COLLEGE
19. THE COLLEGE OF WESTBURY-ON-TRYM
It has been surmised that a monastery was
founded at Westbury-on-Trym about 716. (fn. 1) It was
most probably a place of residence for a number of
priests who lived their life in common, but were
not under monastic vows. In 824 the cathedral
church of Worcester obtained possession of the
church and lands of Westbury. (fn. 2) Nothing is
known of the fate of the minster during the
Danish invasions, but it is unlikely that it escaped
being plundered and burnt. (fn. 3)
Soon after his consecration Oswald, bishop of
Worcester (961-992), determined to introduce
the strict observance of the Benedictine rule into
his diocese. He sent to Fleury for an English
monk named Germanus, and appointed him
prior of a new foundation at Westbury, which
became the centre of the Benedictine revival in
Mercia. (fn. 4) On the death of King Edgar there
was a revulsion of feeling in favour of the
secular priests who had been ousted during the
monastic revival; (fn. 5) the monks were expelled
from several of the Mercian monasteries, and
there is no evidence that they were afterwards
reinstated at Westbury. The minster is not
even mentioned in the Domesday Survey.
Some years later when Wulfstan, bishop of
Worcester, restored the foundation, he said that
Oswald's church had afterwards suffered great
damage from pirates, and that it was ruinous
through the neglect of its rulers. (fn. 6) There was but
a single priest, and he seldom said mass. (fn. 7) Wulfstan
recovered the church from William the Conqueror, rebuilt it, and making it dependent on
the cathedral monastery of Worcester, he placed
monks there under the rule of Colman. (fn. 8) He
recovered by law some of the former possessions
of Westbury, others by purchase, and on 8 September, 1093, he granted a charter confirming
the endowment of 2½ hides and a virgate in
Westbury, part of a wood called Aescgraf and
12 acres of meadow, 2½ hides and 28 acres of
land in Henbury and in Charlton and Wick,
the churches of Henbury and Stoke with all
tithes, free from all service to king or bishop;
1½ hides in Berwick, 1 virgate in Hazleton only
owing service to the king. His successor,
Samson (1096-1112) was a canon of Bayeux,
and he took Westbury from the monks. (fn. 9) Bishop
Simon (1123-51) restored the church of Westbury with its dependent chapels to the prior and
convent of Worcester. (fn. 10) It has usually been assumed that afterwards Westbury was merely a
parish church until 1288, when Bishop Giffard
founded a college of canons against the will of
the prior and convent. (fn. 11) However, Giffard's
register proves conclusively that from the earliest
years of his episcopate a dean and canons were in
possession of Westbury, (fn. 12) and, indeed, that his
predecessor, Walter de Cantilupe, collated his
clerks to the prebends of Westbury. (fn. 13) Giffard's
correspondence with his agent at the papal curia
in 1286 revealed his object. (fn. 14) He was anxious
to be bishop of Westbury as well as of Worcester, that he might have his episcopal throne in a
church of secular canons as well as in a Benedictine monastery. He petitioned Honorius IV
that there might be granted to him and his
successors for ever a prebend in the church of
Westbury of the value of ten marks or pounds,
and that he might make all churches of his
patronage prebendal to Westbury. (fn. 15) The canons
of Westbury were anxious that the bishop should
be present in choir and chapter, and therefore
possess a prebend in their church. (fn. 16) The reply to
his request that he might make the churches of
his patronage prebendal to Westbury was apparently favourable, for he collated his clerks to
new prebends. (fn. 17) The prior and convent of Worcester complained to Nicholas IV, stating that
the bishop had constituted the churches of
Kempsey, Bredon, Wychendon, Bishop's Cleeve,
and Weston-upon-Avon prebendal to Westbury
against their wishes, and assigned them to certain
clerks and members of his household whom he
instituted as new canons of Westbury. (fn. 18) The
prior and convent of Worcester had always
possessed the right of instituting rectors to those
churches during a vacancy of the see, and the
bishop's action deprived them of their privilege.
