18. THE ABBEY OF DUREFORD (fn. 1)
About the year 1160 Henry Hussey granted
to Berengar, abbot of Welbeck, land at Dureford, part of his demesne of Harting, for the
establishment of a house of Premonstratensian
canons. The abbey of St. Mary and St. John
the Baptist of Dureford was therefore founded
as a daughter of Welbeck, with the consent of
Henry II and Hilary, bishop of Chichester. (fn. 2)
The founder and his son Henry made considerable grants of lands in the immediate neighbourhood, which were further added to by many
local landowners, including William de Braose,
who gave them certain salt-pans near Bramber
and a tun of red wine yearly for use at mass.
Gifts of provisions were also made by the younger
Henry Hussey, who granted them the tithe of all
the victuals used in his house at Harting—later
converting this into a money rent of 15s. assigned to the refectory; he also gave them the
tithe of cheese from his demesnes. (fn. 3) The same
benefactor gave them leave to use any quarry
on his lands for the building of their abbey,
and William le Vesselir added a quarry at
'Wyhus.' (fn. 4) Henry Hussey further bestowed
upon the canons his chapel of Standen, and the
church of Rogate, reserving a pension of 25s. to
the abbey of Séez. (fn. 5) He further endowed the
church of Dureford on the day of its dedication
with a grove adjoining the London road. (fn. 6)
Other lands were obtained by gift and purchase, and in 1248 the abbey acquired the site
and property of the lazar-house of Harting from
the master of the order of St. Lazarus for £80. (fn. 7)
The Hampshire manor of Sonworth was given
in 1267 by Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, (fn. 8) possibly
in memory of his brother William de Clare, who
had been buried here after his death from poison
treacherously administered in 1258. (fn. 9) Consequently by 1291 the abbey's property in Sussex
and elsewhere reached the value of £55. Gifts
continued to be made, some being assigned for
special purpose, as for masses or lights at the altars
of the Blessed Virgin, Holy Cross, or St. Catherine.
The younger Henry Hussey gave certain lands for
the support of two canons to celebrate early
masses at the altar of the Holy Trinity and of
St. Eutropius. (fn. 10) The donors were sometimes rewarded by grants of corrodies, several instances of
which occur apart from those compulsorily granted
to royal nominees. (fn. 11) The only benefaction which
need be noticed, however, is the advowson of
the church of Compton in Surrey given by John
de Bridford in 1330, (fn. 12) and appropriated by royal
licence in 1346. (fn. 13)
The life of the abbey, though situated in a
quiet and remote part of the country, seems not
to have been uneventful. Thus in 1317 the
abbot complained that his house had been broken
into and robbed by thieves. (fn. 14) Other visitors,
more honourable, but probably not much less
expensive, came in September, 1324, when the
king and his suite stayed here one day. (fn. 15) Walter
Hussey came to the rescue in 1327 with a gift
of 100 marks, in return for which one extra
canon was to be supported to pray for the benefactor and his family; (fn. 16) but in spite of this, the
bishop of Chichester, writing about 1335, said
that the monastery was reduced to great poverty
by thieves stealing their goods and burning their
buildings. (fn. 17)
Fire again inflicted serious injury in 1417,
when the tower of the church was struck by
lightning and destroyed, with its eight bells, of
which five were remade the next year by John
Ultyng, 'abbot elect (provisus) and formerly
canon professed of Bileigh.' (fn. 18) This abbot had
been elected in 1404, but had resigned in 1411,
when Nicholas Baldewyn, sub-prior of Bayham,
succeeded him; he seems, however, to have temporarily recovered his abbacy, probably about
1417, as he addressed a petition (fn. 19) to the chancellor complaining that whereas he had been
restored by authority of the court of Canterbury
to his monastery, John Chetham, abbot of Bayham, with two of his canons, and three canons of
Dureford, had ejected him by force, so that for
fear of his life he dared not remain; they had further
carried off a pastoral staff and other ornaments,
vestments, relics, and muniments to the value of
£400. The outcome of this action is not certain,
but in 1418 John Ultyng, canon of Beeleigh
was arrested for felony. (fn. 20)
Abbot Stephen Mersey was deposed about 1444
for running into debt, allowing the buildings to
go to ruin, pledging the jewels, and other acts of
misgovernance. Foreseeing his fate he secretly
sealed a deed granting an annuity of £20 to one
Thomas Browne to his own use for the term of
his life. This deed was declared void by the
Court of Chancery and also by the 'faders of the
Ordre,' at their general chapter, when Stephen was
'assigned to abide in another place of that religion
called Newe. Hous in the diocese of Lincolne
