HOUSES OF BENEDICTINE MONKS
1. THE CATHEDRAL PRIORY OF THE HOLY TRINITY OR CHRISTCHURCH, CANTERBURY
Bede (fn. 1) tells us that
' the bishop St. Augustine, as soon as he received the
episcopal seat in the royal city, repaired and restored
with the king's help the church, which he learned
had been constructed long ago of old Roman work;
and he consecrated it in the name of our Lord and
Saviour Christ; and there he established a habitation
for himself and all his successors.'
Thorne's version (fn. 2) is that in 598, the year after
his arrival at Canterbury, the king granted to
him his royal palace within the city, and he
restored it to a church and consecrated it in the
name of the Saviour. The two accounts do
not differ in any essential point, and may no
doubt be considered reliable descriptions of the
foundation.
The first point to be noted is that from the
foundation to the Conquest the cathedral establishment, as on the Continent, consisted of
secular clerks and not of monks. Gervase
declares that monks were settled there originally, (fn. 3)
and that it was only on account of a great
mortality among them that clerks were introduced under Ceolnoth and tolerated by his
successor Ethelred; (fn. 4) being afterwards removed
by Sigeric (fn. 5) and again tolerated by Ethelnoth. (fn. 6)
But, apart from the fact that a monastic chapter
was a comparatively late institution even in English
cathedrals, there is the conclusive evidence that
the head of Canterbury was always a dean before
the Conquest and never a prior. The introduction of the monks was only brought about in the
time of Lanfranc; (fn. 7) Dunstan himself, the great
supporter of monasticism, riot having effected it.
Very little is known of the history of the
cathedral before the Conquest. Archbishop
Cuthbert (fn. 8) began the system of the burials of the
archbishops there instead of at St. Augustine's,
but the story belongs rather to the latter house.
In September, 1011, Canterbury was sacked
and the cathedral burnt by the Danes, who killed
Archbishop Alphege because he refused to pay
ransom. (fn. 9)
William the Conqueror treated the cathedral
well, confirming its liberties and restoring many
lands which had been taken away from it.
Lanfranc made a division of these, retain ing some
himself, allotting others to the convent and surrendering some which properly belonged to
Rochester. (fn. 10) After his death the see was vacant
for four years, and William Rufus heavily oppressed the church, confiscating its lands and
annulling its liberties. (fn. 11)
The cathedral church, which had been begun
by Lanfranc and enlarged by Anselm, was dedicated by Archbishop William on 4 May, 1130,
in the presence of the king and queen, David
king of Scotland, and a large number of bishops,
abbots and nobles. (fn. 12) Archbishop Theobald
crowned Stephen and his queen there. (fn. 13) Archbishop Becket was murdered in the church on
29 December, 1170, and in consequence of the
pollution it was closed for nearly a year, being
reconciled by the bishops of Exeter and Chester
on 21 December following. (fn. 14) On 12 July,
1174, the king made a solemn pilgrimage to
Becket's tomb. (fn. 15) On 5 September in the same
year, the church was destroyed by fire, and an
elaborate account of the catastrophe and the rebuilding is given by Gervase, who was probably
an eye-witness. (fn. 16) This was the third conflagration, the first having occurred at the time when
Alfege was murdered and the second at the arrival of Lanfranc. Gervase quotes Eadmer's account of the old church, and himself describes
Lanfranc's and the newest. There was a difference of opinion among architects as to the course
to be adopted, but at last the work was entrusted
to William of Sens, who carried it on until he
was disabled by an accident in 1178, when he
was succeeded by another William, an Englishman; arid the choir was finally re-consecrated
on 19 April, 1180.
Several large registers and a great number of
miscellaneous documents relating to its history
are still preserved in the cathedral. These have
been described or partially calendared by the late
Dr. J. Brigstocke Sheppard for the Historical
Manuscripts Commission; (fn. 17) and the possessions
and liberties of the house will be found set out
in great detail in them. Very many privileges
were granted by various popes. (fn. 18) The prior and
monks had almost complete self-government;
and the prior obtained from Honorius III the
right of wearing the episcopal ring and mitre, in
addition to other insignia. Alexander III
exempted the lands of Christchurch from the
payment of small tithes. Urban IV empowered
the prior to absolve monks lying under ecclesiastical censures.
