9. THE PRIORY OF LANTHONY BY GLOUCESTER
In or about 1108 Hugh de Lacy founded a
monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist for
Augustinian canons in the valley of the Hodenay, beneath the Hatteril Hills in Monmouthshire. (fn. 1) During the reign of Henry I this
monastery of Lanthony prospered greatly, and
the number of canons increased to forty. (fn. 2) Owing
to the disturbances which broke out immediately
after the death of Henry I the canons were
reduced to desperate straits; a Welsh lord took
refuge in the monastery with his women-folk,
and enemies cut off the canons' supplies of food. (fn. 3)
In dire distress they sent a messenger to Robert
de Bethune, bishop of Hereford, their former prior.
He invited the convent to take refuge with him,
and provided for their use a chapel, storehouse,
barns, and other offices. Some of the canons
chose to remain at Lanthony; (fn. 4) the greater number, under the prior, Robert de Braci, took refuge
with the bishop, and stayed with him for two
years at his expense. In 1136 at his request
Milo, earl of Hereford and constable of Gloucester, offered the canons a hide of land close to
the town of Gloucester. (fn. 5) With the money which
they had brought from Wales, and with the
bishop's help, the canons at once began to build
a new church, and on 10 September, 1137, (fn. 6) it
was dedicated to the Virgin by Robert, bishop
of Hereford, and Simon, bishop of Worcester.
Buildings were ready for the habitation of the
canons, and the convent from Hereford entered
into possession of them. The new foundation
was called Lanthony Secunda to distinguish it
from the Welsh house, which was thenceforth
called Lanthony Prima. On the occasion of the
dedication Milo, earl of Hereford, confirmed the
gifts of his ancestors, Roger of Gloucester and
Walter the constable of the castle, and added
churches and lands for the support of the canons. (fn. 7)
Thus this endowment included, besides the site, the
meadow called Castle Mead, a tithe of the fishery
by the castle and of Quedgeley, the chapel within
the castle, the chapels of St. Kinburga and Elmore,
besides other tithes in the earl of Hereford's demesnes. Afterwards he granted the church of
Barton in Hampshire and in 1141 the manor of
Heyhampstead. (fn. 8) In 1137 Robert de Braci died,
and was succeeded as prior by William de Wycombe, the familiar friend of Robert de Bethune.
The chronicler implies that Robert de Bethune
stipulated for the return of the canons to the
mother church if peace were concluded, leaving
only thirteen of their number at Gloucester. (fn. 9) In
1146, at the bishop's request, Pope Eugenius III
confirmed the possessions of the two priories, and
decreed that the house at Gloucester should continue as a cell to the mother church of St. John
the Baptist. (fn. 10) The canons of Gloucester were
soon afterwards joined by a band of twenty
brethren, who were constrained to leave the
mother house because their property lay barren. (fn. 11)
Robert de Bethune granted lands and churches
in the diocese of Hereford that the newcomers
might not be a burden on the younger foundation. The thought of returning to the mother
house was hateful; they appreciated the contrast
between the town of Gloucester and the desolate
Hatteril mountains. (fn. 12) The chronicler told how
he had heard some of the canons say that they
wished each stone of the mother church was a
hare, and others that they longed for the earth to
open and swallow it up. They devoted their
revenues to the fabric of the new church to
the neglect of the elder. As it could not be
deserted, all the old, weak, and more humble
brethren were sent thither and left in want of
clothing and food, while the canons at Gloucester
enjoyed plenty. Everything of value was gradually removed to Gloucester, the books of the
library, silken cloths, charters, and muniments,
even the bells. (fn. 13) William de Wycombe, himself
a man of austere life, strove, though in vain, to
maintain discipline at Gloucester. (fn. 14) The canons
hated him, and used his work on the life of
Robert de Bethune to get rid of him. In the
course of a serious quarrel, the bishop excommunicated Milo, earl of Hereford, and in 1143,
while under the ban, he was killed when hunting
in the Forest of Dean. William de Wycombe,
the bishop's familiar friend, wrote vehemently
against the tyrant, as he styled the earl. The
canons informed his son Roger, earl of Hereford
of this, and he swore vengeance on the house.
