Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A62734
|
Notitia monastica, or, A short history of the religious houses in England and Wales by Thomas Tanner ...
|
Tanner, Thomas, 1674-1735.
|
1695
(1695)
|
Wing T144; ESTC R668
|
166,591
|
415
|
him the Benedictines at Carow in Com. Norf. and at Heyham in Com. Cant. the Black Canons at Thornâ—olm in Com. Linc. and the Cluniac Monks at Feversham in Com. Cant. owe their Foundations and endowments and the Knights Hospitalers their Commanderies at Cressing Temple in Com Essex and at Egle in Com. Linc. A. D. 1146. the Premâ—nstratensian Order was brought into England their first Monastery being Newhouse in Lincolnshire Two years after the Gilbertine â—rder had its rise at Sempringham in that County The troubles the Kingdom was for a great part of this Reign embroiled in could not restrain the Piety and Charity of the English from building Religious Houses to the number of fifteen of the Benedictine Order twenty five Priories of black Canons thirty five Cistercian Abbies six Houses of the Premonstratensian six of the Gilbertine and four of the Cluniac Rule one College two Preceptories and three Alien-Priories King Henry II. was very obliging to the Clergy especially after the murder of S. Thomas Becket of Canterbury He founded the first house the Carthâ—sians had in England viz. Witham in Somersetshire as also Waltham in Com. Essex Newstede in Com. Nott. Ivy Church in Com. Wilt. and Marton in Com. Ebor. of the Austin Order Newstede in Com. Linc. for Gilbertine Canons Stonely in Com. Warw. for Cistercian Monks and the Alien-Priory of Hagh in Com. Linc. In his Reign were founded twenty two Benedictine thirty Austin eight Premonstratensian four Gilbertine and six Cluniac Monasteries three Collegiate Churches six Preceptories for in the year 1185. the Templers came into England eight Alien-Priories and what is more remarkable almost twenty Cistercian Abbies notwithstanding it was contrary to a Canon made at the general Chapter of the Cistercian Order A. D. 1152 wherein the erection of any more Abbies of that Rule was expresly forbid because there were above five hundred of them already founded In Richard I. time the humour of going to recover Holy Land from the Saracens mightily prevail'd in England as well as in all other parts of Christendom And the mony design'd for pious uses being expended in those Wars and for the Ransom of the King there were few Monasteries built in this Reign viz. six of the Benedictine four of the Austin one of the Cistercian four of the Premonstratensian and two of the Gilbertine Order with one Alien-Priory This King is said to have mortally hated the Black Monks the Cistercians and the Templers and not only those three sorts but also all Religious Men for we do not find that he built one Monastery in England King Iohn tho' he was always prejudiced against the Ecclesiasticks yet he founded a stately Abby for the Cistercians at Beaulieu in Com. Hants to which he made Farendon in Com. Berks. a Cell He built also the Ben. Nunnery of Lambley in Com. Northumb. and made Otterington in Com. Devon an Alien-Priory In his Reign were founded seven Benedictine Abbies and Priories eleven for Regular Canons seven for Cistercian Monks one Preceptory two Premonstratensian Abbies six of the Gilbertine Order and two Alien-Priories In King Henry the third 's long Reign we find but four Benedictine Abbies and Priories built fifteen of the Austin nine of the Cistercian and of the Gilbertine and Cluniac Orders each one as also one of the Premonstratensian viz. Tichfield in Com. Hants which was the last of that Order that was built in England and one Alien-Priory viz. Rumney in Com. Cant. the last that was subjected to any foreign Monastery And the King himself founded only the small Gilbertine Cell of Fordham in Com. Cantab. For during this Reign came the Dominican or Preaching Friers into this Kingdom A. D. 1217. and the Franciscans or Friers Minors A. D. 1224. who for the pretended severity of their lives and their frequent Preaching were at first mightily admired by the people to the great loss of the parish Priests as well as the Regulars King Edward I. succeeded next who built the stately Abby of Vale-Royal in Com. Cest. In this King's time the Charity and Devotion of the English began to be very cold the greatness and riches of the Ecclesiasticks being envied by the Nobility and Gentry and the affections of the people alienated by the Sermons Pamphlets and secret insinuations of the begging Friers The Nobility and Commons being thus prepared the Statute of Mortmain easily passed A. D. 1279. 