2. NEW MINSTER, OR THE ABBEY OF HYDE
The abbey of the Holy Trinity, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, and St. Peter of the New Minster (fn. 1) in Winchester was founded in 901 by
Edward the Elder in accordance with the
wishes of his father King Alfred. It would
appear that towards the close of the ninth
century Alfred, being anxious to promote the
better education of the children of his nobles,
summoned Grimbald, a learned priest and
monk of St. Bertin at St. Omer in Flanders
to assist him in this work. Grimbald arrived
in 893, (fn. 2) but it was not till the last year of
his reign that Alfred told him of his intention to build a new monastery at his royal
borough of Winchester. (fn. 3) The king only
lived long enough to purchase the site for the
monastery in the open churchyard immediately
to the north of the cathedral or the Old Minster from Bishop Denewulph and the canons
of the Old Minster and others. (fn. 4) It was left
to Edward the Elder to carry out his father's
intention to build the monastery and to place
Grimbald (fn. 5) there as the first Abbot. The
Church was consecrated in 903 (fn. 6) and in the
same year Edward endowed the monastery
with considerable possessions, including the
land of Micheldever and lands of Stratton,
'Burcote,' Popham, Woodmancote, Candover,
Cranborne, Drayton juxta Nunneton, 'Swarraton, Northingtone, Norton juxta Selborne,
'Slastede,' Tatchbury, Abbots Anne, 'Colengaburna, 'Ceoseldene' and Durley. (fn. 7) At this
time also the church was enriched with the
relics of St. Judoc or Josse the confessor, which
were brought there by certain monks of
Ponthieu who fled to England from Danish
raiders.
Shortly after the dedication of the church
the remains of Alfred were carried in solemn
procession to the New Minster from their
temporary resting-place in the church of St.
Swithun or the Old Minster in Winchester
and buried on the right side of the altar. In
the same tomb were also interred Edward's
mother, Queen Ealhswith, foundress of Nunnaminster, and afterwards the bodies of
Edward and his two sons, Ethelward and
Elfward, were buried in a tomb adjoining
that of his parents. At a later date the New
Minster became the burial place for several
members of the Saxon royal house. (fn. 8)
The church was served by secular canons,
who, as it is said by the later chroniclers that
had no sympathy with the seculars and married priests, permitted great laxity of discipline
and were the cause of scandal. About 963
Ethel wold, Bishop of Winchester, with the
approval of King Edgar and St. Dunstan, as a
part of his scheme for monastic reform in his
diocese, insisted upon the adoption of the
Benedictine rule by the inmates of New Minster under pain of expulsion, and King Edgar
supplied a series of laws to be used by the
monastery. (fn. 9) The majority of the house refused to accept the new rules and were
driven from the monastery, their places being
taken by regular monks from Abingdon, over
whom Ethelgar was placed as abbot. Ethelgar,
like most of the Church reformers of this
date, was a man of distinct individuality; he
had received his monastic training under
Ethelwold at Abingdon and upon his appointment to New Minster he took in hand the
reform of the monastery with the zeal copied
from his late master. Not only did he look
to the rule of the house, but he carried
out various works on the buildings including
the erection of a tower, said to be of great
height and beauty, and a richly carved ceiling.
He became Bishop of Selsey in 980 and succeeded St. Dunstan as Archbishop of Canterbury in 988.
King Cnut was a great benefactor to the
Minster, not only in lands but by the gift of
the golden cross richly adorned with precious
stones with two great images of gold and
silver and sundry relics of saints. Among
other benefactions received by the monastery
at about this time was the gift in 1041 by
Queen Emma, widow of Cnut, of the head of
St. Valentine, which was cherished as one of
the most valuable possessions of the house.
Alwyn, brother of Earl Godwin, became
abbot in 1064. During his abbacy a disastrous fire destroyed a considerable part of the
domestic buildings of the Minster on St.