Many charters of grants and confirmations of
liberties were also obtained from successive
kings; (fn. 19) and several of the liberties were successfully proved before justices and commissioners
in eyre in 1279, 1286, 1293 and 1313. (fn. 20)
Henry III on 27 February, 1264, granted to
the prior and convent free warren in all their
demesne lands in the counties of Kent, Surrey,
Sussex, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Buckingham,
Oxford and Devon, but without specifying the
towns in which they held lands; and on account
of this vagueness they obtained a fresh charter,
in which the place-names are given, from
Edward II in 1316. (fn. 21) Richard II on 2 October,
1383, granted to them four fairs yearly within
the site of the priory. (fn. 22)
The possessions are recorded in detail in the
registers, and lists of the names and dates of donors
are given by Gervase and others. (fn. 23) Archbishop
Theodore is said (fn. 24) to have made the division of
the estates of the archbishop and the chapter,
which was clearly recognized at the time of the
Domesday Survey. (fn. 25) The prior and convent
owned the manors of Meopham, Basser, Leysdown, Eylwarton, Copton, Ham, Selgrave, Boyton, Hollingbourne, Westwell, Orpington, East
and West Farleigh, Loose, Ebony, Appledore,
Chartham, Godmersham, Brook, Little and
Great Chart, Orgarswick, Ruckinge, Fairfield,
Aghne Court, Seasalter, Shouart, Thorn den,
Ickham, Bramling, Adisham, Eastry, Monkton
and Brooksend, and the churches of Farningham,
Meopham, Halstow, Milton, Faversham, Sheldwich, Preston, East Peckham, Boughton under
Blean, Cranbrook, Tenterden, Westwell, Godmersham, Willesborough, Fairfield, Brookland,
Stone, Seasalter, Brook, Littlebourne, West Cliffe,
Eastry, Monkton and Birchington in Kent; the
manors of Cheam, Merstham, Charlwood, Horsley,
Vauxhall and Walworth in Surrey; the manors of
Bocking, Bocking in Mersea, Milton, Lalling, (fn. 26)
Southchurch, Stisted, Panfield and Borley in
Essex; the manor of Wotton in Sussex; the
manor of Newington in Oxfordshire; the manors
of Risborough and Halton in Buckinghamshire;
the manors of Eleigh and Hadleigh in Suffolk; (fn. 27)
the manor of Deopham in Norfolk; and the
manor of Daccombe (fn. 28) in Devonshire. In the
Taxation of 1291 the temporalities in the diocese
of Canterbury were valued at £1,066 8s. 1d.
yearly. (fn. 29) In the Valor of 1535 the gross value
of the possessions was returned as £2,493 6s. 2¾d.,
with deductions of £143 17s. 9½d., leaving the
net value £2,349 8s. 5¼d. yearly. (fn. 30)
The formal revenue as set out in the Taxation
and Valor of course does not represent the whole
income of the cathedral, which was swelled by
offerings and other irregular receipts, and which
can still be traced in the . treasurer's accounts. (fn. 31)
In 1207 the whole income amounted to over
£1,460 and the expenditure to £1,425. Then
the monks were exiled for seven years and an
administrator was appointed by the king; but in
1219 the total receipts were £1,527. In the
next year the translation of the relics of St.
Thomas took place and the ceremony attracted
an enormous crowd of visitors, the receipts rising to £2,707; the average being £1,460 for
the six years preceding 1220, and £2,340 for the
next six. The offerings at the shrine of St.
Thomas and other holy places formed a large
proportion. It must be remembered that these
sums must be multiplied about twenty-fold
to represent the corresponding value at the
present day.
