HOUSES OF CISTERCIAN MONKS
8. THE ABBEY OF COMBE
The Cistercian abbey of Combe, 4 miles east
of Coventry, was founded on 10 July, 1150, by
Richard de Camvill, who married the widow of
Robert Marmion, founder of Polesworth Abbey. (fn. 1)
It was colonized from Waverley, the oldest of the
English houses. The endowments of the abbey
consisted in the main of a considerable number of
small parcels of land and rents in Warwickshire.
The only advowson that the monks held, until
they obtained that of Naseby in the fifteenth
century, was a moiety of the church of Wolvey.
In Coventry they had many houses and 'divers
parcels of small rent given to them by sundry
persons.' An exceptionally interesting gift was
that of certain lands in Marston charged with
the finding of shoes for the poor that were daily
relieved at the gate.
In 1279 the grant and quitclaim of Robert,
son of Odo de Herberbyry, for the health of his
soul and that of Elizabeth his wife, of considerable lands and tenements in Harbury and Chesterton, was enrolled. The first witness was
Robert de Verdon, then sheriff. (fn. 2) In 1290 the
monastery obtained grants of lands in Harbury, Bilney, and Hopsford. (fn. 3) In the same year
Edward I granted the abbot free warren over
his manors of Combe, Bilney, Copston, Ernsford, Radbourn, Withybrook, and Wolvey. (fn. 4)
The taxation of 1291 valued the moiety of
the rectory of Wolvey at £6 13s. 4d. a year. The
only temporal possession they held outside the
county was £1 6s. 8d. in rents at Norwich.
The rest of their property was near at hand,
being all in the deanery of Coventry. The
upper and lower granges of their house were
valued at £39 13s. 4d. a year; four other
granges were estimated at £26 5s. 9½d.; and
other property in the same deanery at £65 16s. 9d.
The abbey of Combe was thus, at that date, by
far the wealthiest house in Warwickshire.
In 1325 Edward II granted the abbot of
Combe a Wednesday market at Wolvey, and a
three days' fair at the feast of St. Mark. (fn. 5)
Notwithstanding the comparative wealth of
this house and the advantage of having its landed
property and manors so close to the abbey, the
monastery was in considerable financial troubles
about this period.
On 18 March, 1332, protection during pleasure
was granted for the abbot and convent of Combe,
a house of royal foundation, inasmuch as it was
burdened with debt, and reduced to much distress
by defective rule. William de Clinton and
Robert de Stretford were appointed to the custody
of it, to apply all the issues in discharge of the
debts and relief of the estate, saving only reasonable sustenance for the house. (fn. 6) Abbot Richard
in January, 1332, acknowledged his indebtedness
to John de Pulteney, citizen of London, to the
amount of £40, to be levied in default of payment on his lands and chattels in Warwickshire. (fn. 7)
Abbot Geoffrey, in August, 1332, made formal
acknowledgement of his debt of £140 to John
de Merynton; to be levied in default of payment on his lands and chattels in Warwickshire. (fn. 8)
Henry VI in 1429 granted the advowson and
afterwards the appropriation of the church of
Naseby, Northamptonshire, to this abbey. (fn. 9) The
ordination of the vicarage was rearranged in
1435, and again for a third time in 1467, when
the bishop of Lincoln decided that the vicar
should have a stipend of 12 marks, with a suitable vicarage house and garden; all the other
profits of the living, with the glebe and manse,
were assigned to the monks. (fn. 10)
Sir Edward Raleigh of Farnborough by his
will bearing date 20 June, 1509, bequeathed £30
to build the south side of the cloister at Combe,
and to glaze the windows: to the abbot of the
same house he left 20s., to every priest 6s. 8d.,
and to every professed monk not in priest's orders
3s. 4d. In return they were to keep the yearly
obit of Sir Edward and of Margaret his wife. (fn. 11)
The Valor of 1535 gave the clear annual value
of the house as £211 15s. 1d. (fn. 12) The monastery
distributed in alms on Maundy Thursday every
year 4s. 8d. in money; 10 quarters of rye made
into bread at 5s. the quarter; 3 quarters of malt
made into beer at 4s. the quarter; and 300 herrings
at 20d. the 100, distributed to the poor people at
the gate of the monastery.
Abbot William obtained licence in 1283 and
1289 to cross the seas to attend the general
Cistercian chapter, appointing attorneys in his
absence. (fn. 13) A like leave was granted in 1292
from July to Christmas. (fn. 14)
On 3 May, 1313, the abbot obtained protection
until St. Peter ad Vincula (1 August) as he was
going beyond the seas on the king's business. (fn. 15)
On 6 August he again obtained permission to
cross the seas to attend the general chapter at
Citeaux, the crown directing the constable of
Dover to supply him with 20 marks for his
expenses. (fn. 16)
On 8 August, 1328, the abbot of Combe
going to the next general chapter of Citeaux, had
letters nominating Brother Walter de Wodeeton
and Brother Walter de Tresham his attorneys
for the year. (fn. 17) The keeper of the port of Dover
was ordered to permit Richard abbot of Combe
to cross the seas with his men, horses, and equipments. (fn. 18)
In August, 1333, John, abbot of Combe,
master of theology, was appointed by Pope
John XIII to the vacant Irish see of Cloyne.
