5. GLOUCESTER COLLEGE, OXFORD
In the year 1283 John Giffard of Brimpsfield,
having bought a house in Stockwell Street,
Oxford, from the Hospitallers of St. John of
Jerusalem, presented it to the community of the
Benedictine order of the province of Canterbury,
that thirteen monks might study there. (fn. 1) The
abbots who presided over the conference of the
order requested the abbey of St. Peter, Gloucester, to take charge of this gift, and accordingly monks were sent from Gloucester under
the charge of Henry de Heliun as prior; and in
1284 we find H. 'prior Oxonie,' voting as the
prior of a cell of Gloucester. (fn. 2) In 1291, when
John Giffard granted four more tenements, the
conference of the Benedictine order decided
that an independent priory should be established
under Henry de Heliun as first prior, the patron
saints being St. John the Evangelist and St. Benedict. The abbey of Gloucester released him
from all subjection and renounced all special
claim upon the premises; and in consequence the
abbots of the order consented to make contributions towards the erection of buildings, on condition that they should have the privilege of
sending monks to reside there for a course of
study. Besides these temporary inmates there
were to be other permanent members of the
priory, probably monks who had taken their
degrees; and when the office of prior became
vacant both alike should have the privilege of
voting, and whoever was chosen was to be presented to John Giffard or his heirs, as the
founder and patron of the priory. (fn. 3) It is clear,
therefore, that Gloucester College was not, like
Durham College, a cell of another house; and
the title 'Gloucester' adhered to it merely
because for the first eight years it was affiliated
to Gloucester Abbey. On 6 July, 1291, an
agreement was made between Oseney Abbey,
which held the parish churches of St. Mary
Magdalen, Saint George, and St. Thomas, and
the prior 'of the monks of St. Benedict in Stockwell St.' that the priory, which was situated in
these three parishes, should be exempt from tithe
by a payment of 6s. 8d. a year, (fn. 4) and that the
monks might build a chapel for their own use
with the right of sepulture.
As the priory had no endowments, each
monastery not only built its own tenement, but
repaired it, if necessary, and always retained the
ownership. Thus, in 1371, Christ Church,
Canterbury, conveyed its rooms to the abbey of
Westminster, (fn. 5) and in 1412 and 1440 Malmesbury Abbey granted two of its rooms, being
between those of Winchcombe on the north, and
Tewkesbury on the south, to the priory of
Worcester in perpetuity. (fn. 6) The monasteries were
also called upon to support their own students; it
is said that the allowance given by Gloucester
Abbey was £10 to each monk; (fn. 7) but Eynsham
only allowed £6 10s. (fn. 8)
The ordinance made by Pope Benedict XII in
1337, that all Benedictine houses should send
students to a university, one for every twenty
monks, and that even if the number was less than
twenty they must send one student if their
numbers were more than six, (fn. 9) must have increased
the attendance at Gloucester College. For,
though some of the Benedictine houses sent their
monks to Cambridge, notably St. John's at Colchester, yet they had no college there for many
years, and most of the students came to Oxford.
At a meeting of the Benedictine order in 1343
it was decided that no rooms at Gloucester
College were to be kept vacant more than half a
year if there was any applicant for them; but
that the monastery 'that had built them or
repaired them liberally (nobiliter)' might claim
them back for its students at any time. (fn. 10) From
speeches made by the prior at meetings of the
Benedictine order in 1423 and 1426, we learn
that the ordinance of Pope Benedict was not
being loyally kept, not from a dislike of learning,
but because it was expensive to support monks at
Oxford; that Evesham ought to supply two
monks, Abingdon two, Malmesbury two, St.
Augustine's, Canterbury, four, Chertsey one,
Coventry one, Whitby one, Burton one, and
Tavistock one; Chester, Muchelney, Hide,
Abbotsbury and Westminster are also mentioned,
but the numbers are not given; (fn. 11) also we know
that Worcester sent two in 1346. (fn. 12) But we
must not conclude that all these resided at Gloucester College; both Durham College and Canterbury (fn. 13) College admitted monks from other
monasteries, and we hear of some turbulent
students who betook themselves to Gloucester
College when expelled from Canterbury College. (fn. 14)
But there can be no doubt that Gloucester
College was the chief seat of Benedictines; we
have seen that Malmesbury, Worcester, Westminster, Tewkesbury, and Winchcombe had
rooms there, and Wood gives reasons for adding
St. Albans, Reading, Ramsey, St. Peter's Gloucester, Glastonbury, Norwich, Rochester, and
Bury St. Edmunds; (fn. 15) so that the number of its
students must have been considerable. The
prior of the college, generally called 'Prior
Oxonie,' was in some sense set over all Benedictine students, those from the northern as well
as from the southern province; on one occasion
he complained of breach of Benedictine rules at
Canterbury College; and though Durham College
would not own obedience to him, yet they
allowed that he was the representative of the
order in Oxford. (fn. 16)
Three other facts may be learnt from the
records in Reyner; first, that the original mode
of electing the prior was soon changed; such
strife had there been about it that the students
were forbidden to take any part in it; anyone
who broke this rule was to be sent back immediately to his monastery; (fn. 17) and we gather that it
was the custom for the presidents of the Benedictine synod to appoint to the post. Secondly,
we learn that the buildings progressed but slowly;
in 1343 it had been decreed that the students
should attend the chapel on holy days, but this
can only have referred to an oratory, such as was
licensed in many halls, since the chapel was still
unfinished in 1426, though it had been many
years in building. (fn. 18) Thirdly, we notice how
much preaching was done at the college; it was
repeatedly ordained at the synods of the order,
that those monks who went to Oxford 'solely
that they might be able to preach, when they
return to their monasteries,' should practise frequently 'in the common place of our order'
(i.e. Gloucester College).
Priors of Gloucester College, Oxford
Henry de Heliun, (fn. 19) occurs 1283 and 1292 (fn. 20)
Thomas Ledbury, occurs 1420 and 1423 (fn. 21)
Edmund Kirton, occurs 1426 (fn. 22)
John Bevere, appointed 1429 (fn. 23)
John Whetehampstede, before 1444 (fn. 24)
John Amundesham, c. 1450 (fn. 25)
Richard Ringsted, occurs 1452 (fn. 26)
John Fordam (fn. 27)
Dr. Stangwell in 1502 (fn. 27)
John Winchcombe in 1512 (fn. 27)
Anthony Kitchin, occurs 1526 and 1529 (fn. 28)