Louis VII of France, who had offered his
devotions at the shrine of St. Thomas for the
recovery of his son from illness, made a grant to
the chapter in 1179 of 100 muids (1,600 gallons)
of wine yearly, which was confirmed by several
of his successors. It came originally from Triel
near Poissy, but when the vineyards there were
ruined in the last part of the fifteenth century it
was taken from Gascony and the Bordelais. (fn. 32)
The convent claimed the right of election of
the archbishop as a reality and not merely a form,
and came into collision with the king and pope
on several occasions in consequence. In 1123,
in spite of their protests, the election was made
at Gloucester by an assembly of bishops, abbots,
and nobles, and William, prior of St. Osyth's,
an Austin canon, was chosen. (fn. 33) In 1184 the
bishops again claimed to take part in the election,
declaring authority from the pope, and a long
dispute followed, in which the king and Ranulph
Glanville intervened, until Baldwin, bishop of
Worcester, the nominee of the bishops, was
eventually chosen; though the chapter secured
the observance of their formalities. (fn. 33a) After the
death of Hubert in July, 1205, the king persuaded the convent to postpone the election until
after St. Andrew's Day, and in the meantime
sent messengers to Rome, on hearing of which
the convent sent the sub-prior and some other
monks there to watch over their interests. (fn. 34) The
king came to Canterbury in December, and the
convent elected the bishop of Norwich, but the
monks at Rome disputed this, and the election
was quashed, and Stephen Langton chosen; with
the result that in July, 1207, all the monks were
expelled from Canterbury by the angry king,
and took refuge abroad at the abbey of St. Bertin,
where they remained until peace was made by
Pandulf in 1213. On the death of Langton in
1228 the chapter obtained licence for election
from the king, and chose Walter of Eynesham by
compromise, but the election was quashed by the
pope, who appointed Richard le Grant, chancellor of Lincoln; (fn. 35) and after his death in 1231
the chapter made no fewer than four elections,
including their own prior, until the pope was
satisfied. (fn. 36) Pope Innocent IV granted that the
bishops of the province should not interfere in
the election, (fn. 37) but the time of freedom of the
chapter was already really past. In 1270 they
again chose their own prior, Adam de Chillenden,
but he was rejected by the pope and Robert
Kilwardby appointed. (fn. 38) The new archbishop
quarrelled about the expenses of the election,
which amounted to the enormous sum of
3,000 marks, and eventually they were divided,
the convent paying 1,300.
But though the convent claimed to elect the
archbishop, who stood in the position of their
abbot, and was the persona of the cathedral, they
hardly recognized his authority when elected. (fn. 39)
They were generously treated by Anselm, who
gave them a large degree of independence, made
many gifts, and settled on them the whole
oblations of the high altar and the xenia or
Christmas and Easter offerings: but Eadmer
distinctly states that his object was not to exempt
them from the authority of the archbishop, but
to save the estates from the king during the
vacancies of the see. Archbishops Thomas and
Richard were also generous. William de
Corbeuil, a canon archbishop, quarrelled with
them about the church of Dover; and Theobald
with the prior Jeremiah, who was forced to
resign. The real dispute began in 1150, when
the conventual property was so much wasted by
war and other expenses that the prior restored
the administration of it to Theobald, asking him
to provide for the convent until better times
should come. Theobald exercised strict economy
in every way, only allowing them the simplest
food; and this forced abstinence was so little to
their liking that they charged him with selfaggrandisement at their expense, and appealed to
Rome. He retorted vigorously, and after three
years of quarrel a compromise was come to, by
which the estates were restored; but the prior
resigned.
Archbishop Baldwin, who succeeded Richard
in 1184, was a Cistercian monk and a scholar,
and did not look favourably upon the luxury,
independence, and ignorance of the chapter.
Urged probably by the clerks around him, he
planned a large collegiate church, to be maintained out of the property of the see; and
obtained from Lucius III permission to recover
the estates alienated to the convent by his predecessor, of which the principal were the oblations,
belonging canonically to the archbishop, and the
churches of Monkton, Eastry, Meopham, and
Eynsford; and began proceedings by confiscating
the xenia on 15 December, 1185, and taking
possession of the churches of Monkton and
Eastry on 25 January, 1186. The monks,
besides resenting this loss, considered that the
cathedral would be supplanted by the new
church, among the canons of which were to be
the bishops of the province, and appealed to the
new pope, Urban III. Baldwin, however,
secured bulls from him, and in November came
down to found his church at Hackington, a
suburb of Canterbury, where he instituted the
canons on 16 December. Alan, the prior, had
been made abbot of Tewkesbury, but his successor
Honorius was confirmed in fidelity to the convent by a vision which appeared opportunely to
one of the monks, and went abroad to Verona
to lay his case before the pope in person.