7. Edw. I. By this Act it was not allowed to any Religious person to enter upon any Fees either to buy them or to receive them of the gift of others without licence of the chief Lords upon pain of forfeiture and the reason of this Statute was because the services due from such Fees and which at the beginning were provided for the defence of the Realm are wrongfully withdrawn and the chief Lords do loose their escheats of the same Upon the making this Statute the Religious seem'd to complain and to supply the loss of new benefactions procured pensions privileges from paying Tithes and what the Church finds the inconvenience of to this very day Impropriations These last thoâ— they were sometimes used before yet after the enacting this law were obtained by Bulls from Rome on every small occasion A. D. 1295. the King seised all the Aliâ—n-Priories the rents and profits which issued out of them to foreign Monasteries in case they received as formerly being conceived of advantage to the Kings enemies In this King's time were founded three Monasteries of the Benedictine Order two Austin Priories three Cistercian Abbies one Preceptory and nine Colleges as also one Gilbertine Priory viz. Pulton in Wiltshire which was the last House of that Order in England In King Edward II. his Reign we find no great stir made about the Monks or their lands Indeed the Knights Templers were seised and their goods and revenues confiscated tho' they were not appropriated to any Secular use but settled on the Knights Hospitalers by Act of Parliament 17. Edw. II. In which Statute there are some things very remarkable which shew the opinion Parliaments in those times had of Church-lands It seemeth good these are the words of the Act to our Lord the King the Noblemen and others assembled in Parliament for the health of their Souls and the discharge of their consciences that whereas the Military Order of Temples were originally instituted for the defence of Christians and the Universal Holy Church subversion of the enemies of Christ and Christians and canoniz'd to the augmentation of the honour of God and liberal almsgiving That the foresaid lands and tenements in demesnes Lordships Services c. according to the wills of the givers shall be assign'd and delivered to other men of most holy Religion to the intent the fruits obventions and profits of the same lands tenements and other things may be converted and charitably disposed of to godly uses I can't meet with any Monastery founded by this unhappy Prince and indeed
the story of that time may see And for farther terrour to thâ— rest some Priors and other Ecclesiastick persons who had spoke against the Kings Supremacy a thing then somewhat uncouth being so newly set up were condemn'd as Traitors and executed And now that all this was effected to the end it might not be thought that these things were done by a high hand the King having protested That he would suppress none without consent of Parliament A Parliament being called April 28. Anno 1539. to confirm these surrenders so made as hath been said there wanted not plausible insâ—â—â—ations to both Houses for drawing on their consent with all smoothness thereto the Nobility being promised large shares in the spoil either by free gift from the King easie purchases or most advantageous exchanges and many of the active Gentry advancements to honour with increase of their estates all which we see happened to them accordingly And the better to satisfie the vulgar was it represented to them that by this deluge of Wealth the Kingdom should be strengthened with an Army of fourty thousand Men and that for the future they should never be charged with Subsidies Fifteens Loans or common Aids By which means the Parliament ratifying the before specified surrenders the work became compleated for the more firm setttling whereof a sudden course was taken to pull down and destroy the buildings as had been before upon that Dissolution of smaller Houses whereof I have touch't Next to disperse a great proportion of their Lands amongst the Nobility and Gentry as had been projected which was accordingly done the Visitor General having told the King That the more had interest in them the more they would be irrevocable And least any domestick stirs by reason of this great and strange alteration should arise rumours were spread that Cardinal Pool laboured with divers Princes to procure forces against this Realm and that an invasion was threatned which seemed the more credible because the Truce concluded betwixt the Emperour and the French King was generally known neither of them wanting