HOUSES OF AUSTIN CANONS
5. PRIORY OF ST. MARY OF MERTON
Various dates have been assigned for the
foundation of this Austin priory. Stowe
states that it was founded in 1092, but the
Annals of Waverley (fn. 1) and Matthew Paris
give the year 1117, (fn. 2) which seems the
generally accepted date. The foundation
charter of Henry I., (fn. 3) dated 1121, granting
the royal town of Merton to canons regular
to enable them to erect a permanent church
and conventual buildings in honour of the
Blessed Virgin, speaks of them as already
established there. An early MS. of the
College of Arms gives however some interesting details which appear to reconcile
varying accounts. (fn. 4) According to that narrative Henry I. gave the manor of Merton to
Gilbert Norman, sheriff of Surrey, who in
the year 1115 built a temporary monastery
of timber at this place. He then requested
and obtained the king's patronage for accomplishing the work, and applied to the prior
of the regular canons at Huntingdon for
assistance. The prior of Huntingdon assigned
Robert Bayle, the sub-prior, to superintend
the work. On his arrival at Merton, Gilbert
delivered to him the newly erected buildings,
of which Robert became prior, and bestowed
two plough-lands, a mill of 60s. rent and
some villeins, promising eventually to grant
the whole manor. The founder brought
prelates and nobles of the land to see the
place and recommended it to their patronage.
Among others Queen Maud expressed her
interest in the welfare of the new foundation.
After two years the prior, expressing his dissatisfaction with the site, which seems to have
been close to the parish church, obtained the
founder's consent to remove to the spot where
the priory eventually stood. A chapel of
wood was speedily built there and consecrated by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester. The prior went in procession, with
fifteen brethren, to the new monastery two
years and five months after his appointment, the
founder and an immense crowd being present. Queen Maud and her son visited the
new habitation. The queen's death in 1118
was a great blow to the rising house for
the king was at that time averse to the settlement of lands on religious houses, and
refused his consent to the bestowal by the
founder of the manor of Merton. In 1121,
a crusade was being prepared, and a meeting
of prelates and nobles was held at Winchester.
Gilbert and Prior Robert attended and promised as a contribution that the convent
would raise the sum of one hundred pounds
of silver and six marks of gold. This generous
contribution towards the crusade won the
king's consent, and a definite charter for the
establishment of the priory under royal patronage and for its endowment with the manor of
Merton to be held free and quit of all exactions
as it was held by the Crown with right of soc,
sac, tol, theam and infangnethef (fn. 5) was the
result. On their return from Winchester
Gilbert assembled all the men of the village
in the convent and surrendered the manor
and its villeins to the prior and canons, who
then numbered twenty-three brethren.
The first stone of the new priory church
was not laid until 1130, the founder laying
the first stone, the prior the second, and the
brethren, who then numbered thirty-six, each
laying one in succession. Gilbert died in
July of that year and was buried within
the convent walls. (fn. 6) He is stated by
Dugdale, on the authority of Leland,
to have added to the endowment of the
priory the church of Kingston-on-Thames
with the chapelries of Thames Ditton,
East Molesey, Petersham and Sheen. (fn. 7) The
cloister and other buildings were completed in 1136, when the canons were
inducted by the Bishops of Rochester and
St. Asaph, deputed for that purpose by
William de Corbeuil, Archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 8) In 1156, during the rule of Robert,
the second prior, (fn. 9) Henry II. gave to the
canons the manor of Ewell in Surrey with its
members, Kingswood and Selswood. (fn. 10) In
1252 Henry III., inspecting and confirming
the charters granted by his predecessors to the
priory, confirmed, among others, a charter of