Everywhere sympathies were divided between
the parties. The king favoured the archbishop,
and the convent looked for support from the
friends of Becket. St. Augustine's was equally
hostile to both, but the other great Benedictine
and Cluniac houses supported the convent, and
the Cistercian houses the archbishop. The
bishops were mostly on his side, but the king's
ministers, the foreign princes, and the cardinals
were divided. Henry II came to Canterbury to
offer mediation on 11 February, 1187, but the
monks refused, and they won an initial success by
securing help from the pope. Baldwin changed
the site of the college to the parish of St. Dunstan and built a wooden chapel there, which he
proceeded with in spite of the pope's prohibition.
Then followed many months of squabbling.
Urban died; his successor only reigned for a
few weeks, but was favourable to the archbishop;
and the next pope, Clement III, was lukewarm.
The monks were blockaded in their monastery
from January, 1188, to August, 1189, and
Honorius died abroad. After the death of
Henry II Baldwin visited the convent and
offered some concessions, but no agreement was
come to, and he appointed as prior Roger
Norreys, who was extremely distasteful to the
monks and seems to have been quite unfit for
the position. Finally Richard I, who was much
firmer than his father in the matter, came to
Canterbury in November, 1189, and an agreement was made by which their estates were
restored to the convent, the prior was removed,
and the proposed collegiate church was abandoned; but, on the other hand, another was to
be built on land at Lambeth obtained by the
archbishop by exchange with the convent of
Rochester, and he made the appointment of a
new prior, Osbert de Bristo. Baldwin soon
afterwards went to the Holy Land on the
crusade and died; and as soon as the news
reached Canterbury Osbert was forced to resign.
The college at Lambeth was begun before
Baldwin left England, but in May, 1192,
Celestine III gave orders that the canons there
should be released from their oath and the
church closed. They probably appealed, for the
same pope in January, 1193, took them under
his protection; and in 1197 the new archbishop,
Hubert Walter, who in the mean time had
acquired the manor of Lambeth and had by
common law the right to build a religious house
on it, proceeded with the scheme. In November
he sent envoys to lay before the convent the
proposals he had drawn up to secure their rights,
but after some delay they definitely refused to
agree to them; and once more appeal was made
to Rome, and a new pope, Innocent III, ordered
the demolition of the college within thirty days.
The king forbade the execution of the mandate,
took the college under his protection, and seized
the possessions of the convent for infringing the
liberties of the realm. The old dispute went on,
with the king on one side and the pope on the
other; Hubert agreed to demolish the chapel,
but obtained a bull for the erection of another on
a new site at Lambeth, and seemed to be
winning; but the death of the king turned the
scales. Probably John's support could not be
relied on in the same way; and on 30 June,
1201, it was agreed that the archbishop might
build a church on a new site at Lambeth, but it
was to be of Premonstratensian canons, endowed
from the archiepiscopal estates and only to the
value of £100 yearly, and no consecrations or
ordinations were to be celebrated in it. Practically Baldwin had won, and Hubert lost, all the
important points.
