HOUSES OF AUSTIN CANONS
31. THE ABBEY OF GRIMSBY OR WELLOW
The abbey of Wellow was founded, like the
priory of Dunstable, by King Henry I, (fn. 1) and
dedicated to St. Augustine and St. Olaf. (fn. 2) There
is no evidence at present to determine the exact
date of foundation. Ranulf earl of Chester and
Geoffrey Trussebut were benefactors of the
house before the reign of Henry II, who confirmed the gifts of his grandfather, and took the
abbey under his own patronage. (fn. 3)
In 1202 the abbot secured the advowson of
the church of Riby in a suit against Emma of
Riby. (fn. 4) In 1228 a licence was granted to the
canons to preach and beg alms for the repair of
their house throughout the king's dominions. (fn. 5)
During the Scottish wars of Edward II the
abbot was required to supply the king with
wheat, malt, and sheep to the value of £18, and
had £12 10s. 8d. besides exacted from him,
but these sums were repaid by Edward III. (fn. 6)
The house was seriously in debt in 1325, and a
secular was appointed to take charge of its affairs
for awhile; (fn. 7) and again, in 1359, arrangements
had to be made by the bishop to reduce the
expenses of the canons' maintenance. (fn. 8) Later
on, in 1372, the abbot, John Utterby, was
accused of having sold, alienated, and dissipated
the goods of the house and brought it almost to
ruin. (fn. 9)
In 1534 Robert Whitgift, the abbot, with ten
canons, signed the acknowledgement of royal
supremacy. (fn. 10) The abbey at this time had a
clear revenue of only £95; it consequently fell
within the range of the first Act of Suppression.
It was dissolved before Michaelmas, 1536. The
abbot received a pension of £16 a year, and nine
canons had £8 10s. divided between them 'in
regard,' as well as their arrears of 'wages,' amounting to £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 11) The bells and leads of the
monastery were sold for £202 16s., (fn. 12) which
makes it probable that the buildings were fairly
extensive, and had been intended at first for a
large number of canons.
There are several notices relating to the
internal history of this abbey in the Lincoln
registers. In 1359 the bishop made arrangements for one secular clerk to manage its
revenues and another to collect the rents and
hand them over to the prior, as it was evident
that the canons at that time were not good men
of business. (fn. 13) In the same year it was noticed
that some scandal had arisen because the north
gate of the church had been frequently left open;
this defect was to be remedied in future. (fn. 14) In
1368 the canons were accused of frequenting
the taverns of Grimsby, and passing a good deal
of time there in drinking and gossip. (fn. 15) In
1372 the abbot was suspended for his bad
government, and required, with another brother,
to do penance for crimes (not specified) which
had been proved against them. (fn. 16)
Bishop Flemyng visited the house in 1422, but
found nothing specially worthy of comment.
He ordered his injunctions as to the keeping of
the rule to be read twice every quarter in
English, to avert, as far as possible, the danger of
laxity. (fn. 17) Bishop Alnwick visited in 1438 and
in 1440; his injunctions are again formal, and
such as might have been delivered to any
monastery at the time: to safeguard the observance of the rule an apostate canon was to be
caught and brought back. (fn. 18) In 1444 the same
bishop gave orders that the parish church of Clee
should be served by a secular priest instead of a
canon, as religious men suffered so much loss to
soul and body by wandering from the cloister
and conversing with the world. (fn. 19)
In 1519 the monastery was visited by Bishop
Atwater. The abbot complained that his
obedientiaries were not diligent in performing
their duties. No other complaint seems to have
been made. The bishop enjoined that accounts
should be duly shown, and exhorted the brethren
generally as to charity and diligence in study. (fn. 20)
The house was evidently in better condition at
this time than some others of the order, for the
abbot in 1518 had been made one of the definitors
at the general chapter held at Leicester (fn. 21) under the
presidency of Cardinal Wolsey, when such great
efforts were made to secure reform and renewal
of fervour among the Augustinians generally.
