Sweet Hampstead and Its AssociationsWhite, Caroline A.
History
Sweet Hampstead and Its Associations
White, Caroline A.
Hampstead (London, England) -- History
But the disforesting appears to have been partial, and the building
limited to the east. Hampstead retained its woods in all their savage
wildness; the paths through them, to the terror of passengers, continued
to be scoured by wild beasts, especially wolves, which had not all been
extirpated when the ‘Boke of St. Alban’s’ was written.[27]
During Henry III.’s reign (1256) we find Richard de Crokesley, Abbot
of Westminster, ‘“assigning the whole produce of Hamestede and Stoke
for the celebration of his anniversary in that monastery by ringing of
bells, giving doles during a whole week, to the amount of 4,000 denarii.
A thousand to as many paupers on the first day, and the same dole to 500
others on the six days following. A feast with wine, a dish of meat and a
double pittance to the monks in the refectory. A Mass by the Convent in
copes, on the anniversary day; and four Masses daily at four different
altars for the repose of his [the Abbot’s] soul for ever!” With many
other daily forms and ceremonies. But the keeping of this commemoration
was found to be so heavy a burden that the monks petitioned the Pope in
less than ten years after the Abbot’s death to dispense with it, and he
very sensibly sent his mandate to Westminster, dated 5 Kal. June, 1267,
declaring that he found these things to abound more in pomp than the good
of souls, and “that it was evident they accorded not with religion, nor
were suitable to religious persons,” and recommending the monks to limit
the mode of commemoration to their ideas of the dead Abbot’s deserts, and
the advantages that had accrued to the monastery by his administration.
Upon which the said manors and revenues became at the free disposal of
the Abbot and Convent of Westminster, towards the welfare of the abbey;
an annual portion of 10 marks being assigned for making such celebration
as that sum would admit of for the said Richard de Crokesley.’[28]
At the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII., by way of a sop to
the Church, created a new bishopric, that of Westminster, giving it for
its diocese the county of Middlesex, of which he deprived London. Great
part of the revenues of the dissolved monastery were settled upon the
new bishopric, the manor and advowson of Hampstead making a portion of
it, but in nine years the new Bishop had alienated his lands to such an
extent that there was scarcely anything left to maintain ‘the port of a
Bishop.’
In this reign, while the Manor of Hampstead was in the hands of the
newly-made Bishop of Westminster, we find that a considerable part of the
woods still covered the ground in this neighbourhood, as well as in that
of Hornsey, and that game was still plentiful in them.
Of this we have proof in the proclamation of the King for the
preservation of his sport in these places:[29]
‘A Proclamacion yt noe p’son interrupt the King’s game of
Partridge or phesaunt.
‘Rex majori et vice comitibus London. Vobis mandamus, etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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