William de Wycombe resigned, and left Gloucester to dwell for the rest of his life at Canon
Frome in Herefordshire. His successor, Clement,
compelled the brethren to dwell with him for a
year at the mother house leaving but thirteen at
Gloucester, but they would not stay; (fn. 15) on
account of St. John, he said, 'we shall all
descend into hell.' The Welsh house pleased him
as a place for study (fn. 16) and prayer (fn. 17) but the chronicler deemed that the wisdom of the serpent
would have profited him more than the innocence of the dove. (fn. 18)
It is difficult to discover the relations between
the two houses during the latter half of the
twelfth century. In 1157 Adrian IV confirmed
a composition which had been made by Prior
Clement, but the details are not forthcoming. (fn. 19)
The Bohuns were generous patrons of the
monastery at Gloucester. In the reign of
Henry II Margery de Bohun, the daughter of
Milo, earl of Hereford, gave the manor of South
Cerney, (fn. 20) his son Henry gave the churches of
Haresfield and Caldicote, in 1161. (fn. 21) In 1198,
Richard I confirmed the possessions and liberties
of the priories of St. Mary and St. John the
Baptist in one charter. (fn. 22) The Irish Conquest
brought a great increase of property; Hugh de
Lacy II gave lands to Lanthony Prima, (fn. 23) other
benefactors favoured Lanthony Secunda. (fn. 24) Shortly
before 1205 Hubert Walter, archbishop of
Canterbury, required Mauger, bishop of Worcester, and Giles, bishop of Hereford, to consider
the question of a repartition of the possessions of
the two priories as a former division had been made
void. (fn. 25) In 1205 it was agreed that each monastery
should have its own prior and convent and that
neither should be subject to the other. (fn. 26) The
possessions were to be divided, but no record of
the settlement is known to have survived. Later
evidence suggests that the mother house had the
lands and churches in the counties of Monmouth,
Hereford, and Wales, while the monastery at
Gloucester kept the lands and other possessions
in that county. (fn. 27) In 1211 an amicable composition was made about the Irish property. (fn. 28)
The Irish possessions were an important but
fluctuating source of revenue. One or two of
the canons acted as the prior's proctors in Ireland, (fn. 29)
living at the grange of Dulek in East Meath. (fn. 30)
They transmitted the proceeds to England, and
in one year, during the rule of Prior Walter
(1283-1300), the sum amounted to £81 5s. 7d. (fn. 31)
In 1291 the English temporalities were assessed
at less than £80. (fn. 32) The profits of the wool-trade
were a valuable asset: in 1318 or 1319 a burgess
of Cirencester covenanted to purchase the wool
of the convent for that year for 100 marks. (fn. 33) It
is impossible to ascertain the exact income of the
monastery, but until late in the fourteenth century there is evidence of financial embarrassment.
Laxity of discipline and maladministration were
revealed at the visitation of Giffard, bishop of
Worcester, in 1276. (fn. 34) Divine service was neglected, the prior and obedientiars absented themselves too frequently, the sacred vessels and other
ornaments of the church were pledged to creditors.
The canons went out into the town without licence,
and the finances were in confusion. The bishop
enjoined more regular attendance in church and
forbade the canons to go beyond the precincts
without leave. He insisted that the almoner should
be removed from his office, and suggested that a
more cautious cellarer should be chosen, while
better appointments might be made to the offices
of sub-cellarer and kitchener. To insure more
prudent management, he ordered that two of the
wiser and more careful canons should be chosen
by the prior and convent to receive all the money
of the house and act as treasurers; they were to
be bound to render an account four times a year
in the presence of the prior, obedientiars, and the
wiser members of the convent. Two or three
canons should be chosen to act as the prior's
council in spiritual and temporal matters. Without their consent he might not transact any business touching the churches, manors, or granges,
nor appoint either secular bailiffs or lay brothers
to hold the custody of them. The bailiffs were
to render their accounts at least once a year. As
the house was heavily burdened with liveries and
corrodies, the bishop forbade that these should be
granted without his special licence. He also
attempted to check sales and alienations in perpetuity. He threatened those who were guilty
of disobedience to their superiors with condign
punishment.