After the Lincoln rebellion the prior of the
suppressed abbey of Wellow was accused by one
of the king's officers of charging him to join the
Commons, but the matter does not seem to have
been taken up. (fn. 22)
The original endowment of the abbey of
Wellow by Henry I consisted of the site in
Grimsby, with the church of St. James and
divers ponds, mills, &c., for which they had to
pay a rent of 40s. a year to the exchequer, (fn. 23) and
tithes of the manors of Lusby, Grimsby, and of
fish in the port of Honfleet. (fn. 24) Ranulf earl of
Chester gave the churches of Tetney, Clee,
Humberston, and Huttoft, with lands in Tetney
and Humberston; Geoffrey Trussebut gave the
church of Riby; (fn. 25) Gilbert de Turribus the church
of Cabourn. (fn. 26) The burgesses and knights of
Grimsby gave other lands in that vill. (fn. 27) The
churches of Thorganby, Holton, and Cadeby
also belonged to the abbey at an early date. (fn. 28) In
1291 the temporalities of the abbot were assessed
at £67 2s. 5d. (fn. 29) In 1303 he held one-twelfth of a
knight's fee in Irby, three-quarters in Thorganby,
one-eighth in Swallow, one-twelfth in Clee, (fn. 30)
and very much the same both in 1346 (fn. 31) and
1428. (fn. 32) In 1401-2 he held the churches of
St. James, Grimsby and Clee, and a quarter of a fee
in Clee. (fn. 33) Mention is made during the fourteenth century of the manors of Tetney, Weelsby, Cabourn, Thorganby, Swallow, Grimsby, and
Stallingborough as belonging to the abbey. (fn. 34) In
1534 the clear revenue of the house was only
£95 6s. 1d. (fn. 35) The Ministers' Accounts amounted
to £178 9s. 10d., including the rectories of
Grimsby, Clee, Riby, Cabourn, and the manor
and rectory of Tetney. (fn. 36)
Abbots of Wellow
William, (fn. 37) occurs about 1153
Richard, (fn. 38) occurs 1202
Richard, (fn. 39) elected 1217, occurs to 1226
Reginald, (fn. 40) elected 1234
Philip de Gammes, (fn. 41) elected 1252
William Cabourn, (fn. 42) elected 1252, occurs 1261
John, (fn. 43) elected 1271, died 1271
Simon of Wainfleet, (fn. 44) elected 1271, died 1293
William of Croxby, (fn. 45) elected 1293, died 1317
Thomas of Wellinghom, (fn. 46) elected 1317, died
1341
John of Holton, (fn. 47) elected 1341
Richard of Utterby, (fn. 48) died 1369
John of Utterby, (fn. 49) elected 1369, deposed 1374
John Thorp, (fn. 50) elected 1374, died 1410
William Cotes, (fn. 51) elected 1410, died 1417
John Grimsby, (fn. 52) elected 1417, resigned 1421
Henry Sutton, (fn. 53) elected 1421, died 1456
John Anglesby, (fn. 54) elected 1456
Richard Clee, (fn. 55) elected 1467, died 1477
Richard Hamilton, (fn. 56) elected 1477
Thomas Cawode, (fn. 57) elected 1501
Richard Kyngson, (fn. 58) elected 1504, died 1525
Robert Whitgift, (fn. 59) last abbot, elected 1525
A twelfth-century pointed oval seal (fn. 60) shows
St. Augustine, standing, lifting up the right hand
in benediction, in the left hand a pastoral staff.
[s]IGILLE ECCLESIE ' SANCTI AVGVSTINI '
D ' GRIMESB . . . .
The fourteenth-century pointed oval seal
made by John de Utterby (fn. 61) shows, in a double
niche, with carved canopies, crocheted and pinnacled, with a small vacant niche between the
two large ones; on the left St. Augustine fulllength with mitre lifting up the right hand in
benediction, in the left hand a crozier; on the
right King Henry I, the founder (or perhaps
St. Olaf), with crown, lifting up the right hand
with first finger extended, in the left hand a
battle-axe. On the tabernacle work at the
sides, two shields of arms—the left, quarterly
1 and 4 England, 2 and 3 France (ancient); on
the right England.
In base, between two trees, a shield of arms;
on a chevron between a royal crown and a lion
of England in chief, and in base a pastoral staff,
issuing from the base three fleurs-de-lis, Grimsby
Abbey.
. ': CPE: AGBH: ET: ∂VENH: MOASTUI:
SBI: AVGVSTINI: DE: GRIMESBY
The thirteenth-century pointed oval seal of an
abbot (fn. 62) shows the abbot standing on a platform,
a book in the hands. In the field on the right
an estoile; the corresponding device on the left
side is destroyed. The legend is destroyed.