, the profits
of the Warwick churches of SS. Nicholas,
Peter, and Laurence, as well as that of Budbrooke, were withheld in the time of Richard II,
under the pretence that the ordinance of restitution did not in express words extend to the
successors of the particular dean and canons to
whom it was granted. Consequently, in 1398,
the crown granted fresh letters patent for their
union and appropriation. (fn. 9)
In May, 1364, an indulgence of three years
and three quadrains was granted by the pope to
penitents visiting the collegiate church of Warwick
and giving alms for the repair of the fabric on
the feasts of the Blessed Virgin, and one year
and forty days for those doing the like on other
feasts. (fn. 10)
Thomas, earl of Warwick, obtained licence to
grant to the college, in 1385, the manor of
Haselor and the advowson of the church valued
at 15 marks yearly, and the advowson of Wolfhamcote valued at 25 marks yearly, and the
advowson of Whittlesford, co. Cambridge, valued
at 40 marks yearly. At the same time William
Beauchamp the earl's brother, granted the college
the advowson of Spelsbury, co. Oxford, valued
at 20 marks, and Chaddesley Corbett, co. Worcester, valued at 45 marks. These considerable
additions to the endowment were granted because
the endowment was too scanty for the honourable maintenance of divine service, and the
gifts were coupled with conditions for celebrations for the good estate of the two donors and
the king and queen, and for their souls after
their death. (fn. 11)
In 1401 Walter Power gave the college his
manor of Heathcote on condition of their keeping year by year the obits of himself and of
Margaret his wife. (fn. 12)
Richard Nevill, earl of Warwick, in 1454,
gave them an irregular piece of waste ground,
312 ft. in length, adjoining the dean's garden,
to add to their garden and churchyard. (fn. 13)
Edward IV, in the first year of his reign, in
consideration of certain lapsed tithes at Fulbrook, granted the church a certain portion of
inclosed ground called Northbroke in that lordship. (fn. 14) In 1468 Richard Nevill and Anne his
wife, daughter of Richard Beauchamp, earl of
Warwick, granted to the dean and canons the
manors of Baginton and Wolverton in this
county, with three tenements and one garden
in Warwick adjoining the collegiate churchyard,
to the intent that four priests and two clerks, in
addition to their present number, should be found
for the service of the church. (fn. 15)
In the ancient park of Wedgnock, imparked
by Henry de Newburgh soon after the Conquest,
stood a chapel in a chapel-yard called Cuckow
church, in the patronage of the earl of Warwick.
In the year 1500 Henry VII granted this site to
the dean and chapter of Warwick together with
40s. rent thereto belonging in lieu of glebe. It
was recited in the letters patent that the chapel
had been down to the ground for a long time,
that the place and chapel-yard were employed
for profane uses, that there were no inhabitants
there to rebuild it, and that therefore it was
bestowed on the college to the intent that a place
once consecrated might be reconverted to pious
uses. (fn. 16)
Towards the end of the chartulary there is a
full and interesting inventory of the church
goods, taken at the feast of the Purification 1407,
by John Besseford, sacristan. (fn. 17)
The books include—
First viii Massebooks and a Gospellary and a
Pistelary. Also vi new graduelles and ii olde. Also
ii troperes. Also viii Portos with Legend, and ii
Legends, the one of temp (Summer) another of
Wynter. Also iii new Antiphoners and ii olde. Also
iiii Sauters. Also vi processionals, and another with
an Emanuel. (fn. 18) Also a Martyrologe and an ymner
with junctotories (sic). Also a new emanuel and an
Ordinal. Also a Catholicon.
Under the head 'Sylver Herneys' are given
various treasures, including—
A berill herneysed wyth sylver and gilt and
enamayled. . . . Also a coupe of sylver and wyth
ynne a peece of sylver, and a boiste of gold of Watkyn
Powers gift. . . . A boiste (fn. 19) of sylver for brede and
a shelle of sylver. Twey censers of sylver, and a shippe
of sylver with a spone. A tixte wyth a crucifixe Mari
and Johon over helid wyth sylver. (fn. 20) Also a new
canape with the crownes and a belle of silver and gilt
of Watkyn Poweres gift.
