HOUSE OF PREMONSTRATENSIAN CANONS
17. THE ABBEY OF TITCHFIELD
The Premonstratensian Abbey of Titchfield, nine miles south-east of Southampton,
was founded by Bishop Peter des Roches
in the year 1222, when a colony of White
Canons were invited to settle there from the
Shropshire Abbey of Halesowen. By the
foundation charter the Abbey of St. Mary (fn. 3)
was endowed with the manor of Titchfield
and its appurtenances, and with lands in
Swanwick, Porchester, Walsworth and Cosham. This was confirmed, with grants of
the fullest privileges, by Henry III. in 1231. (fn. 4)
Other important grants were those of the
manor of Cadlands and lands in Hythe,
Stanswood, and Woodcott and Felde (in
Fawley parish) by Eva de Clinton, daughter
and heiress of Roger de Escures; the manor
and lands of Inkpen (Berks) by the Mansels;
the manor and lands of Corhampton and the
wood of Charlwood by the founder; lands in
Stubbington and Chark by the Rayners, Bretts
and St. Johns.
The Harley MSS. 6602 and 6603 contain transcripts and extracts from three
Titchfield registers belonging to the Duke
of Portland, which were made in 1739.
Their accuracy is assured, for they were
collated with the originals in 1830-1 by
Sir F. Madden, and corrected in red ink.
The first register gives a large number of
grants and customs of manors; at the end
is a list of abbots, (fn. 6) drawn up about 1390,
when John de Romsey was abbot, and afterwards brought down to the eve of the dissolution. The following is a translation of
the list:—
Richard, the first abbot, came from Halesowen
with his brethren in the year 1222, and ruled this
church well and religiously. He died on 16 June,
and was buried before the door of the chapter-house.
Isaac was the second abbot; in his time the
manors of Cadlands and Inkpen were acquired.
He died on 19 June, and was buried in the
cloister before the door of the chapter-house, on
the right hand of the monument of the first
abbot.
After his death, Henry de Branewyk succeeded
him. He was afterwards sought as abbot of Halesowen, and there rested in peace.
To him Henry de Spersholte succeeded, in
whose time the manor of Newland was acquired
and lost. He died on 22 September, and was
buried in the cloister.
To him succeeded Brother Yvo, in whose time
the manor of Mirabel was acquired and lost. He
died on 3 March, and was buried in the cloister.
Adam, third abbot of this church, ruled with
honour. (fn. 1) He died on 14 September, and was
buried in the cloister on the left of the monument
of Abbot Peter de Wynton.
William de Byketon, the fourth abbot, was a
venerable ruler of the church; he died on 8
November, and was buried in the church, at the
altar of St. Richard.
John Sydemanton, fifth abbot, ruled well, and
died on 3 December. He was buried in the
cloister, between the door of the library on the
south and the monument of Abbot Wynton on
the north.
Roger de Candever, sixth abbot, ruled this
church honourably and religiously for about
eighteen years. He died on 5 August, and was
buried in the cloister at the entrance to the church
near the altar of St. Peter.
John de Combe, seventh abbot, in whose time
the manors of Crofton and 'Fontelegh-Pageham'
were acquired. He ruled this church for about
twenty years, and died on 5 May, and was buried
in the cloister, at the head of the monument of
Abbot Roger de Candever.
Peter de Wynton, eighth abbot, ruled this house
religiously for one year and six months. He died
on 16 July, and was buried in the cloister between
the monument of Abbot Adam on the north and
Abbot Sydemanton on the south.
William de Wollop, ninth abbot, ruled this
church in the best possible way for twenty years,
nine months and three days. In his time the
land and tenement of Markes and 'Brykoresland'
were acquired and appropriated. He also acquired, but did not appropriate, the land and
tenement of Ward, the land of 'Froghemour,' the
land of 'Firsteburyesland' at Chirk, and the tenements which were John Goudale's in Titchfield.
Also in his days John Edindon gave his manor of
Portsea and 'Copenore' to the priory. He died
on 23 May, and was buried in the cloister, north
of the monument of Abbot Candever.
John de Thorni, tenth abbot, ruled prudently
over this church for nineteen years, thirteen weeks
and five days; in his time the lands and tenements
mentioned under his predecessor were all appropriated. He died on 30 September, and was
buried in the cloister at the feet of the image of
the Blessed Virgin, which he had erected there in
honour of the Mother of God by a buttress.
John de Romsey, eleventh abbot of this church,
ruled honourably. (fn. 2)
Thomas Bensteade, thirteenth abbot, ruled well,
and resigned his staff under compulsion.
William Winchestour, alias Fryer, was fourteenth
abbot, and ruled six and a half years.
