William Henry Gunner

“ We learn from the Suthwyk records that the inhabitants of Portsmouth are indebted to the liberality of the prior and canons of Suthwyk for the structure which is now the parish church of Portsmouth. There is a charter of privilege granted by Richard Toclive, bishop of Winchester, to the prior and canons, concerning the chapel of the blessed Thomas the Martyr, in the parish of Portsea, which they had begun to build with the advice and consent of the bishop. ”

“ From the records of the priory we learn a fact, which I believe has hitherto escaped notice, and which becomes highly interesting when we remember how ignorant we are of every thing connected with the family and parentage of William of Wykeham. His father, mother, and sister, were buried in the church of Suthwyk priory. ”

“ The late Bishop Milner, Vicar-Apostolical, in his History of Winchester, as also the anonymous author of an older history, have supposed that the Cloisters of Winchester College were not the work of Wykeham, and have assigned them to Fromond, the founder of the Chantry Chapel, which stands within them: they were probably misled by the terms of the commission issued to the bishop of Aghadoe, a copy of which is preserved in Wykeham's Register, and the original itself in the muniment room of the College. ”

“ The manor of Herbelyn was held of the king in capite, on condition of finding a man armed with an haketon, hauberk, bacinet, iron gloves, and lance, to keep guard at the east gate of the castle of Portchester in time of war, for fifteen days.
William of Wykeham was consecrated bishop of Winchester October 10, 1367. His statutes for these chantries are dated October 3, 1369. The priory of Suthwyk was therefore, in all probability, the first place in his diocese which partook of the liberality of that munificent prelate. ”

“ I shall conclude with a few extracts taken from a roll, headed, Expensa ultra onera consueta ab anno Regni Rie. 2ndi, xviiio usque annum Regni Hen. 4ti. 4tum. The first item which I shall cite is the cost of a pair of Organs:—
In I pari organorum emptorum anno Reg. Hen. 4to cum cariagio a London, vilib iiis iiiid.
There is nothing in the cost of such organs to put them out of the reach of many a church, and religious house. Yet it would seem that such instruments in those days were either not to be met with everywhere ”

“ The rolls of accounts of the household expenditure of the nobles, and of Monastic and other institutions of the middle ages, which have come down to us, contain most valuable information relating to the mode of the daily life, and habits, and customs of our forefathers. ”

“ Notwithstanding his liberal benefaction to the priory, a few years later he seems to have had reason to be displeased with the state of discipline and order in the house; for he held a visitation of the convent, "tam in capite, quam in membris," and issued some severe injunctions against divers breaches of the conventual rule, and even against some more serious offences. ”

“ Uninteresting and forbidding as they may at first appear to be, the Archaeologist, who wishes to become acquainted with the inner and more private life of the times which fall within the scope of his inquiry, should by no means neglect them ”

“ In this no mention is made of the Cloisters, and the Cemetery is spoken of as "locus in Cimiterium destinatus." They inferred from this that the Cloisters had not yet been built. The extract given above, with many others in these rolls, relating to repairs done to the Cloisters anterior to the time of Fromond's building, prove beyond a doubt that the Cloisters are the work of Wykeham himself. ”

“ It was built on a site given by John de Gisors, in a place then called Sudmede. In 1196, Bishop Godfrey de Lucy consecrated a burial ground at this church, on account of the great distance from the parish church of Portsea. ”

“ In the Suthwyk records there is an inquisition on the true value of Portchester castle, 32 Edward I., when its value was declared to be £10. 8s. 7d. ↑ There was formerly a manor called Candever Scudland, probably a corruption of the family name of Jordan Escotland, who granted his chapel, and the tithes of his manor there, with a virgate of land for the sustentation of the chapel, to the prior of Suthwyk. ↑ The receipt for the remainder, dated May 3, 8 Hen. IV., (1407) is interesting, as shewing the value of silver at the time. ”

“ On one occasion the Bishop is presented with hunting gear, the cost of which is found in the undated roll of t. Henry V. The items are as follows:—
In XII arcubus empt. apud London. mense Maio pro dño Epo' Wynton, et familia sua, ad dandum inter eosdem temp. venationis in diversis parcis suis comitatus Suthamptoniæ, xxiis viiid. In VI duodenis sagittarum pennis pavonum et aliarum volucrum pennatis, emptis eodem tempore pro dño Epo', xviiis iid. In VI duodenis capitum barbillatorum, emptorum pro dictis sagittis eodem tempore, viiis viiid. ”

“ Et pro portatione prædictarum imaginum et crucis ad manus artificum ad diversa loca London,' una cum expensis unius hominis—pro dictis operibus, viis.
Et pro una dome conducta ad conservandas dictas imagines post depictionem, xiid.
Et in tribus cases factis de tabulis ad imponendas dictas imagines cum clavis pro eisdem empt. et pro panno lineo pro eisdem involvendis pro eorum (sic) indempnitate tempore cariagii, xiiiis iid. ”

“ In uno lase serico viridis coloris cum uno knapp de goldwyr, iiiid. In XII huyres emptis ibidem ad dandum inter clericos suos ibidem eodem tempore, viiis vid. In cistis et coffyns empt. pro dictis donis emptis London. imponendis et cariandis de London' usque Wynton, xxiiid.
Mention occurs elsewhere of arrows feathered with peacock's plumage, probably esteemed as more choice than common feathers. John Palman, in 1436, bequeaths to his son "j. arcum optimum cum j. sheef arrowys de pecok." Wills and Invent. ”

“ Hist. Lit. ↑ Ex. gr. salted lampreys, and salmon, were procured from Gloucester; perch and tench from Oxford; crabs from Salisbury. Horses for the use of the College were purchased at the fair of Amesbury. ↑ Parl. Rolls, vol. vi., p. 223. The Promptorium Parvulorum gives—"Huwyr (al. Hurwyr,) Tena." In the Bursar's Roll, 12, 13 Hen. IV., above cited, with gloves and purses bought at London for presents, is the item—"In vi. huyres cappes empt', pro donis dandis, iiiis." ”

“ II.) una cum vitriatione IIII fenestrarum, et cum expensis dedicationis ejusdem cancelli lxviiili iiis ob.
Item solut' pro operibus cancellarum (sic) novarum (sic) de Heston et Iselworth cum vitriatione IIII fenestrarum et dedicatione earumdem, præter cs receptos de Cotfre dñi, ut patet in computo de annis xxiido et xxiiitio iiiixx xiiiili.
Item solut' pro operibus murorum cancelli novi (sic) factis apud Hampton in Com' Middlesex' una cum expensis factis pro materia providenda pro cancello de Twickenham ut patet, &c. (1, 2, Hen, IV.) , lxvili. iiiis viid. ”