Archbishop Edmund had a similar quarrel
with the convent in 1238-9, in which he is said
to have wished to erect a prebendal church, consecrate bishops elsewhere than in the cathedral,
and expel the monks and institute seculars; but
nothing much happened beyond his excommunication and suspension of the convent, the chief
points of interest being the acknowledgement by
some monks of the forgery of a charter of
St. Thomas and the burning of a papal bull. (fn. 40)
The chapter claimed to exercise almost all the
spiritual rights of the archbishop during the
vacancies of the see, and two large registers (fn. 41) are
filled with their acts at the vacancies from 1343
to 1413, 1500 and 1502. Gervase notes that
they exercised complete jurisdiction in the
dioceses of Bath and Wells, St. Asaph, and
St. Davids in 1293 without any opposition, these
bishoprics being then vacant simultaneously with
the archbishopric; (fn. 42) and he also records several
similar acts. (fn. 43) On the death of Archbishop
Edmund in 1241 the archdeacon of Canterbury,
an old enemy of theirs, took advantage of their
quarrel with the archbishop to usurp their
rights. (fn. 44) In 1243 they came into conflict with
the bishop of Lincoln, who had deposed the
abbot of Bardney. (fn. 45)
About 1275 there was a quarrel between
Thomas Ringmer, then prior, and a faction of
the monks, who charged him with mismanagement and oppression. (fn. 46) The truth of this is not
likely ever to be known, but in 1284 this prior
resigned and joined the stricter Cistercian order
at Beaulieu in Hampshire; (fn. 47) and at the vacancy
the priory was taken into the king's hands, which
had never been done before. The sub-prior and
convent protested, and the king eventually withdrew his claim, but nevertheless in 1297 again
took possession of the monastery. In 1320
another quarrel broke out between Prior Henry
of Eastry and some monks, (fn. 48) which appears to
have lasted for some years; for in 1325 the
archbishop interfered about one of the mutinous
monks, Robert de Aledone, whom he declared to
have been punished with excessive severity. (fn. 49) A
long list of offences attributed to Robert is set
out, and he was believed by some to be mad;
but he rose in after years to eminence in the convent. Two years later there was still trouble
with six monks; and one of these, Thomas de
Sandwico, fled from the monastery, but was
eventually allowed to return, after making a
complete subjection. (fn. 50) Prior Henry was at the
head of the house for many years, and reached a
great age; and several letters are preserved
between him and Archbishop Reynolds, who
was a comparatively young man, and sought his
advice on many occasions. (fn. 51) Archbishop Mepeham
also sought advice from him and his successor,
Richard Oxenden; but John Stratford, the next
archbishop, was more self-willed, and Oxenden
soon lost all his influence, the friendly correspondence ceasing or turning to bickering. (fn. 52)
Several times in the fourteenth century
attempts were made to compel the attendance of
the prior at the provincial chapter; but he invariably refused, as he considered himself the chief
person of the order in England and did not wish
to have to take a place below the president of the
occasion; and he was backed up by Edward III
on the ground of his special position, and also by
Urban V and Innocent VI. (fn. 53) In 1395, after
the usual refusal, the chapter appointed the abbot
of Battle to make a visitation of the priory in
their name; and the prior appealed to the archbishop, who forbade anyone to make any visitation of the cathedral except himself. (fn. 54) Urban VI
granted a bull of exemption from attendance at
the chapter, (fn. 55) and after this the prior does not
seem to have been troubled further.
Edward the Black Prince, in consideration of
a dispensation for his marriage with his cousin,
the countess of Kent, founded a chantry of two
priests in the cathedral in 1362, granting the
manor of Vauxhall, in Surrey, to the chapter for
their maintenance. (fn. 56) In the middle of the next
century a dispute between the priests was settled
by arbitration, (fn. 57) and in 1472 the chapter complained that the income of the chantry was insufficient, and wished to be relieved of the
charge. (fn. 58) The earl of Warwick offered the
manor of Easole for a chantry in 1368, but it
was refused. (fn. 59) Archbishop Courtenay founded a
chantry in 1395, (fn. 60) which was augmented later by
Archbishop Arundel. (fn. 61) Archbishop Bourchier
granted the manor of Panfield, in Essex, for the
foundation of a chantry in 1473; (fn. 62) and chantries
were also founded by John Buckingham, bishop
of Lincoln, in 1389, Joan Brenchley in 1458,
Archbishop Warham in 1529, and others. (fn. 63) Anniversary services were maintained for Henry VII
and his queen.
We read of three Canterbury monks staying
at Oxford in 1331, living there in hired lodgings
under the charge of the senior, and being supplied
with necessaries from the convent's manor of
Newington; but they appear to have moved
soon afterwards to the general Benedictine
establishment known as Gloucester College.
