tW' ^^^^Hn m iili m ^H&'/- -'-' '.' ■ ^^BK'. ''.-!'!' ' H^ivX':'; H:::>'::::: H:::x::i: >!'. H|| :■•;:■ Bii 'L ,;,,^^v.^^yA^^^«5^^<«;,^w■.«<^^;>;x>■W>y• 1 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Dale and its Abbey This large paper edition, limited tu two hundred and fifty COPIES, WAS printed for Frank Murray, Derby, Leicester, and Nottingham, by Bewley & Roe, Ltd., Derby. This Copy is numier.^.-Zlsf.. DALE & ITS ABBEY DERBYSHIRE BY John Ward MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF THE DERBYSHIRE ARCH^OLOGICAL &' NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY ILLUSTRATED FRANK MURRAY DERBY LEICESTER AND NOTTINGHAM 1891 SECOND EDITION ^ DA Ipreface ^ TO THE SECOND EDITION. The rapid sale of the first edition (published last October) indicated a more general interest in the picturesque story i)f Dale than I anticipated, and in order to render the book still more attractive I have re-written large portions in a more popular strain. A new chapter (Chapter II.) also has been inserted ; but this, together with the adoption of larger type, has necessitated the new cheaper volumes (6d. and 9d.) being abridged in other respects. The Is. 6d. size, and the more sumjituous limited edition which will be published by Mr. Frank Murray, however, will not be curtailed, hence will form volumes considerably larger than those of the first edition. Since my first edition appeared Rev. Dr. Cox and Mr. St. John Hope h.ive decided to complete the monograph referred to in my former preface. This large and more exhaustive work, with numerous plates already engraved, will meet with a special welcome from those of my readers who wish to penetrate more deeply into the history of this abbey, and I have little doubt that the demand for it will be greater than the authors anticipate, for this history is of more than merely local interest. I am indebted to the Revs. Dr. Cox and Dr. Cruikshank, the Guest- master of the Cistercian abbey of St. Bernard, Coalville, and particularly so to an old friend of mine. Rev. D. Beain, S.J., for their help and suggestions in the revision of this work. The following extracts from the Ilkeston Advertiier for May 23, 1891, will interest the reader, especially if he is a Roman Catholic : — "A re-awakening of interest amongst Roman Catholics in this ancient and once beautiful church of Our Lady of Dale, has been brought about by the exertions of the Roman Catholic priest at Ilkeston, the Rev. J. McCarthy; and in February, 1889, a shrine with that ins-ocation was erected in the Ilkeston R.C. chapel, and the Holy See granted a 'privileged altar' under that title. To emphasise this renewed interest a 'pilgrimage' was organised to Dale Abbey for Monday last (Whit-Monday), and Pontifical High Mass was sung by Dr. B.igshawe, the Kishop of Nottingham A temporary altar had been erected under a canopy at the foot of the 632257 ruined arch of the eastern window. The museum was used as a reccjilion room for the clergy and the choir boys, etc Various changes were made in his vestments, which were to the uninitiated somewhat mysterious, and the attemlaiit clerjjy donned gorgetius robes, the scene being one long to lie remenjliered by those present, for ils mediajval cohmrinj; and picturcsqiieness, the sumlire hues being supplied !'y the nuns who knelt in a conspicuous part of the ruins. The Mass sung w.as .Short's 'Noire Dame' with the usual ceremonial of the Catholic Church, the bishop celebrating. The assistant priest was the Kev. P. J. McCarthy (Ilkeston); the deacons of honour, the Rev. Fathers lirady and Hanks; de.icon of the Mass, Rev. Father Cantwell ; sub-deacon, Rev. M. O'Reilly; the ciiiiduclor of ceremonies, Rev. J. ReardonKane (M.C. Nottingham Cathedral). Others assisting were the Very Rev. Canon Douglass, the Rev. I. lieale, the Rev. Father Opbrocke (Lenton), and Mr. T. Carter (second M.C), Mr. Gregory, organist of Nottingham Cathedral, was at the organ, and the choir was drawn from the Cathedral and from Ilkeston Church The .Sisters of Nazareth also assisted the choir. After the -Mass, the bishop proceeded to the chapel of Our Lady of Pily, and there crowned the statue of Our Lady of Dale, the choir singing Ihe ' Regina Cadi.' . . . ." In the sermon which followed, the bishop gave a fairly good outline of the history of the abbey. J. WARD. Dkrby, August 17th, iSgr. preface TO THE FIRST EDITION. Sp.verai. years ago I read a short paper on Dale Abbey, the subject- matter bring mainly drawn from (Hover's translation of the ancient chronicle of the place. The more I stiKlic* of the church generally is Decorated. The chancel window is a beautiful specimen of Perpendicular. Note the alabaster ' Pieta ' ; the double reading desk with chained booKS ; the old ouV bench ends, and the monument of the celebrated Dr. Erasmus Darwin, 'physician, poet, philosopher' and grandfather of the late Charles Darwin. The Picia, or figure of St. Mary with the dead Christ, was found during the late restoration, under the chancel floor. The old hall close by the church has most of its ancient features 'restored ' away. MoKLEV Church.