9. THE ABBEY OF MEREVALE
The Cistercian abbey of Merevale, colonized
from Bordesley, was founded in 1148 by Robert,
Earl Ferrers. (fn. 1) He endowed it with that part of
Arden Forest which pertained to him, with lands
in Whittington, with the manors of Weston and
Orton on the Hill, Leicestershire, with Hardwick, Derbyshire, and with common pasture at
Hartington and Pilsbury in the same county. A
confirmation charter of Henry II confirmed the
grants of the founder, and of Gerard de Limesi,
Walter de Camvill, Ralph de Baskerville, and
Pain de Baskerville, subsequent benefactors. (fn. 2)
Later in the same reign the church of Orton on
the Hill, with the chapels of Twycross, Gopsall,
and a moiety of the manor with the advowson of
Baxterley were given to the monks.
In 1205 Pope Innocent III confirmed to the
monks the church of Orton on the Hill and its
two chapels (fn. 3) but it was not until April, 1344,
that Clement VI granted to the abbey the appropriation of this church with the chapels of
Twycross and Gopsall, due provision being made
for a vicar. This was done in response to the
petition of Henry of Lancaster, earl of Derby, in
consequence of the house of Merevale having
lately suffered from fire. It was stated that the
value of the rectory did not exceed 30 marks,
in addition to the 40s. already due to the
monastery as a pension. (fn. 4) In 1450, when John
Buggeley was abbot, the abbey obtained licence
to appropriate the church of Mancetter. (fn. 5)
Crown licence was obtained by the abbot and
monks of Merevale in 1238 to buy in the town
of Banbury, by one of the lay brothers, ox-hides
red and otherwise for the use of their house, and
to take the same to the abbey; provided that the
lay brother said in word of truth that they were
for the use of his house. (fn. 6)
The taxation of 1291 states that the abbot of
Merevale held three carucates of land at Woodburn in the deanery of Arden, of the annual
value of 15s.; also at the same place curtilage
worth 3s. a year; 2 dove-cotes 3s.; a mill 6s.;
9 acres of meadow 18s.; and timber 20s. At
Whittington he held half a carucate, 6s.; 2
acres of meadow 2s.; and pasturage 4s. At
Orton on the Hill half a carucate, 8s.; 3 acres
of meadow 6s.; and a mill 4s. At Pilsbury
grange, in Ashbourne deanery, 4 carucates 10s.,
and profits of the stock £15. At Croxden in
temporalities £12. At Chelmorton (Selmardon),
in the deanery of the High Peak, 1 carucate 12s.
and profits of the stock £3 10s. in other temporalities.
The circumstances of the abbey became at this
time much straitened. Peter de Leicester, at
the request of the chapter, was appointed by the
crown in 1297 as custodian of the temporalities
during pleasure, as the house had fallen into
decay. No sheriff, bailiff, or other minister of
the king was to be lodged there or in any of the
abbey granges during Peter's custody, without
his consent. (fn. 7)
In February, 1328, Petronilla Oliver, of Leicester, obtained licence to alienate to the abbey two
messuages, three shops, and a yearly rent of 12s.
in Leicester, to find a chaplain to celebrate daily
in the conventual church for her soul and those
of her ancestors and others. (fn. 8)
Edward III granted to the abbey, in March,
1332, at the request of Edmund de Shireford,
pontage for three years on wares passing over the
bridge of Feldenbrigg, by Atherstone, across the
River Avon, for the repair of the said bridge. (fn. 9)
In 1343 the monks were granted a market and
fair at Atherstone. (fn. 10)
John de Lisle, in 1357, granted to the abbey
a messuage and a virgate of land at Bentley, of
which manor he was lord, to find fifteen tapers
to burn in the chapel of our Lady near the abbey
gateway. (fn. 11) Four years later, in June, 1361,
Bishop Stretton commissioned Brother Thomas
de Leycester, a monk of Merevale, to act as
penitentiary for the pilgrims who frequented the
chapel of St. Mary at the gate of that monastery, which is still standing. It is stated in the
licence that the bishop had been informed that
large numbers of pilgrims of both sexes were
coming to the chapel, and by reason of the crush
and various prevalent diseases, many were brought
to the point of death. Full power was therefore
granted to absolve those penitents who were in
extremity, even in reserved cases, enjoining on
them salutary penances. It is interesting to remember that the Secunda Pestilencia of the fourteenth century raged in England during the
summer of 1361. This appointment was made
during the bishop's pleasure, but we find it renewed to the same monk for penitents at the
gate chapel ten years later. (fn. 12)
The abbey purchased in 1386 six messuages in
Atherstone, and certain rents in Whittington and
Baxterley, and in 1390 four messuages in Tamworth and Wilnecote, and two other messuages
in Atherstone. (fn. 13) But in spite of these and other
accessions to the endowment of the abbey additional assistance was needed, and in 1401 the
pope granted indulgence of the Portiuncula to all
contributing to the repair of the abbey church
during the next ten years. (fn. 14)
Like other religious communities the monks
of Combe were not exempt from the disturbing
influence of the quarrels and litigation which are
the almost inevitable accompaniment of landed
proprietorship.
