55. THE ABBEY OF BARLINGS
The abbey of Barlings was founded in 1154
by Ralf de Haya, (fn. 1) son of the constable of Lincoln Castle, and lord of Burwell and Carlton.
It was at first placed at a site called Barling
Grange, but afterwards removed to Oxney, within the same vill of Barlings. (fn. 2) Hugh, Hamelin,
and Robert Bardolf were early benefactors of
the abbey. Maud, the wife of William Longespee, gave it the manor of Caenby for the
support of four more canons, in addition to the
original thirteen. Alice de Lacy, countess of
Lincoln and Salisbury, gave the manor and
church of Swaton. (fn. 3)
In 1209, in a suit with Robert de Montbegon,
the abbot lost the advowson of Broughton
church, but gained that of Tuxford. (fn. 4) Towards
the end of the thirteenth century the abbots of
Barlings and Peterborough had some trouble in
determining the bounds of a common pasture,
and received a licence to divide it by ditches and
other landmarks. (fn. 5) In 1318 the abbot of Barlings, like so many other religious of this period,
had to complain of trespasses upon his property. (fn. 6)
During the reign of Edward III two abbots
were under the special favour of the king and
of Queen Philippa, and in aid of the re-building
of the conventual church at this time they
were exempted for several years from payment
of tenths. (fn. 7) In 1343, nevertheless, the canons
were in a good deal of difficulty, and had to
petition for the appropriation of a church. (fn. 8) In
1412 it was stated that there were about twentyseven canons in the monastery, but its revenues
were so diminished by poverty, debt, and the
burden of hospitality, that they could scarcely
be sustained, and they received an indult allowing them to celebrate 'private masses called
annuals' in the conventual church at the request of the faithful who should contribute to
their needs. (fn. 9) It seems that the abbey recovered
its prosperity somewhat during the fifteenth
century, as Bishop Redman in 1497 praised the
administration of the abbot, and noticed that it
was in good temporal estate. (fn. 10)
The revenue of this abbey only, of the Premonstratensian order in Lincolnshire, was above
£200 in 1534, and it might therefore for a
while have survived the first Act of Suppression.
Popular rumour, however—in this case an excellent prophet—said that the greater houses would
not stand long after the fall of their less favoured
neighbours. Abbot Mackarel therefore thought
it well to provide for emergencies, and placed in
the hands of certain trustworthy persons about
£250 in money and £100 in plate, vestments &c.,
so that in case of dissolution he and his brethren
might not be left destitute. When a prisoner
in the Tower, after the insurrection of 1536,
he confessed to having taken these precautions:
he had gathered his brethren in chapter and told
them what was commonly reported, and advised
them to do as others had done; that is, to set
apart some of their best plate and vestments, so that
they could be sold, if need were, for the benefit
of the whole convent, adding, 'I promise you
of my faith and conscience, ye shall have your
part thereof, and of every penny that I have
during my life.' (fn. 11) There will, of course, be
diverse opinions as to these proceedings; yet it
should at least be remembered that the revenues
of the monastery had been originally granted for
the maintenance of divine service in the abbey,
and for the support of the canons there; and if
divine service had to cease by no fault of theirs,
the canons might well feel entitled to such share
in the endowments as would keep body and soul
together till better days should come. And
hitherto, at the dissolution of the minor houses,
no one but the superior had received any pension.
The rank and file had been dismissed with 20s.
and ' capacities' of very doubtful value. However this may be, there is no doubt that this confession told heavily against the abbot at his trial,
and that the attempt was an offence unpardonable
in the eyes of the king and Cromwell, who had
other designs for the disposal of monastic property.
As to the abbot's part in the insurrection, a
good deal has been said about it already, but it
is really impossible now to arrive at any positive
conclusions. There is not a shred of evidence,
at any rate, that he had any connexion with the
murder of the chancellor; nor does there seem
to be any real probability (fn. 12) in the story that he
actually wore harness or joined the host in
person. His own account of his dealings with
the insurgent leaders is very similar to that given
by the monks of Bardney and Kirkstead.