Henry II., granting that all the goods of the
canons of St. Mary of Merton should be
free of toll and passage and all custom
throughout England, that they should have
pasturage for their breeding mares and pannage
for their swine in all royal forests, and that
they should not be impleaded by any tenant
holding of their demesne except before the
king or his chief justice. (fn. 11) A charter of
Richard I. confirmed to the canons all gifts
made to them to be held fully and freely as
other abbeys and religious houses held with
right of soc, sac, tol, theam and infangnethef,
free of all secular service and quit of suits,
plaints of the shire and hundred court, the
payment of geld and danegeld and money
pertaining to murder and theft. (fn. 12)
Among other grants to the prior and
canons were lands in Alconbury and
Upton confirmed by Henry III., (fn. 13) and the
church of Effingham, said to have been
bestowed by William de Dammartin. (fn. 14) the
father of Odo de Dammartin, founder and
benefactor of the Austin Hospital of Tandridge. (fn. 15) Frequent mention in the records of
the reign of John show that the canons had
at this time secured an influential position
and full recognition. An order was sent by
the king in 1205 to the bailiffs of the port
of Portsmouth directing them to find a passage for the king's nuncios, one of whom was
a canon of Merton, proceeding on the king's
business to Normandy, and to take from them
security that they were leaving on no sinister
pretext and that they carried nothing beyond personal provision. (fn. 16) In 1214 Henry,
canon of Merton, was elected prior of Carlisle. (fn. 17) The priory seems at one time to have
been entrusted with articles of considerable
value. John granted letters patent on 27
June 1215, testifying that he had received
at Winchester by the hands of Adam, the
cellarer of Merton, valuables committed to
the custody of the prior of Merton by royal
command. (fn. 18) In 1218 Prior Walter, 'spurning the pomp and riches of the world and
loving the quietness of solitude,' resigned his
office in order to assume the habit of a Carthusian monk. (fn. 19) The sub-prior and canons
received a licence from the king to elect a
successor to their late head, (fn. 20) and on 6
November the royal assent was given to the
election of Thomas the cellarer. He was
one of the arbitrators in the settlement of a
dispute in 1222 between Eustace, Bishop of
London, and the abbot of Westminster as
to the subjection of the abbey to the see of
London. (fn. 21) His death occurred in September
of the same year. In the December following
during a great tempest which raged throughout England, causing many deaths and untold
damage, the tower of Merton priory was
blown down, (fn. 22) and to assist in repairing the
damage thus caused the prior received permission from Henry III. in 1225 to take six
old oak trees from Windsor Forest. (fn. 23) On 1
December 1230 Archbishop Richard consecrated Elias of Radnor Bishop of Llandaff in
the conventual church of Merton; this raised
a protest from the monks of Canterbury at
the ceremony not taking place in the
cathedral church. (fn. 24) Prior Giles de Bourne
resigned in 1231 in order to become a Cistercian monk at Beaulieu, and was succeeded
in his office by Henry de Basinges, subcellarer of that house. (fn. 25)
During the rule of this prior several
striking scenes in connection with national
history took place at the monastery. Hither
in 1232 fled for sanctuary Hubert de Burgh,
the great justiciar of England, whereupon
the king ordered him to come forth and
abide the issue of the law, but Hubert, distrusting the king, declined to leave his
asylum. Henry III. being enraged ordered
the lord mayor of London to summon all
citizens that could bear arms and to take
Hubert alive or dead. An armed mob of
20,000 speedily assembled and marched on
Merton. As they neared the priory the
hunted man took up his station before the high
altar to await what might befall, but to the
great relief of the prior and canons wiser
counsels prevailed with the king, and at the
eleventh hour the array was dismissed.