Nicholas IV directed that an inquiry should be
made, but the judges whom he appointed were
unwilling to act. (fn. 19) Although the prior and
convent obtained a hearing of the king they
gained nothing, (fn. 20) and in 1297 the Court of
Arches decided in the bishop's favour. (fn. 21) Thus
the result of Giffard's work was an increase in
the number of prebendaries at Westbury, and a
corresponding provision for them. (fn. 22) As the
bishops collated to the deanery and the prebends
their patronage was extended, though papal
provisions were frequent. (fn. 23) The collegiate
church was subject to the regular visitation of
the bishops of Worcester (fn. 24) and of the prior of the
cathedral monastery during voidances. (fn. 25)
Bishop Carpenter (1444-76) was regarded as
a second founder of the college of Westbury,
which he dedicated to the Holy Trinity. (fn. 26) He
realized the importance of an episcopal seat near
the town of Bristol, as strongly as his predecessor
Giffard had done, and alone of all the bishops of
the see he is said to have adopted the style of
bishop of Worcester and Westbury. (fn. 27) In 1447
he began to rebuild the college on a much larger
scale, and revised its statutes and ordinances with
the object of increasing its sphere of usefulness. (fn. 28)
He founded and endowed a chapel in the church
to be served by six priests, (fn. 29) built almshouses for
six poor men (fn. 30) and six widows, (fn. 31) vesting the right
of nomination in the dean and chapter. In 1463
he appropriated the parish church of Clifton to
the college, with the proviso that the dean and
chapter should find a master to teach grammar to
those ministering in the church and any other
persons whomsoever who came to him, without
any charge, and should give him a residence in
the college. (fn. 32) In 1473 he appropriated the parish
church of Kempsey and its dependent chapels to
Westbury, on the petition of the dean and chapter, showing that their revenues were insufficient. (fn. 33) Edward IV was a generous benefactor.
In 1464 he gave the manor of Elmstree in Tetbury, (fn. 34) and in 1465 he granted the custody of
the hospital of St. Lawrence, Bristol, in frankalmoigne. (fn. 35) In 1468 he gave the manor and
church of Astley in Worcestershire. (fn. 36) From 1469
to 1474 William Canynges, the rich merchant
who five times held the office of mayor of
Bristol, was dean of Westbury. (fn. 37) In 1476
Bishop Carpenter was buried in the chancel. (fn. 38)
In 1534 the dean, one of the prebendaries,
and the fellows of the college subscribed to the
royal supremacy. (fn. 39) On 10 February, 1544, the
college was surrendered into the king's hands. (fn. 40)
In 1535 (fn. 41) the college consisted of a dean, five
prebendaries, a sub-dean, Bishop Carpenter's
chaplain, a schoolmaster, eight fellows, four clerks,
six aged priests, and twelve choristers. After the
disbursements of alms according to the ordinances,
the clear yearly value of the property amounted
to £232 14s. 0¼d. The possessions of the
college included the manors of Westbury, Clifton,
Goodringhill, Wormington, Turkdean, Foxcote,
Dowdeswell, and Elmstree in Gloucestershire;
Astley, Shelve, Monehills, Greveley and Longborough in Worcestershire; Bereford in Warwickshire; Aston Tirrold and North Morton in
Berkshire; rents in Bristol, Worcester, and elsewhere, the hospital of St. Lawrence, Bristol, and
the rectories of Westbury and Kempsey.
Deans of Westbury-on-Trim (fn. 42)
Stephen, occurs 1285, (fn. 43)
ob. 1291 (fn. 44)
Hugh de Carnaria, 1291
Nicholas de Gore, occurs 1321 and 1323 (fn. 45)
Ralph de Lacu, 1323
William Edington, occurs 1335
Adam de Aylincton, 1335
David Bracewell, 1395
Stephen Basset, occurs 1413
William Oxton, 1413
John Arundel, 1414
John Powle, occurs 1425
John Lowsby, 1425
Richard Ellis, 1425
John Kemmes, ob. 1451
William Okeborn, 1451
John Blakman, resigned 1458
Henry Sampson, 1458
William Caninges, 1469
Robert Slimbridge, 1474
William Vaus, occurs 1479
John Lyndsey, 1479, ob. 1488
Adam Redshelf, 1488
William Cretyng, occurs 1497
John Barlow, 1530-44 (fn. 46)
A seal of the fifteenth century represents the
Trinity in a canopied niche with elegantly carved
side towers, each containing four small niches;
on the carving on each side, a shield of arms;
left, indistinct; right, paly of six, a chevron for
John Carpenter, bishop of Worcester; in base
under a depressed round-headed arch, between
walls of masonry, the bishop, with mitre and
pastoral staff, kneeling in prayer. The legend
is:—
SIGILLVM . COMMUNE . COLLEGII . DE . WESTBURI .
WIGORNIĒSIS DE . . . . . (fn. 47)