He had been consecrated by Anibald, bishop of
Tusculum. (fn. 19) There was, however, some difficulty raised by the crown as to accepting this
nomination; but in September, 1335, the king
issued his mandate for the restoration of the
temporalities of the see of Cloyne to John, late
abbot of Combe, who had become bishop on the
death of Maurice, by virtue of a provision of
John the late pope, as appeared by a bull directed
to the king. Abbot John had, however, in the
first instance to do fealty to the king and publicly
renounce all words in the bull prejudicial to king
and crown. (fn. 20)
In June, 1339, the abbot of Combe received
a letter from Boniface XII commanding him to
carry out the papal ordinances concerning apostates touching Bartholomew Ace, Cistercian
monk of Cleeve (Somerset), who having left the
order desired to be reconciled to it. (fn. 21)
In 1345 Abbot Geoffrey of Combe met with
a violent death. On 6 July Edward III issued
letters patent to six of his justices 'de inquirendo
de morte abbatis de Combe.' The inquiry was
to be conducted by at least two of their number
and the jury were to be selected from good and
lawful men of the adjacent county of Northampton, probably with a view of securing greater
impartiality. The inquiry was to ascertain what
malefactors or disturbers of the peace had committed the felony. The abbot had been slain at
Combe apparently by violence. The result of
this inquest cannot now be ascertained. (fn. 22)
When Dr. London was on his Warwickshire
visit of suppression and about to visit the Carthusians of Coventry, he wrote to Cromwell
(December 1538) reminding him that Combe
was only two or three miles from Coventry, that
the abbot and all his friends were at Cromwell's
commands, and that he would be glad to 'go
through' with that house also. He supposed
that the abbot would leave his house and lands
'like an honest man' and it would be well to
take the house while it was at its best. In
another letter he stated that Cromwell could not
have a more commodious house than Combe
Abbey, and that the longer he waited in seizing
it the worse it would be. (fn. 23)
The abbey was surrendered by Abbot Kynner
alias Bate, by Oliver Adams, the ex-abbot, and
by twelve other monks, to Dr. London for the
king's use, with all its possessions in the counties
of Warwick, York, Leicester, and Northampton,
on 21 January, 1539. (fn. 24) The abbot had only
held office for a year, having been merely placed
there by Cromwell's influence in lieu of Abbot
Adams 'to secure a voluntary surrender.' He
met with his reward by obtaining the very considerable pension of £80. Five of the monks
had pensions of £6, and eight of £5 6s. 8d.
The late abbot received nothing. London,
writing on the day of the surrender to the
Chancellor of the Augmentation, begged for the
speedy ratification of the pensions he had assigned
to encourage others. (fn. 25) Writing somewhat later
to Cromwell, London acknowledged that this
abbot had endeavoured to trick him. Harford,
the sheriff of Coventry, informed him that the
abbot had £500 in a feather bed at his brother's
house. London searched the bed, but could only
find £25, and the abbot's story was that he had
placed it there to pay certain debts at Candlemas,
as he had no servant that he could trust. (fn. 26)
Abbots of Combe
Martin, c. 1150-77
Ralph, 1177-80
Erminfrid, 1180, deposed 1183
William, 1183-91 (fn. 27)
Michael, 1191, resigned 1234
Robert, 1234
William, 1234-(1237 ?) (fn. 28)
Roger, 1237-8 (fn. 29)
Roger II, 1238-(1241 ?) (fn. 30)
William de Chester, 1241-62 (fn. 31)
Warin, 1262, resigned 1279
Jordan de Twangham, 1279 (fn. 32)
William, c. 1283
Richard, 1328-32
Geoffrey, 1332 (fn. 33)
John, 1333, resigned 1335
Geoffrey, died 1345
Alexander, elected 1454 (fn. 34)
William Whittington, end of 15th century
John Tolton
Oliver Adams, occurs 1516, resigned 1538
Robert Kynner alias Bate, 1538-9 (fn. 35)
The thirteenth-century seal is a pointed oval:
in two niches with trefoiled canopies supported
on slender shafts, on the left the Virgin, crowned,
the Child on the left arm; on the right an abbot,
probably St. Bernard, in the right hand a pastoral
staff, in the left a book. In the field on each side
a tree. In base a shield of arms:—Three
leopards, in chief a label of five points; supporters two lions. Legend:—
SIGILL . COMVNE . CAPITVLI . MONACHOR DE . CVGA (fn. 36)
A thirteenth-century abbot's seal, pointed
oval; shows the abbot, full length, with pastoral
staff and book. Legend:—
...... GILL' ABBATIS . . . MAR . . . . (fn. 37)
This occurs with two counterseals; pointed
oval: a right hand and vested arm issuing from
right, holding a crutch or cross tau.
Legend on a bevelled edge:—
✠. . . . M . A[BBA]TIS DE CVMBA (fn. 38)
Pointed oval: similar but holding a pastoral
staff. Back-ground diapered lozengy with a rose
in each space. Legend:—
* CONTRASIGILLVM . ABBATIS . DE . CVMBA (fn. 39)