HOUSES OF BENEDICTINE NUNS
2. THE ABBEY OF ELSTOW
The Benedictine abbey of Elstow was
founded near the end of the eleventh century by Judith, the widow of Earl Waltheof
and niece of the Conqueror: (fn. 1) tradition said
that it was her act of reparation for the betrayal of her husband to death. (fn. 2) She endowed
it with the vills of Elstow and Wilshampstead and a part of Maulden, (fn. 3) the conventual
church being identical with the parish church
of Elstow; it was dedicated to the honour of
St. Mary and St. Helen. (fn. 4) From the thirteenth
century at any rate the house was reckoned
as a royal foundation, and the patronage remained with the Crown until the dissolution.
The confirmation charter of Henry I., granted
about 1126, (fn. 5) names amongst the benefactors
Nicholas and Richard Basset, Nigel de Stafford,
and Countess Maud, daughter of Judith and
wife of Simon de Senliz. The property of
the abbey was considerable, and very widely
scattered; the mandates for restitution of the
temporalities were addressed to the escheators
in twelve counties.
The list of abbesses serves to show that the
daughters of baronial families were frequently
received at Elstow; the later names are
those of the neighbouring gentry. The external history of the house is chiefly gathered
from the numerous lawsuits in which it was
involved. In the twelfth century there was
a long dispute with the monks of Newhouse,
concerning the church of Halton-super-Humber; the terms of the award, and of the papal
mandate which afterwards became necessary,
suggest that the nuns had been behaving in a
somewhat aggressive manner. (fn. 6) A papal
mandate was also required to settle a dispute
between the nuns of Elstow and the canons
of Dunstable; (fn. 7) it is probable that the same
abbess, Cecily, was concerned in both these
suits, and she had similar dealings with Newnham Priory (fn. 8) —all with reference to the advowsons of churches. At another time there
were difficulties with St. Alban's Abbey. (fn. 9)
Matthew Paris (fn. 10) relates the story of the abbess of Elstow and the sword: how, at the
time of the pulling down of St. Paul's church
by Fawkes de Bréauté, she took the sword
out of the hand of the image of St. Paul in
her own church, and declared that she would
not restore it until he avenged himself upon
the common enemy. At the beginning of
the fourteenth century, in the year 1306, a
rather interesting suit was begun between the
abbess at that time, Clemence de Balliol, and
the brethren of St. Leonard's Hospital. (fn. 11) The
latter had been erecting new buildings on
either side of the pathway which led from
Elstow to Bedford, and obtained permission
in consequence to close it, and make another
which should pass round instead of through
the hospital. This the abbess objected to,
on the ground that the old way was more
direct and convenient for her people. The
two paths were carefully measured, and it
was decided, against the abbess, that the new
way was not appreciably longer than the old.
But she was still dissatisfied, and the brethren
seem to have been hindered from carrying
out their plans for another two years, when
they obtained letters patent from the king
for the closing of the path.
In 1337 Elizabeth Morteyn, who was
then abbess, claimed the 'third penny' from
the town of Bedford, in virtue of an alleged
grant from Malcolm (IV.), King of Scotland;
the case was carried before Parliament, and
the burgesses were successful in proving that
Malcolm never had any lordship in the town. (fn. 12)
Six years earlier a previous abbess was summoned to show by what title she claimed view
of frankpledge and 'judicialia' in Elstow,
Wilshampstead, Maulden, and Kempston:
she was obliged to confess that her administration had been lax, and could only secure her
rights by the payment of a fine. (fn. 13) It was
only a short time after this that the parish
church of Elstow, as well as the tithes of both
rectories, were finally appropriated by the
monastery, under the sanction of Bishop Bek;
and 'to avoid the inconvenience caused by
the chanting of psalms in the nave of the
monastery,' the chapel of St. Helen, which
stood in the churchyard, was to serve in
future as a parish church. (fn. 14) From this time
forward little is known of the external history of the house, except that it was much
patronised by seculars, whom the bishops
never could succeed in keeping out for any
length of time. Not long before the dissolution an attendant of Elizabeth of York, wife
of Henry VII., was professed there. (fn. 15)
This house was constantly visited by the
Bishops of Lincoln; and the records of their
injunctions from time to time show us something of its internal history. The first notice
of this kind is in a letter, dated 24 June 1270,
from Bishop Gravesend to Walter Giffard,
Archbishop of York. (fn. 16) A sister of the latter,
Agatha Giffard, was prioress of Elstow at the
time, and had been at fault (as had the abbess
also) 'through connivance or remissness' in
some scandal that had lately occurred. What
it was the bishop does not say; only he remarks 'from that house more frequently than
from any other false reports of disgraceful
acts are brought to us'; and he is evidently
putting the case as mildly as he can, so as
not to offend the archbishop.
