HOUSES OF CISTERCIAN MONKS
18. THE ABBEY OF KIRKSTEAD
The abbey of Kirkstead was founded in
1139 by Hugh Brito (otherwise Hugh son of
Eudo), lord of Tattershall. It is related that
the founder, being desirous to build a monastery,
visited the abbey of Fountains, and greatly
admiring the manner of life which he saw there,
humbly besought and finally obtained a colony
of monks from thence, which he established
at first in a ' place of horror like a vast solitude,'
a level plain surrounded by brushwood and marsh
at Kirkstead. (fn. 1) This original site was not,
however, found to be large enough, and proved
unsuitable in other ways; therefore in 1187
Robert the son of Hugh granted leave to the
monks to move a little distance off, still, however,
remaining on his lands. (fn. 2) The patronage of the
house remained for four or five generations in
the family of Hugh Brito, and nearly all his
successors added something to his benefactions.
Conan Duke of Brittany, Robert Marmion,
Ralf FitzGilbert, Walter Leydet, William de
Cantelow, Robert d'Arcy, Philip of Kyme, and
members of the families of Martel, Scotney,
Malet, Driby, Bek, d'Eyncourt, Willpughby,
were all numbered amongst the benefactors of this
monastery. (fn. 3) Its revenues during the thirteenth
century would have supported a large number
of monks; but like all the Cistercian abbeys of
this country it suffered heavy losses during the
century which followed, and its revenue was
actually less in 1534 than it had been in 1291. (fn. 4)
In spite of these misfortunes, however, it was
reckoned until the last among the greater monasteries of Lincolnshire.
The lordship over Wildmore was acquired by
Kirkstead through grants from the lords of
Bolingbroke, Scrivelsby, and Horncastie, who,
however, retained common rights of pasture and
turbary in the marsh for themselves and their
tenants. These valuable rights were the cause
of several disputes in the thirteenth century. (fn. 5)
About 1275 the abbot was accused of claiming
the right to erect a gallows at Thimbleby, and
to have the assize of bread and ale there, without
charters sufficient to prove it; he had also encroached on the king's highway at Roughton,
by raising a dike. In common with other
Cistercians, he was also accused of buying wool
throughout the county and selling it to Flemish
merchants and others, to the loss of the city of
Lincoln. (fn. 6) It was just after this that the monks
of Kirkstead began to be impoverished through
the failure of their sheep. In 1285 the abbot
had to buy wool to satisfy the merchants to
whom he had pledged himself, because his flocks
had failed through murrain. (fn. 7) In 1315 he had
to buy corn in the counties of Cambridge and
Huntingdon, not having enough of his own. (fn. 8)
In 1321 there were suits with the prior of
St. Catherine's, Lincoln, about lands at Canwick and fisheries at Thornton and Marton. (fn. 9)
The abbot of Kirkstead, like others of his order,
had also a little later to supply King Edward III
with wool, on a vague promise of future payment;
and these and other losses had by 1341 brought
the house into such a depressed condition that
the monks were obliged to petition for the
appropriation of the church of Woodhall. (fn. 10) In
1365 John de Wodehall quit-claimed to the
abbot and convent all right in the manor of
Woodhall. (fn. 11) But the manor seems to have been
acquired in 1332. (fn. 12) In 1401 the church of Wispington, with lands in the same town, was
granted to them by Sir Philip le Despenser to
assist them in the maintenance of the abbey. (fn. 13)
After this very little is known of the fortunes of
the house, except that in 1471 Abbot Roger
was arrested with many others for some disturbance of the peace. (fn. 14)
After the rising of 1536 the abbot of Kirkstead, with three of his monks, was arrested and
tried at Lincoln by the commission under Sir
William Parr. The monks when examined
told their share in the rebellion quite simply.
The day after the ringing of the alarm bell at
Louth news of the disturbance was brought to
the abbey by John Parker, the abbot's servant.
On the same day sixty persons came and carried
off all the serving-men attached to the monastery.
On Wednesday John Parker returned with a
message that if the monks themselves did not go
forth at once to the host their house should be
burned over their heads. Accordingly all those
who were not too infirm went forth, the
cellarer and bursar being horsed and carrying
battle-axes. The abbot himself was too ill to
go, but he gave the bursar 20s. and a horse laden
with victuals. The monks remained with the
insurgents until the following Tuesday,
10 October, when the abbot received them
again gladly, and ' thanked God there was no
business.' (fn. 15) They all told the same story quite
straightforwardly, and there seems no reason to
question its truth.