under obedience upon the peyn of cursyng,
the which he utterly disobeieth,' continuing to
distrain, as Abbot Walter complained, 'to the
infinall distruccion of sayd monasterie for evermore onlasse then ye of your gracious faderwhode sette your hand of supportacion,' as the
house had barely 100 marks a year and was
much in debt, 'also the reparacon of the chyrche
of the sayd monasterie wyth all that longyth
thereto wyth granges myllys byth soo rewnys
that ys grate pyte to see and passyth your por
bedmen power to repayre.' Moreover for fear
of distraints many tenants had departed and even
some of the brethren, 'and moo ben like withoute hasty remedi be had soo that devyn servyce
their is like to ceisse.' (fn. 21)
The same Abbot Walter who uttered this
piteous complaint had also to complain of the
action of Sir Henry Hussey of South Harting,
who in 1454 came with an armed mob, and
threatened to burn the monastery, so that the
canons had to watch all night, and divine service
was neglected, and two years later he twice came
and threatened to slay the abbot, and actually
'felonsly slough' one of his servants. (fn. 22)
In November, 1465, Abbot Walter died and
the convent sent brother Robert Kyppyng to
take the news and the late abbot's seal to the
abbot of Welbeck. (fn. 23) At the same time Nicholas
Hussey, who had succeeded the turbulent Sir
Henry as patron, wrote to the same father abbot
asking that the head of the neighbouring abbey
of Titchfield might hold the election as soon as
possible. (fn. 24) The abbot of Welbeck agreed to this
and wrote to his brother of Titchfield to act for
him. (fn. 25) It is probable that the bearer of the letter
to the father abbot was himself chosen abbot, as
in 1475, when Bishop Redman visited Dureford,
Robert Kyppyng was head of the community,
with five brethren and two novices not yet professed, as well as two other brethren, who are
noted as 'apostate and fugitive.' (fn. 26) At his visitation in 1478 the bishop found the two apostates
had returned, but were in disgrace, deprived of
their stalls and of all voice in the affairs of the
convent; at the abbot's request he restored
them. He further enjoined that all should rise
for mattins, and should do the work assigned
them indoors or out. The debts of the house,
which had stood at £80, had been reduced to £8,
and the stores of grain, &c., are noted as sufficient. (fn. 27)
By 1482 the debt of £8 had been wiped out,
but plague had visited the house and carried off
most of the inmates, the abbot and three canons
alone surviving, apparently. Bishop Redman, who
held his visitation at the Grey Friars' church in
Chichester, (fn. 28) possibly because the plague was still
prevalent at Dureford, condoled with the abbot,
but required him to repair his buildings and to
fill up the number of brethren, assigning to his
house Walter Speer, canon of Torre, then
present, who had been temporarily banished to
Dureford at the chapter in 1478. (fn. 29) Six years
later, in 1488, the community still consisted of
only the abbot, Robert Kyppyng, and four
canons, a note being added that the others are
dead. (fn. 30) Orders were again given for the increase of their number; and a newly contracted
debt of 50 marks was attributed to the burning
of certain buildings. This time the orders
were obeyed, five novices being added before
October, 1491, when Redman was again
here and found practically nothing to correct. (fn. 31)
In 1494 there were eight canons besides the
abbot, but the bishop considered the number too
small; he further gave strict orders for the rebuilding of the cloister, which was quite ruined. (fn. 32)
At the visitation of 1497 the abbot is not mentioned, but the names of ten canons are given,
and they are stated to be lax in the observance
of silence and given to leaving their monastery;
the cloister also had got into a still worse state,
but the debts of the house were only £16 and its
stock sufficient. (fn. 33) The debt had fallen to 10 marks
in 1500, but the cloister had not been rebuilt,
and the number of canons was only eight inclusive of the abbot and two novices; moreover
the prior was acting as vicar of Rogate, but was
ordered to give up his cure and reside amongst
his brethren. Three of the canons had incurred
punishment by going out of the precincts without licence, but nothing else was found amiss. (fn. 34)
There was another visitation, by the abbot of
Welbeck, in September, 1506, but no details
have been preserved. (fn. 35)
Layton, in a letter to Cromwell, (fn. 36) dated
26 September, 1535, writes contemptuously of
the poverty of Dureford:
which might better be called Dirtforde—the poorest
abbey I have seen, as this bearer, the abbot, can tell
you—far in debt and in great decay. This young
man, for his time, has done well, and I have licensed
him to repair to you for the liberty of himself and his
brethren.
