COLLEGES
16. THE COLLEGIATE CHAPEL OF ST. MARY MAGDALEN, KINGSTON
Edward Lovekin, citizen of London, but a
native of Kingston, built a chapel dedicated
to St. Mary Magdalen at Kingston in the
year 1304. (fn. 1) In conjunction with his brother
Robert, he endowed it with ten acres of land,
one acre of meadow, and fifteen marks of rent
in Kingston, for the support of a chaplain to
say daily mass for Edward and Robert and all
their relatives and successors and all the faithful departed. License for the alienation of
this property was obtained from the Crown in
1309, (fn. 2) and at the same time leave was obtained from the bishop for the appointment
and induction of a chaplain. (fn. 3)
John Lovekin, son and heir of Edward
Lovekin, soon after this last date, rebuilt the
chapel and the priest's house, and in October
1352 obtained license from the Crown for a
further endowment up to £12 per annum
for the support of an additional chaplain. (fn. 4) For
this patent he paid 20 marks into the hanaper.
He obtained the sanction for his new scheme
of the bishop and chapter of the diocese, of
the prior and convent of Merton as rectors of
Kingston, and of the vicar of Kingston, and
granted to the chapel and its chaplains 9
messuages, 10 shops, a mill, 125 acres of
land, 10 acres of meadow, 120 acres of pasture, and 35s. of annual rent in Kingston,
and two messuages of the yearly value of £4,
in the parish of St. Michael, Crooked Lane,
London.
The charter, dated 3 May 1355, provided
that there should be two chaplains, one of
them being warden, presented to the diocesan
by John Lovekin or his heirs; that if two
months elapsed on a vacancy without presentation, the appointment should lapse to the
chapter of Winchester; that the chaplains,
immediately after their institution, should
swear to reside continuously and personally minister at the chapel, and not to
engage in any other service or office whatsoever; that they should reside together in the
appointed houses or manse, and that the warden should pay the chaplain (or chaplains if
the number was increased) 40s. yearly in
addition to necessary food, and a robe like
that worn by the warden every Christmas;
that the residue of the income, after deducting the necessary expenses of himself and the
household, was to be applied by the warden
for the benefit of the chapel and in no other
way; that the warden should yearly make
an inventory by indenture of the chapel's
goods, one part to remain with the warden,
and the other (to be exhibited yearly to the
diocesan) with the senior chaplain; that the
chaplains should have their meals together in
the same apartment, and each sleep in his
allotted chamber; that the warden should provide a competent clerk to serve at mass and to
minister to the chaplains in their chambers;
that the warden should supply the chaplains
with comely surplices and amices trimmed
with black fur for use in the chapel, and
should also furnish books, chalices and other
necessary ornaments for the chapel; that
none of the chaplains, save the warden,
should introduce any stranger at the expense
of the house, but that threepence should be
paid for a stranger at dinner, and twopence
for every other entertainment; that the warden and chaplain should entirely abstain from
taverns, and that the latter should not visit
any house without leave of the warden; and
that the diocesan had power to remove any
refractory or incorrigible chaplain. An exceptional provision was also made to check
any granting of a corrody or parting with
any of their property, whereby the house was
disallowed any common seal. Full regulations were made for the various daily services
which were to be after the use of Sarum:
on Monday mass was to be said for the
founders: on Tuesday, the mass of Salus
Populi, for the welfare of the king and queen
and the bishop, and after their deaths the
mass of St. Thomas the Martyr; on Wednesday, the mass of St. Mary Magdalen; on
Thursday, the mass of the Holy Ghost; on
Friday, the mass of the Holy Cross; on
Saturday, the mass of our Lady; and on
every Lord's Day and other festivals, the
mass of the day. There was also a daily
Requiem mass.
