8. THE ABBEY OF NETLEY
The abbey of Netley, Letley (Lœtus Locus),
or Edwardstow (Loci Sancti Edwardi), dedicated
to the honour of the Blessed Virgin and St.
Edward the Confessor, was founded for Cistercian monks by Henry III. in 1239. It
appears that Peter des Roches, Bishop of
Winchester (1205-38), purchased the land
of ' Hanseta ' and ' Cedrigia' from William,
Bishop of Angers, and the dean and chapter
of Angers; lands in Wellow from the abbot
of St. Mary de Pratis, Leicester; lands at
Kingston Deverel from the bishop and chapter of Le Mans; land called 'Ayhsleg' in
Dorsetshire from the abbot of Croix St.
Leufroy; and some other parcels of land,
apparently with the object of founding this
monastery. The bishop, however, died in
1238, before the completion of his object,
and the actual foundation was carried out by
Henry III. in the following year. (fn. 13) Hence
the king was usually referred to as the
founder. So soon as the monastery was
completed it was colonized by monks from
the Cistercian abbey of Beaulieu, who arrived
at their new home on St. James' Day, 1239. (fn. 14)
In August, 1243, Roger de Clare sold to the
abbey for 300 marks the tilled land and pasture
which lay between their manor of Gomshall
and the highway from Guildford to Dorking,
and also the advowson of the church of Shere, (fn. 15)
which grant was confirmed by John de Warren, Earl of Surrey, in 1252.
In 1244 Innocent IV. sanctioned Under
certain conditions the appropriation by the
abbey of Netley of the churches of Shere
and Wellow, valued at £30 per annum. (fn. 16)
The same pope in the following year confirmed to the abbot and convent of Netley
the privileges of not being compelled by
bishops or others to attend synods or assemblies outside their order, save only pro fide,
and of exemption from sentences of excommunication, suspension or interdict. (fn. 17)
In the same year Robert, abbot of Netley,
released to the Bishop of Winchester the manor
of Esher, with the advowson of the church and
all its appurtenances, save 100s. worth of land
in Dorsetshire. (fn. 18) In August, 1247, the abbot
and convent of Lieu Dieu, in the diocese of
Amiens, sold to the abbey of Netley for 600
marks their English manor of Nordley, their
rents in Oxford, their rents and rights in
Chaddleworth and their rent of five marks
from the church of Henton. (fn. 19)
Henry III. on 7 March, 1251, confirmed
to Netley Abbey (Sancte Marie de Loco Sancti
Edwardi) the site of the monastery with the
lands of Netley, Hound, Wellow, Totton,
Gomshall, Nordley, Kingston Deverel, Waldon, Aynsley and Lacton, with rents in
Charleton, Southampton and Southwark, a
hundred acres in Shere manor and the
church there, as well as many liberties and
privileges. A fortnight later the king
granted to the abbey free warren on their
lands in Netley, Hound, Shotteshale, Westbrook and Sholing (Hants), Waddon and
Aynsley (Dorset), and Gomshall and Shere
(Surrey), a weekly market at Hound on
Monday and a two days' fair at Wellow
on the vigil and day of St. Margaret. (fn. 1)
Henry III. continued his benefactions to
the abbey, and on 24 July, 1253, granted
to it three carucates of land, of 100 acres
each, in the New Forest, with licence to
enclose and cultivate them; and in 1256
he gave special licence to enclose the same
against the king's deer. (fn. 2) He also further
granted to the abbey a tun of wine yearly
out of the prisage at Southampton, to be used
for the celebrations in the abbey. Edward I.
instructed the taker of the king's wines at
Southampton in 1276, 1277 and 1280 to
duly supply this wine according to the late
king's charter (fn. 3) ; but in 1281 Edward I.
granted 20s. yearly in alms in lieu of the
wine, as the prisage at Southampton was
assigned to Eleanor, the king's mother, as
part of her dower. (fn. 4)
In June, 1290, Abbot Walter de Cheseldene, who had just previously been elected,
obtained permission to attend his general
chapter. (fn. 5)
The taxation of 1291 gives the income
of the abbey in temporalities in the Winchester archdeaconry at £17 1s,; namely
Netley Grange £2 2s., Wellow Grange £3,
Raydon Grange £1, Gomshall Grange £10,
and 19s. of rents in Winchester and Southampton. At the same time the rectory of
Hound, with its chapel of Netley, was valued
at £6 13s. 4d. the year. The churches of
Shere and Wellow, which were appropriated
to the abbey, were respectively valued at
£23 6s. 8d. and £10. The abbot also held
property in Salisbury diocese of the annual
value of £24 1s. The total revenue of the
abbey amounted at that time to the substantial income of £81 2s. (fn. 6)
The abbot of Netley was summoned to
the parliaments of 1295, 1296, 1300 and
1302.