George's Day, 1066. This abbot naturally
took the part of his nephew Harold in resisting the Norman invasion, and according to
the register of the monastery he was slain in
battle on the field of Hastings. Mr. Round
has already dealt with the question of the
supposed active part that the monks of New
Minster took at the battle of Hastings, and
has shown from the Domesday Survey how
considerable are the exaggerations usually
current with regard to the consequent confiscations of the Conqueror. (fn. 1) At the time of
the Survey the Abbey held in Hampshire,
Brown Candover, Woodmancote, Fullerton
in Wherwell, Leckford, Micheldever, Cranbourne, Drayton in Barton Stacey, West
Stratton, East Popham, Abbot's Worthy,
Alton, Worting, Bighton, Bedhampton,
Lomer in Corhampton, Warnford, Lickpit
in Basing, North Stoneham, Kingsclere,
Tatchbury in Eling, Abbots Anne, and Laverstoke. (fn. 2)
Not long after the Conquest evil days fell
upon the abbey. On the death of Rewalan
the Red King made his ' in famous chancellor,'
Ralph Flambard, abbot. By an openly simoniacal arrangement between the abbot-chancellor and the king, Herbert Losinga, Bishop
of Norwich, bought the New Minster for his
father, Robert Losinga, who was appointed
abbot in 1091. On the death of Abbot
Robert in 1093, the unhappy abbey again fell
into the unscrupulous hands of Ralph Flambard. Relief however came to this scandal
with the accession of Henry Beauclerk in
1100, when Hugh, a monk of St. Swithun's,
was appointed abbot.
The will of the next abbot, Geoffrey, was one
of singular moment to the abbey; the register
styles him Fundator Hide. In 1109 the monks
were enabled to leave their crowded site, the
cause of many a serious inconvenience, and
move to commodious quarters on the north
side of Winchester, just beyond the city
walls, known as Hyde Mead. Henceforth
this important Benedictine house was known
as Hyde Abbey. The old site was surrendered into the king's hands, and was
shortly afterwards restored to the cathedral
church of St. Swithun. To the monks of
Hyde the king granted another charter,
whereby, amongst other regulations, it was
arranged that a joint procession of the monks
of St. Swithun and Hyde was to be made
year by year. (fn. 3) Their new home was speedily
ready for occupation, and in 1110 the monks
of New Minster carried with them to the
Abbey of Hyde, in solemn procession, their
sacred relics, the great gold cross of Cnut's
benefaction, together with the illustrious
remains of Alfred, his queen and his son.
Henry I. made several grants to the abbey,
among them the churches of Kingsclere and
Alton and 5 hides in Alton which William I.
had given in exchange for land in the city of
Winchester. (fn. 4) He also confirmed to them
the right of soc and sac, thol and theam and
other liberties. (fn. 5)
To Geoffrey succeeded Osbert in 1124.
The length of his rule is somewhat uncertain, but it probably ended in 1135. The
new abbey, however, only lasted for thirty
years, for when the city was fired in 1141, in
the midst of the fierce civil war between the
adherents of Maud and Stephen, the Abbey
of Hyde perished in the conflagration. (fn. 6) Then
for several years there was continuous strife
between the monks of Hyde and the high
born and imperious Bishop Henry de Blois.
By him, say the Hyde annalists, was ithe
great cross of Cnut burnt, alluding to its loss
in the great fire, when the bishop directed
fireballs to be thrown from his castle of
Wolvesey into that quarter of the city adjoining the abbey.
In 1142 Hugh de Lens succeeded as abbot
after a vacancy of six years. There was
much internal dissension at this time, and in
1149 a large deputation of the monks proceeded to Rome to complain of their abbot,
as well as to renew their charges against
their diocesan. Hugh was removed, and for
two years the abbey was again vacant, whilst
Bishop Henry endeavoured to persuade the
Pope to convert his ancient see to an archiepiscopate, and to make Hyde Abbey the
centre of one of his suffragan bishoprics.
The scheme however failed, and Selid was
elected abbot in 1151. In the seventeenth
year of his abbacy, the continuous suits
against the bishop were at last decided in
favour of Hyde, and amongst other acts of
restitution the bishop presented to the abbey
as skilful a reproduction of Cnut's golden
cross as the art of the day could furnish.
After its destruction by fire some parts of the
abbey were rebuilt, but the work was very
gradual. The thorough reconstruction of the
great church was not even begun until 1182.
