4. THE PRIORY OF DOVER
Two short accounts of the early history of
this house are preserved, (fn. 1) from which it appears
that Eadbald, king of Kent, who died in 640,
ordained twenty-two secular canons to serve
God in the chapel of St. Mary in the castle of
Dover, subject to no one except the court of
Rome and the king, and granted to them prebends with all liberties. Wihtred, king of Kent,
in 696 removed them from the castle to the
church of St. Martin in the town, but confirmed
to them their prebends, possessions and liberties
with a moiety of the toll of the port. The
names and possessions of the canons are set out
in the Domesday Survey, (fn. 2) which moreover tells
us that in the time of Edward the Confessor the
prebends were held in common and worth £61
yearly, but that they had since been divided up
by the bishop of Bayeux.
Nothing more is known of the history of these
secular canons, but they remained undisturbed
until the latter part of the reign of Henry I.
Archbishop de Corbeuil, who had himself been
a canon regular of St. Osyth's in Essex, then
procured their removal on the ground that they
led evil lives, arid proposed to replace them
by canons regular. The king granted the
church to Christchurch, Canterbury, on the
occasion of the dedication of the latter house in
1130; but in 1131 he complicated matters by
a charter (fn. 3) in which he formally granted it to
the archbishop and the cathedral for the construction of a monastery of canons regular which was
to be under the archbishop alone. Having
secured this charter, the archbishop proceeded to
build a new monastery (fn. 4) with stone from Caen
in Normandy and placed canons regular (fn. 5) in it,
sending the bishops of Rochester and St. Davids
to institute them; but although he obtained the
assent of the prior of Christchurch the chapter
had been left in ignorance, and when the news
was known the sub-prior, Jeremiah, defied the
bishops and appealed to Rome. The death of
Corbeuil in 1136 gave the victory to Christchurch and the canons were forced to withdraw;
and during the vacancy of the see in the same
year the convent of Christchurch sent a colony
of twelve monks to Dover, appointing William
de Longueville as prior. (fn. 6)
Theobald, a monk, succeeded to the vacant
archbishopric in 1139; and though he seems
not to have recognized the action of the convent
he practically confirmed it, sending twelve
monks to Dover in that year with Ascelin,
sacrist of Christchurch, as prior. (fn. 7) He ordained
by charter (fn. 8) that Dover should always be a cell
to Canterbury, the prior was to be a professed
monk of Canterbury, monks taking the habit at
Dover should make their profession at Canterbury, and the appointment of the prior of Dover
was to be reserved to the archbishop. Pope
Innocent II confirmed Dover to him and the
church of Canterbury by bull in 1139, and
ordered that the Benedictine order should always
be observed there; (fn. 9) and Henry II granted a
charter to the same effect. (fn. 10) Archbishop
Richard, who had himself been prior of Dover,
later granted a charter confirming the possessions
of the priory in detail. (fn. 11) The subjection of
Dover to Canterbury was also confirmed by
John in 1199 (fn. 12) and Henry III in 1237; (fn. 13) and
general charters of confirmation were granted by
Edward II in 1315, (fn. 14) Richard II in 1380, (fn. 15)
Edward IV in 1461 (fn. 16) and Henry VII in 1504. (fn. 17)
The double grant of the priory by Henry I
to the archbishop and the chapter of the
cathedral produced complications between the
four parties concerned which were not settled
for two centuries. (fn. 18) The system of appointing
priors from the monks of Christchurch was
found to be injurious to Dover, and Edward I
directed Ralph de Hengham, the chief justice,
to find a way out of the difficulty. (fn. 19) Accordingly the king in 1286 claimed the advowson
against the prior of Canterbury and, as the latter
claimed nothing in the advowson except that
the archbishop in time of vacancy assigned a
monk out of his house as prior, judgement was
given for the king. It had been intended to
stop here and, by thus excluding the prior of
Canterbury, to leave the archbishop in possession
of the advowson; but one of the justices issued
a writ to the sheriff to take seisin of the advowson in the king's name, and by this ' fatuous and
ill-conceived writ,' as the chief justice calls it in
a letter to the chancellor, the archbishop was
effectually barred. The suit was then reopened,
and when the prior of Canterbury produced the
ordinance of Theobald, the counsel for the king
and the archbishop both argued that it was not
binding because it had not been confirmed and
because the royal charter declared that no one
but the archbishop should meddle with the
advowson. The ordinance was declared not to
be binding, and the prior of Canterbury was
excluded from any right in the advowson. (fn. 20) In
