67. THE COLLEGE OF MAIDSTONE
The hospital of Sts. Peter and Paul called
'le Newerk of Maydeston ' was of the foundation
of Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, for the
finding of one chaplain. The master should
make continual residence, and there should
be ten poor persons maintained there, but in
1375 there were only five. (fn. 1) The churches of
Sutton by Dover, Linton, and East Farleigh, were
appropriated to it; and its temporalities were
valued in 1384 at £5 10s. 5d. yearly. (fn. 1a)
Pope Boniface IX on 25 June, 1395, authorized William Courtenay, archbishop of Canterbury, to make the parish church of Maidstone
into a college of a master and twenty-four chaplains and clerks. (fn. 2) Richard II on 2 August, 1395,
granted licence for this and for the incorporation
into the college of the hospital and the churches
appropriated to it (fn. 3) ; on 10 February, 1396, he
granted licence for the master and college of All
Saints, Maidstone, to acquire in mortmain lands
and rents not held in chief, to the value of £40
yearly (fn. 4) ; and on 28 May, 1396, he granted to
the master and chaplains in frankalmoign the
advowson of the church of Crundale, and the
reversion of the manors of Tremworth and
Fannes on the death of Henry Yevele. (fn. 5) Henry IV
confirmed this grant in 1400 (fn. 6) ; and in 1407 he
granted licence for them to acquire the manor of
Wittersham and lands in Maidstone, Loose,
Boxley, and Hoo. (fn. 7)
In June, 1396, the archbishop was allowed to
take twenty-four masons called ' fre maceons,'
and twenty-four masons called ' ligiers ' for the
works of the college (fn. 8) ; and after his death the
pope, in 1398, confirmed the foundation, his
executors testifying that he Had erected the
college, appropriated the hospital and its churches,
appointed John Wotton to be master, added to
the four clerks who previously served the parish
church twelve chaplains and eight clerks, to say
the day and night hours, and made statutes for
them. (fn. 9) His successor, Thomas Arun del, founded
a chantry of three chaplains, two in the cathedral
of Canterbury and one in the college of Maidstone, to pray for himself, the late archbishop,
and others. (fn. 10) The advowson of the college belonged to the archbishop of Canterbury until it
was sold to the crown in an exchange in 1537. (fn. 11)
Archbishop Warham, after a visitation in 1511,
when William Grocyn was master and Giles
Rede sub-master and there were five other
fellows, issued orders on 6 October that the
prior and officers should make full accounts and
inventories, and that the college should show its
right to the appropriations of the churches of
Sutton, Linton, and Farleigh. (fn. 12)
In the Valor of 1535 the gross value (fn. 13) of the
possessions of the college, including the manor
of Shillington and the chapels of St. Faith, Detling and Loose, was £212 5s. 3¾d. yearly, and
the net value £159 7s. 10d. The deductions
included corrodies of £2 to each of five poor
persons, a survival of the old foundation. In
1546 the gross value was given as £208 6s. 2d.,
and the net value as £187 3s. 9d. yearly, (fn. 14) and
a later certificate (fn. 15) gave the gross value as
£211 4s. 1¼d. yearly, out of which the master
received £31 as his stipend, and the sub-master
and sacrist each £5 13s. 4d. The plate amounted
to 52¼ ounces gilt, 26 ounces parcel gilt, and
38¼ ounces white.
The college was suppressed in the first year
of Edward VI, and granted to George Brooke,
Lord Cobham, in fee on 10 May, 1549. (fn. 16)
Masters of Maidstone
William de la Sele, appointed 1282 (fn. 17)
Michael de Wydewode, appointed 1304 (fn. 17a)
John de Eghtham, appointed 1311 (fn. 18)
Thomas Jordan, appointed 1312 (fn. 19)
John de Waltham, appointed 1324 (fn. 20)
William de Maiden, appointed 1326 (fn. 20a)
Martin de Ixnyngg, appointed 1334 (fn. 21)
Richard de Norwico, appointed 1349 (fn. 22)
William de Leghton, appointed 1357 (fn. 23)
Simon de Bredon, appointed 1357, (fn. 24) died 1372 (fn. 25)
Thomas Yonge, appointed 1372 (fn. 25)
William Risynge, appointed 1377 (fn. 26)
Thomas Grosser, appointed 1378 (fn. 27)
John Ludham, appointed 1380 (fn. 28)
John Wotton, the first master of the college, (fn. 29) died 1417 (fn. 30)
John Holond, appointed 1417 (fn. 30)
Roger Heron, appointed 1419, (fn. 31) resigned 1441 (fn. 32)
John Drwell, appointed 1441 (fn. 32)
Peter Stackley, appointed 1444 (fn. 32a)
Robert Smyth, appointed 1450, (fn. 33) died 1458 (fn. 34)
Thomas Boleyne, appointed 1458 (fn. 34)
John Freestone, resigned 1470 (fn. 34a)
John Lee, appointed 1470, (fn. 34a) died 1494 (fn. 35)
John Comberton, appointed 1494, (fn. 35) died 1506 (fn. 36)
William Grocyn, appointed 1506, (fn. 36) died 1519 (fn. 36a)
Thomas Penyton, appointed 1519 (fn. 36a)
John Leffe, occurs 1541, (fn. 37) 1544 (fn. 38)
The seal (fn. 39) (1543) of the college is of red wax, measuring 2⅝ inches.
Obverse.—Within a carved and traced Gothic
panel, the two lower cusps terminating with
flowering sprigs, a shield of arms: per pale,
dexter the see of Canterbury, sinister Archbishop
Courtenay. Legend:—
SIGILLUM CO. . . . . . OMNIUM SANCTORUM
DE MAYDENNYSTONIE
Reverse.—The Trinity, in a canopied niche
with tabernacle work at the sides. Inner border
engrailed. Legend:—
IN NOMINE PATRIS . . . . 11 ET SPIRI . . . . .
MEN