Amongst the less valuable furniture of the
church were—
Foure staves of uwe (yew) for ye rectors. . . . A
peyre of pynsons and hamor of yron al yn on. . . .
Also a crosse for eche (i.e. every) day. iiii peyre
cruettis of peuter. Twey super altaries. Twey
peynted tables on of ye nativite and on of ye resurrecxion, and a pax brede peynted.
There was the usual store of rich vestments
always found in wealthy collegiate churches, two
items may be quoted as showing how many
separate articles were included in the comprehensive term 'a vestment.'
An hole vestiment of blewe of my ladyes gift of
Warwick that is to say foure aubis iiii amyces wyth
the parures ii chesibles ii tonycles iiii stolis iiii fanons
iiii girdeles iiii copes ii anticlothis ii curtyns a frontel
and a towaile, ii pilowes, and a tapit (carpet), of the
same sute. Also an hole vestiment of cloth of gold,
which is cald the kyngs vestiment that is to say iii aubes
iii amyces wyth the parures a chesible ii tonyclis ii
stolis iii fanons iii girdeles and twey copis of the same
sute.
The 'baners and penons' included 'iiii crosse
baners, on of ye assumpcion and xv other goode
baners,' 'ii penons of ragged staves,' another
'penon of Greys armes and elmely armies
quartely.'
Under the general head of 'Relikes' occur
the following entries: but only the first paragraph
are relics. The subsequent list of relics shows
that the 'skelet' was St. Brandon's frying pan,
and that the horn pertained to St. George.
Also saint Thomas heire. Also vi relikes of cristal
herneysed with silver gilt. A flat relike with cristals.
Also a flat relike closid yn a cas. An horn of yvore.
A skelet with a skele. Also a myter, a croce (crosier)
and a peyre of wollen gloves with iii rynges of goold
on with a rubye. Also an othir ryng of goolde with
an emerand of anneys martyns gift. Also a chesible
an aube and an amyce for the bishop.
Also v copes, ii arkes, xiii sconses. An olde combe
of yon, and iiii rede longe small staves for baners.
Also a bastard (fn. 21) gowne of blewe cloth of damaske.
Also a crucifixe embroided, and a canape with a coupe
of tre (fn. 22) and an aungel of tre gilt.
There is also a short separate inventory of
goods' at my lorde's auter.' The earl's altar
was apparently only used for requiem or anniversary purposes. There was a black worsted
vestment, and another of new black satin. The
other articles named were a latten chandelier,
and a curtain of red tartaryn, a mass book, and a
silver-gilt chalice.
Also othir bookis
A bible, a peyre decrees, ii peire decretals, the tixte
of the forthe booke of sentence. (fn. 23) A pupi' oculi, (fn. 24)
a raymond, (fn. 25) a breton, (fn. 26) Ysidoris ethiar. (fn. 27)
It is particularly interesting to note, from a
brief memorandum in a later hand attached to
the second list of books other than service books,
that Master John Rous had five books in his
hands for the term of his life, and that two books
were in the hands of Sir William Blaumford
after a like manner, and that two indentures as
to this were in the chest (capsula) of Warwick
in the treasury of Master John Rous, who had
placed the five books in his new library. (fn. 28)
Master John Rous must be the historian of
Warwick of that name, whose Historia Regum
Anglie, with many references to the town, was
published by Hearne in 1716. He was a native
of Warwick and towards the end of his life
went to reside at the hermitage at Guy's Cliff as
one of the two chantry priests. He died on 14 January, 1491, and was buried in this collegiate
church. Leland says that he built a library over
the south porch of the church, where he placed
many books and his own manuscripts, and gives
the titles of some that he noticed. The remains
of this library were swept away by the great fire
which consumed all the church save the quire.
