HOUSE OF BENEDICTINE MONKS OF THE ORDER OF TIRON
17. THE ABBEY OF HUMBERSTON
The abbey of Humberston was founded probably during the reign of Henry II by 'William
son of Ralf, son of Drogo, son of Hermer;' (fn. 1) a
son, that is, of one of the farmers of the crown
lands in this part of Lincolnshire, and a descendant of the Domesday tenant of Humberston, who
held under Ivo Tailbois in 1086. (fn. 2)
This abbey was distinctly stated to be ' of the
Order of Tiron,' in the fifteenth century, (fn. 3) but
the records of Tiron do not name it among the
daughter-houses existing in 1516 or earlier. (fn. 4)
Nor is there any evidence in the documents relating to Humberston itself that it was in any
way dependent upon a foreign superior, as were
the abbeys of St. Dogmael and Selkirk, of this
order. (fn. 5) The bishop of Lincoln in 1422 said
that the monks of Humberston took their origin
from St. Mary's, Hamby (diocese of Courances), (fn. 6)
but implies at the same time that they wore a
different habit from other Benedictines, as the
monks of Tiron are indeed said to have done for
some time. (fn. 7) The abbey was never taken into the
king's hands as an alien cell.
The monastery was never a rich one, and
probably could not at any time support more than
about a dozen monks; in the fifteenth century
there were only ten, and at the dissolution four.
There are but a few scattered notices referring to
its external history. In 1203 the abbot secured
the advowson of the church of Waithe in a suit
with Ingram and Robert sons of Simon. (fn. 8) In 1305
the monastic buildings were reduced to ashes by
a great fire, and the brethren were obliged to beg
alms before they could rebuild them, (fn. 9) and had to
sell the advowson of one of their churches to the
prior of Holy Trinity, Norwich. (fn. 10) The last
abbot, Robert Coningsby, signed the acknowledgement of supremacy in 1534, with four monks and
a lay brother. (fn. 11) In 1536 he received an annual
pension of £5, (fn. 12) and three monks had 53s. 4d.
divided between them, to provide them with
secular clothing, besides their arrears of ' wages,'
amounting to 331. 4d. (fn. 13)
The abbey was regularly visited by the bishops
of Lincoln, and seems to have been more than
once in an unsatisfactory condition. Early in his
episcopate, Bishop Gynwell ordered a visitation,
and ordered the prior of Markby to conduct it;
the difficulty at this time seems to have been
caused by one monk, Gilbert, of whom the abbot
complained that he was rebellious and disobedient
and given to wandering out of the monastery
without leave. The prior of Markby was to
swear all the monks separately and find out
exactly what was wrong, and if necessary he
might visit Gilbert with ecclesiastical censure. (fn. 14)
The visitation seems to have brought other
troubles to light, for in 1358 a new commission
was issued for the correction of the house, on
account of the ' crimes, excesses, and other insolences ' daily committed there. (fn. 15) After this
there was apparently a distinct improvement, (fn. 16) for
Bishop Flemyng in 1422 remarked that the prior,
William Swynhopp, was discreet and circumspect.
It was enjoined that the clothing of the monks
should be on the model of that used at St. Mary's,
Hamby. (fn. 17)
In 1440 Bishop Alnwick visited the abbey.
The abbot complained that five of his brethren
had become apostates in his time, of whom one
was now dead, and another had entered a mendicant order. Those who remained were disobedient
and unruly, and two of them had been guilty of
conspiracy; but one had repented when he heard
of the coming visitation. In chapter they were
so quarrelsome and noisy and rebellious that even
seculars could hear them from the road without
the monastery, and mocked at the unseemly din.
The abbot also complained that the monks would
give him no account of how they spent their
allowances (16s. 8d. yearly), and he feared that
they had more personal property than they ought,
especially the unrepentant conspirator. One
monk, alas, often went to bed again after he was
called !
For their part the brethren complained that the
abbot did not sleep in the dormitory, did not show
any accounts or consult them in the disposal of
property, pledged the jewels of the house, did not
visit the sick, revealed to strangers things which
had been corrected in the chapter of faults. He
did not preside in chapter himself, nor appoint any
one else to do so; and naturally, in consequence,
every man declaimed according to his own desire.
The rule was not read in chapter, and the obits
of founders and benefactors were not kept; and
the abbot only celebrated mass once a fortnight.
One monk remained an acolyte because the
abbot would not prepare him for higher orders.
One was suspected of immorality. The house
was gravely burdened with debt. (fn. 18)
The bishop enjoined in consequence that the
rule should be read at least four times a year, in
any language that the monks best understood.
The brother who remained an acolyte because
he was unlearned must be instructed at once and
prepared for the higher grades of the ministry.
Mass and the canonical hours were to be duly
celebrated and attended. On fast days the
brethren must eat in the refectory; on other
days elsewhere if they would; the blessing of
the table was to be properly said. Accounts
were to be shown annually; no corrodies were
to be granted or anything of importance done
without consulting the bishop.
Four years later, brother William Wainfleet of
Bardney was sent to visit the house again, for its
reformation; it was described as in ' a state of
collapse, spiritual and temporal.' (fn. 19)
In 1519 Bishop Atwater visited the abbey.
There were then four monks besides the abbot.
It was alleged that the brethren did not rise
to mattins, and sometimes slept outside the
monastery; that the abbot showed no accounts;
that the anniversary of the founder was not
kept; and that a gentlewoman called Fleming
was allowed to lodge in the infirmary. The
buildings of the monastery were in good repair,
and there was no debt; all the furniture of the
church and altar too was good and sufficient. (fn. 20)
There are no later accounts of the house.
The original endowment of the abbey cannot be
exactly given, as there are no foundation charters
extant. The temporalities of the house were
valued in 1291 at £19 15s. 4d., (fn. 21) and the
brethren at that time probably held four rectories,
Humberston, Holton le Clay, Waithe, and Westhall, Suffolk: the last was alienated in 1315 to the
prior of Holy Trinity, Norwich. (fn. 22) In 1346 the
abbot held part of a knight's fee in Clee, and
the same in 1428. (fn. 23) In 1534 the income of the
house was valued at £32 1s. 3d. clear, including
the rectories of Humberston, Holton, and
Waithe. (fn. 24) At the dissolution the bells, leads, &c.,
of the monastery only fetched £51, less than
any other house surrendered at this time, except
Newstead by Stamford. (fn. 25)
Abbots of Humberston
Simon, (fn. 26) occurs 1203 and 1224
William of Kirkweld, (fn. 27) elected 1226, died
1261
Geoffrey, (fn. 28) elected 1261
William, (fn. 29) died 1339
John of Horkstow, (fn. 30) elected 1339
Henry of Brinbrooke, (fn. 31) elected 1355
Ranulf, (fn. 32) occurs 1380
William West, (fn. 33) occurs 1440
William Swynhopp, (fn. 34) occurs 1422
Nicholas Derby, (fn. 35) occurs 1456
Thomas, (fn. 36) resigned before 1519
William Connyby, (fn. 37) occurs 1522
Stephen, (fn. 38) occurs 1529
Robert Coningsby, (fn. 39) last abbot, occurs 1534
The pointed oval thirteenth-century seal (fn. 40) of
Humberston represents the Virgin seated on a
throne with trefoiled canopy, over which is a
turret, the Child on the left knee.
. . . IL' SVENTV . . . D'HVMBERSTAN . . .