the vacancy of the archbishopric following the
death of Winchelsey in 1313 the cathedral
chapter endeavoured to assert authority over
Dover, excommunicated the monks on their
refusal to submit, prevented them from electing
a prior when a vacancy occurred, and appealed
to the court of Rome; but the king again in
1321 secured judgement against them, (fn. 21) and
granted the advowson unconditionally to the
archbishop. (fn. 22) The chapter did not, however,
give up their claims against the priory; and
Archbishop Sudbury made an ordinance on
20 May, 1350, which the king confirmed on
26 May, (fn. 23) that at every vacancy of the archbishopric the prior of Dover, by reason of the
parish churches of Hougham, Appledore, and
Cold red with the chapel of Popeshall, appropriated to the priory, should render canonical
obedience to the prior of Canterbury and should
not prevent the vicars, chaplains, and ministers of
these churches from rendering canonical obedience and from making procession, in Christchurch, Canterbury, on the third day in Whitsun
week. The monastery of St. Martin, Dover,
and the prior and convent as well as the prebendal church of St. Martin, Dover, and the
churches and chapels in Dover annexed to or
dependent from it, which the prior and convent
had by royal grant before the foundation of the
monastery and at all time since, were free from
all ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the chapter except
so far as related to the rendering of obedience as
above; but judgement was reserved in the case
of the churches of Deal, Buckland, Guston, and
St. Margaret's, as it was doubtful whether these
were prebendal. In compensation, for the sake
of peace and quiet, the chapter were to pay to
the prior and convent a rent of 100s. out of the
manor of Shepherdswell.
Pope Gregory IX in 1234 exempted the
priory from liability to be vexed with ecclesiastical censures by papal legates and nuncii passing
through Dover, and ordered that the prior should
not be molested on account of his opposition to
the election of the archbishop. (fn. 24) Urban V in
1369 granted relaxation of penance to visitors
giving alms for the repair of the church on the
principal feasts of the year. (fn. 25) John XXIII in
1412 granted that as the fruits of the old parish
church of St. Martin, appropriated to the prior
and convent and served by an archpriest, were
insufficient for his maintenance, they might upon
his resignation or death have it served by one of
their monks. (fn. 26)
Geoffrey, archbishop of York, who landed in
disguise at Dover on 14 September, 1191, was
recognized and forced to take refuge in the
priory; but after five days' blockade the party
of the chancellor, his rival, dragged him away
from the altar by force on 18 September. (fn. 27)
The temporalities of the priory were valued
at £188 10s. yearly in the Taxation of 1291.
Henry I granted to the prior and convent by
charter a moiety of the issues of the port of
Dover and a third of the toll of the market at
Dover on Saturday. They had these without
interruption until the end of the thirteenth
century, when the allowance was refused in the
Exchequer, and at their complaint the king in
1306 ordered the matter to be investigated, A.
certificate in support of their claim was found
in the Red Book, but it was held not thus to be
sufficiently established; and an inquisition was
taken, by which it was found that the charter
had been granted to them and they had received
the profits, but that lately the French had landed
at Dover and plundered the priory, carrying off
the charter among other things. Some of the
jury testified to having seen the charter; and
judgement was given for the prior and convent,
who obtained an exemplification of it in 1338. (fn. 28)
The income from the port was seriously diminished about this time on account of the French
war. (fn. 29)
On the evening of Sunday before St. Vincent
the Martyr, 1308, Edward II was in his chamber
in the priory and there received the great seal
from the chancellor and took it with him when
he crossed the sea next morning; and delivered
to the chancellor a new seal to be used in his
absence. (fn. 30)
Edward III in 1327 (fn. 31) sent John Pyk to the
prior and convent to receive such maintenance
in the priory as William de Kent had by order
of Edward I; but in 1328 he gave the corrody
to Richard de Dovorr, to whom they had
previously granted it at the request of Queen
Isabel. (fn. 32) John Pyk secured it in 1331 on the
death of Richard; (fn. 33) but the king in 1333 promised that this grant of maintenance should not
be taken as a precedent. (fn. 34)
In 1372 a register (fn. 35) of the priory was compiled by Robert de Welle and John Hwytefeld,
monks, by the consent and at the expense of
John Newenam, prior; and in this the possessions of the house are set out in full, charters
of many kings, popes, bishops, and others being
given.
