HERMITAGE
18. THE 'PRIORY HERMITAGE' OF BLACKMOOR (fn. 1)
Obscure though the early history of this house
is it may reasonably be assumed that, originally
a hermit settlement in the heart of the forest of
Blackmoor, it attracted to itself so large a company of the faithful that a community was
formed, a rule adopted—apparently similar to
that of the friars hermits of St. Augustine,
though the hermitage seems clearly never to have
been affiliated to that order—and the brethren
placing themselves under the protection of the
lords of the forest, the earls of Cornwall, who
had permitted if not built the earlier foundation,
acquired the site of their dwelling and such
property from time to time as the generosity of
their patrons added to them. The precise date
of these events cannot be given, though they
probably took place in the reign of Henry III.
Edmund, earl of Cornwall, died in 1300 seised
of the hermitage in Blackmoor, (fn. 2) and in 1314
Edward II granted a licence to the brethren to
retain without let or hindrance of any justice or
forest officer the land which they had acquired
within the forest without licence from his predecessors, comprising the site of their hermitage,
consisting of 10 acres of land the gift of Ralph,
earl of Cornwall, 7 acres acquired from Richard,
earl of Cornwall, who died in 1272, and 7 acres
bestowed by Edmund, the late earl, (fn. 3) which they
had inclosed according to the assize of the forest
so that the deer could enter and leave. The
following year the prior and hermits were allowed
8 acres of land out of the waste of the forest in
a place called 'Rocumbe,' with liberty to
inclose the same with a little dyke and low
hedge and bring it into cultivation, (fn. 4) and in
1325 Ingelram Berenger, who had been appointed steward of the forest, (fn. 5) made over to them
100 acres of land in 'Rocumbe,' held in chief
for the service of rendering 32s. 4d. at the
Exchequer, on condition that they should find a
chaplain to celebrate daily in the church of the
hermitage for the souls of the said Ingelram and
the faithful departed and for the maintenance of
ten mendicants to be refreshed once a day in the
hermitage. (fn. 6) The last charge seems to have
dropped speedily out of practice and even
memory, for the return made to the writ of
Edward III, dated November, 1338, requiring
to be certified whether it would be to the injury
of the king or any other for the prior and
chaplains of the hermitage of Blackmoor Regis,
Dorset, to retain 14 messuages, 100 acres of
land, 2½ acres of meadow with a rent of
67s. 4d. and of a pound of cummin in Knighton,
Fossil, Winfrith, and Baltington, which they
had acquired in fee from the late Ingelram
Berenger since the publication of the Statute of
Mortmain without licence of the late king,
stated that the grant had been made on condition that the brethren should pay the said
Ingelram the true yearly value of the same
during his life and after his death should provide
a chaplain to celebrate daily for the souls of the
kings of England, of Ingelram and the faithful
departed, (fn. 7) without mention of the daily provision for mendicants; possibly it may have ceased
owing to the financial condition of the house,
for the grant of the following February, enabling
them to retain the land and premises, records that
it was made by fine of 100s. because of the
poverty of the said chaplains. (fn. 8)
A few particulars as to this forest house may
be gleaned from the episcopal registers. They
record that the house belonged to the order of
St. Augustine and that the prior and brethren
were presented to the ordinary for examination
and approval before admission, as in the case of
John de Ramesham, 28 October, 1327; (fn. 9) William de Bradewas, who was presented to the
custodian of the spiritualities of the bishopric,
Robert de Worth, (fn. 10) in the vacancy of the see,
8 May, 1330; another instance is recorded
2 October, 1387. (fn. 11) On the resignation of
John de Ramesham the house presented John
de Wyke to the bishop, who on account of the
poverty of the brethren proceeded to admit him
in a summary manner, 9 July, 1340. (fn. 12) In
1389, all the inmates being dead, the bishop
bestowed the house in commendam on Thomas
Wilton 25 August. (fn. 13) An inquisition being
held as to its state in 1424 it was found that
the house was of royal foundation and that
the king held the custody of it when vacant,
that the brethren elected a prior subject to the
royal assent, and that the house was not taxed at
10 marks per annum.
After this date the style of the house alters
and it becomes known as the free chapel of St.
Mary, 'called the Hermitage,' and as such was
placed by Edward IV in 1469 in the custody of
William Brown, clerk, who already held the
mastership of the hospital of St. John the
Baptist, Dorchester, with a grant for life of the
yearly pension or annuity of 52s. 2d. with which
the chapel was charged to the king, of which
38s. 10d. was payable to the Exchequer and
13s. 4d. to the bailiff of the king's manor of
Fordington for the use of the duke of Cornwall,
on condition that he should maintain the old
service and pray for the good estate of the king
and his consort and for their souls after death. (fn. 14)
Henry VI the following year, 17 December,
1470, ratified the estate of William Brown
as master of the hospital of St. John the
Baptist, Dorchester, and as master of the house
or chapel called 'le priory hermitage' by Dorchester. (fn. 15) On the death or cession of William
in 1473 Edward IV made a grant of the
custody of the 'chapel' to Robert Bothe,
doctor of law, (fn. 16) the deed being annulled four
years later, November, 1477, in favour of
Master Robert Myddelham, bachelor of
theology. (fn. 17) He was succeeded by Richard
Hill, dean of the king's chapel, appointed by
Henry VII in the first year of his reign, (fn. 18) who
was again followed by John Cole, appointed by
Henry VIII in 1511. (fn. 19) Two years later, on
the surrender of the patent by which it had been
bestowed on John Cole, (fn. 20) the king granted the
free chapel called 'le Hermytage' in Blackmoor
to the abbot and convent of Cerne.
No reference is made to this house in the
chantry certificates of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Priors Or Masters Of Blackmoor
William, occurs 1327 (fn. 21)
John de Ramesham, resigned 1340 (fn. 22)
John de Wyke, presented 1340 (fn. 23)
Richard Andrew, presented 1349 (fn. 24)
Thomas Marshall (fn. 25)
Thomas Wilton, appointed 1389 (fn. 26)
John Baret, appointed 1424 (fn. 27)
William Brown, appointed 1469 (fn. 28)
Robert Bothe, appointed 1473 (fn. 29)
Robert Myddelham, appointed 1477 (fn. 30)
Richard Hill, appointed 1485-6 (fn. 31)
John Cole, appointed 1511, surrendered 1513
on the annexation of 'le Hermytage' to the
abbey of Cerne (fn. 32)