In the year 1250 the prior of Lenton seized
the sheep of the monks of Merevale at Chelmorton, in Derbyshire, on pasturage which had been
recently granted them by Robert de Esburne,
and took tithe of them for two years, namely,
for that year and the previous one. Having
taken this double tithe, the men of Godfrey, the
prior of Lenton, suffered the rest of the flock to
return to pasturage. Thereupon the monks
summoned the prior to the king's court by brief
quare vi et armis. (fn. 15)
In 1286 a serious charge against Andrew de
Estleye and six others of assaulting the men of
the abbot of Merevale, taking corn and victuals,
with five carts and fifteen horses, which they
were bringing to the abbot's manor at Broughton,
Leicestershire, and imprisoning the men there,
was referred to a commission of oyer and terminer. (fn. 16)
In 1292 John son of John de Overton brought
a complaint against the abbot, four monks, and
five brethren of the abbey, and others for having
caused the death of his brother Robert. (fn. 17) Seven
years later John, with six others, probably in revenge, pulled down the abbot's house and pillory
at Overton by Twycross, on the confines of the
counties of Warwick and Leicester, and carried
away the timber by night. (fn. 18) At a visitation of the
priory of Dunstable, held by Bishop Grosteste
on 25 July, 1248, Henry de Bilenda, one of the
canons, unable to clear himself, secretly fled by
night fearing the austerity of the bishop. On
8 September he entered the nominally far severer
Cistercian rule at Merevale. Bishop Grosteste,
of whom the irregular religious had a wholesome
dread, visited the Austin priory of Caldwell on
2 August of the same year, when Prior Eudo,
taking the advice of the prior of Dunstable and
others, resigned his rule, and on 6 August this
canon was also professed as a Cistercian monk
at Merevale. (fn. 19) Probably both these admissions
were made by order of or at least with the tacit
consent of the bishop.
William, Earl Ferrers, who died at Evington,
near Leicester, on 28 March, 1253, was buried
in the chapter-house of Merevale on 31 March. (fn. 20)
Edward I stayed at the abbey of Merevale in
the year 1275 on 16 and 17 August, and on
17 September, (fn. 21) and Edward III was there in
March 1322. (fn. 22)
In July 1285, the abbot obtained leave to
cross the seas and tarry till the following Easter. (fn. 23)
In a list of debtors that Thomas Cromwell
drew out in February 1522, occurs the name of
William (Arnold), abbot of Merevale. A letter
of William Brabazon to Cromwell in September
of the same year gives a broad hint as to the
nature of the debt, which, to put it plainly, was
an unpaid promised bribe. The letter states
that the abbot of Merevale is very short of money,
but at Christmas he will pay most part of his
'duty' to Cromwell; meanwhile he forwarded
53s. 4d. as a reward for Cromwell's trouble about
his election. (fn. 24) In January, 1532, he sent the
sum of 4 marks to Cromwell for his own use,
stating he was sore charged that year through
barrenness of corn. (fn. 25) In a very long list of
bribes received from religious houses in 1536,
occurs the abbot of Merevale, £4. (fn. 26)
On 30 July, 1535, Nicholas Austen, abbot of
Rewley, Oxfordshire, wrote to Cromwell, begging his favour for one of his brethren to secure
for him the appointment as abbot of Merevale,
which he understood to be vacant. A considerable bribe was promised Cromwell if this was
done. (fn. 27)
There was, however, no vacancy, William
Arnold was returned as abbot in the Valor Ecclesiasticus report of this year and remained to the
end. The report gave the clear annual value of
Merevale as £254 1s. 8d. The two churches
of Mancetter and Orton on the Hill were valued
conjointly at £73 4s. 8d. The considerable sum
of £50 from the rents of their demesne lands
were reserved for the use of their hospice, that is
to be expended on hospitality for wayfarers or
other guests. The offerings at the image of our
Lady averaged £2 a year. Their alms on Maundy
Thursday, by order of the general chapter of
Citeaux, were 5s. in money; twelve quarters
of barley made into loaves, and given to the
poor at the gates, at 4s. 8d. the quarter;
three quarters of barley made into beer, and
given to the same, at 4s. the quarter; and
3,000 herrings at 1s. 8d. the hundred, amounting to the sum of £6 3s. In addition to this
there was a weekly dole at the monastery gate
of oaten bread and beer, which cost the house
£5 13s. 8d. a year.