Archbishop Islip in 1361 obtained a royal licence
to found a college of religious and seculars at
Oxford, and to endow it with the church of
Pagham in Sussex, his nephew adding the manor
of Woodford in Northamptonshire; and soon
after he allowed the chapter of Canterbury to
nominate three persons to it, one of whom was
to be warden. Towards the end of his life the
influence of the seculars prevailed, and one John
Wyclif succeeded in ousting this warden; but
Archbishop Langham took up the cause of the
monks. The seculars appealed to Rome, but
were finally defeated in 1370, and from thence
until the Dissolution the college seems to have
been considered a daughter to Canterbury.
Archbishop Courtenay remodelled the statutes in
1382, with considerable differences; and in
1396-7 the building of the college was carried
out, the details and expenses being still preserved. (fn. 64)
The cathedral and the city seem always to
have been quarrelling. (fn. 65) Early in the thirteenth
century the monks provided some timber for
fortifying the city, but induced Hubert de Burgh,
the justiciary, to certify that it was given out of
goodwill and could not be taken as a precedent.
In 1428 the city seized some fish which had
been bought by the convent, on the ground that
it was an act of forestalling, and the dispute was
submitted to arbitrators. In 1492 a long agreement was made to put a final stop to all the
quarrels, and the city released to the cathedral a
part of the town wall with some waste land.
Nevertheless, eight years later the quarrel broke
out again fiercely, the prior accusing the mayor
of trespass, assault, and various other offences,
and the mayor retorting with other charges, such
as that of fouling the city ditch with sewage. Near
the Dissolution the city presented another long
list of wrongs done to them by the chapter. (fn. 66)
John Stone, a monk of the cathedral, wrote a
chronicle (fn. 67) of the house from 1415-71. This
is chiefly concerned with the deaths of his
brethren, but he also mentions the enthronements of the archbishops, a few consecrations,
the battles and other political events of the Wars
of the Roses, epidemics of the plague, the worst
of which were in 1420 and 1470, and the visits
of many important people to Canterbury, generally on their way between London and the
Continent. Henry VI and Edward IV each
visited the cathedral several times. Fifty offices
in the cathedral are mentioned, possibly with
some repetitions.
Several unimportant letters from the prior to
Cromwell are preserved, (fn. 68) but not much is known
of what happened at the cathedral immediately
before the Dissolution. Prior Thomas and sixtynine others signed the acknowledgement of the
royal supremacy on 10 December, 1534. (fn. 69)
Richard Layton visited the cathedral in October,
1535, and was nearly burnt in his bed by an
outbreak of fire, which did a great deal of
damage; and he gave several injunctions which
the monks seem to have resented extremely. (fn. 70)
Among other things, they were to remain within
the walls of the monastery, to dine together, to
keep three or four more of their number at
Oxford besides the five whom they had been
accustomed to maintain there; the sextons and
other church officers were to sleep in the dorter
and not in the church; the fairs at the abbey
were prohibited; and seculars were forbidden to
keep shops within the monastery. The prior
and a few others seem to have carried out
Cromwell's orders, though some said that the
prior was merely a hypocrite and really disobeyed. The principal murmuring was against
'young men coartyng them to use prescrypt
meates, nother savery nor holsom,' a form of
abstinence which was evidently highly unpopular.
In January, 1537, when the number of the monks
had sunk to fifty-eight, there was trouble (fn. 71) about
seditious words used by some and the mention
of the names of two bishops of Rome, but not
much notice seems to have been taken.
