14. THE AUSTIN FRIARS
The earliest settlement of the Friars Hermits
of the order of St. Augustine in these islands
was made in Wales in 1252. (fn. 1) It was here
probably that Humphrey de Bohun, earl of
Hereford and Essex, and constable of England,
came into contact with them on his return from
the Crusade, since in 1253 he founded the
house of that order near the church of St. Peter
le Poor in Broad Street, London. (fn. 2) The Austin
Friars never seem to have aroused in the slightest
degree the enthusiasm manifested by London
citizens (fn. 3) for the Franciscans, neither did they
show any of the abnegation and love of poverty
which were the distinguishing features of the
Grey Friars in the early days of the order. The
site of the house, which was very different from
that of Newgate, was not, of course, chosen by
them, but within thirty years of the foundation
an incident occurred in which they display a
distinctly grasping spirit. Sir Henry de Chikehull had given them a piece of land in Chichester
subject to the condition that it was lawful for
them to retain it. It was afterwards found that
as the land was within a certain distance of the
settlement of the Friars Minors of that city, it
could not be possessed by any other order without infringing the privileges granted to the
Franciscans by the pope. The Austin Friars
were so reluctant to relinquish all claim to it
that while they gave up the land they retained
the title-deeds, until Chikehull at last, in 1382,
invoked the aid of Archbishop Peckham. (fn. 4)
They were accused in 1321 of raising walls
without any right in the parishes of Allhallows
on the Wall and St. Peter's, Broad Street, (fn. 5) and
it looks as if they had been taking advantage of
the disturbances of the reign to encroach on the
land on both sides. They may certainly have
been tempted by their need of more space, for
in 1334 they obtained some ground in order to
extend their buildings, (fn. 6) and in 1345 Reginald
de Cobham granted them three messuages for
the same purpose, (fn. 7) while about this time other
tenements were acquired from the priory of
St. Mary without Bishopsgate. (fn. 8) The arrangement made with the rector of St. Peter's, Broad
Street, as to tithes and oblations in 1349 points to
recent acquisitions in the parish. (fn. 9) The rebuilding of their church in 1354 they owed to a
descendant of their founder, another Humphrey
de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex, (fn. 10) and the
house doubtless benefited in 1361 under the
will of the earl, who left 300 marks for masses
to be sung by friars of the order. (fn. 11) Repairs
were very soon necessary, for the tall and slender
steeple was ruined by a storm in 1362.
The convent saw something of the horrors of
1381: thirteen Flemings who had taken refuge
in the church were dragged out and killed by
the mob, (fn. 12) but the animosity of the rioters does
not seem to have extended to the friars.
In the contest of the Mendicants with the
archbishop of Armagh no special share can be
assigned to the Austin Friars of London; in the
controversy with Wycliffe, however, they were
well represented by Banchin, a friar of their
house and afterwards prior, who took an active
part in exposing the errors of his teaching in
the council of 1382. (fn. 13) Five years later the
convent came into contact with the Lollards
in a more exciting way. A certain Peter
Patteshull, (fn. 14) who had once been an Austin Friar
and had become a Lollard, preached in the
church of St. Christopher to a congregation
imbued with the same views as himself, on the
iniquities practised by the members of his old
order. (fn. 15) Some of the convent, being informed,
came to the church to hear him, and one
openly protested. The Lollards set upon him,
turned the friars out of the church, and roused
by the charges made by Patteshull, determined
to burn down the friary. They were checked
by the prayers of two of the friars, and by that
time one of the sheriffs arrived and persuaded
them to disperse without doing any damage.
How much foundation Patteshull had for his
accusations—which were aimed at no particular
friary, but at the order generally—it is impossible
to say. Two friars had left the London house
in 1364, taking with them books and other
goods, (fn. 16) apparently owing to a disagreement
with their superiors, and another had apostatized
in 1387, (fn. 17) but neither case proves anything as to
the state of the convent.
The formation of libraries seems to have been
a feature of the age, and in this respect the
Austin Friars were not behind the London
friars of other orders, Prior John Low making
great additions to the books of the house in the
early fifteenth century. (fn. 18) Two members at least
of the London convent besides Banchin and Low
were renowned for their learning: Thomas
Pemchet, D.D., who taught divinity at Pavia,
became provincial of England, and died in
London in 1487; and John Tonney, at one
time also provincial, who died in 1490. (fn. 19)
The dynastic struggles which follow are not
marked in any way in the history of the house
except by the burial in their church of nobles
who died on the scaffold or the battlefield, (fn. 20) for
this church, like those of the other London friars,
was a favourite place of sepulture with persons
of high degree. (fn. 21) The friary probably profited
considerably in this way: the Marquis of Berkeley
gave the convent £100 for perpetual masses for
the soul of his first wife Joan, who was buried
there; (fn. 22) and Sir Thomas Brandon, who married
the marquis's widow, bequeathed £60 in 1509
to establish a chantry for the marquis and this
lady. (fn. 23)
In the reign of Henry VIII some light is
thrown on the condition of the priory. In 1525
some of the friars were put in the Tower because
a friar had died in their prison. (fn. 23a) Whether anything was discovered detrimental to the priory
or not, it was to this house that Dr. Barnes was
sent in 1526 after he had done penance at St.