Eventually Hubert de Burgh left the priory
under what he believed to be a royal safe-conduct. (fn. 26) The large buildings of the monastery
were used in 1236 for the holding of the
Parliament which passed the famous Statutes
of Merton, thus named from the place of
assembly. (fn. 27) It was here also that in 1217
Cardinal Gualo, the pope's legate, concluded
the peace between Henry III. and the
French prince. (fn. 28) Prior Henry died at the
close of 1238, and was succeeded in January
1238-9 by Robert de Hexham, in whose
time the seal of the priory was renewed in
silver; it was received on 11 December
1241. (fn. 29) The prior of Merton, together with
the abbot of Malmesbury, was suspended for
opposing the demands of the papal emissary
sent to England in 1244 to extort money
from the clergy by every means, especially
from the religious orders, and armed with
plenary powers to excommunicate, suspend
and punish. (fn. 30) A charter of Eustace, who
became prior in 1249, granted to Sir John
de Haunsard and Lady Gundreda his wife
the right of participating in all the spiritual
blessings in the house and of choosing their
place of sepulture within the church, before
the altar of which two canons should be
assigned successively to celebrate for their
souls. On the news of the death of one or
the other the convent engaged to receive the
body with tolling of bells and obsequies to be
made as for a prior. Their names should be
entered in the martyrology of the house, their
anniversary kept, and a pittance made for both
to the value of one mark. (fn. 31)
A sum of 600 marks was bequeathed by
Peter Chaseporc, who died on the eve of
Christmas 1255, to buy land in England to
build a house of canons from Merton. (fn. 32)
During the rule of Gilbert de Asshe in
1258 convocation of Canterbury was summoned to meet at Merton Priory under the
presidency of Archbishop Boniface, when articles of much importance were promulgated. (fn. 33)
In the same year the archbishop granted a
licence to the prior and convent permitting
them to appropriate the church of Patrixbourne to their own use, and ordained that in
future the prior of Merton should present a
canon whom the archbishop and his successors
should admit to the church. (fn. 34) The convent
at the request of Walter de Merton, founder
of Merton College, consented to remit to the
use of its scholars the advowson of the church
of Malden. (fn. 35) The canons obtained a licence
from the Crown in 1299 to appropriate the
church of Effingham in their own patronage
and of the annual value of twenty marks. (fn. 36)
The taxation roll of 1291 affords abundant
evidence of the wealth of this house. In
addition to a very large number of advowsons,
appropriations and ecclesiastical pensions the
priory then held temporalities in thirty-two
London parishes of the annual value of
£39 1s. 6d. (fn. 37) ; their temporalities in the diocese
of Winchester amounted to £43 9s., (fn. 38) and
they held property in twelve counties outside
the dioceses of London and Winchester.
The prior of Merton was summoned with
other prelates to the Parliament held in 1264
to consult with Simon de Montfort on the
affairs of the realm. (fn. 39) He was also summoned to
attend the Parliaments held in 1295 and 1299. (fn. 40)
There was a large exodus of ecclesiastics from
England in 1274 to attend the Council of
Lyons, and early in that year Prior Gilbert of
Merton received letters of protection to last
until midsummer. (fn. 41) In 1285 the king, being
as he represented in urgent need of money,
borrowed £500 from a tenth (fn. 42) collected from
the clergy of the province of Canterbury in
aid of the Holy Land and deposited in Merton
Priory, promising by letters patent that the
loan should be repaid within a certain time,
and in the meantime to hold the convent
harmless against the pope and any nuncio.
The canons had to wait a considerable time
before the borrowed money was returned. A
petition, undated, addressed to the king by
the prior urgently requested that he would
restore the £500 in which he was bound by
letters obligatory; two-thirds of the money
had been paid already, and he was bound to
furnish the remaining sum by Easter under
pain of interdict. (fn. 43) On 1 March 1302-3 the
king, reciting the circumstances under which
the money was taken, confirmed his letters
patent of the previous October, assigning to
the prior and canons for eight years in return
for the money which they had been obliged
to find, the farm of £30 paid by the prior of
Banwell for the manor of Chesterton, and a
rent of assize of £32 18s. 10d. in the city
and suburbs of London forfeited by the
notorious Adam de Stratton. These grants
amounting to £503 10s. 8d., the king exacted
a return of 70s. 8d. at the end of the term. (fn. 44)
The prior of Merton received in common
with other religious houses frequent requests
for aid during the reign of Edward II. Thus
in December 1307 he was asked to furnish
two good carts and horses to be at Westminster on St. Stephen's Day to carry part of
the royal equipment to Dover, the king promising to pay the expenses of the man leading
the carts and of the horses in going and returning. (fn. 45) In June 1310 came a request for
victuals in aid of the Scotch war, (fn. 46) and a
demand in the following August for the sum
of twenty marks to be paid to the keeper of
the king's wardrobe, which sum the king had
previously requested the prior to pay, and his
excuses for not complying with the royal request were considered insufficient. (fn. 47) A certain
slackness at this time may have been due to
want of funds; the Close Rolls of Edward II.
record the acknowledgment of large debts on
the part of the convent to citizens and merchants of London, foreign lenders and others.