Dissolution was already spoken of in 1538, (fn. 72)
and in the next year some exchanges of lands
were made with the king. (fn. 73) Canterbury was
of course to be one of the new cathedrals; and
the scheme for the establishment was in existence
in November, when it was criticized by Cranmer
in a letter to Cromwell. (fn. 74) A commission to the
archbishop and others to take the surrender of
the monastery was issued on 20 March, 1540; (fn. 75)
and on 4 April pensions were allotted of £80 to
the prior, and smaller sums to those monks who
were not provided for on the new foundation. (fn. 76)
The new cathedral was reconstituted by letters
patent on 8 April, 1540, with Nicholas Wotton
as dean and twelve priests as prebendaries, (fn. 77)
and endowed in May with numerous possessions,
including most of those of the old monastery and
also some from other houses, (fn. 78) and fresh statutes
were given for it. (fn. 79)
A number of inventories of the cathedral of
various dates, from 1294 to the eighteenth
century, have been printed in Inventories of
Christchurch, Canterbury, by Messrs. J. Wickham
Legg and W. H. St. John Hope.
Archbishop Parker made a visitation of the
cathedral on 3 July, 1570, and gave several
injunctions concerning it, and in the same year
put an end to some disputes between the prebendaries. (fn. 80) In September, 1573, he made
another visitation, with fresh injunctions, (fn. 81) the
most important of which related to the granting
of leases and division of fines, by which the
dean and prebendaries had enriched themselves
at the expense of the common chest. Dispensation was granted for the non-observance of
such statutes as were repugnant to the Word of
God and the statutes of the realm, and a reader
of divinity was to be appointed. In November
commissioners were sent to Canterbury to see
whether these injunctions had been properly
observed, and replies were received from the
dean and chapter, who do not appear to have
been pleased. (fn. 82) Archbishop Whitgift appointed
commissioners to visit the cathedral in 1597, and
several faults were noted and orders for reform
made by them. (fn. 83) Archbishop Laud made a
visitation of the diocese in 1634, (fn. 84) and issued
fresh statutes for the cathedral in 1635, (fn. 85) which
were confirmed by the king on 3 January,1637. (fn. 86)
On 9 May, 1637, the same archbishop made an
order for the proper keeping of all muniments
and records belonging to the church. (fn. 87)
Deans Of Canterbury (fn. 88)
Cuba, occurs 798
Beornheard, occurs 805
Heahfrith, occurs 813
Ceolnoth, resigned 833 (fn. 89)
Æthelwine, occurs c. 860
Eadmund, occurs c.871
Æthelnoth, resigned 1020 (fn. 89)
Godric, occurs 1020, 1023
Æthelric, resigned 1058 (fn. 90)
Ælfric (fn. 91)
Ælfsige
Ælfwine
Ælfwine
Kynsige
Maurice
Priors Of Canterbury
Henry, (fn. 92) resigned 1096
Ernulf, (fn. 93) 1096-1107
Conrad, (fn. 94) 1108-26
Geoffrey, (fn. 95) 1126-8
Elmer, 1128-37
Jeremiah, (fn. 96) 1137-43
Walter Durdent, (fn. 97) 1143-9
Walter the Little, (fn. 98) 1149-50
Wibert, (fn. 99) 1150-67
Odo, (fn. 100) 1167-75
Benedict, (fn. 101) 1175-7
Herlewin, (fn. 102) 1177-9
Alan, (fn. 103) 1179-86
Honorius, (fn. 104) 1186-8
Roger Norreis, (fn. 105) 1189
Osbert de Bristo, (fn. 106) 1189-91
Geoffrey, (fn. 107) 1191-1213
Walter, 1213-22
John Sittingborne, 1222-32
John de Chetham, (fn. 108) 1232-8
Roger de la Lee, (fn. 109) 1239-44
Nicholas de Sandwyco, (fn. 109) 1244-58
Roger de Sancto Elphego, 1258-63
Adam de Chillenden, 1264-74
Thomas de Ringmere, (fn. 110) 1274-84
Henry de Eastria, 1285-1331
Richard de Oxenden, 1332-8
Robert Hathbrande, 1338-70
Richard Gillyngham, 1370-6
Stephen Mongeham, 1376-7
John Fynch, 1377-91
Thomas Chillenden, 1391-1411
John Woodnesbergh, 1411-28
William Molashe, 1428-38
