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The Finances of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Century: a Preliminary Survey1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2011

Kathleen Major
Affiliation:
Fellow of St. Hilda's College and Reader in Diplomatic, University of Oxford

Extract

The organisation of the properties of a medieval secular cathedral like Lincoln differed radically from that of a monastic foundation like Canterbury or Durham. In the latter the endowments, though particular estates might be permanently assigned to one or other of the obedientiaries, were all used for the community as a whole. At Lincoln great estates and wealthy rectories were allotted to individual canons as their prebends so that accounts of these never came into those of the chapter except in vacancies of the prebends, which were rarely of long duration. The properties which were used for the additional payment of those of the canons who were in residence (their commons) and for the maintenance of the services and general administration were known as the Communa or Common Fund of the canons. It is from the records of this Common Fund that we learn much of the internal management of chapter affairs and of the relations of the chapter with external bodies.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1954

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References

page 150 note 1 Reg. Ant., no. 252. It is not possible to trace the date of all these donations more precisely but those on which some information is obtainable is given below. The orchard was given by Henry I and confirmed by Henry II (ibid., nos. 23, 171). The land of St. Mary where Tetbert dwells was recorded as not having paid geld in 1086: Canon Foster thought it might be the land in ‘Sayntemaristyg’ near the High St. mentioned in certain twelfth-century charters (L.R.S., xix. 7). The Friesthorpe fee had been given before 1115–8 (see note to Reg. Ant., no. 252). Jocelin son of Lambert was a Domesday tenant with extensive holdings in Lindsey but is not mentioned as having any land in Kelsey (L.R.S., xix. 131–5). The chapter had a carucate there in the early twelfth century which is possibly to be indentified with this property and which they granted to William son of Hacon 1123–47 (Reg. Ant., no. 1278). Hacon, who gave the tithe in Cuxwold, was a Domesday tenant whose son William was holding seven and a half bovates in Cuxwold in 1115–8 (L.R.S., xix. 247). Though there is no certain evidence it is possible that Hacon gave the church of Hainton, as his estate in that village is the one by which he was usually designated (see C. W. Foster, A History of Aisthorpe and Thorpe in the Fallows, 33–42). The land in Spridlington of which tithe was granted was that of the Kyme family (Reg. Ant., no. 255). In 1115–8 Alfred of Laughton held a carucate in Scawby of William Mischin (L.R.S., xix. 238). Colegrim was a Domesday tenant of the Count of Brittany: for his family see C. T. Clay (ed.), The Honour of Richmond, Early Yorkshire Charters, v. 255–8. For a further note on these tithes see Reg. Ant., no. 252. For the gift of Alice and Roger de Condet see ibid., nos. 1101–2 and for an account of that family see ibid., i. Appendix II. The charters must be some years later in date than the original grant.

page 150 note 2 Reg. Ant., no. 255. Canon Foster identified Cala with Cheal in Gosberton but, in view of the lack of confirmation of this, it seems permissible to suggest that it is West Keal and that the carucate is the one which William de Roumare I had given to Philip son of Alan of Croxby and which at Philip's petition he granted to the Common (ibid. nos. 1853, 1856). The half carucate in Gate Burton may be the four large bovates, equalling six small ones which had been given by Roger de Trihantun and were confirmed by his son in the late twelfth century (ibid., 1137). The Common had four shillings rent from Kirkby mill from Walter of Amundevill in March 1162 (ibid., 1292). The tenement granted by Robert Darcy, Alice his wife and Thomas their son was in the parish of St. Paul (A/1/5 Registrum Antiquissimum, f. 156v as yet unprinted). The two bovates in Hykeham were given by William son of Geoffrey of Hykeham and Beatrice his mother and confirmed by Alexander son of Osbert of Stoke and Nigel his son before 19 November 1160 (Reg. Ant., no. 2123). The bovate in Croxby was given by William Beket in 1154–5 (ibid., 1389). The bishop's gift of a hundred shillings came from his rent of the archdeaconry of Lincoln and was for the making of bread and beer (ibid., 306).

page 151 note 1 It is these grants which form the bulk of the charters printed in Reg. Ant., vols. iv–vii: the charters relating to holdings within the city of Lincoln will appear in vols. viii–x.

page 151 note 2 Reg. Ant., no. 1497. Sometimes the land was acquired by canons to endow their own chantries and then made over to the Common (ibid., nos. 1132–4).

page 151 note 3 Reg. Ant., no. 896.