In 1309 the prior and canons obtained a
licence from the Crown for the appropriation
of the church of Cuddington of their own
advowson. (fn. 48) The Bishop of Winchester in
confirming the appropriation refers to the
'manifest poverty' of the house occasioned by
no fault of the convent, but the result of the
care displayed in ministering to the poor
and the exercise of frequent hospitalities. (fn. 49) In
1317 the priory mortgaged to Philip de Barthon, archdeacon of Surrey, all tithes of corn
and fruit and the great tithes of the church of
Effingham for a term of six years, thus securing a loan of £26. (fn. 50) The charges on the
house by way of corrodies and pensions must
have been great, and the king seems to have
exercised to the full his prerogative in this
respect as patron. On 25 January 1312-3
Lambert Clays, who had long served the king
and his father, was sent to the prior and convent to receive maintenance in their house for
life. (fn. 51) Similarly in June 1317 Alan de Sancto
Botulpho, (fn. 52) and in December 1318 Geoffrey
de Thorpe (fn. 53) were bestowed there as royal life
pensioners. During the reign of Edward III.
Thomas Holbode, carrier (portitor), of the
king's wardrobe was sent in April 1331 to
receive such maintenance in the house as John
de Bul, deceased, had had by the late king's
request, (fn. 54) and again in 1340 Bartholomew de
Langele was sent to receive the maintenance
which the convent provided for Nicholas de
la Garderobe at the request of Edward I. (fn. 55)
John Mareys was sent as a pensioner in March
1342-3 in the place of John Nichol, deceased. (fn. 56)
In accordance with the practice of imposing a
king's clerk on houses of royal patronage on
the occasion of the creation of a new prior,
the convent received in May 1335 following
the election of Thomas de Kent, Richard
Murymouth, until such time as he should be
provided by them with a suitable benefice. (fn. 57)
On similar conditions Henry de Borewell was
granted a pension in 1340 on the succession
of Thomas de Lytlynton as prior. (fn. 58) Besides
these charges Stephen de Staplebrigg, a
Templar, was sent to do penance in the
monastery of St. Mary Merton, and in 1313
Henry de Cobham, keeper of the late Templars' lands in Surrey, was ordered to pay to
the Bishop of Winchester the arrears for his
maintenance, to wit 4d. a day from the time
of his appointment as keeper and to continue
to pay the same. (fn. 59) A few years later the Bishop
of London, in accordance with a bull of Pope
John XXII., sent to the convent Thomas
Totty, a lay brother of the late order, to end
his days there. (fn. 60)
The priory was involved from the days of
John in frequent suits which must have
harassed them to some extent if it resulted
in no pecuniary loss. In Michaelmas term
1202 a suit was impending between Simon,
son of Richard, and the prior of Merton respecting half a virgate of land in Fifhide.
The prior claimed that the plot in question
was parcel of Ewell, a manor which had
been granted to the canons by Henry II. to
be held in free alms as the king held it in
desmesne, and the plea being maintained the
assize did not proceed. (fn. 61) In Easter term
1206 William, clerk of Tunbridge, was sued
by the prior and canons for an annual rent
of 2s. claimed by them as the gift of Roger,
son of Odo, who confirmed by charter to the
church of Merton in free alms his gift of all
that land which the widow Alditha held of
him. Judgment was deferred till certain
inquiries could be made. (fn. 62) In the same term
the prior summoned Brian, son of Ralph, and
Gunnora his wife for the advowson of the
church of Malden as that which Eudo de
Meldon gave with his body in free alms to
the convent. The verdict is not given, (fn. 63) but
as the church was bestowed later, on the
scholars of the college founded by Walter de
Merton, it would appear that the convent
were able to maintain their claim. The
prior of Merton brought a suit against Samson de Molesey in Trinity term 1212 for
having diverted the course of the water at
Molesey to the injury of the free tenant of the
priory there. (fn. 64) During the reign of Henry III.