On 10 February, 1311, licence for alienation in mortmain to the abbot and convent
of Netley was obtained by a fine of 100s. for
various plots of land in Wellow and Hound,
together with a salt pit in the latter parish. (fn. 7)
In the following year similar licence was
obtained for two messuages and 45 acres of
land in East Wellow. (fn. 8) And in May, 1328,
Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, obtained
licence by a fine of ten marks to alienate to
the abbey in mortmain the Hampshire manor
of Mansbridge of the yearly value of twentyfour marks. In return for this the abbey was
to find two monks as chaplains to celebrate
daily mass in the abbey church for the souls
of the earl, his ancestors and heirs; and the
earl was to obtain licence to present two secular clerks to the abbot for admission as monks,
promotion to the priesthood and appointment
to the said chantries. (fn. 9)
Notwithstanding this increase of property,
on 25 May of the same year letters of protection had to be obtained by the request of
the chapter, as the house was burdened with
debt and impoverished by bad government.
At the same time the king appointed John of
Mere to the custody of the abbey, during
pleasure, by whose advice the abbot was to
apply the revenues to the payment of debts.
Meanwhile no minister nor sheriff of the king
nor any other person was to lodge at the
abbey or in any of its granges, or to meddle
with anything thereto belonging, without the
king's consent. (fn. 10) It was probably in consequence of their embarrassed position that the
abbey, soon after this date, parted with a considerable share of its property. Letters patent
of January, 1331, confirmed to Henry Darcy
and Hugh Totehill, his brother, a grant made
by Abbot William and the convent of their
mill at Stone and all their possessions in
Laghton, Morthing, Hoton Ker, Torcroft,
Brokehouse and Stone, absolutely, with villeins, chattels and services of free tenants. (fn. 11)
The abbot and convent again petitioned the
Crown (as a house of royal foundation) for relief in 1338, alleging as one of the causes of
the impoverishment of this estate the situation
of the abbey on the sea coast and the frequent
coming and going of mariners. Letters patent
were consequently granted enabling them to
assign to Roger of Petersfield and Henry
Deverel of Netley and their heirs, at an
annual rental of £40, 30 acres of meadow,
110 acres of heath and 40 acres of turbary,
together with their fisheries on Terstwood
and Totton, as well as forty bondmen in
villenage in the same towns. (fn. 1)
The taxation of February, 1341, shows that
the church of Hound, with the chapel of Netley, was endowed with two messuages, a curtilage, a yardland of arable worth 10s. yearly;
the tithes of milk, hay, fish and salt, valued at
13s.; the oblations on appointed days, 10s.;
and tithes of gardens, orchards, pigs and mortuaries, 11s. The ninths of Iambs and wool were
that year 10s. below the average, because sailors
and others appointed to guard the coast had
robbed the parishioners of sheep and lambs.
The ninths wanted 8s. of their usual value,
as a good part of the corn land was left fallow through dread of foreign invasion and the
marauding of the king's sailors. (fn. 2) In 1346
Netley was returned as holding half a knight's
fee in Wellow in perpetual alms. (fn. 3)
On 7 December, 1461, Edward IV.
inspected and confirmed three charters of
Henry III. and letters patent of Richard II. (fn. 4)
From a butlerage account of 1526 it seems
that the annual payment to Netley Abbey of
a tun of wine for sacramental purposes, out
of the prisage wine of the port of Southampton, had been resumed in kind; at all events
in that year Netley was one of the five monasteries that received a tun of wine from the
king. (fn. 5)
In 1529 Thomas Stevens, abbot of Netley,
was summoned to Convocation; he did not
appear personally, but was represented by the
prior of Breamore. (fn. 6)
The ominous Thomas Cromwell appears
on the scene in 1533. In December of that
year he wrote to Abbot Thomas, desiring him
to grant his friend John Cooke a new lease
for sixty years, at the old rent, of the farm
called Roydon; being near the seaside it
would be convenient for Cooke to serve the
king in his office of the Admiralty in those
parts. (fn. 7)
A royal commission was issued in 1535,
which empowered Thomas, abbot of Forde,
to visit various Cistercian houses, including Netley and all those of Winchester
diocese.