— Apart from the Dale relics, this church is a charming and interesting old structure ; and perhaps no other in ihe MidLinds \\-xs so fine a series of monumental brasses. The nave arcades are Norman, but the w:dls in which they aie inserted are older— perhaps Saxon The chancel, with its cist and south windows — the latter now unghi/ed and opening into a chapel — are Decorated. The rest of the building is of Perpendicular date. The Dale windows and painted glass are in the north aisle (see pages 64-8). There is also some painted glass in the south aisle and chapel, which, however, seems to have been made for this chapel. The floor at the east end of the north aisle is paved with tiles found during the restoration of 1845 ; moNt, perhaps all of them, came from the Abbey kiln. The arch of ihe picturesque porch, is said to have also come from Dale. The church- yard is picturesque, and extremely well cared for; in it are the blender shaft of a cross on steps, and near the tower, a ruined Tudor door\vay, a fragment of the mansion of the btathams and Sacheverels, whose monuments are a chief attraction of the church. (3) By Midland Railway from Derby or Nottingham. Station — Borrowash or Spondon, 3I and 4 miles respectively south of Dale Abbey, (a,) Route front the former — Take the highway, straight and uninteresting, to Ockbrook (i mile); there, inquire for Little Hay Granite [i\ miles) — a farmhouse, formerly a grange of Dale. Beyond this house, the route is an obvious field path, which after a mile falls into an old cart- track going straight ahead in one direction, and to the left in the other. Either way may be taken. If the former, pass through the stile on the left side of the farmhouse that will shortly be reached {Boy/my Gran^e^ another ancient Dale property — see page 26); the left field-path will soon make a steep descent into Dale from above the Hermitage. In the field immediately behind the house are indications of the old moat and other hollows. If the other way is chosen, follow the cart-track between some deserted farm buildings two fields away — the Malt House once another property of the Abbey THE VILLAGE AND HOW TO GET THERE. 15 (see page 40). Beyond, it continues its left-hand course for two fields more, when it veers round to the right and makes a descent through a coppice to Dale Church, {b) Route from Spondon Stiitt,,ii — Take the Kirk Hallam road (a very unin- teresting one) as far as Dunns Hill (3^ miles), and then follow the pretty valley-path on the right to Dale Church. OcKBKooK has little to attract the passer-by. The tower and spire are the only remaining portions of the ancient fabric of the church. This church was formerly a chapel to Elvaston, and with that church was granted to Shelford Priory. _ The Moravians have had a large settlement here since 1750. This parish will be frequently mentioned in connection with Dale. (4) From Derby, on Foot.- — An extremely pretty walk of 6J miles may be made by following u[) the foot-path almost facing the entrance of the New Cemetery on the Nottingham-road, to Chaddesden, where inquire for the bridle-path through Lo> ko Park, the beautifully situated seat of William Drury-Lowe, Esq. When Dunns Hill is reached, follow the valley-path to Dale Church as above CHADDKSDfN Church is Well worth a visit from the ecclesiologist. It is a ^ood specimen of Decorated (14th centur>) architecture, with Perjiendictilar additions, lo the latter j)criod belong the western extensions of the aisles, the tower, the east window of the south aisle, and its neighbour in the south wall (both said to have come from Dale), and the beautiful chancel screen. The interesting stone book- lectem in the chancel, with recess (credence tat.le ?) below, and the old chalice- shaped font must not lie ov-jrijoked. A member of the De Chadilcsden family founded a chantry here, relics uf which are the stone altar-pieces, one at the east end of each aisle ; that in the north aisle has traces of fresco, and at each end are the remains of a bracket that once, no doubt, supported an image. Another member was a benefactor to Dale. (5) From Ilkeston, on Foot, 3 miles. This admits of little variation, and is not very picturesque : make for Kirk Hallam and follow the Spondon road until after a mile and a half the branch-road to West Hallam is reached ; the footpath on the left is to Dale Alibey Csee No. i). Or a footpath through Lady Wood half a mile past Kirk Hallam may be taken instead. The .