29. THE HOUSE OF FRIARS OF THE SACK
The Friars of the Penance of Jesus Christ,
called Friars of the Sack, came to Oxford in
1261 or the beginning of 1262. They were
already in possession of a site in the parish of
St. Budoc before 7 May, 1262, when Henry III,
as patron of the church, gave them licence to
build an oratory and celebrate divine service. (fn. 1)
As the church was in ruins and the district more
or less uninhabited, (fn. 2) the parish of St. Budoc had
been joined to the parish of St. George in the
Castle; the friars therefore in this year obtained
from the abbot and convent of Oseney, patrons of
St. George's, licence to build a chapel which,
however, was only to be used by 'seculars who
were their servants, or were living with them
owing to sickness.' (fn. 3) The original plot was
probably that which they bought of Walter the
Goldsmith, and for which in 1278 they were
paying 2s. a year to the alien priory of Steventon. (fn. 4) Wood says that Ela de Longespee,
countess of Warwick and wife of Philip Basset,
furnished the purchase money, and also procured
for them the licence from Oseney Abbey. (fn. 5)
In February, 1264-5, the king gave them the
church of St. Budoc, which adjoined their site,
with the cemetery and the houses on it, 'so far
as pertained to him,' on condition that the
cemetery should be kept as consecrated ground. (fn. 6)
The church was said in 1285 to be worth 20s.
a year. (fn. 7) The whole area measured 20½ perches
from north to south, and was 6 perches wide at
the south end, 2 perches 4 ft. at the north end. (fn. 8)
The king gave them six oaks for timber in
1267; (fn. 9) Nicholas de Weston, burgess of
Oxford, left them 10s. in 1271, and Julian
Wyth 2s. (fn. 10)
Oxford was one of the five studia generalia
recognized by the order; (fn. 11) to each of these every
provincial prior was entitled to send two brethren
of his province who were to have the 'liberty of
students.'
In the cells they may read, write, pray, sleep, and sit
up with a light at night for the sake of study.
Students in any faculty and preachers shall not be
bound to attend the daily chapters except on Wednesday and Friday.
Every student had to be provided by his province
with at least three theological books, namely, the
Bible, the Sentences, and the Histories, (fn. 12) which
were to be their chief subjects of study.
This order was one of those suppressed by the
Council of Lyons in 1274, that is the friars
were forbidden to admit new members; the
friaries came to an end when the old members
died out, and were at the disposal of the apostolic
see. As early as 1296 Boniface VIII ordered
the Bishop of Lincoln to allow the Friars Minors
to take possession of the land and houses of the
Friars of the Sack in Oxford as soon as the five
remaining brethren died, (fn. 13) and Clement V at the
request of John of Brittany, earl of Richmond,
granted the place to the Friars Minors on
27 May, 1309. (fn. 14) The lands which Henry III
had granted were held to have escheated to the
crown, and these Edward II conferred on the
Minorites by letters patent dated 28 March,
1310. (fn. 15) On the same day he confirmed the
grant of four other parcels of ground to the
Minorites; some of these may have been previously held by the Friars of the Sack. (fn. 16)
In March, 1319, the Friars Minors formally
surrendered to the king the area which had
belonged to the Friars of the Penance 'in its
entirety as it came into their hands,' and received
it back of the king's special favour in pure and
perpetual alms. (fn. 17)