On 1 June 1355 these ordinances were
confirmed by Bishop Edendon, with a certain stipulation in favour of parochial rights,
namely, that mass should not be said in the
chapel on any Sunday or special festival in
the presence of any parishioner not residing
in the manse, unless such parishioner had
license from the vicar, save only John Lovekin, the founder; that the chaplains should
themselves attend high mass at the parish
church on the four principal feasts, and make
their offerings; that no warden nor chaplain
should administer sacraments or sacramentals
to parishioners, or accept from them payment for masses; and that the chapel should
possess no rights of ecclesiastical sepulture. (fn. 5)
John Lovekin, the refounder, was a fishmonger, a citizen of London: he was lord
mayor in 1347, 1357, 1364 and 1365. He
lived in the parish of St. Michael's, Crooked
Lane, and rebuilt that church shortly before
his death, which occurred on 4 August
1368. (fn. 6) William Walworth, sometime
apprentice to John Lovekin, lord mayor in
1373 and 1379, who attained fame as the
slayer of Wat Tyler, considerably increased
the endowments of the chapel in 1371, making provision for another chaplain.
On 11 January 1372, the bishop issued a
commission for the due auditing of the
accounts of this foundation, (fn. 7) and notice was
served on Reginald Jurdan, warden of this
chapel, on 11 September 1401, that the
bishop would visit the house in the following
month. (fn. 8)
In 1535 the Valor Ecclesiasticus
(fn. 9) returned
the clear annual value of this foundation as
£34 19s. 6½d. From an inquisition, cited
by Manning, it appears that Charles Carew,
the last warden, forfeited this chapel with its
possessions to the Crown in March 1540,
through being attainted of felony, though the
nature of the felony is not stated.
In April 1547, the site and appurtenances
were demised by the Crown to Richard
Taverner for twenty-one years, at a reserved
rent of £12 1s. 0d. The particulars contained
bear out the idea that this establishment was
something more than a chapel and house for
a warden and two chaplains. Twelve lots
are mentioned, namely: (1) the site of a free
chapel of St. Mary Magdalen, with garden;
(2) a small chapel called St. Anne's adjoining,
with chambers and study over it; (3) an
inner chamber, with a hawk's mew over it;
(4) a small chapel called St. Loy's on the
south side of St. Mary Magdalen's with a
little place under it; (5) an old kitchen, with
chamber adjoining, and a solar or lost over
both; (6) a chamber under the kitchen, to
the west of St. Mary Magdalen's; (7) a
house next to the said kitchen; (8) yards on
the north and west of St. Mary Magdalen's
chapel; (9) a gallery over the said yards, leading
from St. Anne's chapel to a small place and
to two chambers called the master's lodgings;
(10) a cellar and four small chambers under
the master's lodgings; (11) a granary; and
(12) a stable and dovecote. (fn. 10)
Probably there was an old hospital here for
the poor, to which the chapel of Edward,
and subsequently of John Lovekin, formed
an adjunct. When Queen Elizabeth, in
1561, founded a free school here, it was said
to be founded on the site of the old chapel
and hospital. The chapel was turned into
the schoolroom.
The Collegiate Chapel of St. Mary
Magdalen, Kingston.
Chaplains (First Foundation)
Ralph de Stanle, instituted 1310 (fn. 11)
John de Fre, instituted 1326
Peter de Lincoln, instituted 1331
Stephen de Stoke Goldington, resigned
1335
Robert de Fekenham, instituted 1335
John de Witham, instituted 1337
Walter Cok of Fenny Stratford, instituted
1344
Wardens (Second Foundation)
Elias de Bodeland, (fn. 12) resigned 1367
Robert Simonde of Bikenore, instituted
1367, (fn. 13) resigned 1394
Reginald Jurdan, instituted 1394, resigned
1403
John Hals, instituted 1403, (fn. 14) resigned
1404
John Scarburghe, instituted 1404 (fn. 15)
Richard Bowden, instituted 1405 (fn. 16)
John Gorsuch, died 1448
William Sharp, instituted 1448
William Frome, instituted 1451
Peter Baxter, instituted 1464
Edmund Hampden, instituted 1476
Hugh Meredith, instituted 1485
William Carpenter, instituted 1485
William Kyrkeby, resigned 1522
Edmund Thurland, instituted 1522
Charles Carew, instituted 1535-1540