\ccoMMODATiON for visitors is not quite satislactory ; in fact, the villagers do not by any means make the best of their local advantages. As most of the visitors come for a half-day only, this is not much felt, and a cup of tea may always be obtained with the greatest ease. Mis. Wood at the Church House specially caters for the public in this respect, and can well accommodate parties of twenty or thirty. CHAPTER II. ilbc dbronidc of ©ale. ' Dust ate all the Iiamis that 'iV!oiis;hl, Books are sepulchres of lhoii<;ht ! ijE nrc wholly indebted to the ancient Chr<^nic/e oi Dale /or llie chain of events that led up tfi the foundation of the religious house, and largely so for the details of the foundation itself. A carelessly written 15th-century transcript of this chronicle, bound up with fr.igments of a 13th-century copy (perhaps the original), a list of the abbots, and transcripts of deeds, &c., relating to this Abbey, form a small quarto volume now preserved in the liritish Museum. Its author was a canon of Dale, and he gives us a clue to his name in the initial letters of the chajiters, which consecutively spell, or seem intended to spell, ' Thomas de Muscam.' We know nothing certain of him beyond what may be culled from the Chronich- itself; he may have been a scion of the once powerful family of Muschamp or Muskham, a name derived from the village of Muskham, near Newark-on-Trent, where the family held much land from a remote period. It was usual, however, for the inmates of a religious house 1. Cott. .MS. Vesp. K. 26. It cont.tins nearly 200 leuves. For particulars ste Rfliijiiary, Vol. XXI., or its reprint, now r.allicr scarce. Hermitages of Oepedate^ by the Rev. CVarles Kerry, and tlie Ocrby A. & N. H. Soc "s Journal, Vol. V. Dugdale's MonasticoH gives particulars of its contents. 2. The tnird abbot, 1233 — 1253. %5?«?rrii THE CHRONICLE OF DALE. 17 to be designated by thoir native places. For instance, in each with one exception, where the surname of an abbot of Dale has been preserved, it is a place-name. His father dedicated him as a boy to the service of God : to use his own words, he "took, in the midst of the flowers of boyhood and youth, the regular habit in this place (i.e. the Abbey) from the abbot, John Grauncorth," a venerable father lovely in the eyes of God, and deserving of love from men." And now in the evening of life (late in the 13th century — the date of the Chronicle) he loved to ponder on the memories of those days, and to recount the virtues of the " illustrious men " into whose fellowship he was then received. He was a man of literary tastes : his style was clear, everywhere indicating a cultured mind. In his opening passages he sets forth the circumstances under which he wrote. He had recently undergone some great sorrow ; and somebody he styles, "My dearest brother," having petitioned for an account of the origin of the Abbey, he seized the oppor- tunity not only as " truly virtuous and useful," but also as a means of withdrawing his mind from his sorrow. Hitherto, a history had not been attempted ; and it is with " true humility and benevolence " he essays the task, " that our juniors and others so inclined, may have the knowledge of past event.s done in this place in the days of our forefathers, which, if through neglect they should not be committed to writing, might be unknown to posterity." This brings us face to face with the important question of the trustworthiness of De Muskham's narrative. A most noticeable feature of the Clironlch is the close resemblance of many of its incidents to events in the life of St. Norbert and the foundation of his order at Pr^montrd — the order established at Dale Abbey. This parallelism, especially when relating to mysterious and supernatural events, may to some minds appeal as a miracle all the greater, a Divine corroboration of the heavenly calling of the order in the first instance. liut the majority of readers 1. The third abbot, 1333 — 1353, DALE AND ITS ABBE Y. will probably incline to suspect that these events reproduced at Dale were the out-growth of the fervid imagination, not neces- sarily of the final chronicler, but of the earlier transmitters of the narrative. The Premonstratensians were, in De Muskhani's early days, in the zenith of their popularity and zeal. Believing that their founder was the greatest saint of the age, and that their order was raised to re-establish, under God's inspiration, the canonical life and to revivify faith on earth, it is not strange if there was a tendency to see a special providence or i)rophecy befriendmg their cause in