there appears to have been some violence in
connection with the chapel of Ropley. The
sheriff of Southampton was ordered to remove
the lay force by which the men of the prior
of Merton were being obstructed, so that they
might have free entry to the chapel, and to
take pledges from those causing the obstruction to appear before the king to answer for
their violence. The sheriff was further commanded to attach Master Alberic, the official
of the archdeacon of Winchester, to answer
for his action in collating and instituting to
the chapel contrary to the claim of the king,
in whose hands the right of presentation had
devolved by reason of the voidance of the see
of Winchester, and enjoined to remove all
force cleric or lay, and to take all who obstructed to answer for what they had done. (fn. 65)
In the year 1253 a dispute arose between
the king's bailiff and the convent, and on the
morrow of the Feast of St. Martin, Henry de
Tuglur, the prior's bailiff, was attached to
answer to the king why they had neglected
to convey the king's treasure through the district of Kingston as required by his bailiff, why
they neglected to keep vigil in the aforesaid vill
which pertains to the preservation of the
king's peace, and why they refused to appear
with arms before the king's constables according to their assignment. The king's bailiff
said he had duly admonished them and gone
round from house to house, but brother Stephen, the prior's bailiff, went to each house
and forbad them to fulfil these demands. The
prior's bailiff asserted that the prior had a
charter of King Richard which acquitted him
of such service. The king's bailiff further
alleged that they refused to keep watch or
do service at hue and cry except at a certain
place. To this it was answered that they
kept watch in the town of Kingston and suit
of hue and cry where and when they were
bound, but that they were never required to
keep watch beyond the water outside the town
of Kingston, but within the town as the other
men of the town do 'pro homine mortuo,'
and not beyond the water which is at the
end of the market towards Guildford. (fn. 66) The
prior and canons secured a recognition of
their liberties by the justices itinerant of Edward I. in 1278, (fn. 67) but they had to sustain
frequent suits for the possession of property
in different counties. They were successful
in obtaining verdicts in suits brought against
them for their right to hold a court in connection with the church of Patrixbourne, (fn. 68)
for their sake within the city and suburbs
of London, (fn. 69) and for the possession of
the manors of Worth, Kingswood, Selswood, and Ewell of ancient demesne. (fn. 70)
Judgment was reserved for hearing before
the Treasurer and barons of the Exchequer in suits respecting courts held by them
within the counties of Buckingham (fn. 71) and
Hertford, (fn. 72) and for their right to hold a view
of frank pledge and erect gallows in their
manor of Alconbury in county of Huntingdon. (fn. 73) In the reign of Edward III. they
were summoned to show their right to hold
a view of frank pledge in Meppershall in the
county of Bedford, the king's attorney contending that it was not claimed in the last
iter. Judgment was given against the prior
who was amerced. (fn. 74) These suits are perhaps
only such as might be expected in connection
with a house acquiring large property in
different counties, but it shows a vigorous
determination not to relinquish any of the
rights or profits of the house. Edward III.
in 1345 ordered inquiries to be made in
Surrey 'whether as is said, the prior and convent of Merton and their predecessors have
unduly acquired to them and their house lands
held of the king and others beyond the lands
granted to the house at its foundation,' (fn. 75)
but the result of the inquiries is not known.
The prior was impleaded by his tenants of
Selswood, member of the manor of Ewell,
in Michaelmas term 1316, for demanding of
them more service than was due of custom,
to which he made reply that no more was
required than that which a predecessor recovered by law in a former suit and that the
tenants themselves had failed to perform the
service to which they were bound and judgment was given to the prior accordingly. (fn. 76) A
petition to the king from his 'poor tenants of
ancient demesne of manor of Merton' indicates a very harsh and summary method of
dealing with their tenants by the canons.
