HOUSE OF CLUNIAC MONKS
10. THE PRIORY OF ST. JAMES OF DUDLEY
The Cluniac priory of Dudley was founded
about the middle of the twelfth century (fn. 1) and
furnishes an interesting example of a religious
establishment annexed to a baronial castle and
subordinate to the lords of the manor. The
founder, Gervase Pagnell, states in his charter for
the new foundation that, bearing in mind the intention of his father, Ralph Pagnell, to establish
a religious community at Dudley, he has fulfilled
the design for the good of his father's soul chiefly
and of his ancestors and for the good estate of himself, his wife and son, and has granted and confirmed to God and St. James of Dudley, St.
Milburga of Wenlock, and to the monks serving
God at Dudley, in free alms the site of their
church with the churches of St. Edmund and
St. Thomas of Dudley, and the churches of
Northfield, Sedgley, and Inkpen. Also the
church of Bradfield, half a hide of land in
Churchill with the other half which Agnes de
Somery bequeathed to the church of St. James
with her body, the whole of which was in his fee.
He confirmed all gifts made to the monks by
any tenant or knight of his, reserving to himself
and his heirs all services due to them, and
granted that their cattle should feed in whatever
pastures his own were pastured except in his
parks, that they should have pannage in the
forests for their pigs and those of their tenants
residing within the limits of his gift, 'in elemosyna
mea resedentium,' and a tithe of his bread, venison,
and fish while he resided at Dudley or Harden.
Under the supervision of his steward they should
take whatever wood they required for their
buildings and other 'easements' except from his
hedges and parks. These liberties were granted
with right of soc, sac, thol, thac, and theam. (fn. 2) The
founder further ordained that the prior of
Wenlock should select monks for the new house,
and by the consent of the founder and his heirs
appoint a prior from his own chapter. When the
house could support a convent he was authorized
to constitute one, subject to the consent of his
convent and the founder and his heirs. This
liberty was shortly afterwards exercised and a
deed, witnessed by Robert his son, reciting the
former grant states that 'we John, prior of Wenlock, and the convent of the same do ordain a
convent, so that Osbert, now prior of St. James,
and Robert and Hugh his brothers do make
wholly and fully a perfect convent.' (fn. 3)
Guido or Wido de Hoffeni or Offeni, together
with Christiana his wife and William his son,
conferred on the monks of Dudley in free alms
the church of Wombourn and its appurtenances
'for the redemption of our souls.' (fn. 4) Subsequently
a question seems to have arisen as to whether
this donation included the parishes of Trysull
and Seisdon. An inquisition held at Stafford
found that these two chapels belonged of right
to the church of Wombourn, and they were confirmed by Bishop Richard Peche of Coventry
and Lichfield to God and St. James of Dudley
and St. Milburga of Wenlock 'as of the pious
gift of Wido de Offendi and William his son.' (fn. 5)
Pope Lucius III. in the first year of his pontificate (fn. 6) issued a bull on behalf of Everad, the
prior of Dudley, and his brethren ordaining that
in their church the order of St. Benedict should
be observed according to the constitutions of
Cluny, and confirming to them all previous
possessions together with a licence to retain in
canonical possession whatever might hereafter be
added to them. (fn. 7) The possessions enumerated in
the bull included the church of St. James of
Dudley with the chapels [or churches] of St.
Edmund and St. Thomas, the churches of
Sedgley and Northfield with the chapel of
Coston Hackett, (fn. 8) the churches of Ingle . . . . and
Bradfield with the chapel of Inglefield the gift of
Gervase Pagnell the founder, (fn. 9) the church of
Wombourn with the chapel of Trysull given by
Guy de Offeni, the church of Selly (Seille) by
Ralph de Seille, the town of Churchill by Agnes
de Somery, the town of Saredon by Osbert de
Kenefare, a virgate of land in the town of
'Wolynton' the gift of Robert de Chanden, and
lands in Inkpen the gift of John Mansell. (fn. 10)
The monks also obtained right of sepulture for
all who desired to be buried in their church,
unless they were excommunicated or under interdict, saving the rights of those churches to whom
the said bodies should belong, with the privilege
that in the event of a general interdict the monks
might in a low voice celebrate divine offices, the
doors being closed, bells not sounded, and all excommunicated and interdicted persons excluded.