On 20 July, 1537, Abbot Arnold wrote to
Cromwell acknowledging the receipt of the Lord
Privy Seal's orders to lease Newhouse Grange to
Richard Cromwell his nephew, for sixty years.
The chapter had no option but to submit, and
the abbot wrote that Lord Ferrers, their
patron, would shortly bring the sealed lease
with him to town. He added that Cromwell's
aid had before prevented Mr. Robert Finder's
suit for their grange, which could not really
be spared as they had leased other pastures to
divers of Mr. Richard Cromwell's friends at his
request. They begged his lordship to ponder
this, a request that the Lord Privy Seal apparently
ignored. (fn. 28)
On 13 October, 1538, the surrender of this
house was signed, being made over to Visitor Legh
for the king's use. The signatures are those of
William Arnold, the abbot, John Ownsbe, the
sub-prior, and eight of the other monks. (fn. 29) The
subservient abbot obtained the considerable pension of £40; the sub-prior and four monks each
£5 6s. 8d.; three monks £5 each, and one only
3s. 4d.
A full inventory (fn. 30) of this monastery was made
by a jury under the direction of Dr. Legh and
William Cavendish, auditor of the Court of Augmentations. In the church were:—
A table of allablaster 5s.; ii candelstykes of latten, 5s.;
one laumpe of latten, 8d.; the monkes seates of tymber, 1s.; a payre of organys, 20s.; vi olde alters with
imagis, 2s.; the particion of olde tymber in the body
of the curche, 1s.; thre iron candelstykes before the
alters, 1s.; a holywater stoke of brasse, 1s.; the glass
and the iron in the wyndeys of the curch, 2s.; all the
pavent in the curche, 10s.; vi grave stones wyth
brasse in them, 5s.
The total of these church goods and spoiled graves
came to £4 11s. 8d. The vestments in the
vestry were valued at £6 9s. 8d. 'The Cloyster
and the Chapter house' realized £4 14s. 8d.,
including 'xxviii panys of payntyd glasses,' and
'a laver of ley mettall and leade before the same
laver.' The inventory specifies the contents of
the hall, the buttery, the chief parlour, the inner
chamber, the great old chamber, the chamber
next the old chamber, the chamber called 'ye
Bredames,' the white chamber, the porter's chamber, the kitchen, the larder, the brew-house, the
malt-house, the hive-house, the barn, and the
smithy. The grain at the monastery was valued
at £34 7s. 8d. and that at Newhouse Grange at
£29 9s. 4d. There were fifty loads of hay,
worth £8 6s. 8d. at 3s. 4d. the load. The
cattle at the monastery and Newhouse Grange
were valued at £21 0s. 8d. and the sheep at
'Crouxston in ye Pecke' at £6 13s. 4d. Fortyseven ounces of silver plate were sold for £8 12s. 4d.
The total for all the goods found within the monastery and sold was declared at £133 12s. 4d.
Of unsold goods there remained 132 oz. of silvergilt plate, and 26 oz. of silver plate, lead worth
by estimation £32, and four bells, £30.
Md. there remayneth all the houses and edifices of
the scite of the said late monastery, the glasse, yron in
the wyndows, pavements, and vi gravestones in the
churche, the rofe slatte, pavements and glasse in the
cloyster, and glasse in the chapiter house only exceptyd
and soulde.
The commissioners further stated that Lord
Ferrers was put in possession of the late monastery and all its demesnes on 15 October, 1538.
Reference has already been made to the charge
of peculation made against Legh and Cavendish
in connexion with this surrender. (fn. 31)
Abbots of Merevale
William, died 1192 (fn. 32)
Reginald, elected 1192, (fn. 32) resigned 1194 (fn. 33)
Henry, sub-prior, elected 1194 (fn. 33)
William, occurs 1285 (fn. 34)
John, elected 1294 (fn. 35)
Robert, occurs 1351 (fn. 36)
John Baggeley, occurs 1450 (fn. 37)
John Freeman, occurs 1463 (fn. 38)
John, occurs 1497 (fn. 39)
John Baddesley, occurs 1517-18 (fn. 40)
William Arnold, occurs 1525 (fn. 41) -1538
The thirteenth-century seal is pointed oval;
the Virgin, with crown, seated on a throne, under
a trefoiled canopy, pinnacled and crocketed, supported on slender shafts; the Child on the left
knee. In base, an ornamental corbel. In the
field, on the left, a dexter hand and arm issuing,
grasping a pastoral staff; on the right a crescent
between two stars. Legend:—
. . ABBATIS ET CONVE . . . IREVALL . . . (fn. 42)
There is also a thirteenth-century abbot's seal:
pointed oval: the abbot standing on a carved
corbel, with pastoral staff and book. In the field,
on the left, three indistinct flowers or stars, the
corresponding devices on the right broken away.
SIG . . . [ABBATI]S DE MIREVALLE (fn. 43)