Colleges: All Hallow's, Barking

42. THE COLLEGE IN ALLHALLOWS BARKING

The chapel of St. Mary in the church of Allhallows Barking was founded by Richard I, but although it may have had from early times a reputation for special sanctity, it does not seem to have acquired its great attraction as a place of pilgrimage until the reign of Edward I, who in consequence of a vision placed an image of the Virgin there, and obtained a special indulgence from the bishop of London for those who visited the chapel, and contributed to its repair. (fn. 1)

In 1442 John Somerset, chancellor of the Exchequer, and Henry Frowik and John Olney, aldermen of London, established a gild of St. Mary, to which Henry VI granted the custody of the chapel, reserving, however, the right of the parish church to oblations. (fn. 2) Edward IV in 1465 granted to the master of the gild, the notorious John Tiptoft, earl of Worcester, and to the wardens the manor of Tooting Bec and the advowson of Streatham, county Surrey, part of the alien priory of Ogbourne, for the maintenance of a chantry of two chaplains to pray for the good estate of himself and his family in life, and for their souls after death. (fn. 3) The rules for the chantry made by the master and wardens (fn. 4) ordered that the chaplains should not have other benefices, nor a temporal patrimony exceeding five marks; vacancies were to be filled by the master and wardens within six months; each chaplain was to receive, if a graduate, £10 a year, if not £8, but the king in limiting the liability of the gild as regards the chantry in 1470 fixed the salary of the first chaplain definitely at £10, and that of the second at £8 (fn. 5); they were to have a month's holiday every year on obtaining leave of the master and wardens, but were not both to be absent at the time of the chief festivals, and penalties were to be imposed in case due leave of absence was exceeded; an arrangement was to be made with the vicar so that the services in the chapel on Sundays and festivals did not interrupt those in the church.

The chaplains were exempted by the king in 1470 from payments of all tenths, fifteenths, tallages, and subsidies. (fn. 6)

Richard III is said to have rebuilt the chapel, and to have erected there a college of a dean and six canons, (fn. 7) but there is no account of the further endowment which would have been necessary, and no mention ever occurs of a royal foundation there other than the chantry of Edward IV. The chantries afterwards established by Sir John Rysley and Sir Robert Tate (fn. 8) added five persons to those ministering in the chapel, (fn. 9) and Chicheley's chantry provided for a priest and a 'conduct,' (fn. 10) so that at the Dissolution there were altogether five priests and five 'conducts,' all of whom seem to have received pensions. (fn. 11)

Dean or Master of the Chapel of St. Mary, in Allhallows Barking

Edmund Chadertone (?) (fn. 12)