John Salisbury, 1438-46
John Elham, 1446-9
Thomas Goldston, 1449-68
John Oxne, 1468-71
William Pettham, 1471-2
William Sellyng, 1472-94
Thomas Goldston, 1495-1517
Thomas Goldwell, 1517-40, the last prior
Deans Of Canterbury
Nicholas Wotton, 1540
Thomas Godwin, (fn. 111) 1567
Richard Rogers, 1584
Thomas Neville, 1597
Charles Fetherby, 1615
John Boys, 1619
Isaac Bargrave, 1625
George Aglionby, 1643
Thomas Turner, 1644
John Tillotson, (fn. 112) 1672
John Sharpe, (fn. 113) 1689
George Hooper, (fn. 114) 1691
George Stanhope, 1704
Elias Sydall, (fn. 115) 1728
John Lynch, 1734
William Friend, 1760
John Potter, 1766
Brownlow North, (fn. 116) 1770
John Moore, 1771
James Cornwallis, (fn. 117) 1775
George Home, (fn. 118) 1781
William Buller, (fn. 119) 1790
Ffolliot Herbert Walker Cornewall, (fn. 120) 1793
Thomas Powys, 1797
Gerrard Andrewes, 1809
Hugh Percy, (fn. 121) 1825
Richard Bagot, (fn. 122) 1827
William Rowe Lyall, 1845
Henry Alford, 1857
Robert Payne Smith, 1871
Frederic William Farrar, 1895
Henry Wace, 1903
The seal (fn. 123) (twelfth century) of the cathedral
is of red wax, measuring 3⅜ inches.
Obverse.—The cathedral from the south carefully detailed; central tower with pent roof
capped with a four-winged seraph, four turreted
towers, and at the east end a towered apse. In
the body of the church under the crossing is
shown the figure of the Saviour full-length with
nimbus and cross, lifting up the right hand in
benediction. The two side towers nearest to
view contain heads of saints in the lower stories.
The two turrets on the left bear weathercocks,
those on the right flags and crosses. In the field
overhead two stars. Legend:—
S . . . LLUM ECCYE X`I CA . . . . . . EDIS
BRITTANIE
Reverse.—A pointed oval counterseal measuring 2½ by 1⅜ inches, representing the Saviour
seated on a rainbow with nimbus, lifting up the
right hand in benediction, and holding in the left
hand a book. Legend:—
EGO SUM VIA VERITAS ET VITA
Another seal (fn. 124) (1418) is of red wax measuring
3¾ inches.
Obverse.—An elaborate elevation of the west
front of the cathedral, showing the central and
two side towers pinnacled. Over the portal is a
triangular tympanum in which is the Saviour
with the inscription Iac bc. On the corbel table
below this figure the inscription EST DOMUS H'
X`I, completed by MURI METROPOL' ISTI upon the
embattled and turreted walls of the city of Canterbury in the foreground in the base. The side
towers of the cathedral are pierced, each in two
stories, the upper containing, within quatrefoils,
two female heads, the lower, within niches, saints'
heads with inscriptions, S DUNSTAN' on the right
and S ELPHEGUS on the left. In the field over the
roof line two angels descending from clouds and
swinging censers towards the central tower, which
is capped by a seraphic figure with four wings.
Legend:—
SIGILLUM ECCLESIE XPISTI CANTUARIE PRIME
SEDIS BRITTANNIE
Reverse.—Becket's martyrdom in the cathedral, shown behind a shaft supporting two pointed
arches. In the spandrel between is a small panel
with a head in it: in the three windows of an
arcade or clearstory the soul of the martyr in a
cloth held up by two angels; and in a trefoiled
niche above them the Saviour, half-length, with
nimbus and crown on breast between the letters
A Ω. The side compartments contain two
knights in armour; above them in circular openings two angels issuing from clouds. In the sky
above the roof two angels, each holding a crown.
An arcading and Wall with three faces run round
the base of the building. Legend:—
EST HUIC VITA MORI PRO QUA DUM VIXIT
AMORI.
MORS ERAT ET MEMORI PER MORTEM VIVIT
HONORI.
On the rim of the seal the legend:—
SIT MICHI CAUSA MERA STILUS APTUS LITERA
VERA.
CIRCUMSPECTA SERA TENOR UTILIS INTEGRA
CERA.