On 1 April, 1301, the vigil of Easter, the
monastery suffered a great disaster, the church
with its four bell towers was burnt, and only
the bare walls were left standing. (fn. 35) The rebuilding was a heavy charge. In 1308, Henry
Woodlock, bishop of Winchester, appropriated
the rectory of Barton Lacy to the prior and
convent; they pleaded their losses from hostile
invasions of their Irish possessions, and the
burden of hospitality. (fn. 36) Edward II remitted the
payment of a fine of sixty marks for the
licence. (fn. 37) Serious quarrels followed the resignation of Prior William de Pendebury in 1324. (fn. 38)
Acting on a mandate from Edward II, on
5 April Bishop Cobham ordered him to go to
the Augustinian monastery of Studley until
after the election (fn. 39) of a new prior. Some of
the canons chose Robert of Gloucester, others
Walter de Longeneye, (fn. 40) and both parties presented their candidates to the king for confirmation. On 24 May, 1324, in consequence
of these discords, Edward II gave the custody
of the monastery to his servant, Adam de
Helnak, and bade him dispose of the revenues
of the house with the counsel of the sub-prior. (fn. 41)
For two years the convent was without a head,
some of the canons set the sub-prior at defiance,
and it was reported to Bishop Cobham that they
wandered at will to the dwellings of the great,
robbed the manors on the plea that they had
come thither as proctors, impoverished the
monastery, and withheld hospitality. On two
occasions the bishop wrote in remonstrance to
the sub-prior. (fn. 42) In 1326 the rival candidates
agreed to submit their claims to John Stratford,
bishop of Winchester. (fn. 43) The late prior, William
de Pendebury, declared that the election was
invalid, stating that he was taken by the
secular power, and kept in prison until he
resigned, but he revoked his resignation. (fn. 44) The
bishop of Winchester weighed the evidence, and
decided that William de Pendebury was the
lawful prior, and bade the convent render
obedience to him. (fn. 45) Walter de Longeneye was
to remain at the monastery with the same
privileges as were granted to Prior William de
Ashwell when he resigned his office. At the
request of Robert of Gloucester he was permitted to enter the abbey of St. Thomas at
Dublin with an allowance of forty marks a
year for his life, and had leave to take his
books with him. (fn. 46) After his reinstatement
William de Pendebury ruled the monastery for
thirty-six years. He found that the house was
not only seriously impoverished but heavily in
debt. (fn. 47) In a lamentable petition to Bishop
Orlton, in which the misfortunes of the great
fire, frequent ravages of Irish lands, floods, and
murrains were set forth, the prior and convent
pleaded for the appropriation of the church of
Tytherington. In 1330, after due investigation,
Orlton granted their request, and four years
later Thomas Charlton, bishop of Hereford,
appropriated the church of Kington with its
three dependent chapels to their needs. (fn. 48) In
1342 the priory was still in serious straits, and
on that account Edward III took the house
under his special protection, with all its lands
and rents in Ireland. (fn. 49) As the financial condition of the monastery was unstable, the
economic effects of the Black Death were very
severe. The mortality in the house was great,
out of thirty canons nineteen died. (fn. 50) On
20 September, 1351, Thomas of Berkeley gave
the advowson of the church of Aure to Lanthony
in exchange for the manor of Coaley. (fn. 51) The
prior and convent at once took steps to secure
the appropriation of the church, pleading amongst
other reasons that owing to the pestilence the
rents and services of their tenants were irrecoverably withdrawn. On 3 October John
Trelleck, bishop of Hereford, granted the
appropriation. (fn. 52)
On the installation of Prior William de
Cheriton in 1377 the debts of the house
amounted to £128 8s. 4d., (fn. 53) but during the
twenty-four years of his rule the monastery
regained some measure of prosperity. The
prior engaged in several lawsuits, and recovered
some houses and £50 in money from the
commonalty of Gloucester. In spite of the
statute of 3 Ric. II concerning the lands of
absentees from Ireland he secured the possession
of the Irish estates for his house. The chapel
of the Trinity, the cloister, and granary of the
priory were rebuilt, and new halls, granges, and
mills were built on several of the manors. In
the fifteenth century the monastery was uniformly
prosperous, the priors were able administrators,
and discipline was well maintained. Under
John Garland (1436-57) several registers were
compiled, and the muniments were set in order. (fn. 54)
There were not as many canons as before the
Black Death: in 1409 there were seventeen
canons besides two in minor orders, (fn. 55) in 1436
the numbers had risen to twenty-six, and there
were again two in minor orders, (fn. 56) in 1457
twenty-two canons were present at the election
of John Heyward. (fn. 57) Henry Deane was then a
scholar at Oxford, ten years later he succeeded
to the office of prior. He was in high favour
with Edward IV, and in 1477 was one of his
chaplains. (fn. 58) The priory of Lanthony Prima
had fallen on evil days; it was said that the
services were neglected, and that hospitality and
almsgiving had ceased. (fn. 59) The convent consisted
only of four canons besides the prior, who
was charged with waste and destruction, and
accordingly on 10 May, 1481, Edward IV
granted it and all its possessions to Henry Deane
and the convent of Lanthony by Gloucester for
a fine of three hundred marks. (fn. 60) Thus Lanthony
Prima became a cell to Lanthony Secunda, and
was served by a prior and four canons from that
house. In 1496 Henry Deane became bishop
of Bangor; in 1500 he was transferred to
Salisbury, but he retained the office of prior of
Lanthony (fn. 61) by Gloucester until his promotion to
the see of Canterbury in 1501. In spite of
considerable revenues, the monastery was again
embarrassed in 1518, and the vicar-general of
Bishop Silvester de Giglis pleaded to the
treasurer and barons of the Exchequer that it
might be exonerated from payment of the tenth. (fn. 62)
As a reason he urged the ruin of the conventual
church and the great expense of rebuilding.
