14. THE ABBEY OF KINGSWOOD
The monastery of Tintern was founded in
1131 as a daughter house of the Cistercian
monastery of L'Aumone in the diocese of
Chartres. (fn. 1) The monks rapidly increased in
numbers, and in a few years' time, in accordance
with the Cistercian usage, the abbot and convent
were anxious to send out a colony of their
brethren to found a daughter house. (fn. 2) Roger of
Berkeley II purposed to give them the manor of
Acholt at Kingswood, and obtained the consent
of Henry I. (fn. 3) In 1139, in fulfilment of his uncle's
wish, William of Berkeley made a grant of the
manor, (fn. 4) which was confirmed by the Empress
Matilda. (fn. 5) During the civil war the monks probably wished for a more retired site. (fn. 6) They
purchased from John de St. John some lands at
Hazleton, which had belonged to Reginald de
St. Waleric, and had been confiscated by King
Stephen. (fn. 7) There they settled for a short time.
Probably about 1147 Reginald de St. Waleric
recovered his lands and drove out the monks,
who then returned to Kingswood. (fn. 8) In 1148
Roger of Berkeley III confirmed the lands at
Kingswood to the abbot and convent. (fn. 9) They
were not content to forego their lands at Hazleton and disputed the possession of them with
Reginald de St. Waleric. (fn. 10) According to the
story of the abbot of Tintern, Reginald de St.
Waleric was bound, as an act of penance imposed
upon him by the pope, to found a Cistercian
monastery, and accordingly he agreed to restore
Hazleton to the monks if they would remove
thither from Kingswood. They consented. A
few of the monks were left at Kingswood, but
the greater number removed to Hazleton.
There they were troubled by a lack of water,
and Reginald removed them to Tetbury. Roger
of Berkeley III then complained that Kingswood, which had been founded as an abbey by
his predecessor, was practically only a grange to
Tetbury. He insisted that he should either
recover his lands at Kingswood, or that the
convent should return thither from Tetbury.
However, at the request of Stephen, and the
petition of the general chapter of Citeaux he
recognized Kingswood as a grange of Tetbury. (fn. 11)
But the embers of controversy were not yet
extinguished. A chapter was held at Kirkstead, probably in 1149, to settle a dispute
between Philip abbot of L'Aumone, and the
abbot of Waverley, who both attended. (fn. 12)
L'Aumone was the mother house of Waverley and Tintern. (fn. 13) It was then decided that
the abbot of Waverley might build a monastery at Kingswood. (fn. 14) Pagan, abbot of Tetbury, who was present, acquiesced, although
his monastery was but slenderly endowed, but
he is said to have been a simple-minded man
without guile. The king and Roger of Berkeley
gave their consent, although the chapter at Kirkstead had ignored the rights of the convent of
Tetbury, and of the mother house of Tintern.
The abbot of Waverley sent four monks to
Kingswood to occupy the grange, but disputes
followed, and a conference was held at Kingswood which was attended by many Cistercian
abbots, monks, and lay brothers, besides Roger
of Berkeley III, and a number of other persons.
It was then decided that the abbot of Waverley
should recall his monks from Kingswood, and
that it should again become a grange to Tetbury.
The site at Tetbury was very unsuitable in
many ways, and the monks were constrained to
fetch all their fuel from Kingswood. Bernard
de St. Waleric obtained from Roger of
Berkeley III a grant of forty acres of land at
a place called Mireford, close to the water at
Kingswood, (fn. 15) and in 1149 or early in 1150, (fn. 16)
removed the monks thither from Tetbury. He
made over this land to the brethren that they
might build their abbey upon it. (fn. 17) At the same
time he confirmed to them all the land that they
had when they dwelt at Tetbury and at Hazleton. The Berkeleys of Berkeley Castle and of
Dursley were also among the benefactors of
Kingswood.
In 1180 Abbot Hugh was deposed (fn. 18) by the
visitors of the order, and his successor, William,
was deposed in the following year, (fn. 19) both probably
for some lack of business capacity.