every event bordering on the extra- ordinary ; to unconscious exaggeration ; and to the uncritical acceptance as fact what a narrator may have thrown into his story by way of comment or private interpretation of facts merely. Still ^e. framework of the Chronicle has no analogy with the history of Priimontre except in two important particulars, and its references to local families and events so perfectly accord with what has come down to us from other contemporary sources, that the writer has little doubt that De Muskham did his best to set forth (to use his own words) " with Juillijiil pen " what he " knew by veracious narrative." The two excep- tion.it particulars are the facts that each abbey was situated in a wild valley and preceded by a small chapel. These may in some measure have been responsible for the more or less miraculous parallels, as for example the general indication by St. Mary in a vision, of the spot where the Almighty would have his chosen servant dwell and serve Him ; and the exact site where the abbey was to be erected, — in the case of Promontre, by the vision of a huge illuminated crucifix, to which a multitude of white-robed pilgrims from the four quarters of the world paid homage ; in the case of Dale, by a shining golden cross with worshippers from all nations., Another peculiarity may be here noticed : it is the frequent I. The Dale version of this story does not stale that they were robed in white, but UthLigus in n.-»rrating the vision, said " This vale shall be tfA//i with the flowers of the virtues." See Chap, iiu THE CHRONICLE OP DALE. 19 part that St. Mary, in name or person, played in the early history of D:ile. This may he to a large extent accidental, but the Premonstratensian Order was particularly devoted to her cult It was in a St. Mary's street where the baker (afterwards Hermit of Dale) lived and had his vision of her. It was in a church and on a day (Sa'.urday) dedicated to her that he bestowed the alms that brought him the favour of heaven. His life at Dale was to be specially devoted to her and her son, and he built there " an oratory in honour of Ciod and the Blessed Miiry." Finally the Abbey was dedicated to her, and its arms were charged with a canon invoking her. The Chron.cle deals with a period of about sixty years, which ended half a century or nearly so, before De fttuskham's connection with the house ; but he does not leave us in the dark as to the " veracious narrative " by which he learned the story. His chief authority was one whose name and memory were cherished by his confreres — the Lady Matilda .Salicosa- Mara, the found'-ess of their church. He recounts the incident : he had been four years or more in the congregation, when this lad)', then aged and full of days, came to Dale " to commend her end to God thiough the prayers of such holy men." On one occasion, the convent being summoned before her for the sake of discoursing, she related the early history of the place. It is true that much of her narrative related to things that took place before her time ; but no one was more likely to know the history of the place than she. The site had belonged to the family for, at least, a century ; her grandfather, father, uncle, cousin and herself had each befriended the religious settled there ; and she and her father were the chief endowers of the Abbey. Another authority whom De Muskham quoted was Humfrid, probably a canon or lay-brother. He certainly had been dead a long time, not so long, however, but that many in the house still remembered him. It was hardly likely that De Muskham would so confidently appeal to him if his honesty and truthfulness were doubted. His reminiscences seem to have DALE AND ITS ABBEY. extended further back than the lady's, but it is doubtful whether he was a contemporary of the Hermit. On another occasion (the narrative of the vision of the (iolden Cross) De Muskham gives no specific authority, but somewhat loosely speaks of the circumstance as " so well known to our fathers." For the s.lke of brevity, quotations from the Chronicle will be civen with double quotation comuuis. They will be, .is .1 rule, taken from Mr. St. John Hope's tmnslation in the Derby Archxological and Natural Hi-story Society's Journal^ Vol. V. CHAPTER III. Zhc Ibcrmit an^ tbc '(Some/ ' A little lowly hermitage it was Down in a dale hard by a forest's side.' ELIGIOUS houses not unfrequently had their starting- point in a hermitage. The Cistercian monastery of Pipwell (Northamptonshire) was preceded by a hermit who dwelled in a small cottage attached to a chapel. Bissmede, Stone, and T.Ianthony are other examples. The account of the Hermit of Depedale (the ancient name) is mainly drawn from the Lady Matilda, whom De Muskhani professes to ciuote verbatim. It is to this effect : — There once lived in the street of St. Mary, Derby, a baker, who on account of iiis piety and alms- giving, was in a measure, another Cornelius (an allusion to Acts X.). Every Saturday this good man bestowed on the poor in the church of St. Mary, which at that lime had a large parish,^ such food and clothing as remained above the passing needs of his household. This went on for years, until at length when reposing one autumn noon St. Mary appeared to him in a I. Lilcrally, S.ibb.