William Auyten, fifteenth abbot, ruled this church
well for sixteen years. He built the house commonly called 'The Grete Place.' He also restored
the windows of all the chambers, and built another
house near the cross in the body of the town. He
died 25 October, and was buried near the monument of John Thorny.
Thomas Coyk, sixteenth abbot, ruled for twentyone years.
Thomas Blankpayn, seventeenth abbot, ruled for
twenty years, and resigned on a pension.
The Rev. Father John, Bishop of Elphin in
Ireland, abbot in commendam of Welbeck and
Titchfield, prebendary of York and Southwell
and visitor of the Premonstratensian Order, the
eighteenth abbot, rebuilt the ruinous church.
The second register opens with an account
of the library, as catalogued in the year 1400.
It is often forgotten how large a portion of his
time the professed monk or canon was expected to give to the study of the Scriptures
and of other literature. This was particularly the case with the order of Prémontré.
The rule of the White Canon was in this
respect more stringent and definite than that
of the Black Canon, as appears in various
particulars. The office of librarian was joined
to that of chanter in the Austin houses, but
was a separate office in the Premonstratensian
houses. The later canons were distinctly
invited to study not only the Scriptures, but
theology, philosophy and Literœ Humaniores
The original statutes are much more precise
as to the times of reading than those of the
Black Canons. The Premonstratensian rule
provided that after sext, which followed immediately after high mass, the time was to
be given to reading (whilst the servants and
reader dined) until the bell rang to enter the
frater. In the winter most of the convent
had light refreshment (mixtum) after terce,
and dinner was not served until after nones;
and in that half of the year the long interval
between sext and nones was assigned to reading. Again, after evensong throughout the
year, there was reading until the bell sounded
for collation. (fn. 3) The importance of reading is
emphasized by a special chapter being assigned
to Quomodo se habeant fratres tempore lectionis. (fn. 4)
All the brothers were to read at the appointed
hour, save those engaged on necessary duties,
and they were to make all speed to attend
lection. They were to sit in cloister when
reading, conducting themselves with all decorum, each reading his own book, save
those who might be singing from antiphoners, graduals, or hymnaries, or giving
readings to others. If any one was obliged
to leave he was to replace his book in the
case, or if he wished to leave it on his seat
to signify by sign to a brother sitting near
that he left it in his custody. At all times
of lection the brothers were to wear their
slippers (nocturnalibus botis). No manuscript
was to be kept in the cloister carrols nor in
the dormitory chests without leave of the
abbot.
The librarian, called armarius, from the
armarium or case in which the books were
kept, was to mend and care for the books and
to open and shut the case as required. He
was to mutually assign and change the books
as they were wanted, but not without leave
of the abbot or prior, or without making an
entry. He was also required to keep a
numbered list of the books. (fn. 1) The Premonstratensian rule underwent various changes
on the authority of the General Chapter in
the seventeenth century, and was finally
revised in 1630. The librarian was then
termed bibliotbecarius; he was ordered to
arrange his books, in the place where they
were kept, according to their subject or
faculty. (fn. 2) This had been done at Titchfield
for at least two and a half centuries before
the passing of this revised statute.
The usual places for books in religious
houses were cases in recesses of the cloister.
It was not until a comparatively late period
that a few of the larger houses thought of
providing a special room or building for the
library. (fn. 3) Titchfield was only a daughter house
of no great wealth, and from its having in
1400 so large and valuable a library in a
special apartment opening out of the cloister,
and from the general character of the White
Canons as a reading order, it may perhaps be
assumed that the Premonstratensians usually
had a particular chamber to serve for the
books or manuscripts.
There were in the library of Titchfield, as
is specifically described, four cases (columna)
wherein to place the books. It would seem
that the door was on the west side of the
chamber, for there were two cases against the
east wall, a third against the south wall and a
fourth against the north wall. Each of these
cases had eight shelves (gradus), marked with
a letter of the alphabet, representing a division of the library and not the special shelf.
In case I., were the Bibles and the patristic
glosses on the different books; II., the Fathers
and general theology; III., sermons, legends,
rules and canon and civil law; IV., medical
and surgical works, grammar, logic, philosophy
and varia. The alphabet letters gave further
classification; thus B was affixed to seven
shelves of case I., containing the glosses on the
Scriptures; and D was marked on five shelves
of case II., whereon stood the works of St.
Augustine and St. Gregory. The first folio
or the cover of each volume contained not
only the shelf letter, but a number indicating
its position on the shelves. The very volume
that gives the library list has on its first page
the mark 'P.x.' On turning to the catalogue
there is found entered Rememoratorium monasterii et omnium maneriorum de Tycbefeld, as the
tenth book on shelf P.