Selid died in 1171, the same year as
Bishop Henry, when there was again a
vacancy for about five years. In 1177
Thomas, the Prior of Montacute, (fn. 1) a Cluniac
house in Somerset, became abbot; he resigned
his office in 1181. He was succeeded by
John Suthill, during whose vigorous rule of
nearly forty-two years the abbey prospered
and enjoyed much internal peace. In 1185
this abbot proceeded to Rome to bring back
the pall for Baldwin, Archbishop-elect of
Canterbury. In 1208 John restored the temporalities which had been taken into his hands
by reason of the interdict. (fn. 2) The abbot at this
time owed the service of twenty knights to
the Crown for his lands. (fn. 3)
The year after Suthill's appointment (1182)
the annalists tell of a miraculous appearance
of St. Barnabas at an altar dedicated to his
honour, and it was this incident that gave
an impetus to the church restoration. There
were various other remarkable manifestations
at this altar, which caused the faithful to
flock to the abbey, and the saint became the
object of a special cult at Hyde. Henceforth
the monks were frequently described as monks
of St. Barnabas.
In 1267 there was a serious affray in the
abbey between the servants of the abbot and
those of the pope's legate, Otho, who had
come to Hyde to keep the festival of Christmas with a great retinue, and who observed
the feast with too much conviviality. (fn. 4)
A curious faculty, which throws some light
upon the condition of monastic life in the
thirteenth century, was granted by Pope
Nicholas IV. in 1288 to this abbey, by which
permission was granted to the monks to wear
caps of sheep or lamb skin at the divine offices
and processions, the cold in those parts, it was
said, having caused paralysis and other diseases
to some of the monks. (fn. 5)
In 1302 royal licence was obtained for the
appropriation (in accordance with a patent
of 1292) of the church of Micheldever and
its chapels, of the annual value of £70, to
which the bishop had already assented, on
condition that the revenue should be applied
to the use of guests and of the poor and infirm persons who flocked to the abbey. (fn. 6)
Various impediments arose to this appropriation, but at last it was confirmed by
Clement V. in 1309, and papal mandates to
that effect were sent to the Archdeacon of
Winchester and to the Chapter of Salisbury;
in the same year there was the like papal
confirmation of the appropriation of the
church of Alton. (fn. 7)
There were several visitations of the monastery during the first half the fourteenth
century, and in 1312 Bishop Woodlock had
occasion to inhibit the convent from using
the common seal for any alienation. (fn. 8) Again
in 1318 Bishop Sandaie addressed a stern letter to the abbot bidding him check the careless
monks who neglected meditation, and their
claustral duties, and complaining of the lukewarmness of his rule. (fn. 9) Odiham's rule was
but brief. On 21 May, 1319, the abbot was
seriously ill, and the monks sent their steward
to the king to try and arrange for the custody
of the temporalities, during the expected
vacancy. The abbot however died on June 5
before the matter could be arranged, so
that it was not until June 10 that the monks
received the agreement, whereby it was arranged that the convent might retain the
custody on payment of 200 marks to the
Crown, provided the vacancy did not exceed
two months.
Walter de Fifield, a monk of the house,
had the temporalities restored to him as abbot
(the agreement of June 10 being held to be
void) on August 1. Between this abbot and
his convent there were many disputes, the
chief contention of the prior and brethren
being that he was wrongfully increasing the
separate abbatial revenue at the expense of
the house at large. The matter came frequently before Bishop Stratford, with the result that the abbot was virtually acquitted. (fn. 10)
The bishop made a formal visitation of the
abbey in February, 1325, and issued as the
result an elaborate series of decrees, which
were in the main of the usual character.
The attendance of all at the night and day
offices was enjoined; brothers in priest's
orders were to celebrate daily; close custody
was to be kept of the doors; the disturbance
caused by boys chattering on the south side of
the farmery was to be stopped; the access of
men and women into the church and cloister
at inordinate hours and times was to cease;
no brother was to frequent the nunneries of
Winchester, Wherwell, or Romsey under
pain of a year's confinement at Hyde; particular injunctions were laid down as to eating
and drinking; playing at chess or dice was
forbidden; frocks or cowls of fustian or
worsted were not to be allowed, but were to
be of black serge according to their rule;
cinctures or burses of silk were forbidden;
nor were they to have lockers save in the
cloister carols. (fn. 1) To this visitation and its
consequent decrees the abbot raised formal
objections, but he was overruled.