-ith. This d.-iy w.-« dcdictlcd to St. Mary, and it wa» customary, and is still so in France and Itiily, to i;ivc alms on that day in her honour. ». It ceased to be a parish church before or early in John*s reign. — See Ckurckts of Derhysltirtt Vol. iv., loand 333. 82 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. dream, and said, " Acceptable in the eyes of my Son and of me are the alms thou hast bestowed. But now, if thou art willing to be made perfect, leave all thou hast, and go to Dcpedale, where thou shalt serve my Son and me in solitude ; and when thou shalt happily have finished thy course, thou shalt inherit the kingdom of love, joy, and eternal bliss, which God has prepared for those who love Him." Perhaps a long-felt wish for the solitary life was father to the dreim, and the dream itself, the seeming response to his wish, for we find that he awoke, thanked God, and with t-ommendable promptitude " straightway went forth without saying a word to anyone.'' A wild, woodland walk brought our baker to the village of Stanley near Dale ; but how he should have struck so straight for his destination, seeing that he knew only the name of it, we arc not told. But once at Stanley be was overtaken by what he deemed to be a special providence : he heard a woman ordering a girl to take some calves to DepedaU ! He followed, and in another half-hour or so was surveying the lonely spot — a marsh, and far distant from the habitation of men — he was henceforth to call his home. He soon, however, began to do the wisest thing under the circumstances, — to scoop out of the soft sand- stone rock of the south side of the valley, " a very small dwelling with an altar towards the south," and when finished he there "served (Jod day and night, in himger and thirst, in cold and nakedness." At length one day the woods of Ockbrook resounded with the baying of hounds and the blast of the bugle ; it was Ralph fitz Geremund, Lord of half the town of Ockbrook and of Alvaston-cum-Soka, and grandfather of the Lady Matilda, engaging, after an absence in Normandy, in the great amuse- ment of the day — the chase. Soon, his keen eye caught the curling smoke of the hermitage fire ; and startled that anyone should dare to make his dwelling there without his consent, he approached the spot and stood face to face with the hermit all clad in rags and skins. His misery, coupled with his e.xijlana- THE HERMIT AND THE 'GOME.' 23 tions, so touched the heart of the knight, that he granted him the spot, and bestowed upon him the tithe of his mill at Burgh — now Horrowash. De Muskham's next bit of history is drawn from Humfrid, whom many then living remembered. According to him the Hermit suflfered from scarcity of water, but at length he had the good fortune to find a spring a little westward of his abode. Near it " he made for himself a cottage, and built an oratory to the honour of God and the Blessed Mary." This spring is now known as the ' Hermit's Well ' ; and there is little doubt, that the present Church marks the site of his cottage and oratory." The next paragraph is the story of the converted robber, — a sort of [irophecy of the future greatness of the |)lace. At that time " the whole country between the bridge of Derby and the water of the Irrawysa (Erewash) was covered with wood," and was infested with a gang of robbers who preyed upon the numerous travellers between Derby and No tingham, and among whom Uthbgus was famous. In their wanderings some of these robbers found themselves on I.yndrik (now Linderidge, a low hill S.W. of the Abbey) : there they rested and Uthlagus fell asleep. During his sleep he dreamed that a golden cross stood where the Abbey was afterwards erecied, the top reaching heaven and tlie arms to the uttermost ]>arts of the earth, and that men came from all nations to adore it. He took it as a Divine message, and relating it to his companions, added " Of a truth the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. Children shall be born and shall grow up, and declare to their children the wonderful works that the Lord will perform in this valley ; fnr they shall come, as it hath been revealed to me, from the various nations, to worship the Lord in this valley, and to serve Him until the end of time through a succession of ag?s." He then declared his intention to amend his life, and embracing them, left them. It was not known with cer- I. I suspect ihat ihc .