The total number of volumes was 224, but
it must be remembered that many of these
MS. volumes contained a variety of treatises,
which if printed after modern fashion would
make several separate books. (fn. 4)
Several of the other volumes of this library
must have been of exceptional bulk or unusually close writing. Only one book is
named as written in English, viz. a copy of
the Golden Legends (E. vii.); but under the
letter Q are various books in French. Among
the more curious theological tracts may be
mentioned: De ortu et educatione Pontii Pilate,
and De ortu Judee Iscaritis. At the end of
the library catalogue a list is given of upwards
of a hundred other volumes pertaining to the
divine office, and usually kept in the church.
The library catalogue is followed by an
itinerary, or distance in miles, of the various
English houses of White Canons from Titchfield; the nearest being Durford in Sussex, 16
miles, and the most remote Alnwick in Northumberland, 276 miles. (fn. 5)
The next matter that is illustrated in this
interesting register is the very serious way in
which the monasteries, in common with the
rest of the country, suffered from the awful
Black Death of 1349-50. The local annalist cites an inventory of the monastery and
its manors and granges of the year before the
plague. In the eighth year of the rule of
Abbot Peter de Winton, namely on 4 July,
1348, the monastery and its manors had 170
quarters of wheat, 175 of barley, 198 of oats
and 22 of winter wheat; also 41 horses, 24
draught horses (affri), 30 oxen, 9 bull-calves,
182 bullocks, 10 bulls, 93 cows, 118 heifers,
20 calves, 273 swine, 940 muttons, 18 rams,
137 ewes and 768 lambs. In the tenth year
of Abbot John Thorny, namely on 27 June,
1370, the condition of the monastery was so
exhausted and its burdens so heavy that there
was no wheat in the house or in its manors,
and but 5 quarters of barley, 2 quarters of
dredge (fn. 1) and 16 quarters of oats. As to livestock, they had 23 horses of both kinds, 27
oxen, 21 colts, 190 bullocks, 10 bulls, 66
cows, 44 steers, 38 heifers, 16 yearlings, 24
calves, 9 boars, 20 sows, 50 pigs, 100 hogs,
25 suckling pigs, 780 muttons, 19 rams, 550
ewes and 280 lambs.
The chief reason of the great contrast in
bread stuffs between 1348 and 1370 (when
it might have been thought that the country
would have recovered from the shock of the
plague), was that the great scarcity of labour
and its higher price caused so much of the
arable land to remain untilled or to be
changed into pasture.
In 1370 an inventory was also taken of the
plate as follows:—
A small cross with foot, silver gilt; a gospeller
(textus), silver-gilt (cover) adorned with relics; a
crystal vase for relics; 17 chalices, of which 9
were gilt; a silver-gilt pix for the high altar; 4
silver cruets; 6 silver bowls, of which 2 are large
and 4 smaller, for double feasts; 2 pastoral staves;
3 silver candlesticks, one of which is small for midnight mass on Christmas Day; 3 silver-gilt censers;
4 silver-gilt cups, 3 with covers; 3 great silver
goblets (bollœ) with feet, with covers; 42 pieces
(pecie) of silver, 5 of which have small feet and
covers; 5 'once pedate,' (fn. 2) with silver covers; 2
flagons (olla) of silver, for wine; 2 small silver
basins (lavatoria); a silver plate with a foot; a
silver gilt pipe (fistula) for communicating the infirm; and 81 spoons.
There was no money found in the treasury,
and the debts of the house amounted to the
serious sum of £202 16s. 9d. (fn. 3)
At the end of the second register of Titchfield is written out this prayer, to be said with
the greatest devotion on getting into bed:—
In Monte Celyon requiescunt Septem Dormientes, Malchus, Maximus, Constantinus, Dionysius,
Serapion, Martinianus, atque Johannes. Per istorum
merita det michi Deus noctem quietam et soporem
quietam. Amen.
To this is added—
Hæc oratio abunde testatur quibus in tenebris
istud versabatur seculum.
The reference is of course to the beautiful
Syrian legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus,
first made known in western literature by
Gregory of Tours.
In the third register of Titchfield, which
is termed a rental, particulars are given of the
customs of their manors.