The petitioners recite that, whereas the
manor had been made over by King Henry
on condition that the tenants should hold
their lands by certain services and customs
according to ancient usage, the prior who then
was and William de Kent, his fellow monk,
came to the houses of the tenants and broke
open their chests and took away the muniments and charters belonging to the said tenants and carried them away and had further
assaulted them. The tenants claimed redress,
and prayed that the prior should be summoned
to show why he had abused them of their heritage, 'of which their predecessors had been enfeoffed by King Harold, and that the king
would grant protection to his poor tenants of
Merton,' so that no man might do them
wrong or molest or do bodily harm to them
or their chattels. (fn. 77) In addition to the large
estates already held by the prior and canons
of Merton they obtained a licence in 1337
from Edward III. to acquire in mortmain
land and rent not held in chief to the
yearly value of £10, (fn. 78) and a similar grant
was made them in January 1388-9 by
Richard II. (fn. 79)
During the reign of Edward III. an important recognition was obtained from the
Crown respecting the custody of the temporalities of the priory during voidance. On
27 March 1335 the sub-prior and convent
complained that during the voidance occasioned by the death of Prior William de
Brokesburn the issues of the temporalities had
been received and levied by the king's
escheator, whereas they and their predecessors had hitherto received all issues on
such occasions, time out of mind, without
the king or his progenitors receiving anything,
and they prayed for the restoration of the
issues accordingly. The king ordered an
inquiry to be made into the matter, (fn. 80) with the
result that the escheator was ordered not to
intermeddle further with the temporalities of
the priory of Merton, but to permit the subprior and convent to receive and dispose of
the issues thereof without hindrance as they
had done in times past, the inquisition having
proved that it was the custom for the king's
officer immediately after the death of a prior
to enter the priory and place a man to guard
the outer gate, which is called the great
gate of the priory, in the king's name, to
stay there during the voidance without receiving anything except his reasonable maintenance. (fn. 81)
Merton, like other houses following the
Augustinian rule, was subject to episcopal
jurisdiction and open to diocesan visitation.
Towards the end of 1304 a visitation of the
priory during the voidance of the see of
Winchester was held by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, when various irregularities were
alleged against the prior, Edmund Herierd.
Eventually, in consequence of these charges,
the prior, whilst vehemently protesting his
innocence, was compelled to resign on 25
September 1305. Permission was granted
him to occupy rooms within the priory suitable for himself and any one member of the
house whom he might choose to live with
him; he was also assigned a squire of the
body and a servant to attend on him, with a
suitable allowance for each. (fn. 82) The Bishop of
Winchester notified the vacancy to the king,
as patron, and licence was granted to elect a
successor. The chapter met on 1 December, but could not agree, some voting for the
re-election of the late prior and the rest
making choice of William de Brokesburn.
Apparently the numbers for each were equal,
and a double return was made to the bishop,
who endeavoured to bring about a compromise, but without success, and on 3 December certified their proceedings to the
king. (fn. 83) Edward I. issued a mandate to the
bishop to provide a head for the priory of
Merton 'out of the bosom of that church,'
in order to settle the discords that had
arisen since the cession of Prior Herierd.