Archbishop Warham issued ordinances in
1507, because he had found that the rule was
very laxly observed in the priory. No monk
was to absent himself from divine office by day
or night or to go out of the cloister without
licence, and silence was to be kept. Offenders
were to be put on bread and water. (fn. 36)
The same archbishop made a visitation (fn. 37) of
Dover in September, 1511, when John, bishop
of Cyrene, was prior and Thomas Shrewsbury
sub-prior, with ten other monks besides two
apostates. The sub-prior said that the monastery was in ruins in many places for lack of
repairs. Several monks said that the mayor and
citizens of Dover deprived the monastery of the
mortuaries of the church of St. Martin, belonging to it from its first foundation for the
repair of the chancel of the church; and other
complaints were made against the town. The
cellarer and other officers had access to the
town, so that the monastery was defamed there.
There were three novices who were not taught
grammar and had no teacher but the sub-prior;
he read, the Gospel to them twice a week and
nothing else. The sheets were of linen and not
of wool. The archbishop ordered the prior not
to let his brethren go into the town without the
special licence of himself or the sub-prior, and
they were on no account to eat or drink in any
house there, lest dissension arise. They were
to go to the dormitory immediately after leaving
the refectory. The officers were to render
accounts regularly. The prior was to provide
an instructor to teach grammar, and the novices
were to work in the grammar-school on three
day in. the week. The monks were to use
woollen both for sheets and shirts. The prior
and officers were to make a full account of the
state of the monastery and an inventory of its
goods, jewels, and ornaments before Easter.
A full balance-sheet of the monastery, drawn
up by Thomas Lenham, prior, for the year
ending at Michaelmas, 1531, is preserved. (fn. 38) In
this £65 7s. 8d. were received from spiritualities,
£100 19s. 8d. from farms of manors and lands,
£75 2s. 8¾d. from rents of houses, £3 13s. 4d.
from dues of the court of the monastery and
£12 12s. 6d. from sale of wools and hides, and
the stock, including 700 sheep and 120 quarters
of wheat, was valued at £185 16s. 8d., making
a total to the credit side of £443 12s. 6¾d.
On the other hand rents, pensions, stipends,
wages, repairs, presents, and general expenses of
the household, implements, and cattle (including
a large item of £65 14s. for expenses of the
brewer) amounted to £557 11s. 4½d., so there
was a considerable deficit.
The acknowledgement of the royal supremacy
was signed in December, 1534, by John, prior,
and twelve others. (fn. 39)
In the Valor (fn. 40) of 1535 the temporalities of
the priory, including the manors.of Farthinglowe,
Frith, Guston, ' Ryche,' Barton, Dudmancombe,
and Westcourt, amounted to £171 3s. 9½d.
yearly, and the spiritualities, including the
parsonages of St. Margaret's, Guston, Hougham,
Appledore, Ebury, Coldred, and Buckland, to
£60 17s. 8d. yearly, so that the gross income
was £232 1s. 5½d. The deductions included
53s. 4d. each to the schoolmasters of the grammar-school and the song-school, £13 19s. 2d.
distributed in alms on various days, and £6 9s. 6d.
allowance for rents and pensions decayed and long
unpaid, and amounted in all to £61 6s. 6d. yearly;
the net income being thus £170 14s. 11½d.
Richard Layton visited Dover in the autumn
of 1535 and reported that the prior and monks
were immoral and as bad as others. (fn. 41) It was no
doubt in consequence of this that the house was
sequestrated on 31 October, and an inventory (fn. 42)
of its jewels, plate, ornaments, and other goods
and chattels taken by Christopher Hales, general
attorney to the king, and Sir John Tompson,
master of the Maison Dieu. Three days later
the prior wrote an appealing letter to Cromwell,
perceiving that complaints had been made to the
king of his negligence and evil governance. (fn. 43)
He was thirty-one years old and had been in
possession of the house only three years, ' the
foresaid house being but of the yearly stent of
£206 by the year £12 13s. 4d. was seven score
pounds in debt' at his predecessor's departure.
He was at great expense in repairing the church;
the glass in the windows which was rusty and dark
was taken down and scoured, and new glass
added where necessary at his expense; he paved
the church, bought new vestments for £16, and
spent other sums, and mended the bakehouse and
dorter. He had procured new brass and pewter
at his own cost, and no marvel though it be simple and scarceness thereof, for the strangers resorting be such wasteful streyars that
it is not possible to keep any good stuff long in good
order, and many times and specially strangers ambassadors have such noyous and hurtful fellows that have
packed up table cloths, napkins, sheets, coverpanes, with
such other things as they could get.
He had been at great cost with English and
foreign ambassadors; and asks Cromwell to consider deeds more than words which may not be
true. From the negligence and destroying of hired
servants he had been at great charges in buying
and renewing oxen, horses, carts, ploughs, &c,
and through their untrustworthiness was compelled to let his husbandry to farm and give his
brethren 20 nobles each a year to go to commons together, that he might get the house out
of debt.