In 1334 the king's officials of the New
Forest seized certain cattle belonging to the
Abbey of Titchfield, for continuous feeding
within the bounds of the forest to the grave
prejudice of the king. (fn. 4) The abbot claimed
through his attorney the right of common
pasture for his beasts of Cadlands in the New
Forest; the abbot also claimed a parcel of
land within the forest, lying in la Whitefeld
at 'Wyndhall,' as part of his manor at Cadlands. The chief forester, on the part of the
Crown, admitted the abbot's right to the parcel of land within the forest, but that his cattle
and sheep did not remain there, and strayed
generally in the forest. To this the abbot's
attorney replied that they made an annual
payment of 18s. for this very right, and
prayed a search of the rolls. Search was
made and judgment was given in favour of
the abbey.
By the aid for making Edward the Black
Prince a knight in 1346, we find that the
Abbot of Titchfield held half a knight's fee
in Soberton, half a fee and a quarter of a fee
in Crofton and a third part of a fee in Cadlands. (fn. 5)
The Premonstratensian Order was absolutely free from diocesan visitation or control,
but the energetic Wykeham secured certain
recognition from Titchfield as a house founded
by one of his predecessors in the episcopal
chair of Winchester.
On 20 November, 1390, Richard, abbot
of Halesowen, presented John Romsey, abbotelect of Titchfield, appointed by the brethren
of that convent, rightly and canonically,
according to the privileges of their order
(to which house he stood in the position of
father abbot), to Bishop Wykeham, praying
for his benediction. Abbot Romsey made his
due profession to the bishop, describing himself as elected and confirmed, recognizing the
bishop as (through his predecessor) the founder
of their house, and promising to do all things
which pertained by right or custom to the
founder and patron of the house. Even to
this recognition of the bishop, the abbot added
the qualifying phrase providing against anything contrary to all the customs and privileges of his order. The bishop thereupon,
when celebrating pontifical mass in his private
chapel, after the abbot had signed a promise
of canonical obedience and reverence, gave
him his benediction. (fn. 1)
The houses of the White Canons were
visited yearly by the father-abbot, that is, the
abbot of the house from which they had their
origin, save in those years when there was an
authorized visit by commission of the General
Chapter of Prémontré. On 12 June, 1420,
Titchfield was visited by John Poole of Halesowen, as father abbot, with the assistance of
the Abbot of Durford, at a time when there
had been a vacancy in the office of abbot, and
when Richard Aubrey, the prior, had been
elected by his fellow canons to fill the post.
Abbot Poole duly confirmed the election.
The visitors found that there was no money
in the treasury, that there was owing to the
house £43 4s., but that the debts amounted
to £62 0s. 6d. A return was made of the
valuables both in the sacristry and the treasury.
This inventory corresponds in the main with
that of 1370; the silver spoons had increased
from 81 to 84, whilst the chalices had decreased from 17 to 14. The livestock was:
24 horses, 10 draught horses, 4 colts, 154 oxen,
7 bulls, 69 cows, 17 heifers, 10 steers, 28 yearlings, 29 calves, 381 muttons, 207 'burtis et
muricis,' 121 hogsters, 100 lambs, 17 boars,
24 sows, 33 pigs, 126 hogs and 89 suckling
pigs. Neither in the granary nor bakehouse
was there anything. There was hay enough,
at a reasonable estimate, to last till the Assumption for use at their hospice. (fn. 2)
Titchfield was visited in 1478 by Richard
Redman, Bishop of St. Asaph and Abbot of
Shap, in conjunction with Hubert, commissarygeneral. In answer to the set form of visitation questions, it was stated that the Abbot of
Halesowen was their father abbot, that their
church was dedicated in honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, because on
that day one Brother Richard, with other
canons of Hayles, had first come to Titchfield, and that they held two churches, the
perpetual curates of which were both canons. (fn. 3)
On 3 July of this year one Thomas Borrell,
canon of the house of Langley, Norfolk, was
sent to the Abbot of Titchfield to undergo in
the latter house forty days of penance for a
grave fault. This was done in accordance
with the decree of Bishop Redman as visitor.
Thomas brought with him sufficient clothing
for his body and bed, to last a year. The
Abbot of Langley commissioned his brother
of Titchfield to hear the penitent canon's
confession. (fn. 4)
The Valor of 1535 gives the gross income
of the abbey at £280 19s. 10½d. and the
clear value at £249 16s. 1d. John Maxey,
Bishop of Elphin, was then abbot.
John Salisbury, the twentieth and last
abbot, was consecrated suffragan Bishop of
Thetford on 19 March, 1536, by Archbishop Cranmer and the Bishops of Salisbury
and Rochester. (fn. 5) In May, 1538, he was
appointed Canon of Norwich, and in the
following year dean; in 1571 he was made
Bishop of Sodor and Man, and died in 1573.