In 1300 the nuns of Elstow, as well as
many others, were enjoined to observe the
statute De Claustura Monialium of Boniface
VIII. (fn. 17) This statute was aimed no doubt at
a real abuse; but it imposed upon the nuns
a degree of enclosure to which they were not
bound by the Benedictine rule, and consequently was difficult to enforce. At Elstow
it was probably not obeyed at all; for in
1359 Bishop Gynwell (fn. 18) at his visitation reported that there had been 'too much wandering of the nuns out of the monastery.'
He had other complaints to make, which show
for the first time what was then and afterwards the great snare into which this house
fell. The story of Abbess Mabel and the
sword of St. Paul shows a right and wholesome interest in the affairs of the church and
the world, such as any good religious might
take under the common interpretation of the
rule of St. Benedict; but as time went on
this interest became excessive, and was attended by an inevitable laxity of discipline.
From the time of St. Hugh there had been a
school in the monastery for children of both
sexes; (fn. 19) most of the nuns were well born and
had friends about the Court who sought various pretexts for visiting and lodging in the
monastery. Even if the nuns had wished to
prevent these visits, it would not always have
been easy; the Papal Letters of the fourteenth
century show that noble ladies, even queens,
often asked licences from the pope to spend
a few nights in a nunnery. And the depreciation of the value of property after the
great pestilence made the poorer houses sometimes thankful to accept boarders, like many
French convents at the present day. But at
Elstow it is to be feared that the nuns were
really at fault in this matter; that the spiritual
life of the convent was marred by worldliness
from first to last.
Bishop Gynwell enjoined that no secular
women, except necessary maidservants, should
dwell in the convent without special licence; (fn. 20)
all were to depart within fifteen days on pain
of excommunication, because 'by the living
together of secular women and nuns, the contemplation of religion is withdrawn, and
scandal engendered.' Only quite young
children were to be allowed to remain; (fn. 21) and
there was to be no more laxity or favour
shown in the correction of breaches of rule.
Bishop Buckingham issued three different
sets of injunctions. In 1379 (fn. 22) he wrote to
the Abbess Anstis to order the removal of
all secular persons, men and women, from the
precincts of the monastery, as 'dangerous to
the purity and spiritual devotion of the religious.' In 1387 he held a regular visitation, and his injunctions, though they do not
point to any serious irregularities, are of an
interesting character; their aim seems rather
to set forth to the nuns their duties in general,
and to exhort them to greater fervour, than
to correct abuses. There are the usual orders
about the singing of the divine office, the administration of the revenues of the convent,
the repair of the buildings, the due care of
the sick; the nuns are cautioned to avoid
scandal by refraining from conversation with
all men, both secular and religious, especially
the mendicant friars, and their near neighbours, the canons of Caldwell; not to go out
without permission, and to return home before
sunset; to be careful that they wear the religious habit of their order and the veil, and
not to seek such ornaments as fur, or girdles
ornamented with silver; to be humble,
obedient, charitable, loving one another in
the bond of peace; so that at last 'adorned
with the fruit of good works, their lamps
burning in their hands, they may be worthy
to enter into the marriage chamber of the
Heavenly Bridegroom unto whose service
they have dedicated themselves.' (fn. 23) In 1388 (fn. 24)
the bishop only sent a personal admonition to
the abbess to be sure and provide a 'fit and
secure place' where offenders against the rule
might be detained. (fn. 25)
Bishop Repingdon visited the monastery at
the beginning of the fourteenth century. His
injunctions show that no lasting reform had
been effected by his predecessors. No seculars male or female above the age of twelve
were to be admitted; the nuns were not to
go into Bedford or Elstow; only suitable
persons were to be professed. (fn. 26)
Bishop Grey (fn. 27) admonished the nuns to increase their numbers, that the divine office
might not be neglected; but none was to be
admitted unless she could read and sing, and
then only with the consent of the 'greater
and wiser' part of the convent. No seculars
except young children were to be allowed
in the monastery; an apostate nun was to
be brought back. This was the last visitation before the well known injunctions of
Bishop Longland in 1530. (fn. 28) The tone of these
makes it impossible to avoid the conclusion
that the house had become thoroughly secularised. The ladies had for the most part
given up the most distinctive features of their
common life; they had forsaken the use of
the refectory, and lived more like pensioners
in a boarding-house, having their little private
'households,' where they received and ate
with their friends. They were accustomed
to wear scarlet stomachers, 'voyded shoes'
and low-necked dresses like those of secular
women, and 'cornered crests' instead of veils.
The lady abbess when she walked in procession was followed by a train of servants, and
leant upon the arm of one of them. The
'chapelayne,' Dame Katherine Wingate, had
been wont to absent herself from matins, and
to take her meals in the abbess's buttery with
the steward. Nevertheless the bishop evidently thought the case was not past remedy,
and it is noteworthy that after all nothing
worse than secularity is implied in these injunctions. He reminds them that 'the more
secret religious persons be kept from the sight
and visage of the world and strangers, the
more close and entire their mind and devotion shall be to God'; and so orders a door
at least 5 feet high to be erected at the lower
end of the choir, so that the nuns might
neither see nor be seen by strangers at office
time; and the cloister door between the
monastery and the church, as well as the
outer door towards the court, were to be
kept shut as far as possible. There were to
be no more 'households' kept except the
abbess's, and a 'misericorde' where four or
five of the sisters with 'one sad lady of the
elder sort,' nominated by the abbess, might
take their meals in turn and meet their friends.