-\bovc lilhc h.id more to do with this removal to more convc> nient .ind comforubtc qu.irters. An interesting note on this spring will be found in chap. VII., under T/u Htrmita^t. 34 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. tainty what became of him, " but some, there were, who said he went to Depedale, and there in secret intercourse ser\-ed the Lord, and with a peaceful ind came to his rest." The analogy of this vision to that of Prcmontr^, and the fact that De Musk- ham gives no specific authority beyond that it was " so well known to our fathers," make it difficult to know where to draw the line between truth and fable in the story. Still there is no reason to doubt that there was such a robber, and that being touched from time to time with the simple piety and conversa- tion of the Hermit, a dream relating to the sanctity of the place may have decided him to follow in the good man's footsteps. Hermits. — No medixval ])ersonage appeals with stronger force to the imagination thnn the hermit, and none is more popularly misunderstood. The subject, however, is very intri- cate, and it is impossible to' give it even a sketch in a work of this sort, but a few words will interest the general reader. Romance past and present has ever dejiicted the hermit as a religious enthusiast living far away from his fellow men, in a cave or rude hut in the midst of some dense forest, clad in sackcloth or skins, and subsisting on roots and wild fruits ; who like Sir Laimcelot's hermit, was of necessity ' sometime a noble knight and a great lord of possessions, and for his great good ness he hath taken unto him wilful poverty, and hath forsaken his possessions ; ' or as Piers Ploughman's ideal, — ' holy eremites, That lived wild in woods, with bears and lions. All these holy eremites were of high kin, Foorsoolc land and lordship, anil likings for the body.' All this is true up to a < ertain point, but it is by no means a faithful picture of the eremitical life of the Middle Ages. In early times when hermits were (juite unorganised, and any man who had no temporal ties and chose from pious motives to live a solitary life, was esteemed one, it may often have occurred that the more ascetic-minded chose the s;)litude and fare of the forest: our Dale hermit is an excellent example to the point. But about the 13th century, in order to check THE HERMIT AND THE ' GOME.' 25 abuses and imposture, they were gradually brought under epis- copal control ; they then became in a sense a religious order, wearing a characteristic garb, usually brown, and henceforth no man could become a hermit except by a lawful appointment, nor could any appointment take place unless there was a her- mitage to be filled. The poetry of solitary wilds, skins, and roots now gave place to the more usual prosaic but useful race of hermits, who (as Piers Ploughman complained) ' Whilome were workmen, — Webbers and tailors, And carter's knaves, and clerks without grace. They held a hungry house, and had much want ; Long labour and light winnings.' Their substantial little houses were usually placed where they could be of some service to their fellow-men, especially to travellers, as by a bridge, a ford, a marsh, or at the meeting of ways in some dense forest, or even in the heart of a great city, taking in return for the services such alms as the pious chose to give ; but hermitages were sometimes endowed with pensions or estates for their inmates' maintenance. Depedale again is an example to the point. These hermits proper must not be confounded with ancho- rites or recluses, words which are frequently used synony- mously. Both classes professed the solitary life, but the latter in the stricter sense of obligation not to go beyond the precincts of their cells, or even the cells themselves (rcclusion). It was a common practice for a religious, with the consent or request of his superior, to withdraw from the common life and live as an anchorite attached to and supported by his monastery. In many of these instances the monastery had a permanently endowed anchorhold which when tenantless was granted as a mark of esteem to some member noted for his superior sanc- tity. The reader will see later that there is some reason for believing that the hermitage endowed by Ralph fitz Geremund was reserved for a similar purpose. It was also common for anchorholds to be attached to churches, and these! were often tenanted by ' ptiest-hcrmits ' who served chantry altars or were 