On 1 May, 1537, the Bishop of Thetford
wrote to Wriothesley saying that he intended
to send his steward to him the next week to
pay his fee for the half year, and desired that
he would continue his favours to his poor
house. (fn. 6) The income of the house put it
outside the first Act of Parliament for dissolution, and for such cases a variety of
schemes for 'surrender' were devised. Apparently Salisbury had been put in office,
through some cajolery, to secure surrender.
Sir Thomas Audeley, the chancellor, wrote a
letter of reply to Cromwell in December,
1537, touching the dissolution of this house,
and saying that a deed of gift by the abbot
and convent, if they were content to give up
their house, sealed before some judge of record, would suffice; but if Cromwell wished
to have a fine or recovery he explained how
it might be taken. (fn. 7)
Meanwhile John Crawford and Rowland
Lathum were made the king's commissioners
to secure the surrender of Titchfield, which
was promised to Wriothesley. The commissioners wrote to him on 22 December, 1537,
saying they had made careful inquiries of the
state of the monastery and how many grants
had been passed under the convent seal. They
described the church as being most naked and
barren, being of such antiquity, saying that
40s. would buy all except the vestment Wriothesley had given and two old chalices. Evidently the canons had had plenty of warning,
and had before this stripped their church of
its valuables. It would be interesting to know
what became of their library. At Michaelmas
last there were two team of oxen, but now
not one ox. They found a dozen rusty platters and hangings worth 20s., and described
the lands as very ruinous. The abbot and
convent confessed to having granted pensions
to the old abbot and others to the extent of
£50 per annum. The debts amounted to
£200; the abbot and convent expected to
be assured of £135 a year for their lives, 100
marks to the abbot, £6 13s. 4d. to each of
eight priests and £5 each to three novices.
The house owed the king above 200 marks
for first fruits, arid the expense of alterations
would be at least 300 marks; so the commissioners were right in assuring their patron that
his first entry would be expensive. (fn. 1)
Though Crawford and Lathum wrote on
22 December of Titchfield as 'the late monastery,' the formal surrender by John, 'perpetual
commendatory of the abbey' and the convent,
of the house, with all its possessions in Hants,
Berks and elsewhere, was not signed until 28
December. (fn. 2) Thomas Wriothesley at once
obtained a grant in fee simple of the site,
church and the whole of the possessions of
the abbey in Hampshire, including the advowsons of the churches of Titchfield, Lomer
and Corhampton, as well as of the manor and
lands of Inkpen in Berkshire. (fn. 3)
On 2 January, 1538, the commissioners,
Crawford and Lathum, wrote to Wriothesley
thanking him for his new year's gift, mentioning the sale of marble stones, altars, etc., from
the conventual church, and making light of
the plucking down of the church in a scandalous letter already cited. Later in the same
month Wriothesley received news from Titchfield that the carpenter had stayed in his work
of pulling down the church because he was
'loath to adventure with him before the change
of the moon, and that the pavement of the
nave was taken up, but scarce the tenth tile
saved because they were so worn.' (fn. 4) Two
more letters were written by Crawford to
Wriothesley in the following April, wherein
he described the alterations in progress at
Titchfield, and stated that he had offered
the bells to one Mr. Myls for £60. (fn. 5)
At the time of the dissolution the possessions of the monastery were the manor of
Wyker in Porchester, the manors of Titchfield, Abshot, 'Posbroke,' 'Newcourt Parva,'
Fontley, Swanwick, Croft on, Mirables, Newland, Walsworth, Portsea, Copner, Cadlands,
Corhampton; various lands, etc., in Wickham,
'Warishassefeld,' Brooke, Porchester and elsewhere; the rectories of Titchfield, Lomer
and Corhampton, and the manor of Inkpen in
Berkshire. (fn. 6)
When Leland visited Titchfield he wrote
in his Itinerary: 'Mr. Wriothesley hath
builded a right stately House embatelid, and
having a goodely Gate, and a conducte castelid in the Midle of the Court of it, yn the
very same Place wher the late Monasterie of
Premostratences stoode caullyd Tichefelde.' (fn. 7)
Abbots of Titchfield
Richard, (fn. 8) 1222
Isaac
Henry de Branewyk
Henry de Spersholte
Yvo
Adam
William de Byketon
John Sydemanton
Roger de Candever
John de Combe
Peter de Wynton, elected about 1340
William de Wallup
John de Thorny, elected about 1360
John de Ramsey, elected about 1379 (fn. 9)
Richard Aubrey, 1420
Thomas Bensteade
William Winchestour, alias Fryer
William Auyten
Thomas Coyk
Thomas Blankpage
John Maxey, Bishop of Elphin, about
1535-6
John Simpson, 1536, resigned in the same year (fn. 10)
John Salisbury, 1536-7