It was most likely owing to the profits from
wool that in 1230 the abbot and convent were
able to spend £100 in purchasing lands at
Culkerton from the prior and convent of
St. Oswald's, Gloucester. (fn. 20) In 1242 the revenues
from all sources amounted to £288 17s. 1d.,
the expenses to £269 4s. 11½d., and at the end
of the financial year the balance in hand was
£174 17s. 1d. (fn. 21) In 1276 the monastery was
one of the more prosperous houses of the southern
province of the order, and contributed £13 16s.
towards a 'courtesy,' which the Cistercians gave
to the king. (fn. 22) About the beginning of the fourteenth century the annual sales of wool averaged
forty sacks, at prices varying from 26 to
12 marks, according to the quality. (fn. 23) In 1291
the abbot and convent had eight granges on
their lands at which their lay brothers and
servants lived and worked. (fn. 24) The proceeds of
spiritualities were very small, amounting only to
£6 4s. 4d., (fn. 25) and the monastery had but the one
rectory of Kingswood. (fn. 26) In virtue of that possession the bishop of Worcester took procurations
from the monastery, and in 1283 (fn. 27) and 1293 (fn. 28)
Giffard lodged at the monastery instead of
taking a fee.
The resources of Kingswood were much
straitened after the Black Death, and although
the generosity of the Berkeleys again stood the
convent in good stead, (fn. 29) there were financial
difficulties at the end of the fourteenth century.
In 1398 Boniface IX granted a very lavish
indulgence to penitents who visited the church
of Kingswood on Whit Sunday and the four
following days, and gave alms for the repair of
the church. (fn. 30) It was stated in 1402 that on
account of the lack of lay brothers the lands
of the monastery were more than usually
uncultivated, and that the revenues then scarcely
amounted to £100. (fn. 31)
During the course of the fifteenth century the
house regained some measure of prosperity.
Manors and granges were let on lease, and
shortly before the dissolution the convent only
cultivated at their own expense a small portion
of their land around the monastery. (fn. 32)
The abbot and convent showed a painful
anxiety to stand well with Cromwell. On 21
January, 1535, the prior, Thomas Reading, sent
Cromwell a little book which he had written in
support of the royal supremacy, begging him
' to close up the eye of justice and open the eye
of pity to me and the religious men of this house
who have no succour except in your evangelical
charity.' (fn. 33) On 9 September the abbot sent a
friar as prisoner to Cromwell because he had
preached in his church in support of the ecclesiastical headship of St. Peter. (fn. 34) The monastery
was surrendered on 1 February, 1538, by the
abbot, twelve monks, and one lay brother. (fn. 35)
Probably on account of their extreme complaisance they all received a small sum of money
'for their reward and finding,' in addition to
the promise of a pension. The abbot received
£6 13s. 4d., and a pension of £50, the prior
£3 6s. 8d. and a pension of £6 13s. 4d.
the rest of the monks the sum of £2 13s. 4d.
each and pensions of £4 13s. 4d., or £4. (fn. 36) The
novice had only £2, and the lay brother at his
own request was sent to another religious
house.
The clear yearly revenues of the monastery in
1538 amounted to £232 0s. 4d, (fn. 37) and were
drawn from the demesne lands, the manors of
Kingswood, Ozleworth, and Bagpath, Culkerton,
the granges of Ilbery, Bagston, Redge, Hyll,
Hazleton, Calcot, and land and rents in Acton,
Wotton, Nibley, Dursley, Berkeley, Stone, Newport, Tetbury, Bley, Bristol, and Gloucester, and
the rectory of Kingswood.
Abbots of Kingswood (fn. 38)
Pagan occurs circa 1149 (fn. 39)
Hugh deposed 1180 (fn. 40)
William succeeded 1180, deposed 1181 (fn. 41)
Eudo succeeded 1181 (fn. 42)
William succeeded 1188, (fn. 43) occurs circa
1212 (fn. 44)
John occurs 1241 (fn. 45)
Samson occurs 1263 (fn. 46)
Robert of Tetbury occurs 1303 (fn. 47)
Richard elected 1319 (fn. 48)
John Wodeland occurs 1441 (fn. 49)
Walter Deryngs occurs 1435 (fn. 50)
Thomas Neude occurs 1470 (fn. 51)
Thomas Pyrton elected 1482 (fn. 52)
John Sodbury occurs 1503 (fn. 53)
Robert Wolaston occurs 1515 (fn. 54)
William Bewdley occurs 1535 (fn. 55) and 1538 (fn. 56)
An abbot's seal of the thirteenth century
represents the Virgin crowned standing under a
crocketed canopy with trefoiled arch supported
on slender shafts, the Child on her left arm; in
the field outside a hatched pattern; in base a
carved roundheaded arch, under it a destroyed
figure of the abbot. (fn. 57)