The income of the house being only
£108 13s. 9d. the abbey was suppressed in
1536. The abbot, John Sympson, was appointed to the abbacy of Titchfield in Hampshire, (fn. 37) and on resigning that house was
offered the Sussex living of Horsted Keynes. (fn. 38)
In 1541 he was called to account for having
fraudulently sold various cattle between the time
that the abbey was taken into the king's hands
and its actual dissolution. (fn. 39)
Abbots of Dureford
Robert, occurs 1173-1180 (fn. 40)
W., occurs 1198 (fn. 41)
Robert, occurs 1204 (fn. 42)
Jordan, occurs 1219 (fn. 43)
Robert, occurs 1229 (fn. 44)
William, occurs 1231-1244 (fn. 45)
Valentine, occurs 1248-1252 (fn. 46)
Nicholas, occurs temp. Henry III (fn. 47)
John, occurs 1258 (fn. 48) -1286 (fn. 49)
Osbert, occurs 1310 (fn. 50) -1315 (fn. 51)
John, occurs 1321 (fn. 52)
Thomas, occurs 1323 (fn. 53) -1329 (fn. 54)
Henry, occurs 1334 (fn. 55)
John atte Re, occurs 1364 (fn. 56)
John Heuerwyk, occurs 1380 (fn. 57)
John, occurs 1400 (fn. 58)
John Chelchester, elected 1401 (fn. 59)
John Ultyng, elected 1404, (fn. 60) resigned 1411
Nicholas Baldewyn, elected 1411 (fn. 61)
John Ultyng, re-elected 1418 (fn. 62)
Thomas Dollyng, occurs 1424 to 1432 (fn. 63)
Stephen Mersey, occurs 1440, (fn. 64) deposed c.
1444 (fn. 65)
Walter Mene, occurs c. 1454, (fn. 66) died 1465 (fn. 67)
Robert Kyppyng, elected c. 1465, (fn. 68) resigned
1501
Robert York, elected 1501 (fn. 69)
Henry Skynner, occurs 1528, (fn. 70) 1529 (fn. 71)
John Sympson, occurs 1533, (fn. 72) surrendered
1536 (fn. 73)
The oval thirteenth-century seal shows the
Virgin and Child and St. John the Baptist
standing under a double canopy; in base, the
abbot kneeling. (fn. 74) Legend:—
SIGILLUM ABBATIS ET CONVENTUS DE DUREFORD
A round seal of the fourteenth century has
the Virgin seated under a triple canopy between
two saints; in base, between a hart (in reference to Harting) and a hind, a shield of arms—
a pastoral staff palewise, over all a griffin
passant. (fn. 75) Legend:—
* SIGILL . . . ŌVĒTUS MON' DE DUREFORD
ORDiS PMŌSTRATĒTIS ECCLIE