Paul's for his heretical opinions. (fn. 23b) Little restraint can have been put on him as the account
of a heretic shows to whom he sold an English
New Testament. Tyball went to the Austin
Friars for the express purpose of getting the
book and found Barnes in his rooms and several
people with him, among them a merchant. (fn. 24) As
Barnes was allowed to receive any visitors he chose
he can have had little difficulty in obtaining these
books, for the convent was surrounded by foreign
merchants (fn. 25) who lived in houses within the close. (fn. 26)
Apart, however, from the views of individual
friars the priory's attitude with regard to the
king's marriage and the questions arising from it
is easily explicable. Cromwell lived near, and
in 1532 began to build his huge house on land
leased from the convent and adjoining their
churchyard. (fn. 27) He therefore had exceptional
opportunities for interference and influence, (fn. 28) of
which he undoubtedly took advantage. He
found a willing instrument in the prior, George
Brown, who identified himself with the king's
side, (fn. 29) and was duly rewarded afterwards by being
chosen to be one of the commissioners to visit
all the houses of friars in England. (fn. 30) The
principles of the rest of the house were not likely
to prove an obstacle to Cromwell's wishes if
some anonymous information (fn. 31) about 1534
against the friars be true. In this it is said that
the services were scamped and neglected while
the friars sat drinking in bad company; there
was no common refectory, but they dined in sets
in their rooms; no rules were kept, and the
authority of the prior, who was incapable of
maintaining discipline, was utterly disregarded.
Although Brown does not seem to have been
prior at this date (fn. 32) he must be held in some
measure responsible for a state of things which
could not have been of sudden development. (fn. 33)
As is not unusual, the friars, while forgetting
their duties, had a keen idea of their rights, and
in October, 1532, six of them had to do penance
for a contest with the priest of St. Dunstan's
in the East over the body of a stranger who had
died in that parish. (fn. 34)
When in August, 1538, their church was
used by the Lutheran preacher who came in
the train of the Saxon and Hessian ambassadors (fn. 35)
the end of the friary must have been felt to be
near. In the following November the house
was surrendered by the prior Thomas Hamond
and twelve friars. (fn. 36)
The income of the convent, estimated at
£57 os. 4d., (fn. 37) was derived from tenements in
various London parishes, St. Benet Fink, (fn. 38)
St. Andrew Eastcheap, (fn. 39) St. Lawrence, (fn. 40) Allhallows the Great, St. Martin (?) Queenhithe, and
St. Christopher, (fn. 41) besides its principal holding
in the parish of St. Peter le Poor, where one
of its earliest possessions was the ground on which
the church of St. Olave had stood. (fn. 42) A
piece of their property can still be identified, for
Cromwell's house after his attainder was sold
to the Drapers' Company, (fn. 43) whose hall now
occupies the site. The friars seem also to have
had possessions in the counties of Essex and
Sussex. (fn. 44)
Priors of the Austin Friars
John, occurs 1349 (fn. 45)
William de Ainukelan, occurs 1364 (fn. 46)
Thomas Asshebourne, occurs 1380 (fn. 47)
Banchin, occurs 1387 (fn. 48)
John Low, occurs c. 1430 (fn. 49)
John Bury, occurs 1471 (fn. 50)
R. Blenet, occurs 1475 (fn. 51)
Master Bellond, S.T.P., occurs 1522 (fn. 52)
George Brown, D.D., occurs 1532 (fn. 53) and
1533 (fn. 54)
Thomas Hamond, (fn. 55) surrendered the friary,
1538 (fn. 56)
There is a seal of the thirteenth century, (fn. 57) in
shape a pointed oval, which represents the Virgin
half-length. She wears a crown and holds the
Child on her left arm. On the left-hand side
in the field a hand issues holding a censer. In
the base, under a trefoiled arch, a friar to the
right kneels in prayer between two stars.
Legend:—
S . . . . . . . STINI . DE . LONDON.
A seal of the fourteenth century (fn. 58) bears a
representation of the Ascension with four friars
looking upwards. In the base there is an
ornamental scroll of foliage; overhead, a crescent inclosing a star of six points, and wavy
clouds. In the field is the word DIPINITORES
Legend:—
. . . . . ORD ' S . . . .
A later seal of the fifteenth century (fn. 59) is a
pointed oval. On this there are two canopied
niches; on the one to the left a saint stands
holding a sword and book, on the other stands a
sainted bishop with a pastoral staff in his left
hand. In the base, under a carved arch, is a
lion dormant. Legend:—
SIGILTM . CŌMUNE . FSM . ORDINIS . SCI .
AUGVSTINI . LONDOR.