HOUSE OF AUSTIN CANONS OF THE ARROUASIAN REFORM
41. THE ABBEY OF BOURNE
The abbey of Bourne was founded in 1138
by Baldwin, a younger son of Gilbert de Clare
and brother of the first earl of Pembroke. (fn. 1) By
the marriage of the founder's daughter with
Hugh Wake the patronage of the house passed
into the hands of the lords of Liddell, with
whom it continued till the fourteenth century.
The foundation charter was made out to
Gervase, abbot of St. Nicholas of Arrouaise, but
it was not intended as a cell of that abbey; it
was an independent house with an abbot of its
own from the. first. The Arrouasian canons
differed very little from other Augustinians, and
sometimes abandoned at an early date the slight
distinctions they originally had; but the abbots
of Bourne retained to the last some tradition of
independence, and kept up also some links of
connexion with the abbey of Missenden in
Bucks, which had a similar origin.
In 1311 and 1324 attempts were made by
the king's escheator to claim this house as a
royal foundation, but the Wakes were successful
in proving their right. (fn. 2) It never attained any
great wealth or importance; the original number
of canons was probably twelve, who had dwindled
after the great pestilence to seven (fn. 3) ; they were
eleven again in the fifteenth century, and at the
surrender there were nine besides the prior.
In 1401 the abbot acquired the possessions of
the alien priory of Wilsford, by purchase from
the abbot of Bec Herlouin (fn. 4) ; but it did not
bring them much increase of revenue. In 1536
the revenue of the house was under £200, and
it was accordingly dissolved, the abbot receiving
a pension of £24, and the canons 20s., besides
their wages and capacities. (fn. 5)
In 1309 the abbot complained of violence
done to one of his canons by seculars. (fn. 6) In 1349
another abbot had some difficulties with his
diocesan, which ended in his excommunication,
but the bishop was obliged to invoke the secular
arm to enforce the sentence. (fn. 7) In 1359 the
abbot of Missenden, who had been guilty of
tampering with the coinage, was imprisoned at
Bourne. (fn. 8) The abbey does not seem to have
been very happily ruled about this time. A
canon of Bourne in 1368 received a licence
from the pope to transfer himself to another
house of the same order, on account of the
injuries he had received from his own abbot (fn. 9) ;
and it was noticed a little earlier that other
canons had forsaken the abbey for the priory of
Cottingham in Northamptonshire, which was
also of the patronage of the Wakes. (fn. 10)
The injunctions of Bishop Flemyng in 1422
contain nothing but formal directions as to the
maintenance of the rule. (fn. 11) The visitation of
Bishop Alnwick in 1440 shows very little
irregularity; the canons nearly all said omnia
bene, but the prior said that they sometimes drank
with their friends in the town of Bourne. A
single case of apostacy was reported. (fn. 12) The
report of Bishop Atwater in 1519 was again
satisfactory. The brethren did not, however,
observe the refectory, but ate habitually with
the lord abbot; it was enjoined that henceforth
some at least should go to the refectory. The
bishop observed with approval that the abbot had
ordered senior and junior canons alike to say
their masses in regular order. Accounts; however, were not shown annually, and the sick
needed better provision; the younger canons were
exhorted to be more obedient to their seniors. (fn. 13)
About the same time the abbot of Bourne
was summoned to a general chapter of the order,
but declined to go, as it seems, on the ground of
the Arrouasian origin of his house. (fn. 14)
Nothing is known of the last days of this
monastery, except that one of its canons had to
serve out capacities to his brethren and other
ejected religious after the dissolution. (fn. 15)
The original endowment consisted of the
churches of Bourne, Helpringham, Morton, East
and West Deeping, Barholm, Stowe, South Hykeham, Skillington, East Wykeham (Est wic),
Linc., and Thrapston, Northants; and lands
in Bourne and Spanby, with mills and tithes
of different kinds. (fn. 16) The churches of Bitchfield
and Glatton were granted at an early date by
other benefactors. (fn. 17) In 1291 the temporalities of
the abbey in Lincolnshire and Rutlandshire were
taxed at £42 11s. 9d. (fn. 18) In 1303 the abbot had a
third of a knight's fee as well as one and a half
bovates in Bourne (fn. 19) ; in 1346 a small fraction
also in Scottlethorpe. (fn. 20) In 1534 the clear revenue
of the abbey was £167 14s. 6½d., including
the rectories of Bourne, Morton, Helpringham,
Bitchfield, Barholm, and Stowe. (fn. 21) The Ministers'
Accounts amount to £187 1s. 7¾d. (fn. 22) ; the bells,
lead, &c., were worth £121 10s. (fn. 23)
Abbots of Bourne
David, (fn. 24) occurs about 1156
Baldwin, (fn. 25) occurs 1212 to 1218
Everard Gutt, (fn. 26) occurs 1224, resigned 1237
William of Ripton, (fn. 27) elected 1237
Robert de Hamme, (fn. 28) 1248, died 1260
Robert de Hasceby, (fn. 29) elected 1260, resigned 1275
William of Spalding, (fn. 30) elected 1275
Alan de Wauz, (fn. 31) died 1292
Thomas de Calstewith, (fn. 32) elected 1292, died 1313
William of St. Albans, (fn. 33) elected 1313, resigned 1314
William of Abbotsley, (fn. 34) elected 1314, died 1324
John de Wytheton, (fn. 35) elected 1324, died 1334
Simon of Walton, (fn. 36) elected 1334, died 1355
Thomas of Grantham, (fn. 37) elected 1355, died 1369
Geoffrey of Deeping, (fn. 38) elected 1369, occurs to 1406
William Irnham, (fn. 39) occurs 1440
Henry, (fn. 40) died 1500
Thomas Fort, (fn. 41) collated 1500
William Grisby, (fn. 42) died 1512
John Small, (fn. 43) last abbot, occurs 1534
The twelfth-century common seal (fn. 44) represents St. Peter with a nimbus, seated on a throne to the left, lifting up the right hand in benediction; in the left hand a key of early form placed over the left shoulder.
SIGILLVM: ECCLESIE: BEATI: PETRI: APL'I: DE: BRVNNA
The pointed oval seal of Abbot John Small (fn. 45)
shows the abbot standing in a canopied niche
with tabernacle work at the sides, in the right
hand a pastoral staff, in the left hand a book.
. . . . LUM: IOHANNIS: ABBATIS: DE:
BRUN . . . .