The exaction of tithe of lands cultivated by them
or at their expense was prohibited, and the brethren
were authorized to present clerks or priests for
the parish churches which they held to the
diocesan for institution. They might also receive
and keep clerks or laymen fleeing from the
world, and it was prohibited for anyone having
made his profession in the house to depart
except for a more rigid rule. The pope also
decreed that all ancient and reasonable customs
observed up to the present should be retained in
future, and that no one should molest or in any
way vex them saving the authority of the pope,
diocesan law, and reverence due to the church of
Cluny. (fn. 11)
In obedience to a papal mandate in 1238
the bishops of Worcester and Coventry and
Lichfield came to an important agreement as to
the bounds of their respective dioceses whereby
it was decreed that the town of Dudley with
its churches and appurtenances should belong to
Worcester, while the castle and priory should
remain under the jurisdiction of the bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield. (fn. 12) The Taxation Roll
of 1291 gives the priory an income of
£27 11s. 4d., including temporalities at Dudley
within the diocese of Worcester to the value of
£5 14s. 6d., and temporalities and spiritualities
of the value of £21 16s. 10d. in the Coventry
and Lichfield diocese. (fn. 13)
The barony of Dudley in default of male
heirs passed from the Pagnell family to the
Somerys (fn. 14) on the death of Roger de Somery in
1290. Roger, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield,
granted an indulgence of forty days to all who
having truly repented and confessed their sins
should say devoutly the Lord's Prayer with the
Angelic Salutation for the soul of Roger de
Somery, knight, whose body lay buried in the
conventual church of Dudley ' of our diocese.' (fn. 15)
In 1300, on the death of another Roger de
Somery, Pope Boniface VIII. offered another
indulgence to the faithful on similar conditions. (fn. 16)
The monks seem for the most part to have
led a quiet uneventful life under the protection
of the great house to which they were so closely
united. On various occasions they made known
their grievances. The archbishop of Canterbury, in 1281, wrote to the bishop of Salisbury
respecting a complaint of his neglect to institute
to the church of Inkpen the clerk presented by
the prior by the special concession of the archbishop to whom collation had 'hac vice' devolved,
attributing this refusal to the false representations of a certain John Russel. The archbishop
warned his suffragan to delay the matter no
longer. (fn. 17) The register of Bishop Giffard of
Worcester records that the monks of Dudley in
1274 presented the rector of the church of
Wyn', Lincoln diocese, to the church of Northfield to be held by him 'in commendam' on account
of the poverty of the rectory. (fn. 18) It is also recorded
in the same register that the archbishop of
Canterbury on 24 September, 1292, confirmed
sentence of excommunication passed upon brother
Robert de Mallega, 'rector of the parish church
of Dudley and prior of the same, for manifest
offences.' (fn. 19) There appears to have been some
trouble in connexion with the church of Northfield. On 3 March, 1292-3, person Malcolm de
Harleye formally renounced a quarrel which he
had with Peter de Estcot touching the church in
question and undertook to procure a like renunciation from the prior and monks of Dudley.
On the 7th of the same month he acknowledged
receipt on behalf of himself and the religious
men of the sum of twenty marks at the hands
of two parties, one of whom was this same
Peter de Estcot, in part payment of 100 marks
in which the bishop of Worcester was bound by
reason of certain business in connexion with the
church of Northfield. (fn. 20) The conservator of
privileges of the Cluniac order (fn. 21) in September,
1294, ordered the archdeacon of Worcester to
annul the sentence of excommunication passed
by the bishop of Worcester and Peter
de Estcot, his chaplain, against the late
archdeacon of Westminster, procured by the
monks of Dudley; (fn. 22) the reason for the sentence
is not stated. The brethren contended with
the abbot of Halesowen in 1297 for a fourth
part of the chapel of Frankley as belonging to
the church of Northfield. They were compelled
however to relinquish this claim and to content
themselves with the patronage of Northfield. (fn. 23)
Robert de Mallega, who gives the impression of
an energetic head, occurs again in May, 1298,
when his assent was given to the presentation by
John Deobul of Suckley of a clerk to the rectory
of Churchill near Kidderminster. (fn. 24)
The prior of Dudley, like other superiors of
Cluniac foundations, (fn. 25) was probably suspected or
implicated in the rebellion of Thomas, earl of
Lancaster, in 1322; he was arrested 'for certain
reasons' by the king's order, but released in
October, 1323, and his goods restored. (fn. 26)
The commissary-general acting for the prior