page 151 note 4 Ibid., no. 897.

page 151 note 5 Dij/90/52. 16 May 1292. C.P.R., 1282–91, pp. 375, 487: 1292–1301, p. 11. The grant was made by the king for the soul of queen Eleanor and the chapter were bound, out of the revenues of the manor, to maintain the chapel and chaplain of Harby, Notts. Here the queen had died. Harby was a member of the prebend of Clifton in the bishop's soke of Newark. The chapel which stood in the churchyard has now disappeared but was in existence until about ninety years ago.

page 151 note 6 Bj/5/2, f. 1v. In 1374–5 the farm was said to be worth £13 6s. 8d., formerly £16 13s. 4d. In 1375 it was worth £10 13s. 4d. (ibid., f. 14v). The land had not been farmed before 1370.

page 151 note 7 Bj/2/8, f. 3.

page 152 note 1 Reg. Ant., nos. 977–8 (Orston and Edwinstowe: other charters relating to these places are 979–89), nos. 999–1001, 1061 (Wellingore, which was charged with the annual payment of twenty-four shillings to the abbey of St. Martin at Séez), nos. 1002–3, 2099–2100 (Scredington), nos. 1037–8 (Glentham).

page 152 note 2 Ibid., nos. 825–7.

page 152 note 3 Ibid., nos. 833–5. A vicarage was ordained 8 June 1274. It was said to be worth £5 in 1291.

page 152 note 4 Ibid., no. 1007, 18 November 1267. A vicarage was ordained at Bierton, the altarage of the chapels having been assessed as follows—Bierton 15 marks, Buckland 6 marks, Quarrendon 8 marks and Stoke Mandeville 7 marks. The vicar was to provide three chaplains; 25 November 1294: ibid., no. 1081.

page 152 note 5 Ibid., no. 1005, 22 November 1274. Thirty marks were to be paid to the prebendary and forty-fifty to the vicar.

page 152 note 6 Ibid., nos. 1012–7, 1084, March-April 1272. A vicarage was ordained 20 July 1274 (L.R.S., xx. 123).

page 152 note 7 Reg. Ant., no. 1026, 16 September 1273.

page 152 note 8 Ibid., no. 1027, 30 June 1277. Vicarages were ordained in Castle Bytham and Holywell 13 June 1291: ibid., no. 134.

page 152 note 9 The advowson was obtained by the bishop 17 March 1260 (ibid., no. 1042): the church was appropriated to the chapter 12 May 1264 (no. 1044) and the vicarage ordained 30 November 1289 (no. 1057).

page 152 note 10 Ibid., nos. 1034, 1036, 1268.

page 152 note 11 Ibid., no. 1039, 23 April 1288. The dean and chapter had acquired the patronage between 1146 and 1158 (no. 144).

page 152 note 12 The advowson was bought from Thornholme Priory in 1305–6 (ibid., nos. 522–33). The vicarage was ordained 12 May 1310 (no. 534).

page 152 note 13 Ibid., no. 1079. The vicarage was ordained 18 December 1336.

page 152 note 14 The earliest evidence of a vicar of Skillington is in the mid-thirteenth century; Savaric (ibid., nos. 2136–40). His successor was appointed in 1275 (L.R.S., xx. 66). The first recorded institution of a vicar to Hainton was in 1263–4 (ibid., 14). In the early thirteenth century the incumbent of St. Nicholas, Newport, Lincoln was described as persona (A/1/6 Registrum Magnum, no. 441), but in 1288 Ralph Pylat was presented to the vicarage on the death of Elias, the last vicar (L.R.S., xxxix. 104).

page 153 note 1 Reg. Ant., nos. 358, 367–8. Others granted at the same time were thirty marks from Nettleham, a hundred shillings each from Grayingham and Stilton and fifteen marks from Wooburne (Bucks.). The last two were discharged when Hambledon was appropriated.

page 153 note 2 Ibid., 1088.

page 153 note 3 Ibid., nos. 298–9, 307. From Oxford archdeaconry the dean and chapter had two-thirds of the silver and all the gold and the silk, embroidery and vestments. Eynsham had the remaining third of the silver and any other offerings.

page 153 note 4 Bj/2/8, f. 114v.

page 153 note 5 Ibid., f. 138v.

page 153 note 6 Ibid., f. 5.

page 153 note 7 Ibid., loc. cit.

page 153 note 8 L.C.S., ii. 168.

page 154 note 1 The names of the provosts can be traced in the accounts.