By the king's ordinance the elected persons
came before the bishop, and of their own
free will renounced all right they might
claim from their election; but the proctors
of the parties elected not having come with
power of renunciation or of submitting to the
bishop's ordinance, the bishop dismissed the
elected persons. Thereupon the sub-prior and
convent unanimously consented to the provision of a prior by the bishop if the royal assent
were given. (fn. 84) The bishop's choice fell upon
Geoffrey de Alkemondbury, one of the canons,
and to him the temporalities were restored on
6 March 1305-6. (fn. 85) During these proceedings the ex-prior endeavoured to strengthen
his party among the canons by lavish entertainment and bringing counter-charges against
his opponents, with the result that he was
reduced to the position of an ordinary canon,
and ordered to spend the remainder of his
days with his brethren in the cloister. (fn. 86)
In July 1316, the see of Winchester being
again void by the death of Henry Woodlock,
the Archbishop of Canterbury commissioned
certain clerks to visit all religious houses in
the diocese with the exception of the priory
of Merton, specially reserved to the visitation
of the archbishop himself. (fn. 87) The succeeding
Bishop of Winchester, John de Sandale, held
large ordinations in the conventual church of
Merton in March 1316-7 and in September
1318. (fn. 88) William, Bishop of Nantes, acting
for the diocesan, visited the priory in June
1382, and dedicated three altars and two altar
tops (altaria portatilia seu super-altaria). (fn. 89)
Notice of the bishop's intention to hold a
visitation of the priory was forwarded to
the prior from Southwark on 28 June
1387. (fn. 90) In the following September the
bishop addressed letters to the convent, exhorting them to adhere more closely than
they had been doing to the original constitutions of St. Augustine. (fn. 91) In the absence of
any gross scandal, however, perhaps the most
serious blame attached to the monastery by
Bishop Wykeham was their neglect to keep
in fitting repair the churches and chapels of
which they were the rectors. On 6 November the bishop commissioned the Dean of
Ewell to cite the prior and convent and the
vicar of Kingston-on-Thames to appear before him or his commissary to answer for
dilapidations in the chancels of East Molesey,
Sheen and Thames Ditton, dependants of the
church of Kingston. (fn. 92) In the case of the
church of Effingham their neglect seems to
have been successfully carried on for some
years, for when the bishop, on 20 April
1388, issued a monition to the prior of Merton, he stated that at several visitations of the
church it was apparent that the chancel was
notoriously in a ruinous state in respect to
roof, walls and windows, and complaints
were made by the parishioners that no one
could enter, and service could not be held in
the chancel. He added that he had refrained
from interfering in the hopes that the work
would be undertaken, but the prior was then
peremptorily admonished to have the chancel
repaired before the feast of St. Michael next
ensuing, in default of which he should
himself cause the same to be repaired at
the cost of the monastery, and should proceed against the canons for contempt of his
mandate. (fn. 93)
During the fifteenth century entries of interest relating to this house become scantier.
Licence was granted in 1424 during the
rule of Thomas Shirfeld, at the request of
Katherine, the king's mother, for William
Cheyne and others to convey to the priory of
Merton the manor of Combe, Surrey, in
order that celebration might be maintained
in the conventual church for the good estate
of the king and his mother while living, and
for their souls after death, and for the souls
of the king's progenitors, Henry IV. and
Henry V., and of Charles, the father of the
queen dowager, and of all the faithful departed. The sum of £40 was paid by the
convent to obtain this licence. (fn. 94) The prior
and canons were called on in 1477 to pay an
annual pension of 100s. to William Clyfton,
one of the king's trumpeters. (fn. 95)
The monastery was visited on 30 April 1501,
during the voidance of the sees of Winchester
and Canterbury, by Dr. Thomas Hede, commissary of the prior of Canterbury. The
prior and canons were severally examined.
John Gisbourne, then prior, said that divine
services were suitably ordered, the house was
not in debt, and the seal was kept under
three keys, of which one was in the custody
of the prior, and the others of the sub-prior
and precentor respectively. William Sandwyche, sub-prior, Robert Doo, precentor, and
the master of the chapel of the Blessed Virgin,
with fifteen of the canons, all testified omnc
bene. William Smyth, sub-deacon, thought
that the master of the novices was not sufficiently strict in correcting them, and Canon
John Marshall stated that there was not due
provision made for the sick in the infirmary. (fn. 96)
In July 1513 a licence to alienate in mortmain to the priory of Merton 24 acres of
meadow and 116 acres of pasture in Cornburgh was obtained by John Norton and
John Baker, clerk. (fn. 97)
The Valor of 1535 estimated the clear
annual value of this wealthy foundation at
£960 16s. 6d.
Dr. Legh, as Cromwell's agent, visited
Merton, which owing to some mistake he
termed an abbey, in September 1535 and
dismissed two canons. Writing to Cromwell he said he would have dismissed ten
more, but waited to know his pleasure, as
then there would only have been eight left. (fn. 98)
The reason for this dismissal he does not
state.