of Worcester during a vacancy in March,
1338-9, reported that he had cited the prior of
Dudley to appear to answer for his appropriation
of an annual pension of six marks from the
rectory of Northfield in the diocese of Worcester
without sufficient title, and on his non-appearance had pronounced him in contempt and
sequestered the aforesaid six marks. (fn. 27) The bishop
of Worcester in 1342 summoned the community to exhibit their title for the appropriation
of the church of Dudley, which was allowed. (fn. 28)
In January, 1351-2, a certain Robert de Wymersfeld was attacked at the suit of William, prior of
Dudley, for taking 'vi etarmis' goods and chattels
belonging to the priory at Dudley, during a
vacancy in the priory in 1349. Robert appeared
in person, and denied the charge. The case was
heard for the third time at Bromwich at Whitsuntide and a verdict given for the plaintiff. (fn. 29)
Dudley though subordinate to the alien house
of Wenlock seems to have escaped seizure into
the king's hands during the French war, probably
as being reckoned parcel of the estates of the
lordship of Dudley. (fn. 30) An entry in the patents
under date of 7 July, 1346, states in reference
to the church of Northfield that it was of the
patronage of Dudley notwithstanding any right
the king could claim therein. (fn. 31) There is no
record of its visitation by the delegates appointed
for that purpose by the abbot of Cluny, or the
prior of La Charité-sur-Loire to which affiliation
it belonged, until the middle of the fifteenth
century, when in a fragment enumerating the
English and Scottish foundations of Cluny,
apparently forming part of a report, it is stated
that at the priory of Dudley there should be four
monks, and two masses celebrated daily, one with
music. (fn. 32) The house being exempt from episcopal jurisdiction and visitation, entries relating to
it in the registers of the diocese are rare, but
occur occasionally. (fn. 33) In April, 1400, the bishop
confirmed an indenture between (1) Richard of
Stafford, prior of Dudley, and his brethren;
(2) the vicar of the church of Sedgeley, which
was appropriated to the priory; and (3) the
rector of the church or chapel of Darlaston,
whereby it was agreed that the priory and convent should receive 10s. from the rector, and
that vicar and rector should divide the offerings
for the dead, the vicar receiving all the wax and
candles. (fn. 34) In February, 1402-3, the brethren
obtained a certificate from the bishop for their
appropriation of the parish churches of Sedgeley
and Wombourn and an annual pension of 10s.
from the chapel of Darlaston. (fn. 35)
According to an entry in the patent roll of
that year, on 14 July, 1421, the prior of St.
Milburga, Wenlock, on the death of brother
John Billingburgh, presented William Canke to
the priory of St. James, Dudley, to whom the
king gave up the temporalities which were in his
gift by reason of the minority of John, son of
Thomas Sutton, late baron of Dudley. (fn. 36) His
rule proved a very short one, and in the following
October the prior of Wenlock presented three
monks of his house to the king praying him to
admit one of them to the priory, which was
vacant by the resignation of William Canke, and
the king admitted John Brugge. (fn. 37) A charter and
lease by this prior dated in the chapter house of
Dudley the Feast of the Nativity of St. John
Baptist, 1434, is still in existence. (fn. 38) The inhabitants of Dudley in 1483 gave ' three score okes '
out of the forest of Kinfare towards the building
of their ' chauncell.' (fn. 39)
John Webley occurs as prior in the Valor of
1535, giving the annual value of the priory at
£36 8s. 0d.; (fn. 40) the pension list of the dissolved
priory of Wenlock, 26 January, 1539-40,
assigns a pension of £10 to Thomas Shrewsbury,
prior of the cell of Dudley. (fn. 41) The site of the
priory was granted as parcel of the late monastery
of Wenlock in Salop to Sir John Dudley in
1545. (fn. 42)
Priors of Dudley
Osbert, (fn. 43) occurs circa 1160.
Everad, (fn. 44) occurs 1182.
William. (fn. 45)
Robert de Mallega, (fn. 46) occurs 1292 and 1298.
Thomas de Londiniis, (fn. 47) occurs 1338 and 1346.
William, (fn. 48) occurs 1351-2 and 1354
Richard de Stafford, (fn. 49) occurs 1400.
John Billingburgh, (fn. 50) died 1421.
William Canke, (fn. 51) appointed 1421, resigned in
the same year. (fn. 52)
John Brugge, (fn. 53) appointed 1421, occurs 1434. (fn. 54)
John Webley, (fn. 55) occurs 1535.
Thomas Shrewsbury, (fn. 56) received a pension
1539-40.
The pointed oval thirteenth-century seal of
Dudley, chipped at the bottom, taken from a cast at
the British Museum, represents St. James or a
prior, full length, in his right hand a long cross,
in his left a book. (fn. 57) Legend:—
S'CONVME PRIO . . . DVDELEYE.
A later seal, of which only a fragment remains
attached to a charter dated 1434, represents St.
James in profile to the right standing under a
canopy, with flat cap, staff and book. Legend
wanting. (fn. 57)