page 154 note 2 Bj/5/13, no. 3.

page 154 note 3 The Auditor was Warden of St. Peter's Altar. Stretton was appointed to this office on 10 January 1300 (L.C.S., i. 326–7). He was at that time Clerk of the Common.

page 154 note 4 He held successively Thorngate and Sexaginta Solidorum. Le Neve, Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae, ii. 222, 208.

page 154 note 5 For a list of thirteenth-century provosts made in 1936 see Reg. Ant., i. Appendix II. Several names can now be added.

page 154 note 6 Loc. cit.

page 154 note 7 Loc. cit.

page 154 note 8 Dij/80/3/12.

page 154 note 9 A/1/6. Registrum Magnum, no. 537, circa 1263–7.

page 154 note 10 Reg. Ant., no. 2043. The date is probably 1273.

page 154 note 11 Dij/75/2/36, 1273–4.

page 154 note 12 Ibid., no. 1049.

page 154 note 13 Bj/5/13, nos. 2, 3 and 5, 1292–3, 1297–8, 1303–4.

page 154 note 14 Reg. Ant., no. 1600. The date can now be narrowed down to 1245–7 as Roger became provost in 1247.

page 155 note 1 Bj/5/3, no. 18.

page 155 note 2 Dij/74/2/45.

page 155 note 3 See p. 154 n. 13.

page 155 note 4 Bj/5/13, no. 5.

page 155 note 5 Bj/2/4 contains the accounts from the audit of September 1305 to that of 1318.

page 155 note 6 Bj/5/13, no. 6.

page 155 note 7 Bj/5/8, no 2c.

page 155 note 8 Bj/5/1.

page 155 note 9 Bj/5/8, no. 14.

page 155 note 10 Bj/2/6.

page 155 note 11 Ibid.

page 156 note 1 Bj/5/9, no. 5; Bj/5/2.

page 156 note 2 Bj/2/7 and 8.

page 156 note 3 Bj/5/3a and b. Bj/2/9.

page 156 note 4 Bj/5/15, nos. 20 and 21.

page 156 note 5 Bj/5/15, no. 3.

page 156 note 6 Reference was made to information in antiquo rentale in 1307 (A/2/22, f. 7v). The new one of 1378–9 was written by William Bower the underclerk of the Common (Bj/2/7, f. 7).

page 156 note 7 Bj/2/8, f. 92v.

page 156 note 8 Bj/2/5, f. 165v. The writer was William of Ingham. Bj/2/6 sub anno.

page 156 note 9 A/3/15, f. 9.

page 157 note 1 Minute of 14 October 1852 ordered that a survey of the vestry and room over it should be made with a view to its thorough restoration and the making of an entrance to the upper room from the outside (Ciij/15).

page 157 note 2 A/3/10 ff., 84–5, 87.

page 157 note 3 A/2/25, f. 3.

page 157 note 4 Bj/2/8, f. 108v.

page 157 note 5 A32/28, f. 4.

page 157 note 6 L.C.S., ii. 800–23.

page 158 note 1 Colin, nuncius, had ½d. a day de gratia for twenty-three weeks and two days at the end of his life in 1304–5 (Bj/2/4, f. 4). John of Sculcoates was admitted nuncius of the chapter in 1307 and swore to keep its secrets (A/2/22, f. 7). He is probably John, nuncius capituli, who received a robe worth twelve shillings in 1319–20 (Bj/2/5, f. 23) and was still in office in 1345–6 (Bj/5/1, f. 5).

page 158 note 2 Bj/2/8, f. 31v. In 1392–3, described as nuncius ab antiquo, was granted ten shillings yearly for the term of his life (Bj/2/8, f. 51).

page 158 note 3 Bj/5/1, ff. 5, 6.

page 158 note 4 L.C.S., ii. 169.

page 158 note 5 A/4/4, nos. 15, 16.

page 159 note 1 A/2/24.

page 159 note 2 Bj/2/6, sub anno.

page 159 note 3 Bj/2/7, f. 71.

page 159 note 4 Bj/2/6, sub annis.

page 159 note 5 Ibid., sub anno 1366–7.

page 159 note 6 Bj/2/8, f. 9v.

page 159 note 7 Bj/2/4, f. 15v.

page 159 note 8 Ibid., ff. 36–36v.

page 160 note 1 A/2/26, ff. 4v, 7v.

