the church. In 1247, March 15th, ten marks for paying debts on the work of the church.2 In 1248, Jan. 1st, a gift of twenty marks.3 In 1249, July 19th, thirty marks for the fabric of the church. In 1250, Nov. 6th, £20 for the same. In 1253, April 24th, forty marks to pay debts. In 1256, Sept. 25th, 100s. for the glass windows of the church. In 1259, Nov. 13th, £20 for paying the expenses of building the cooking-kitchen and the wall next to it. And in 1260, June 26th, 100s. for the works.9 Moreover, Henry III caused the Friars to set apart £32 for buildings of theirs to be erected in honour of his patron, St. Edward the King. On Oct. 15th, 1258, he acknowledged the debt to them for that amount, and promised payment within a month from the following Easter.10 But pressed by necessity, the Friars, through the intercession of Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, and of Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, obtained an order, Nov. 12th, directed to the officials of the royal treasury, for immediate payment.11 13 Nor was the king satisfied with bestowing money, as he also gave timber for the buildings: April 11th, 1241, twenty oaks (quercus) for the construction of the church, 12 which, on on the 15th, he charged the Sheriff of Kent to carry free from Bickspik Wood to Canterbury; June 17th, 1244, six good oaks (bona fusta) out of Wanberg Forest, with all their escheats, also for the church;1 and May 18th, 1271, ten oaks (quercus) for timber, out of the forest of Kingeswode, in Essex, with their escheats, for some repairs of the buildings.15 On Jan. 18th, 1238-9, Henry III gave £20 out of the royal treasury, for the maintenance of the religious.16 Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, made them a regular allowance of firewood; and when he departed out of the country, the keepers of the temporalities had a royal mandate, Jan. 11th, 1240-1, to continue the usual supply." And 1 Rot. Liberat., 30 Hen. III, m. 10. 8 Ibid., 44 Hen. III, m. 10. 2 Ibid., 31 Hen. III, m. 10. 5 Ibid., 35 Hen. III, m. 18. 7 Ibid., 40 Hen. III, m. 3. 11 Rot. Liberat., 43 Hen. III, m. 8. the king, April 11th, 1241, gave three oaks (robora) for fuel, to be taken where they would be for the Friars' greater utility, out of the archiepiscopal territories.1 A royal precept dated Feb. 25th, 1246-7, ordered the bailiffs of Canterbury (by whose inquisition it had been returned that it might be done without detriment) to allow the Friars to close a street near them, which formed the way to the mill belonging to St. Augustin's Abbey, and in place of it to make another road beyond a certain plot, which he had caused Stephen, parson of Hadlinges, to purchase with the royal money.2 Amongst those who bestowed land on the Friars was John de Stokwell, a citizen, who gave them a plot or area for enlarging their court. This plot was subject to the yearly rent of 4d. to St. Augustin's Monastery: Henry III requested the monks to remit the service, but June 25th, 1253, he ordered the sheriff of Kent, in case the monks refused, to find an equal rent for them in another part of the city, so that the Friars might be quit of the charge.3 To requite their benefactor, the Friars obtained of the king, Oct. 2nd, 1256, that John de Stokwell should be free of all tallage of the city for three years from the ensuing festival of All Saints.1 When the inquisitions were taken, in pursuance of the general commission dated Oct. 11th, 1274, to inquire into encroachments on the revenues and rights of the crown, etc., it was found, in 1275, that these Friars had enlarged their island, and made a purpresture on the bank to the injury and hindrance of the king's mills, blocked up and changed the common way by which the people were accustomed to go to the water, and enclosed some land on the river-bank ten perches long and nearly six feet broad. The Friars had certainly acted legally as to the road, and probably also as to island and land, for no proceedings were taken against them. In 1293, they formed a quay or wharf on the river, 1 Rot. Claus., 25 Hen. III, m. 11. 2 Ibid., 31 Hen. III, m. 11. 