Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535Power, Eileen
History
Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535
Power, Eileen
Convents -- England; Monastic and religious life of women -- History
"Also in the iiij yere of the same Jone Prioresse," runs the account
in Crabhouse Register, "Ffor myschefe that was on the chyrche whiche
myght not be reparid but if it were newe maid, with the counseyle of
here frendys dide it take downe, trostynge to the helpe of oure Lorde
and to the grete charite of goode cristen men and so with helpe of the
persone before seyde (her cousin, Edmund Perys, the parson of
Watlington) and other goode frendes as schal be shewyd aftyrward, be
the steringe of oure Lorde and procuringe of the person forseyde sche
wrowght there upon iij yere and more contynuali and made it, blessyd
be God, whiche chirche cost cccc mark, whereof William Harald that
lithe in the chapel of Our Lady payde for the ledynge of the chirch
vij skore mark. And xl li. payede we for the roofe, the whiche xl li.
we hadde of Richard Steynour, Cytesen of Norwiche, and more hadde we
nought of the good whiche he bequeathe us on his ded-bedde in the same
Cyte, a worthly place clepyd Tomlonde whiche was with holde fro us be
untrewe man his seketoures. God for his mekyl mercy of the wronge make
the ryghte."
The indignant complaint of the nuns, balked of their "worthly place clepyd
Tomlonde," is very typical; there was always an executor in hell as the
middle ages pictured it, and a popular proverb affirmed that "too secuturs
and an overseere make thre theves"[261]. In this case, however, other
friends were ready to make up for the deficiencies of those untrue men:
And the stallis with the reredose, the person beforeseyde payde fore
xx pounde of his owne goode. And xxvi mark for ij antiphoneres whiche
liggen in the queer. And xx li. Jon Lawson gaf to the chirche. And xx
mark we hadde for the soule of Jon Watson. And xx mark for the soule
of Stevyn York to the werkys of the chirche and to other werkys doon
before. And xxi mark of the gylde of the Trinite which Neybores helde
in this same chirche. The glasynge of the chirche, the scripture
maketh mencyon; onli God be worshipped and rewarde to all cristen
soules.
After the death of the good parson of Watlington, another cousin of the
Prioress, Dr John Wiggenhall, came to her aid, and in her ninth year, she
set to work once more upon the church, and she
arayed up the chirche and the quere, that is for to seye, set up the
ymagis and pathed the chirche and the quere, and stolid it and made
doris, which cost x pownde, the veyl of the chirche with the
auterclothis in sute cost xl_s._[262]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account