The Valor of 1535 estimated the gross revenue of Netley Abbey at £160 2s. 9½d., whilst
the clear income was only £100 12s. 8d.; it
therefore came under the heading of the lesser
monasteries. Being of exempt jurisdiction, no
particulars are given in the return.
On 30 May, 1536, Sir James Worsley and
his brother commissioners presented their report on the religious houses of Hampshire.
Netley is described as 'A hedde house of
Monkes of thordre of Cisteaux, beinge of
large buyldinge and situate upon the Ryvage
of the Sees. To the Kinge's Subjects and
Strangers travelinge the same Sees great Relief and Comforte.' (fn. 8) The commissioners estimated its total revenues at £181 2s. 8d. They
found there seven monks, all priests, ' by Raporte of good Religious conversation, whereof
desieren to Contynne Religiar vj, and to have
capacite j.' There were thirty-two other inmates, namely ' ij freeres observantes comytted
by the Kinge's highnes,' four waiting servants,
four officers of the household, eleven officials
of the convent, seven hinds and three ' for the
dayery.' The church, mansions and buildings
were in good repair. The lead and bells were
worth £57; plate and jewels, £43 2s. 11d.;
ornaments, £39 4s. 8d.; stuff, £9 3s. 4d.;
corn, £10 17s.; stocks and stores, £103 13s. 4d.
The woods were worth £81. The debts of
the house were £42 3s. 4d., but there was
£28 5s. owing to the house. (fn. 9)
The abbey of Netley retained most of its
early endowments, and at the time of its dissolution the lands belonging to it were, besides
the site, the manors of Wellow, Totton, Roydon, Nordley, Gomshall, Kingston Deverel and
Hound; and lands and possessions in Southampton, West Setley, Mitcomb Regis, Charleton, Shottishale, Sholinge and Shamelhurst. (fn. 10)
On 3 August, 1536, the king gave to Sir
William Poulett, the comptroller of his household (two of whose brothers had been the commissioners who reported so favourably of this
house in the previous May), the site and buildings of the suppressed abbey, together with
the grange, mill and lands in Netley; the
manor of Hound; lands and windmill, etc.,
in Hound and Sholing; the manor of Townhill; lands, etc., in Townhill and Shamelhurst; and the manor of Waddon and the
farm of Aisheley in Dorsetshire. (fn. 1) The manor
of Kingston Deverill (Wilts) was bestowed on
Sir Edward Seymour in the following year. (fn. 2)
The reversion and rent reserved upon a lease
granted in 1502 by Abbot John Burges of
the manor of Gomshall, Surrey, was given in
1538 to Sir Edward Braye. (fn. 3) The tithes of
Wellow rectory and land there were granted
in 1539 to Sir Richard Lyster, chief baron. (fn. 4)
The pointed oval seal, illustrations of which
and the counterseal are given, of the year 1329
represents an abbot, with crozier in right
hand and book in left, standing between four
monks, two on each side. The legend reads:
COMMUNE ˙ ABB . . . . . DE ˙ LETTEL . . .
The reverse has a smaller pointed oval
counterseal. The full length abbot has
crozier in right hand and book in left.
Legend: + s' ABB'IS ˙ LOCI ˙ SCI ˙ EDWARDI.
Abbots of Netley
Robert, (fn. 8) 1245
Walter de Cheseldene, 1290
William, (fn. 9) 1311
Henry de Inglesham, (fn. 10) 1371-4
John Stelhard, 1374-87
Philip de Cornhampton, (fn. 11) 1387
John de Glocester, (fn. 12) after 1396
Richard de Middleton, (fn. 13) after 1396
Thomas, (fn. 14) 1468
John, (fn. 15) 1475
Thomas, (fn. 16) 1496
John Burges, 1502
William, (fn. 17) 1507
John Corne, (fn. 18) 1516
Thomas Stevens, (fn. 19) 1529-36