page 160 note 2 The first year for which the records of Diminutiones et Decasus survive is 1357–8 (Bj/2/6 sub anno). The accounts with individual canons are in the same volume sub anno 1359–60.

page 161 note 1 A/2/21, f. 8.

page 161 note 2 A/2/22, f. 1.

page 161 note 3 E.g. 1319–20, eighty-two ells of Candlewick St. at 14¼d. an ell and four dozen ‘duddes’ at 28s. the dozen (Bj/2/4, f. 23v). In 1320–1 the ‘duddes’ were bought at Banbury (ibid., ff. 36v–7). In 1365–6 the expenses of the Clerk of the Common going to London to buy cloth for the poor and returning via Bierton to transact business there were 25s. 7½d.

page 161 note 4 A/2/25, f. 3. Another for the same year is that for the house lately occupied by Hugh de Walmesford (ibid., f. 2v).

page 161 note 5 This was exhibited in Chapter, 4 December 1344 (A/2/25, f. 26).

page 161 note 6 A/2/28, f. 4.

page 162 note 1 E.g. John de Betun, who had two messuages at rents of 2s. and 4s. respectively, both of which were ruinous and for which the rents were in arrears, undertook to rebuild the houses in return for cancellation of the arrears and the reduction of the rents to 1s. and 2s. respectively for the term of his life (Dij/80/3/2). Further evidence is in Bj/5/15. Accounts of allowances made to tenants in consideration of repairs in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century.

page 162 note 2 A/2/25, f. 43.

page 162 note 3 Bj/2/4, f. 14.

page 162 note 4 Ibid., f. 25.

page 162 note 5 Loc. cit.

page 162 note 6 Loc. cit.

page 162 note 7 Ibid., f. 14v.

page 163 note 1 Ibid., f. 25v.

page 163 note 2 Ibid., f. 95.

page 163 note 3 Bj/2/8, f. 5.

page 163 note 4 Loc. cit.

page 163 note 5 Bj/2/8, f. 10.

page 163 note 6 Ibid., f. 145.

page 163 note 7 Ibid., ff. 145–6.

page 163 note 8 Bj/2/4, f. 138v.

page 164 note 1 E.g. messengers going to the bishop and elsewhere, £4 4s. 3d. in 1306–7 (ibid., f. 27).

page 164 note 2 Bj/2/5, f. 137v.

page 164 note 3 Loc. cit.

page 164 note 4 Bj/2/5, f. 139.

page 164 note 5 Bj/2/6, sub anno in section Minute expense. In 1364–5 he had a curialitas of 13s. 4d. (ibid., sub anno).

page 164 note 6 Bj/2/5, f. 56v.

page 164 note 7 Bj/2/4, f. 27.

page 164 note 8 Ibid., f. 36.

page 164 note 9 Bj/2/5, f. 181.

page 164 note 10 In expensis factis circa initiacionem scribendi registrum cartarum capituli videlicet in xii quaternis iam scriptis xis iiiid, non computata percamena (Bj/2/4, f. 4v). 1306–7, in scriptura quatuor quaternium de registro cartarum iv.s (ibid., f. 27v).

page 165 note 1 Bj/2/5, ff. 56–56v.

page 165 note 2 Bj/2/4, f. 15v.

page 165 note 3 Ibid., f. 26v.

page 165 note 4 Bj/2/5, f. 76v.

page 165 note 5 Ibid., f. 116.

page 165 note 6 Ibid., f. 76v.

page 165 note 7 A/2/22, f. 4.

page 165 note 8 Bj/2/7, f. 183.

page 165 note 9 A/2/28, f. 3v. This may well be the MS. which is now no. 85 in the Chapter Library.

page 166 note 1 A/2/30, f. 22.

page 166 note 2 He was instituted to the West mediety as an acolyte, 21 June 1352 (Lincoln episcopal records, Register ix, f. 198), and held it until he obtained the living of St. Mary Magdalen, Lincoln in 1361 (ibid., ff. 237v–8).

page 166 note 3 He died 30 June 1376 and was buried in the Minster, where his tomb was visible in the eighteenth century (Bodleian Library, Gough MS. 11, no. 138).

page 166 note 4 A Walter of Windsor, vicar, who died 3 March 1408, was buried near Dalderby's shrine (ibid., no. 96).

page 166 note 5 For Alan of Humberstone see ‘The Office of Chapter Clerk at Lincoln in the Middle Ages’ in Medieval Studies presented to Rose Graham, 183–4.

page 166 note 6 Bj/2/7, f. 94v.