Monasticon Anglicanum: or, the history of the ancient abbies, monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches, with their dependencies, in England and Wales. Also of all such Scotch, Irish, and French monasteries as in any manner relate to those in England ... Illustrated with the original cuts of the cathedral and collegiate churches, and habits of the religious and military orders / First publish'd in Latin by Sir William Dugdale ... To which are now added, exact catalogues of the bishops of the several dioceses, to the year 1717. The whole corrected, and supplied with many useful additions, by an eminent hand.
- William Dugdale
- Date:
- 1718
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Monasticon Anglicanum: or, the history of the ancient abbies, monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches, with their dependencies, in England and Wales. Also of all such Scotch, Irish, and French monasteries as in any manner relate to those in England ... Illustrated with the original cuts of the cathedral and collegiate churches, and habits of the religious and military orders / First publish'd in Latin by Sir William Dugdale ... To which are now added, exact catalogues of the bishops of the several dioceses, to the year 1717. The whole corrected, and supplied with many useful additions, by an eminent hand. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![a.i Inventory thereof. AA hereunto did they add certain In un&ions from the King, containing mo ft fevere and find Ru’es, by means whereof divers being fund obnoxious to their Cenfure, were expeU’d; and many a /fee ruing them] elves not able to live free front fame Exception or Advantage, that might be taken man fi them, defid a to leave their Habit. And having by thefe Vifitors tbm f arch’d into their Lives, which by a Black Book, containing a World of Enormities, were reprefented in no fnad Meafure fraudulent, to the End that the People might be better fatisfyd with their Proceedings, it was thought convenient to fuggefi, that the lejfer Houfes, for Want of g.od Government, were chit fly guilty of thfie Crimes that were laid to their Charge; and fo they did, as ap¬ pears by the Preamble of that All for their D jfJution, made in 27 Henry VUI. which Parliament, confining of the mefi Part of finch Members as we, e pack’d for the Purpcfe, through private Interefi, as is evident by divers Original Letters tf that T'me, many of the Nobility, for the line Refpeels alfo, favouring the Defign, affented to the fuppreffing of aii fch Hufes as had been certify d of lefs Value than 200 1. per Annum, and giving them, with their Lands and Revenues, to the King; yet fo as not only the Re¬ ligious Pcrfor.s therein fhould be committed to the great and honourable Monafteries of this Realm, where they might be compeli’d to live Religioufly tor Reformation of their Lives ; wherein. Thanks be to God, Religion is well kept and obferv'd, (as are the very Words of that All) but that the Pof- feffior.s belonging to fuch Houfes fhould be converted to better Dies, to the Pieafure of Almighty God, and the Honor and Profit of tne Realm. But how well the Tenor thereof was purfu’d, we fhall foon fee-, thfie fpecious Pretences being made Ufe of for no other Purpofe, than by opening this Gap, to make way for the total Ruin of the greater Houfes, wherein it is by the faid Ail acknowledg’d, that Religion was fo well obferv’d. For no focner were the Mnks, &c. turn’d out, and the Houfes demolijh’d, that being it which was firfi thought requifite, left fi,me accidental Change might conduce to their Rfiitution, but Care was taken to prefer fuch Pe fions to the Superiority in Government, upon any l acancy of thofe greater H ufe s, as might be Infirumental to their Surrender, by pefiwading with the Convent to that Purpofe; wh fie Aclivenejs was fuch, that within the Space of two Tears, feveral Convents were wrought upon, and Commijfioners fent down to take them at their Hands to the Kings Ufe; of which Number I find, that befides the before fpecify’d Doclors of Law, there were 34 Commijfioners. fhe Truth is, that there was no Ommijfion of any Endeavours that can well be imagin’d to accomplifb thefe Surrenders; for fo fubtiily did the Commijfioners acl their Pa. is, as that after earn eft Sollicitaticn with the Abbats, and finding them backward, they fi ft attempted them with Promifes of good Penfiom during Life; whereby they found fame forward enough to promote the Work, as the Abbat of Hales in Giocefterfhire was, who had high Commendation for it by the Commijfioners, as their Letters to the Vilitor General do manifejl. So like wife had the Abbat of Rum fey and the Prior of Ely. Nay, feme were fo obfequious, that afte they had wrought the Surrender of their own Houfes, they we; e employ’d as Corn- mi jfionen to perfwade with ethers, as the Prior of Gisborn in Yorkfhirc for one. Neither were the Cour- triers unaclive in driving on this Work, as may be fen by the Lord Chancellor Audley’r employing a fpe- cial Agent to treat with the Abbat of Athelney, and to offer him 100 Marks per Annum Penfion, in cafe he would fur render, which the Abbat refus’d, infijling upon a greater Sum; and the perfvnal Endeavours that he us’d with the Abbat of St. Ofithe in Ellen, as by his Letter to the fuid Vilitor, wherein it u fignify’d, That he had, by great Sollicitation, prevail’d with the laid Abbat; but withal infinuating his Defire, That his Place of Lord Chancellor being very chargeable, the King might be mov’d for an Addi¬ tion of fome mote profitable Offices unto him. Nay, I find that this great Man the Lord Chan¬ cellor hunting eagerly after the Abby of Walden m Ellcx, out of the Ruins whereof afterwards that mag¬ nificent Fubrick, call’d by the Name of Audley-lnn, was built, as an Argument to obtain it, did, befides the Extenuation of its Worth, alledge. That he had i:i this World fuftain’d great Damage and Infamy in his ferving the King, which the Grant of that fhould Recompenfe. Amongjl the particular Arguments wh.ch were us’d by th fie that were averfe to Surrender, I find that the Abbat of Feverfham alledg’d, Tne Antiquity of their Monaftery’s Foundation, fell, by King Stephen, whofe Body, with the Bodies of the Queen and Prince, lay there interr’d, and for whom were us’d continual Suffrages and Commendations by Prayers; yet it would not avail; for refolv’d they were to off eel what they had begun, by one means or other; infomuch as they procur’d the Bijhop of London to come to the Nuns tf S<on, with their Gmfejjor, to follicit them thereunto, who, after many Per- fwafions, took it upon their Conferences, that they ought to fubmit unto the King’s Pieafure therein by God’s Law. But what could net be effecled by fuch Arguments and fair Promifes, which were net wanting nor unfulfin’d, as appears by the large Penfiens that fome atlive Monks and Canons had, in Compar fun of ethers, even to a fifth or fi <th fold Pi oportion more than ordinary, was by Terror and ftreight Dealing brought to pafs; fer u,.der Pretence offuffering Dilapidation in the Buildings, or negligent Admin.firatiai of their Ojjxces, as afo for breaking the King’s Injunctions, they depriv’d fome Abbats, and then put ethers that were more pliant in their Rioms. Front ethers they took their Convent Seals, to the End they might net, by making Leafes, nor Sale of their Jewels, raife Mmey, either for fup ply of their prefent Wants, or P ament of their Debts, and f> be necejfited to Surrender. Nay to feme, as in particular to the Canons of Leic-fler, the Commijfioners threaten’d, That they would charge them with Adultery and Buggery', unlefs they would fubmit. And Dollar London told the Nuns of Codftow, That becai fe he Sound them cbflinate, he would diffolve the Houfe by Virtue of the King’s Commiffio!’, in fpite of their Teeth. And yet all was fo manag’d, as that the King was follicited to accept of them, net being willing to have it thought they were by Terror mov’d](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30455856_0018.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