Bishop Orlton visited the abbey on 7 November, 1334, preaching in the chapter-house
from 'Ut ambuletis digni Deo per omnia placentes.' The same bishop also visited on
29 May, 1337. (fn. 2)
By the aid of 1346 for making Edward
the Black Prince a knight we find that the
Abbot of Hyde held with Robert Payne an
eighth part of a knight's fee in Abbots Worthy
(Hidebourne Wordy), three knights' fees in
Mitcheldever, a hide in Northington with
Henry de Nonhampton, and half a fee in
Bicton with Roger Gervays. (fn. 3)
In 1344 there was an outbreak of the
villeins of Chisledon, Wilts, against the abbey
rule, for which they received chastisement at
the abbot's hands. The fearful Black Death of
1349-50 reduced the abbey to penury, so
that in order to avoid utter wreck it surrendered itself absolutely into the hands of William Edingdon, Bishop of Winchester and
Chancellor of the kingdom. The annalist
does not proceed to state what measures the
bishop took for the relief of the abbey or how
he administered their funds. It would, however, appear that after the election of Thomas
de Pechy, the new abbot, in 1362, by good
management the monastery had partly regained its prosperous condition, for in 1377
it was able to lend Richard II. the sum of
£50. Nicholas Strode who became abbot in
1417 took a considerable share in the political
affairs of the day, and is described as 'a
man of conspicuous parts and secular activity.'
He died in 1440, and was followed by
Thomas Bramley, to whose election the
royal assent was given early in May. In
March, 1446, this abbot's name appears
among the distinguished signatories to the
final foundation charter of Eton College.
In the same year the great bell-tower of
Hyde Abbey, with its eight bells, was destroyed by fire. In 1447 Cardinal Beaufort
died, and left £200 for the repairs of the
church, doubtless in consequence of this misadventure.
Abbot Bramley died in February, 1465,
and was succeeded by Henry Bonville, the
prior. This election caused much dissension
in the abbey. Bishop Waynflete, on appeal,
sent the new abbot to govern the priory of
Boxgrove, Sussex, whilst the new prior of
Hyde, Thomas Worcester, virtually governed
the abbey. In 1471 an arrangement was
made by which Abbot Bonville was to receive £50 a year from the abbey revenues,
and to attend convocation, council, or parliament as abbot; but he was not to come
near Hyde Abbey for three years. (fn. 4) Meanwhile however in 1472 Bonville died, and
Thomas Worcester was at once elected in
his place. (fn. 5)
On the election of Richard Hall in April
1488 Henry VII. granted a pension, which
a newly elected Abbot of Hyde was bound
to grant to a clerk of the king's nomination
from the abbey funds, to Peter Carmelian.
Peter was a native of Brescia, who had been
naturalized that very month; he was a court
poet, and chaplain and Latin secretary to
Henry VII. (fn. 6)
Bishop Wykeham was a firm maintainer
of all the episcopal privileges of the see.
There was an ancient custom that, on the
confirmation of a new bishop, the abbot of
Hyde should present him with a choral cope,
comely and suitable for a bishop's estate, for
use in the cathedral church. On Wykeham's
appointment Thomas Pechy, then abbot of
Hyde, neglected to supply the customary cope,
and ignored frequent reminders. At last, in
October, 1368, the abbot was cited to appear
in the church of St. Mary Overy to show
cause why a cope should not be rendered. (fn. 7)
The issue is not stated, but doubtless it was
in favour of the bishop. In 1390, Bishop
Wykeham entered in his register the grant
made by Pope Boniface IX. to Abbot Eynesham, authorizing his use of mitre, ring and
pastoral staff; (fn. 8) on 8 February, 1387, the
same bishop issued an elaborate series of injunctions for the better government of the
abbey; (fn. 1) and by his will left to the abbot
a silver-gilt flagon worth £10; to each monk
in priest's order, £2 j and to each in lower
orders, £1.