Under threats he provided meat and lodging on
Wednesday night, 4 October, for a large company. On the morrow, being bidden to join
the host, he refused on the ground of his religion, but offered to go and sing the litany for
them. By Friday, after news that several of the
neighbouring gentry had been compelled to join
the host, he took provisions to them on a large
scale, and on Saturday sent six canons. (fn. 13) By
Sunday, 15 October, he and his brethren were
lodged as prisoners in Lincoln Castle. (fn. 14) On his
way to prison he bade his servants shift for themselves, and save something for him if possible
out of the wreck that was coming. (fn. 15) His
cellarer was let out on bail later to collect rents
&c., (fn. 16) but he himself was sent up soon after
Christmas to the Tower. He was examined
there twice, on 12 January and 23 March, but
neither there nor in Lincoln ever owned to
having aided the rebels any more than their
violence compelled him to do. He said he
would have fled at the beginning of the rising,
but that he feared for his house; and denied
repeatedly having bidden the host to ' go forward.' He had indeed promised to bring more
provisions later in another place, hoping thus to
make his escape. (fn. 17) This is his own story, and
the assertion that he encouraged the rebels and
bade them go forward rests only on the evidence
of men who, like himself, were in danger of
their lives, and strongly tempted to save themselves at the expense of others. It is only necessary to add that the canons examined told
much the same story as their superior, and that
finally, on 26 March, 1537, he with six others
was condemned to death, and suffered the extreme penalties of the law. (fn. 18) The attainder of
the house followed; and the remaining canons
were dismissed with a pittance even smaller than
that accorded to their brethren already adrift
upon the world. (fn. 19)
Of the internal history of the abbey we know
little in detail till the end of the fifteenth century. It was, however, evidently in good standing with the order at all times, and the abbots
were prominent among the English Premonstratensians. It was in this abbey that the superiors
of the province met in 1311 to discuss the
question of their duty to the mother house. (fn. 20)
William of Kirkton, a canon of this house, was
chosen as proctor-general for the English abbots
of Lincolnshire and the abbot of Welbeck, and
made the appeal to Rome in their name against
the abbot of Prémontré. (fn. 21) It was to him, therefore, that William of Steeping, the proctor who
had been sent to Rome, wrote reporting progress
and requesting further supplies of money. (fn. 22) In
1383 the abbots of Barlings and Welbeck were
visitors for the order throughout England. (fn. 23)
In 1488, when Bishop Redman visited Barlings,
there were twenty canons besides the abbot, and
apparently there was very little to correct. (fn. 24) In
1491 two cases of apostasy were reported. One
canon was put to penance for incontinence.
The brethren generally were warned against the
adoption of new fashions and unnecessary ornamentation of their habits. (fn. 25) In 1494 the visitor
had nothing to censure except the disregard of
these admonitions as to the habit of the brethren,
and especially the wearing of slippers. (fn. 26) In 1497
very high praise was accorded to the abbot and
convent, and the good temporal estate of the
house was judged to be the result of faithfulness
to rule and to the spirit of the religious life. (fn. 27)
When Thomas Belesby died in 1503, Bishop
Redman wrote of him to the brethren in terms
of cordial sympathy. (fn. 28)
The last abbot, Matthew Mackarel, was bishop
of Chalcedon and suffragan to Bishop Longlands.
He was beatified, with a number of his fellowsufferers, by the late Pope Leo XIII.