The abbot and the other monks arrested
with him were at first put to bail, (fn. 16) and it seems
that they had at first some hope of pardon, for
on 29 January, 1537, the abbot thanked Cromwell for his comforting letter, and begged
continuance of his favour. (fn. 17) On 6 March,
however, all four were condemned to death, (fn. 18)
and the whole monastery was attainted. The
buildings were defaced and the leads melted
down for the king's use. (fn. 19) The remaining
monks apparently received a trifle to buy secular
clothing, and were then turned adrift. (fn. 20) Sir
William Parr complained that he found very
little of value in the house, the plate and ready
money were scarce worth 20s., ' through the late
abbot's unthriftiness, for which he would have
deserved punishment had he not transgressed the
laws.' (fn. 21) The poverty of the monastery at this
time may have been a partial cause of the abbot's
failure to obtain a pardon.
It is always difficult to find out very much
about the interior history of a Cistercian abbey,
unless it happens to possess a chronicle; we are
dependent upon stray notices, and have no regular
visitation reports to go by. Some facts, however,
stand out clearly in the early history of Kirkstead. The first and second abbots were both
members (fn. 22) of that heroic band which went forth
from St. Mary's, York, in 1132, (fn. 23) in search of a
more perfect life; they could remember the
hardships of that first winter under the scanty
shelter of a roof of boughs in the wild solitude
where the abbey of Fountains was afterwards
built. They would bring to the new foundation
in Lincolnshire the best traditions of the order;
and the monks of Kirkstead must have known in
those early days something of the joy which
accompanies the first fervour of a great reformation. In course of time, as we know, that first
fervour cooled, but the records do not show us
any evidence of serious laxity in this abbey. A
league of brotherhood, into which the monasteries
of Kirkstead and Revesby entered in the year
1257, suggests that there had been some difficulties between them as to their rights on Wildmoor
Common, and that the quarrel had been taken
up a little too eagerly by the lay brethren and
servants of the two houses. They agreed that
in future each should perform for the deceased
brethren of the other house the same services as
for their own, and that if either house should
need counsel or help from the other, on account
of diminished numbers or resources, it should be
gladly given. The lay brethren and servants
were especially enjoined not to carry arms, or
take large dogs about with them, for fear of
damage being done to the men or animals
belonging to either convent; any lay brother
who offended in this respect should go on foot to
the house he had injured, and undergo severe
penances for three days; a secular servant should
be flogged at the door of the offended monastery,
and fast for three days on bread and water. (fn. 24)
Occasional cases of apostasy have to be
recorded of every monastery now and again.
We hear of one at Kirkstead in 1341, Ivo le
Taylour, a lay brother; (fn. 25) and another in 1390 was
absolved by order of the pope for going off to
Rome on a pretended pilgrimage, and laying
aside his habit on the way whenever he felt
inclined. (fn. 26) Both of these repented and desired to
return to the abbey. In 1429 another lay
brother of Kirkstead was roaming about in
secular garb; the warden of the Cinque Ports
was ordered to arrest him. (fn. 27)
In 1404 an unruly monk caused a good deal
of trouble by opposing the election of a new
abbot, Thomas by name. The election had
been made in all due form; the late abbot had
tendered his resignation, according to the custom
of the order, to the abbot of Fountains; the new
abbot was confirmed and canonically instituted;
but a certain William of Louth managed to
work up an opposition party against Thomas,
and actually ejected him for a time. The case
was referred, as usual, to the pope; Thomas was
restored, and William condemned to perpetual
silence and payment of costs. He appealed
twice again to Rome, but only to have the
sentence twice confirmed, and at last orders had
to be given to invoke the secular arm if
necessary. (fn. 28)
In 1441, when measures were being taken for
the reform of the whole Cistercian order, the
abbot of Kirkstead was appointed, with the
abbots of Furness, Byland, Sawley, Hayles, and
Morgan, to carry out the work in England. (fn. 29)
We may surely infer that these houses were at
this time in a more satisfactory condition than
the rest, or their abbots would scarcely have
been singled out for this purpose.
Nothing is alleged against the abbey at the
last except its poverty, because of the ' unthriftiness ' of the abbot. He had not been in office
for more than ten years, so that he cannot justly
be made responsible for the losses of the house.
Nor was he accused, like the abbot of Barlings,
of hiding or making away with the plate and
jewels of the monastery; his poverty was probably inherited. As to the complicity of the
monks of Kirkstead in the Lincoln rebellion,
their case was very much the same as that of
Bardney, and their guilt or innocence must be
inferred from similar data.