Three years later, on 13 April 1538, the
priory was surrendered by John Ramsey,
prior, John Debnam, sub-prior, and thirteen
other inmates, among whom is entered John
Page, scholar of Oxford, to Richard Layton
and Edward Carne. (fn. 99) On the day of the
surrender Layton wrote to Cromwell to the
effect that there were at 'Merton Abbey'
18 fat oxen, whereof Sir Nicholas Carew
desired part, 40 fat sheep, 200 quarters of
malt and £30 in ling and haberdyne.
Cromwell was to certify him by the bearer
if he wanted any of these things reserved for
his own household. (fn. 100) Rich pickings for those
who would divide the spoil! On 9 May
pensions were assigned to the dispossessed
canons. To the prior was granted a pension
of 200 marks, to the sub-prior and another
£8, to Thomas Paynell £10, and £6 13s. 4d.
each to eleven of the others. Cromwell
signed the pension list, and added a note to
the effect that he had promised a house and
garden in Trinity Lane, London, to the
prior for life. (fn. 101) The fabric of the church and
conventual buildings were at once pulled
down, and the materials used in the building
of Nonsuch Palace.
Priors of Merton
Robert Bayle, (fn. 102) circa 1115-50
Robert II., (fn. 103) 1150-67
William, (fn. 104) 1167-77-8
Stephen, (fn. 105) 1177-8
Robert, (fn. 106) -1186
Richard, (fn. 107) 1190-8
Walter, (fn. 108) 1198-1218
Thomas de Wllst, (fn. 109) 1218-22
Giles de Bourne, (fn. 110) 1222, resigned 1231
Henry de Basinges, (fn. 111) 1231-8
Robert de Haxham, (fn. 112) 1238-9-49
Eustachius, (fn. 113) 1249-52
Gilbert de Asshe, (fn. 114) 1252-92
Nicholas Tregony, (fn. 115) 1292-6
Edmund de Herierd, (fn. 116) 1296, resigned
1305
Geoffrey de Alkemondbury, (fn. 117) 1305-6-7
William de Brokesburn, (fn. 118) 1307-34-5
Thomas de Kent, (fn. 119) 1334-5-9
John de Lytlynton or Littleton, (fn. 120) 1339,
deposed 1345
William de Friston, (fn. 121) 1345-61
Geoffrey de Chaddesley, 1361-8
Robert de Wyndesore, (fn. 122) 1368-1403
Michael Kymptone, (fn. 123) 1403-13
John Romeney, (fn. 124) 1413-22
Thomas Shirfeld, 1422, resigned 1432
William Kent, 1432
John Kingston, (fn. 125) occurs 1479, died 1485
John Gisbourne, (fn. 126) 1485-1502
William Sayling, (fn. 127) 1502-20
John Lacy, (fn. 128) 1520-30
John Ramsey, (fn. 129) 1530-8
A very fine pointed oval seal exists of
this monastery. (fn. 130) Matrix made in 1241.
Obverse—The blessed Virgin crowned seated
on a throne, with Holy Child crowned
on left knee; in the right hand a short
sceptre. The background is diapered with
quatrefoiled flowers. Above is an elaborate
canopy, representing the conventual church,
with central tower, and spire, and pinnacles
at each end. On each side is a vesicashaped countersunk panel, containing the
head or a tonsured canon facing the Virgin.
Legend: · SIGILL': ECCLESIE: SANCTE:
MARIE: DE: MERITONA. Reverse—
St. Augustine on a corbel, holding a crozier
in the left hand, and giving the blessing
with the right. Above is a canopy, representing a church very similar to the one on
the obverse. Legend: MUNDI: LUCERNA:
NOS: AUGUSTINI: GUBERNA. On the rim of
the seal is the legend: AUGUSTINE · PATER ·
QUOS · INSTRUIS · IN · MERITONA · HIS · CHRISTI ·
MATER · TUTRIX · EST ATQUE · PATRONA.