Dr. Hede, as commissary for the Prior of
Canterbury during the vacancy of the see,
visited this abbey on 3 March, 1501. Richard
Hall, the abbot, gave written and viva voce
answers to the visitation articles. He stated
that the abbey was in debt fifty marks when
he entered on his office. The common seal
was kept under four keys held respectively by
the abbot, prior, sub-prior and precentor.
Richard Romsey, the prior, said that the
abbot had also placed in his hands the
office of sacrist. John Lavender, sub-prior;
William Salisbury, almoner; Thomas Wrighton, steward; Thomas Gloucester, guestmaster; Henry Curtes, precentor; John
Forest, cellarer (vinetarius); William Chusylden, the third prior and infirmarer; John
Alta, master of the works; William Winchester, sub-chanter; and various others, who
did not hold office, summed up their testimony in the effective phrase of omnia bene.
Edward London, one of the monks, stated
that the novices and two other young brothers
did not attend the grammar school, and that
it was the fault of the abbot. Anthony
Stavely complained that the prior heavily
punished the young monks and others without cause. There were also certain complaints
on the part of two or three of insufficient
food in the farmery.
Abbot Hall's government was lax. At a
visitation held by Dr. Dowman, the bishop's
vicar-general, in January, 1507, the prior and
six senior monks were summoned to the
chapter-house and faced with various serious
charges as to the access of women to the precincts, the frequenting of taverns in the city,
and insufficient instruction of the younger
monks. This was followed by the summoning of twenty-five junior monks who
were duly admonished. Then the vicargeneral conferred with the abbot and seniors
as to reformatory measures. The seniors admitted laxity as to egress, alleged their ignorance
of all foundation for the graver charges, spoke
of the difficulty of a strict observance of the
Benedictine rule, but promised vigilance and
increased exertion for the future. (fn. 2)
Two years later the abbot died, and was
succeeded on 19 February by Richard Romsey,
the prior, who was the last of the honestly
elected abbots of Hyde. He governed the
community for nearly twenty-one years under
the episcopates of Fox and Wolsey. During
the latter part of his life the aged Bishop
Fox visited Hyde every fifteen days. In 1522
certain episcopal injunctions were issued
which reveal some irregularities, the gravest
whereof referred to some of the younger
monks practising long-bow archery in the
Hyde meadows. In August, 1526, Abbot
Romsey received a communication from
Wolsey, and wrote asking for a month's
time to deliberate over his proposals. He
pleaded that he was ' somewhat diseased,'
and not well able to travel to see Wolsey,
especially as he was expecting the king in the
following week. The tenor of Wolsey's
letter can be gathered from the reply. He
had acknowledged that Romsey had ordered
his house 'discreetly as yet,' but now that he
was suffering from age and weakness he urged
him to resign. The old abbot replied, with
some spirit, that he was not so aged or impotent of body or wit, but that he was able to
exercise his office to the pleasure of God, the
increase of good religion and the wealth of his
house. (fn. 3)
At the close of 1529 Abbot Romsey died,
and on 28 January, 1529-30, the monks of
Hyde gathered for the last time in their
chapter house for the election of an abbot.
A portion of the community struggled hard
to appoint one of their own number, but
others had been won over to support the
election of John Salcot, alias Capon, who
was already Abbot of Hulme, Norfolk.
After several adjournments, the election of
the nominee of Wolsey and the Crown was
secured. Salcot was a strenuous and ostentatious supporter of the king's divorce. In
1534 he was consecrated by Cranmer, Bishop
of Bangor, and in 1539 translated to Salisbury. Among all the absolutely unscrupulous
turncoats and time-servers of those strange
times the last Abbot of Hyde certainly bears
the palm. (fn. 4) Salcot on his appointment set to
work to prepare for the end, and in 1534 or
a little later Cromwell designed a strange and
most lax regulation for the fraternity (fn. 5) ; but if
ever this came into operation, it was of short
duration. In April, 1538, the surrender was
signed, and in September of the same year
came the visitors, Pollard, Wriothesley and
others, vandalizing with their own hands.