In 1534 the acknowledgement of the royal
supremacy was signed by the prior and twentytwo canons of Lanthony Secunda and the prior
and four canons of Lanthony Prima. (fn. 63) In 1536
when, under the Act of 3 Ric. II, Henry VIII
seized the possessions of English monasteries in
Ireland, Lanthony was deprived of about a third
of its revenues. (fn. 64) On 4 March, 1537, the
prior wrote to Cromwell asking, on account of
his great loss in Ireland, for leave to recall the
prior and canons from Lanthony Prima, that
the profits of the cell might be used for the
maintenance of his house. (fn. 65) It is not clear if
Cromwell consented. On 10 March, 1539,
the royal commissioners arrived to receive the
surrender of Lanthony Secunda, and the deed
was signed by the prior and twenty-four canons,
including the prior of Lanthony Prima. (fn. 66) Richard
Hempstead secured a pension of £100 a year,
the rest of the canons were awarded pensions
varying from £8 to £4. (fn. 67)
In 1535 the clear yearly revenues of the
monastery amounted to £648 19s. 10¾d. (fn. 68) The
possessions included the manors of Barrington
Magna, Quedgeley, and Elmore, Hempstead,
Brockworth, Painswick, Haresfield, Prestbury,
Colesborne, Aylberton, Ocle, Westbury, Frome
Canonicorum, Monkton and Lanwarne, Falley,
Alvington, Boroughhill, Tytherington, Turkdean
and Northleach, Eyleworth, Caldicote, South
Cerney, Widmarshmore, Cherington, Henlow,
rents in Gloucester and Cirencester, and the
rectories of Barrington Magna, Barrington Parva,
Windrush, Hempstead, Brockworth, Painswick,
Haresfield, Prestbury, Frome Episcopi, Boroughhill, Tytherington, Caldicote, Barton Lacy,
Cherington, Kington, Staunton Lacy, Llantrisant, Weobley and Awre, and the chapel of
St. Kinburga at Gloucester. (fn. 69) The property of
Lanthony Prima yielded £99 19s. 0½d. (fn. 70)
Priors of Lanthony by Gloucester (fn. 71)
Robert de Braci, 1137 (fn. 72)
William de Wycombe, 1137 (fn. 73)
Clement, 1150, (fn. 74) occurs circa 1170 (fn. 75)
Roger of Norwich occurs 1178 (fn. 76)
Geoffrey de Henlow occurs 1191 (fn. 77) and
1203 (fn. 78)
Martin occurs 1203 (fn. 79)
Gilbert occurs circa 1203 (fn. 80)
Walter of Monmouth occurs 1207 (fn. 81)
John de Heyhampstead occurs 1217, (fn. 82)
ob.
1240 (fn. 83)
Geoffrey de Banbury resigned 1251 (fn. 84)
Edward or Everard, 1251 (fn. 85)
William de Ashwell occurs 1267 (fn. 86) and
1276 (fn. 87)
Walter de Martley elected 1283, (fn. 88) occurs
1300 (fn. 89)
John Chaundos occurs 1300 (fn. 90) and 1320 (fn. 91)
William de Pendebury resigned 1324, (fn. 92) reinstated 1326, (fn. 93)
ob. 1362 (fn. 94)
Simon de Brockworth, 1362, (fn. 95)
ob. 1376 or
1377 (fn. 96)
William de Cheriton, 1377-1401 (fn. 97)
John Lymnor, 1401 (fn. 98)
John Wyche, 1409-36 (fn. 99)
John Garland, 1436-57 (fn. 100)
John Heyward, 1457 (fn. 101)
Henry Deane, 1467 (fn. 102)
Edmund Forrest, 1501, (fn. 103) occurs 1525 (fn. 104)
Richard Hempstead or Hart occurs 153439 (fn. 105)
A seal of the fifteenth century represents the
Virgin crowned, seated in a heavily canopied
niche, with tabernacle work at the sides, the
Child with nimbus on her right knee, at her feet
a lion passant.
The legend is:—
SIGILLVM COVENE PRIORIS ET CONVENTVS
ECCL'IE BEATE MARIE LANTHONI IVX.
GLOUCESTRV (fn. 106)