The rest were to go to the 'fratry.' (fn. 29)
How far these injunctions produced any
effect it is impossible to say. The house was
not mentioned by Layton in the letter (fn. 30) in
which he records his visit to Bedfordshire.
It did not fall under the Act of 1536, and
was not surrendered until 26 August 1539. (fn. 31)
The deed of surrender is still extant; it contains the ordinary formula, the same as that
of Wardon and Chicksand, and has no signatures, but only the seal. The pension lists
of 1539-40 (fn. 32) assign £50 to the abbess,
Elizabeth Boyvill, and smaller sums to
twenty-three nuns besides. If there were so
many at this time, we may conclude that the
house held perhaps twice as many in the
thirteenth century, but there is no record of
the original number. The usual officials are
named from time to time: the prioress, the
sacristan, afterwards called the 'chapelayne,'
the chantress. It appears that in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries there were a
few lay brothers attached to the house, but it
is not clear what was their exact status. (fn. 33)
The original endowment of the abbey included the vills of Elstow and Wilshampstead
with 5 hides and 1½ virgates in Maulden, and
the church of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. (fn. 34) Small
portions of land in Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Northampton
shire were added by other benefactors as portions with the daughters whom they sent to
school or into religion. (fn. 35) The churches of
Elstow, Wilshampstead, Maulden, Kempston,
Flitton, Westoning, with Hitchin (Herts),
Inworth (Essex), Clanfield (Oxon), Westbury (Bucks), Harringworth and Wilbarston
(Northants) were in the gift of the abbey
from the thirteenth century to the Dissolution; while Goddington (fn. 36) (Oxon) and
Tingrith (Beds (fn. 37) ) were claimed by it in the
thirteenth century, and Halton-super-Humber (fn. 38) (Lincoln) in the twelfth. Portions of
tithes from several other churches were paid
to the monastery. In 1291 its income was
about £110 (fn. 39) ; at the Dissolution it was
£284 12s. 11d. clear. (fn. 40)
In 1316, 1346 and 1428 (fn. 40) the abbess of
Elstow held the vills of Elstow, Wilshampstead and Maulden in pure alms, and some
small fractions of knight's fees in Flitton and
Cotes, with a quarter of a fee in Moulsoe,
Bucks. (fn. 41) In the ministers' accounts after the
Dissolution the property was valued at
£234 8s. 7d. after the subtraction of some
parcels of lands annexed to the honour of
Ampthill; the site of the monastery and
its demesne lands being reckoned as
£77 17s. 10d. (fn. 42)
Abbesses of Elstow
Cecily, (fn. 43) occurs c. 1180
Mabel, (fn. 44) elected 1213 (?), occurs 1218 and
1222
Wymark, (fn. 45) died 1241
Agnes of Westbury, (fn. 46) elected 1241, resigned 1249
Aubrée de Fécamp, (fn. 47) elected 1249
Annora, (fn. 48) died 1281
Beatrice de Scoteny, (fn. 49) elected 1281, died
1294
Clemence de Balliol, (fn. 50) elected 1294, resigned 1314
Joan de Wauton, (fn. 51) elected 1315, died
1318
Elizabeth de Beauchamp, (fn. 52) elected 1318,
died 1331
Juliane Basset, (fn. 53) elected 1331, died 1333
Elizabeth Morteyn, (fn. 54) elected 1333, occurs
1351
Anstis (Anastasia) Dene, (fn. 55) occurs 1370, resigned 1392
Margaret Pygot, (fn. 56) elected 1392, died or
resigned 1409
Joan Trailly, (fn. 57) elected 1409, died 1430
Rose Waldgrave, (fn. 58) died 1463
Elizabeth Hasylden, (fn. 59) elected 1463, occ.
1473
Margaret Godfrey, (fn. 60) elected 1487, died or
resigned 1501
Elizabeth Hervey, (fn. 61) elected 1501, died
1524
Agnes Gascoigne, (fn. 62) elected 1524, died 1529
Elizabeth Boyvill, (fn. 63) elected 1529
The seal of the abbey is found attached to
the deed of surrender already mentioned.
It is dark green, pointed oval, and represents
Blessed Mary the Virgin standing with the
Holy Child in her arms. St. Helen stands
on the right, bearing the cross. An abbess
kneels below, with crosier, and a nun on
either side.
Another seal (imperfect) bearing only the
figure of St. Helen with the cross is attached
to Harl. Ch. 44, D 35, and Campbell Charter,
x. 9 (B.M.)