The number of inmates of the monastery
in 1507 was an abbot, a prior, six senior and
twenty-five junior monks, making in all
thirty-three members. (fn. 1) This number at the
time of the dissolution of the house, was reduced to twenty-one. (fn. 2) In the eleventh,
twelfth and thirteenth centuries, however, it
would appear from the lists of admissions to
the monastery given in the Liber Vitæ, the
number of members was slightly greater.
Pensions were assigned to all those who signed
the deed of surrender. The abbot's pension
probably ceased immediately, as he was rewarded with the bishopric of Salisbury. The
prior's pension was £13 6s. 8d. a year; three
senior monks had £10 each, two had £8,
and the rest £6. Annuities were also granted
from the monastic funds to Cromwell, Wriothesley and others. In 1557 there were only
the prior and ten of the monks left in receipt
of pensions. To Wriothesley were granted
some of the richest manors of the abbey,
including Micheldever and Stratton, as well
as a short lease of the entire site of the abbey,
its church and appurtenances. Wriothesley
pulled the abbey down with extraordinary
rapidity and sold the materials; the reversion of the site, together with the demesne
lands, passed by royal grant to Richard Bethell.
At the time of the dissolution of the house
the monastery held the hundred of Micheldever, the manors of Abbots Worthy,' Slackestede,' Woodmancote, Micheldever with the
rectory, c Dottesley,' North Stoneham, * Owers,'
East Stratton, Preshaw, Loomer, Alton Eastbrook, 'Bicketon,' Brown Candover, Fullerton
and Leckford, Abbots Anne, Winterbourne,
Pewsey,' Thiseldon with Burythorpp,' Collingborne, Puddletrenthide, ' Southese, Tytiescombe,' Heighten and Doughton with the
rectory. The rectories of Alton, Puddletrenthide and the chapels of Popham, Northampton, Stratton, and lands in Winchester and
elsewhere. (fn. 3)
When Leland visited Winchester in 1539,
so rapidly had Wriothesley done his work
that he could find nothing but the site, merely
recording that ' in this suburb stood the great
Abbey of Hyde.' (fn. 4) In Camden's time there
are said to have remained some ruinous outhouses, a gateway and a large barn supposed
to have been the abbot's hall. (fn. 5) William Cole,
the antiquary, was here in 1723, and could
merely discover the convent barn and holes
whence even the foundations had been dug. (fn. 6)
In 1788 the county magistrates purchased the
abbey field as the most suitable spot for the
erection of a county gaol ! There seems
good reason to believe that at this time the
grave of Alfred was destroyed and his dust
scattered. (fn. 7)
Abbots Of Newminster
Grimbald, 903
Beornhelm, Ethelgar, 965-83
Ælfsige, circa 983-97
Brightwold, 995 or 997-1012
Brithmere, 1012-21
Alnoth, 1021-35
Alwyn, 1035-57
Alfnoth, 1057-63
Alwyn II., 1064-66
Wulfric, 1069-72
Rewalan, 1072-
Ranulf Flambard
Herbert Losinga
Robert Losinga, 1091-93
Herbert Losinga, (fn. 8) 1093
Hugh, 1100-6
Geoffrey, 1106-24
Abbots Of Hyde
Osbert, 1124-35 (?)
Six years' vacancy
Hugh de Lens, 1142-9
Two years' vacancy
Salidus, 1151-71
Five years' vacancy
Thomas, 1177-81
John Suthill, 1181-1222
Walter Aston, 1222-48
Roger of St. Valery, 1248-63
William of Worcester, 1263-81
Robert, or Roger, of Popham, 1282-92
Simon Canning, (fn. 9) 1292-1304
Geoffrey of Ferringes, (fn. 10) 1304-17
William of Odiham, 1317-19
Walter of Fifield, (fn. 11) 1319-62
Thomas Pechy, (fn. 12) 1362-80
John of Eynesham, (fn. 1) 1381-94
John Letcombe, 1394-1408
John London, (fn. 2) 1408-16
Nicholas Strode, 1416-40
Thomas Bramley, 1440-65
Henry Bonville, 1465-72
Thomas Worcester, 1472-9
John Collingborne, 1480-5
Thomas Forte, 1485-8
Richard Hall, 1488-1509
Richard Romsey, 1509-29
John Salcot, 1530-38