1 towards making which Edward I, July 23rd, gave them twelve oaks (quercus) for piles, out of the archiepiscopal wood of Northden in Blen', the Archiepiscopal See being then vacant.1 In compliance with a royal writ of June 2nd, 1294, an inquisition was taken, on the 11th, before the bailiffs of the city, to find, if, without detriment to the crown, the king's licence might be given for Master Nicholas de Honyngton to assign to the Friars a messuage which was held immediately of the heirs of Letitia, daughter of James de Porta, by the annual service of 8s. 9d. and two rent-hens, and was valued at 13s. 4d. a-year. The return was favourable, but on the part of the crown the written and sealed assent of the heirs was required. No licence appears on record. In 1294, the Friars and the Monks of Christchurch came to a composition about divers houses and lands within their precincts held of the latter. The armorial bearings of this Priory were, Az. on a plain cross Arg. the letters in old English characters (being the arms of the Priory of Christchurch) between four mitres labelled Or. The Monks of Christchurch, at the first settlement of the Friars here, were the patrons and protectors of them. The churchyard was enlarged, in 1299, by the addition of some land 150 ft. long and 120 ft. broad. This land, valued in all issues at 12d. a-year, and free of services, was assigned to them by Thomas (parson of) Chartham, the inquisition (by writ of May 28th) being taken before the bailiffs of the city, June 5th, and the mortmain licence for the grant being given on the 8th following." Twenty years later, two additions were made to the 1 Rot. Claus.. 21 Edw. I, m. 5. 2 Inquis. post mortem, 22 Edw. I, no. 135. Jurors; John Holte, Hen. Daniel, John Andreu, Will. Stoyl, Walt. Cissor (Taylor), James Auncel, Edm. de Tyerne, Steph. Hanekyn, Rich. clerk of Westgate, Pet. de Doure, Will. le Marscal, and Hen. de Plukele. 3 Somner's Antiquities of Canterbury, by Battely, pt. 1, p. 58. 4 Hasted's Kent, vol. iv. p. 448. 5 Inquis. post mortem, 27 Edw. I. no. 81. Jurors: John Holte, John Andreu, James Auncel, Edm. de Tyerne, Will. Stoyl, Simon le Letherkervere, Will. le Taylour, Rog. de Appledre, Pet. de Dover, Steph. Hanekyn, Gilbert atte Wexhouse, and Hen. le Webbe. Rot. Pat., 27 Edw. I, m. 22. homestead. On Jan. 1st, 1318-19, Edward II granted a void plot of land, 54 ft. long and 20 ft. broad, and on the same day conceded the royal licence for Simon Batelot of Canterbury to assign to the Friars another plot, 54 ft. long and 25 ft. broad, for that purpose. In the inquisition touching these plots taken at Canterbury, June 9th previous (by two writs of May 8th), it was found that the former plot was never of any value, and the latter brought in 1d. a-year in all issues to the crown.2 Another increase of the homestead was made in 1338, by the addition of a messuage which was assigned to the Friars by William le Frenshe and John atte Brome of Canterbury. According to the inquisition taken at Canterbury, Feb. 26th, 1337-8, by writ of the 12th, the messuage was held of the archbishop, by service of 15d. a-year for all services, and was worth 6s. 8d. over and above the rent. The mortmain licence was given April 15th following, for which the Friars paid the fine of one mark.5 Shortly after this time they had a plot of land (built on) containing la. 1p. for enlarging their homestead, and they acquired it of Isabel widow of Thomas Poldre, and the heirs of Simon Bertelot. This was done in contravention of the statute of mortmain, and the land would have been forfeited to the crown, if the king had not graciously made a free grant of it, which he did, June 8th, 1355, on the condition that the Friars should be all the more strongly bound to pray for the souls of his progenitors and for his soul when he passed out of the present life." Henry IV, Sept. 17th, 1412, confirmed the royal grant of the island made in March, 1236-7.7 Thus was founded the Priory of the Friar-Preachers of 1 Rot. Pat., 12 Edw. II. p. 1, m. 4. 2 Inquis. ad quod dampn. 11 Edw. II, no. 77. Jurors: Peter de Bolengier, Rob. le Taillur, Ralph le Pysynggs, Anselm Partrick, Rich. de Soles, John Braunche, John de Wencheape, Walt. le Marescal, Thos. de Riple, John de Castri, Haymo atte Hethe, and Walt. Stel. 3 Inquis. ad quod dampn. 12 Edw. III, no. 20. Jurors: Andr. le Flaoner, John le Bourne, Rog. de Wy, Tho. de Lenne, Hen. Ferour, John de Bisshopesgate, Rob. de Lincoln, John de Wy, Tho. Kyriel, Steph. Parson, Edm. le Spicer, and Tho. le Coupere. 4 Rot. Pat., 12 Edw. III. p. 1, m. 15. 5 Rot. Fin., 12 Edw. III, m. 15 in ched. 6 Rot. Pat., 29 Edw. III, p. 2, m. 21. 7 Rot. Pat., 13 Hen. IV, p. 2, m. 2. |