The original endowment of Kirkstead Abbey
by Hugh Brito consisted of the site of the abbey
in Kirkstead. Benefactors of the twelfth
century added the granges or manors of
Daw-wood, Great Sturton, Snelland, Gayton,
Dunholm, Benniworth, Ulceby, Scampton,
Sheepwash, Branston, Aneheythe, Linwood,
Thimbleby, Scrane, Langton, Langworth, Wildmore, Braken, Torrington, in Lincolnshire, and
Sunnolclif and Penistone, Yorks, (fn. 30) with the
churches of Gayton, (fn. 31) Thimbleby, (fn. 32) Woodhall, (fn. 33)
and Covenham, (fn. 34) to which was added later
that of Wispington. (fn. 35) The temporalities of the
abbey were valued in 1291 at £369 3s. 9d. (fn. 36)
The abbot was returned in 1303 as holding one
knight's fee in Scampton, one-quarter and onesixth in Metheringham, one-quarter and one-eighth
in Sturton, one-quarter in Govenham, Fulletby and
Oxcombe, Gayton and Nocton, one-third in Grimblethorpe, and various fractions from one-sixth
to one-fortieth in Scampton, Dunston, Blankney,
Timberland, Tathwell, Keddington, Billinghay,
Walcot, Thimbleby, Hainton, Langton, Coleby,
Canwick, Kirkby-on-Bain, Dunholme, and Scopwick. (fn. 37) The assessment is very nearly the same
in 1346 and 1428. The valuation of the abbey
in 1534 was £286 2s. 7¾d. clear. (fn. 38) At the
attainder of the abbot in 1537 a survey of the lands
of the monastery was taken; they included the
manors of Kirkstead, Scampton, Waddingworth,
Ludney, Woodhall, Covenham, Thimbleby,
Gayton, Kirkby-on-Bain, Wildmore, Marton,
Benniworth, and the granges of Dunholm, Sheepwash, Westlaby, Snelland, Great Sturton, Linwood, Roughton, Boston, Wrangle, and rents
in many other places; as well as the profits of
the rectories of Woodhall, Wispington, Thimbleby, Gayton and Covenham churches. The
house was burdened with six corrodies. (fn. 39)
Abbots Of Kirkstead
Robert of Sutholme or Southwell, (fn. 40) elected
1139
Walter, (fn. 41) occurs about 1156
Richard, (fn. 42) occurs 1190
Thomas, (fn. 43) occurs from 1202 to 1206
William, (fn. 44) occurs 1208 and 1210
Henry, (fn. 45) occurs from 1219 to 1234
Hugh, (fn. 46) occurs from 1239 to 1245
Henry (fn. 47)
Simon, (fn. 48) occurs 1250
William, (fn. 49) occurs 1253 to 1260
John, (fn. 50) occurs 1266
Simon, (fn. 51) occurs 1275 to 1279
Robert of Withcall, (fn. 52) occurs 1303 to 1310
Thomas, (fn. 53) elected 1312
John (fn. 54) (of Louth), elected 1315, occurs 1331
John (fn. 55) (of Lincoln), elected 1336, occurs
1339
William, (fn. 56) occurs 1347
Thomas of Nafferton, (fn. 57) occurs 1367 and 1372
Richard of Upton (fn. 58)
Thomas, (fn. 59) elected before 1404
Richard Wainfleet, (fn. 60) occurs 1433
Richard Herbotyl, (fn. 61) occurs 1469
Roger, (fn. 62) occurs 1471
Ralf, (fn. 63) occurs 1471
Thomas, (fn. 64) occurs 1504
John Rawlinson, (fn. 65) occurs 1510 to 1521
John Tad caster, (fn. 66) occurs 1522
Richard Harrison, (fn. 67) last abbot, occurs from
1529
The pointed oval seal (fn. 68) of the thirteenth
century represents the Virgin seated on a throne
in a niche with trefoiled arch, crocketed and
pinnacled, with crown, the Child on her left
knee. At each side a shield of arms: on the
left chequy a chief ermine Tattershall, and over
it the letter S with a wavy sprig of foliage and
flowers; on the right a cross moline, and over it
the letter K and a wavy sprig. In base, under
a carved arcade of three round-headed arches, the
abbot kneeling in prayer to the right, with
pastoral staff, and two monks, half-length, in
prayer. In the field, over the head of the
Virgin, an estoile; on the carved canopy on the
right a bird.
SIGILLE · CPMVNE · ABBATIS · ET · CPVENTVS ·
SCE · MARIE · DE · KYRKESTEDE ·
The thirteenth-century seal of Abbot Simon (fn. 69)
is a pointed oval, showing the abbot standing on
a corbel, in the right hand a pastoral staff, and
in the left hand a book.
SIGILLVM · ABBATIS · DE · KI[RK]ESTEDE