In connexion with the wealth of vestments
possessed by this church, it is of interest to note
that on 11 October, 1415, it was ordained by
the dean and chapter of the collegiate church
that for the future every canon on his admission
should give to the church a new silk cope of
bawdekyn, or of satin, or of silk woven with
gold. (fn. 29)
The relics named in a full list of the year
1445 were numerous and remarkable. They
included, beside a fragment of the cross, portions
of the hair, milk, and garments of the Blessed
Virgin, bones and other relics of more than
thirty saints, amongst which were an ivory horn
of St. George, a stone on which his blood fell
when he was martyred, and the frying-pan of
St. Brandon. But the most extraordinary relics
were a piece of the burning bush which Moses
saw, part of the seat (cathedra) of the patriarch
Abraham, and some of the oil in which fire came
down from heaven at Pentecost!
The full annual value of the college was
entered in their register for the year 1461 as
£235 6s. 3d. The considerable benefaction of
1468, together with greater care in administration, greatly increased its value, so that the Valor
Ecclesiasticus of 1535 certified the annual revenues
to be £334 2s. 3½d. Out of this sum there were
allowed in stipends, to the dean, £26 13s. 4d.;
to John Watwood, holding the prebend of
St. Peter, £13 6s. 8d.; to John Fisher, holding
the prebend of St. John Baptist, £13 6s. 8d.;
and to David Vaughan, prebendary of St. Lawrence, to Thomas Leason, prebendary of St.
Michael, and to Robert Wythington, prebendary of St. James, £2 each. In addition to
these Robert Hoole, curate of the parish church,
received £6 13s. 4d.; ten priest-vicars, daily
serving in the collegiate church, £7 6s. 8d.
each; and six choristers, £2 each. (fn. 30)
Dean Carvanell, upon his resignation in 1515,
was assigned an annual pension of £8 17s. 9d.,
which was to be paid to him half-yearly on the
font (super fontem baptismalem) of the collegiate
church.
In June, 1538, Bishop Latimer wrote to
Cromwell inclosing the complaint of the canons
of Warwick, as to their poverty, whilst 'the
vicar and ministers sing unwaged.' The bishop
asked that they might have 'some piece of some
broken abbey, or they will go shortly to naught.' (fn. 31)
In the following October complaint was made
as to John Wetwood the treasurer, who was
'put up at the visitation as a lecher and fighter
and disquieter of his company;' that is of the
college. (fn. 32) But in September, 1539, John Wetwood appears to have succeeded against his brother
canons, for he is there named as 'president.' (fn. 33)
The college was dissolved in 1544, and
granted by the crown to the burgesses of
Warwick. (fn. 34)
Deans of St. Mary's (fn. 35)
Robert Plesset, 1282
Thomas de Sodynton, 1290
William de Apperley, 1297 (fn. 36) (or 96)?
Robert Tankard, 1306
Richard de Alcester, 1313
Robert de Geryn, 1314
Robert de Lee, 1321
Thomas Lench, 1338
Robert de Endredeby, 1340 (fn. 37)
Nicholas Southam, 1361
Thomas Yonge, 1395
John Porter, 1432
Robert Cherbury, 1443
William Berkswell, 1454
John Southwell, 1469
Edmund Albone, M.D., 1481
Richard Brackenburgh, 1485 (fn. 38)
William Stokedale, 1498
Edward Haseley, 1498
Ralph Colingwode, 1507
John Allestre, 1510
John Carvanell, 1515
John Knightley, 1542
The fourteenth-century seal is a pointed oval:
the Virgin, with crown, seated on a carved
throne, the Child on the left knee. In base,
under a pointed arch with foliage on each side,
the dean, half-length, in prayer, to the right.
Legend:—
S' DECANI ET CAPITVLI S . . . . . . MARIE DE
WAREWIKE (fn. 39)