28. HOUSE OF AUSTIN FRIARS, RYE
The only settlement of this order of friars in
Sussex was at Rye, and of its origin nothing is
known except that the friars were firmly established here by the middle of the fourteenth
century. In 1368 the prior and convent of
the Friars Eremites of St. Augustine in Rye
granted that one of their brethren, being a priest,
should celebrate daily at the altar of St. Nicholas
in the parish church for the welfare of William
Taylour of Rye and Agnes his wife, in return for
certain benefactions. (fn. 1) Ten years later, the
mayor and commonalty of Rye granted the
friars a place called 'le Haltone,' near the town
ditch, reserving right of access to the town wall
for repairs and other purposes. (fn. 2) From this time
the friars occur frequently in Sussex wills as
recipients of bequests, usually of small value, but
with the exception of a statement in 1524 that
in that year the roof of the buildings (tegumentum
fabricae) of the friars was erected at the expense
of William Marshe, husbandman, (fn. 3) their history
is a blank.
The seals of the community of the office of
prior attached to the deed of 1368 are 'vesicashaped, each representing St. Augustin in the act
of benediction.'
A different seal is appended to the deed of
1378, and shows 'St. Augustin holding a crozier,
with an upright anchor before him, and people
standing below.' (fn. 4)
Footnotes
| 1 |
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, 497. |
| 2 |
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, 497. |
| 3 |
Suss. Arch. Coll. xvii, 128. |
| 4 |
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, 497. |