a pretence to bring them hither And this was also seconded by a suddain journey of the King unto the Sea Coasts unto divers parts whereof he had sent sundry of the Nobles and expert persons to visit the Ports and places of danger who failed not for their discharge upon all events to affirm the peril in each place to be so great as one would have thought every place had needed a Fortification Besides he forthwith caused his Navy to be in a readiness and Musters to be taken over all the Kingdom All which preparations being made against a danger believed imminent seemed so to excuse this Suppression of the Abbies as that the people willing to save their own Purses began to suffer it easily especially when they saw order taken for building such Forts But let us look a little upon the success wherein I find that the said Visitor General the grand Actor in this tragick business having contracted upon himself such an Odium from the Nobility by reason of his low birth tho' not long before made Knight of the Garter Earl of Essex and Lord High Chancellour of England as also from the Catholicks for having thus operated in the Dissolution of Abbies that before the end of the before specified Parliament wherein that was ratified which he had with so much industry brought to pass the King not having any more use of him gave way to his Enemies accusations whereupon being arrested by the Duke of Norfolk at the Counsel Table when he least dream't of it and committed to the Tower he was condemn'd by the same Parliament for Heresie and Treason unâ—eard and little pittied and on the xxviii of July viz. four days after the Parliament was dissolved had his head cut off on Tower Hill And as for the Fruit which the People reapt after all their hopes built upon those specious pretences which I have instanc'd it was very little For plain it is that Subsidies from the Clergy and Fifteens of Lay-mens goods were soon after exacted And that in Edw. VI. time the Commons were constrained to supply the Kings wants by a new invention viz. Sheep Clothes Goods Debts c. for three years which Tax grew so heavy that the year following they prayed the King for mitigation thereof Nor is it a little observable that whilst the Monasteries stood there was no Act for the relief of the Poor so amply did those Houses give succour to them that were in want whereas in the next age viz. 39. Eliz. no less than eleven Bills were brought into the House of Commons for that purpose So far this Learned Knight Many other ill consequences that attended the Suppression of these Religious Houses might be here farther observed but besides that they would lead me into a long and tedious digression it is an an invidious subject which few in this age can bear So that 't is my design at present to take notice only of the great decay of Learning that was like to ensue the Dissolution in so much that in the Parliaments held 2. Edw. VI. and 3. Edw. VI. there were Bills brought in for incouraging men to give lands for the maintenance of Schools of learning And the loss of good Books was irreparable for Bale honestly tells us Never had we bene offended for the loss of our Lybraryes beynge so many in nombre and in so desolate places for the more parte yf the chiefe monumentes and most notable workes ' of our most excellent wryters had bene reserved If there had bene in every Shyre of Englande but one solempne Lybrarye to the preservacyon of those noble workes and preferrement of good lernynge in oure posteritye it had bene sumwhat But to destroye all without consideracyon is and wyll be unto Englande for ever a moste horryble infamy amonge the grave Senyours of other Nacyons A great nombre of them whych purchased those superstycyouse mansyons reserved of those Lybrary bokes some to serve theyr Iakes some to scoure their candelstyckes and some to rubbe their bootes Some they sold to the Grossers and Sopesellers and some they sent over See to the Bokebynders not in small nombre but at tymes whole Shyppes full to the wonderynge of foren Nacyons Yea the Vnyversytees of thys Realme are not all clere in this detestable fact But cursed is that bellye whyche seketh to be fedde with suche ungodly gaynes and so depelye shameth his natural Countrey I knowe a Merchaunt Man whych shall at thys tyme be namelesse that boughte the contentes of two noble Lybraryes for xl shyllynges pryce a shame it is to be spoken Thys stuffe hath he occupyed in the stede of graye paper by the space of more than these ten years and yet he hath store ynough for as many years to come A prodygâ—ouse example is this and to be abhorred of all