The appeal was useless, and on 16 November
the priory was surrendered by John Lambert or
Folkeston, prior, and eight others; (fn. 43a) but it seems
probable that the prior's letter was correct, especially
in that part relating to the visitors, for Thomas
Bodyll, Henry Poisted, and John Antony, who
took the surrender, reported (fn. 43b) to Cromwell that
the house was well repaired and the prior had
reduced the debt from £180 to £100, 'of whose
new case divers of the honest inhabitants of Dover
show themselves very sorry.' The monks were
dispersed after the surrender, two of them being
sent to Christchurch, Canterbury. (fn. 43c) They evidently left early, for in January, 1536, the master
of the Maison Dieu went to the priory to see in
what order it was and found that it had been
ransacked. (fn. 44) The prior received a pension of £20
yearly. (fn. 45)
The site of the priory was granted on 31 July,
1538, to the archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 46)
Priors Of Dover
William de Longueville, appointed 1136 (fn. 47)
Ascelin, appointed 1139, (fn. 48) resigned 1142 (fn. 49)
William, resigned 1149 (fn. 50)
Hugh de Cadomo, succeeded 1149 (fn. 51)
Richard, appointed 1157, (fn. 52) resigned 1173 (fn. 53)
Warin, appointed 1174, (fn. 54) died 1180 (fn. 55)
John, succeeded 1180 (fn. 56)
William, appointed 1187 (fn. 57)
Osbern, succeeded 1189, died 1193 (fn. 58)
Robert, resigned 1197 (fn. 59)
Felix de Rosa, (fn. 60) succeeded 1197, (fn. 61) died 1212 (fn. 62)
Reginald de Schepeya, (fn. 63) succeeded 1212, (fn. 64)
died 1228 (fn. 65)
William de Staunford, (fn. 63) elected 1229 (fn. 65)
Robert de Olecumbe, elected 1235, (fn. 63) died
1248 (fn. 65)
Eustace de Faversham (fn. 63)
John de Northflet, (fn. 63) resigned 1251 (fn. 66)
Guy de Walda, (fn. 67) succeeded 1253, (fn. 68) resigned
1260 (fn. 69)
William de Bucwelle, succeeded 1260, (fn. 69) died
1268 (fn. 70)
Richard de Wencheape, succeeded 1268, (fn. 71)
resigned 1273 (fn. 72)
Anselm de Eastria, appointed 1275 (fn. 73)
Robert de Whetekre, appointed 1289 (fn. 74)
John de Scholdone (fn. 75)
Robert de Hathbrand (fn. 76)
Richard de Hugham, appointed 1350, (fn. 77) resigned
1351 (fn. 78)
William de Peryton, appointed 1351, (fn. 79) resigned
1351 (fn. 80)
Thomas Beanys, appointed 1351 (fn. 80)
William de Chartham, appointed 1356, (fn. 81) died
1366 (fn. 82)
James de Stone, appointed 1366, (fn. 82) died 1371 (fn. 83)
John Newenham, appointed 1371, (fn. 83) occurs
1380 (fn. 84)
William Dover, occurs 1392 (fn. 85)
Walter Causton, appointed 1392, (fn. 86) removed
1416 (fn. 87)
John Wotton, appointed 1416 (fn. 88)
John Combe, elected 1435 (fn. 89)
John Asheford, succeeded 1446, (fn. 90) resigned
1453 (fn. 91)
Thomas Dover, elected 1453 (fn. 91)
Humphrey Tutbury, occurs 1468 (fn. 92)
Robert Norborne, occurs 1504 (fn. 93)
John Thornton, bishop of Gyrene, occurs
1509, (fn. 94) resigned 1513 (fn. 95)
William, occurs 1529 (fn. 96)
Thomas Lenharn, occurs 1530-1 (fn. 97)
John Lambert or Folkeston, surrendered 1535,
the last prior (fn. 98)
The seal (fn. 99) (thirteenth century) of the priory
measures 3 in.
Obverse.—St. Martin with nimbus seated on
a horse pacing to the left and dividing his cloak
with his sword. On the right a beggar receiving
the gift of the cloak. Legend:—
SIGILLUM ECCLESIE SciI MARTINI DE [DOV]ORIA
Reverse.—St. Martin lying on a bed with
arcaded plinth; overhead our Lord, half-length,
issuing from clouds, with nimbus, holding the
cloak in his right hand and in the left a
book. Legend:—
[MAR]TIN[I] VES[T]E S[UM T]ECTUS PAUPERE
TES[TE]