17. AUSTIN FRIARS, DROITWICH
The Augustinian Friary was founded here in
1331, when Thomas Alleyn of Wyche obtained
licence to alienate in mortmain to the Provincial
Prior and Austin Friars in England a plot of
land three hundred feet square in Wyche to
build thereon an oratory and habitation. (fn. 1)
The prior and brethren of Droitwich in 1343
received from John, son of William Dragoun of
'Wiche,' a plot of land in that town two
hundred feet long and sixty feet broad for the
enlargement of their dwelling place. (fn. 2)
John Bush and William Mercer, chaplains,
obtained letters patent, dated 20 November,
1351, authorizing them to grant the friars
certain plots of land, five acres in extent, adjoining the friary, for the further enlargement of
their house. The friars paid 6s. 8d. in the
hanaper for this privilege. (fn. 3)
These three donations were confirmed by
letters patent in 1385 for 40s. paid in the
hanaper. (fn. 4)
A deed dated 8 July, 1388, recording the
founding of an anchoret's cell in connexion with
the convent presents features of special interest.
It is in the form of letters patent issued in the
name of the convent by Friar Henry Duke,
presumbly the prior, and addressed to all the
sons of Holy Mother Church. Brother Henry
makes known 'that the house, which Thomas
Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, founder of our
convent, has recently built at his own expense,
next the choir of our church on the south side,
for the inclusion and habitation of brother Henry
de Stokebrugge, where he may lead the life of an
anchoret to the honour of God, and pray for the
good estate of the founder and his kin, shall
henceforth be at the disposition of the said earl
and his heirs, who shall have the right of presenting to the same house, after the death of
Henry de Stokebrugge and on each vacancy
caused by death, religious and devout persons
wishing to profess the anchoretic life and to be
enclosed there: provided that they be friars of
our order, or at least be willing to assume the
habit of our religion, and to submit themselves
to the obedience and correction of our prior in
those things only which pertain to the anchoretic
life and to the good name of our order: in such
wise however that our convent is bound to perpetual poverty, for our convent may by no means
in future be burdened with heavy expenses.' (fn. 5)
Henry Wakefield, bishop of Worcester, left
the friars of Droitwich ten marks in 1395. (fn. 6)
The bishop of Dover visited the house early
in 1531 and found great poverty there as elsewhere. He wrote to Cromwell at length on
the subject. (fn. 7) 'Touching "Wheych," the which
is the principal cause of my writing, it is not
able to continue a house of religion to keep
above one friar, for all is sold. He that was
prior, by whom at Easter you sent your letters
to the bailiffs to see all their stuff delivered again
into the house, he hath in less than one year that
he hath been prior there felled and sold seven
score good elms, a chalice of gilt of 70 oz., a
censer of 36 oz., two great brass pots, each able
to seethe a whole ox as men say, spits, pans, and
other, so that in the house is not left one bed,
one sheet, one platter or dish, nor for all the
promise that be made to your lordship he is not
able to bring home anything again, nor yet to
make a true account where this is spent by
20 marks truly. And in his coffer I found
eleven bulls of the bishops of Rome, and above an
hundred letters of pardons, and in all the books
of the quire the bishop of Rome still standing as
he did twenty years past. I have charged the
bailiffs that he be forthcoming; and for the
house I have set a poor friar to keep mass there,
and I have provided for his board and living to
be paid 16[d.] a week, till your further pleasure
be known in it.' 'The house,' he goes on, 'is
meet for no man to dwell in, without great costs
done on it. It standeth in a good air, and it
hath so many "tenauntreys and closeis" about
it that be letten for 5 li. by year. There be two
good bells, a chalice, and a few vestments of little
value; the stuff beside is not worth 40s. Lead
there is none, except in two gutters, the which
the prior hath conveyed into the town, but it is
sure. It is meetly wooded in "hege rowys."'
Several gentlemen of the county were eager to
secure the site—Sir John Russell, the sheriff of
Worcester, Mr. Pye, and Mr. Newell, 'servant
with my lord of Worcester.' The bishop of
Dover favoured the suit of the last, 'for and
except he have it I think he shall lose a marriage
of forty marks by the year.' Latimer was also
soliciting the site on behalf of a lady, with good
hopes of success. (fn. 8) But on 25 June, 1538, he
wrote to Cromwell: 'With an honest gentlewoman my poor honesty I pledged, which is now
distained . . . for that in Durtwych and here
about the same we be fallen into the dirt and be
all to dirted even up to the ears; we be jeered,
mocked, and laughed to scorn. A wily Pye hath
wilily gone between us and home, when we
thought nothing less, but as good simple souls
made all cocksure.' It was now too late to 'call
yesterday' again, as Mr. Pye said the king had
given the property to him. Mr. Pye did not obtain
the property, however, till 1543, at which time it
was let out to a number of yearly tenants. The
site of the house with all buildings necessary to
the farmer together with a close called 'the
Conyngre' was let at 13s. 4d. a year; the Friars'
Orchard, two acres, was let to William Borne at
a rent of 8s.; three tenements with gardens
were held by Bray, William Bere, and Lawrence
Barbour at rents of 8s., 8s., and 5s. respectively;
'the Barley Close,' one acre and a half, was let
to John Geffreys for 10s.; 'the Vine Close,' one
acre, to Gilbert Wheler for 5s.; half of the
Friars' Meadow, two acres in extent, was let to
William Newport for 12s. (the other half belonging to Willian Parkyngton, Esq.), and the close
of one acre called 'Friars' Shellengers' was
leased to William Wheler for a term of years at
an annual rent of 7s.
The total annual value was £3 16s. 4d. In
estimating the price the valuer, Richard Rose,
deducts a tenth as rent to the crown, leaving
£3 8s. 8d. net; this is divided into 'Howsing'
41s. 8d. 'which being decayed rated at thirteen
years purchase doth amount to the sum of
£27 20d.: and Lands, 27s., which at twenty
years' purchase doth amount to the sum of £27.'
Total, £54 1s. 8d. (fn. 9)
John Pye of Chippenham in the county of
Wilts, Esquire, (fn. 10) in purchasing the Austin Friary
of Droitwich at this price was acting in
partnership with Robert Were alias Brown
of Marlborough; the former paid for the
Droitwich property, the latter for the property
of the White Friars of Marlborough, and the
partners became joint owners of the two estates,
holding each of the king for the twentieth
part of one knight's fee and paying a yearly
rent in the one case of 7s. 8d., in the other of
9s. 5½d. (fn. 11) It is probable that these gentlemen
were speculators in monastic lands and bought
to sell again. (fn. 12)