The original endowment of this abbey consisted of the vill of Barlings and its church;
of lands and mills in Langworth, Walmsgate,
Kirkby, Riseholme, Buslingthorpe, and elsewhere
in the county, and the churches of Broughton,
Tuxford, Scothorn, and Bungay, Suffolk. (fn. 29) In
the next century the manor of Caenby was
added. (fn. 30) In 1312 Simon le Chaumberleyn of
Edlington had licence to alienate to the
abbey the manor and church of Stainton. (fn. 31)
In the fourteenth century the abbey was
found in possession of manors at Barlings, Scothorn, Stainton, Revesby, Fulstow, Glentham,
Carlton Wildeker, Middle Carlton, South Carlton, Mumby, Great Carlton, Carlton by the Sea,
Reepham, Walmsgate, and Swaton, (fn. 32) as well as
the churches of Scothorn, Snelland, Reepham,
Caenby, Sudbrook, with Bungay, Suffolk, Middleton, Oxon, and Allington, Wilts. (fn. 33)
In 1291 the temporalities of the abbey were
worth £137 13s. 9d. a year. (fn. 34) In 1303 the abbot
held a knight's fee in Carlton Paynel, half a fee in
Carlton, and divers fractions in Mumby, Theddlethorpe, Boothby, Dunston, Burwell, Newbold,
Stainton, Swaton. (fn. 35) The only considerable addition at a later date was the manor of Riseholme. (fn. 36)
In 1534 theclear revenue was £242 5s. 11½d., (fn. 37)
including the churches of Scothorn, Reepham,
Stainton by Langworth, Swaton, and Bungay; and
the manors of North Carlton, Caenby, Glentham,
Scothorn, Swaton, Market Stainton, and Snelland
occur in the first Ministers' Accounts of the
abbey, which amount to £316 9s. 2d. (fn. 38) A large
number of bequests to the poor on the abbey
lands were duly paid till the dissolution: £18
to thirteen poor persons every year in memory
of Alice de Lacy, countess of Lincoln; 6s. 8d.
in memory of John of Gaunt and his wives; on
Maundy Thursday and the feasts of St. Nicholas
and St. Thomas of Canterbury, to every poor
person who came to the gate, a loaf of bread
and a herring, and bequests of less interest. (fn. 39)
Abbots of Barlings
Adam, (fn. 40) twelfth century
Ralf, (fn. 41) between 1156 and 1166
David (fn. 42)
Akarius, (fn. 43) 1190
Robert, (fn. 44) occurs 1205 and 1216
Clement, (fn. 45) occurs thirteenth century
Robert, (fn. 46) occurs thirteenth century
Ingelram, (fn. 47) occurs 1267
Ralf, (fn. 48) occurs 1277
Richard of Sutton (fn. 49) (or of Hanworth), occurs
1281 to 1317
Thomas of Edenham, (fn. 50) occurs 1322 to 1340
Alexander of Ramsey, (fn. 51) elected 1341, occurs
to 1367
John of Kirkton, (fn. 52) occurs 1367 to 1396
Hugh, (fn. 53) occurs 1400
Thomas Maryng, (fn. 54) occurs 1403 to 1433
John Spalding, (fn. 55) elected 1438, occurs to 1452
William Lincoln, (fn. 56) elected 1459, occurs to
1479
Thomas Belesby, (fn. 57) occurs from 1478, died 1503
William Forman, (fn. 58) elected and resigned 1503
John Bayns, (fn. 59) elected 1503
Matthew Mackarel, (fn. 60) last abbot, occurs 1529
The fourteenth-century pointed oval seal of
Barlings (fn. 61) represents on the obverse the Virgin
crowned, seated on an elegantly-carved throne,
under a canopy in form of a church with trefoiled arch supported on four slender columns,
and holding the Child. In the field on the left
a crescent, on the right an estoile. In base,
under a pointed arch with carved foliage at the
sides, an ox's head to the right, in allusion to the
second name of the abbey.
S' CONVENTVS: BEAT . . . RIE: DE: BARLINGE.
The small oval signet of Abbot Thomas de
Maryng (fn. 62) represents in a carved border of eight
cusps, our Lord on the cross, with the letters
T . H . O . M . E in the field.
✠ IHESV . FILI . DEI . MISERERE . MEI
A small pointed oval counter-seal of the fifteenth century (fn. 63) represents the Virgin crowned,
seated in a canopied niche, in the right hand a
sceptre, on her left knee the Child standing up.
In a small niche in the canopy the Almighty
seated, lifting up the hands. In a carved niche
on the left St. John Baptist full length, in the
left hand the Agnus Dei; in the right hand a
chalice and in the left hand a palm branch. In
the base, in a niche with round-headed arch, the
abbot, with pastoral staff, head slightly turned to
the right, kneeling in prayer, between two shields
of arms: on the left three cinquefoils, on the
right an estoile of sixteen points.
S' ABBATIS: ECCL'IE: BEATE: MARIE: DE: BARLINGIS
The pointed oval seal of Abbot Akarius (fn. 64) represents an ox passant guardant issuing from the
left, in front of it a long cross. The legend is
defaced.