26 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. licensed to hear confesssions. We shall have occasion to return to church anchorholds, when we come to the present Parish Church of Dale. Female anchorites (to whom the term 'recluse' was specially applied) were very numerous. Ihey, like the monk-hermits, were very frequently of gentle birth, and their anchorages were sometimes richly endowed; a Duke of Lan- caster, for instance, made provision for two recluses at Whalley, which included two servants and a chaplain, and twenty four loaves and eight gallons of the best beer a iveek. We now return to the Chronicle. The next episode is the grant of the Ockbrook estate to Serlo de Grendon on his mar- riage with Ralph fitz Geremund's daughter, Margaret. The Grendons were a wide-spread family, " most famous in the land, and men of great power," but little is known of them. This Serlo had an aunt who was also his godmonther (from which cirrumstance she was popularly known as " The Gcme of the Dale ''), and to her he assigned for life, ''the place of Depe- dale with its appurtenances, and all the land cultivated and waste which is between the lane that extends from the north gate of Boyha towards the west as far as Le Cockeysithe and Brunsbroc " ^ thus placing the hermitages under her protection. Depedale did not include the whole of the valley: the Abbey was erected in Stanley Park, "-contiguous to that ancient place of Depedale ; " and De Muskham always refers to the latter by name, but to the Abbey as " this place." The one belonged to Ockbrook, the other to Stanley ; and probably the Sow Brook that flows between Dale village and Church was the boundary. Boyhay (perhaps originally Bog-hay) is now a farmhouse in a dimple on the toplands, about half-a-mile to the south-east of the Church. A little later we find that the Grendons had a house here ; but if built at the date we are dealing with it must have been but recently, for when the hermit came, Depe- 1. An old Kngltsh abbreviation for godmother, just as 'granny' is now for grand- mother. 2. The sites of these are quite uncertain, A field aljove the Church is called the Cockshot. There is a farmhouse considerably east of the Malthouse, called liurnwood. The brook that flows through Ockbrook is sometimes called Barnes' Brook. THE HERMIT AND THE ' GOME: 27 dale " was far distant from any habitation of man ; " and the words "cultivated and waste" hint at the partial redemption from the wild. The Gome's son, Richard, was a priest, and he ministered in hiT chapel at Depedale. Her house was evidently away from the chapel, but all traces of it had disappeared in De Musk- ham's day." Her chapel: tradition has constantly made it to be the present Church, and to mark the site of the second her- mitage and oratory. Tlie Rev. Chas. Kerry considers that ' it is not likely, even were the Hermit dead, that she (the Gome) would ruthlessly lay violent hands on the sacred but humble retreat of the recluse, consecrated by so much devotion, but would rather seek to attach her new chapel to his oratory, so as to place her sanctuary under the shadow of a building conse- crated by so much devotion ; . . . . and, of course, her chapel being for sacramental purposes, would have a chancel.' There is very little doubt, however, ihat the Hermit was dead; still as there is good reason to think that he had successors to his hermitage, Mr Kerry's conclusion must be considered sound, and it certainly in a remarkable way explains the pecu- liarities of the structure. The e.xact period when these events took place is rather obscure. The Priory (see next chapter) was founded before 1 157, hence ihe Gome must have come to Dale earlier still. Raljih fit/. Geremund flourished in the reign of Stejihen, 1 135 — 1154. It seems impossible to get a more precise date for the Hermit, but probably his advent to Depedale fell some- where between 1130 and 1140. 1. It w.ns situnlcd *' in the upper pnrt of our garden tow.ards the south, in the pl.ice where there is now .t pond " (Roger de .Mcsby's— ;i canon of LJ.-ile). Dc Muskh.-tm sutcs thill when this jjoiid was maac, many worked stones of the house wore found. 3. Tlu Rttiquary^ vol. xxi., or reprint, fkt Hermitagt of Defictiaie, CHAPTER IV. Zbc priory of 2)cpcbalc. ' //ere man more purely lives, less oft doth fall. More promptly rises, walks with nicer heed, A/ore safely rests, dies happier, is freed Earlier from cleansing fires, and gains withal, A hritrhter crown.' jlHR Hermit, the Gome, and Serlo de Grcndon, each played a part in making Depedale a priory. The Hermit played his unconsciously; he made Depedale a holy place. The Gome first conceived the idea, or at least took the initiative, of making it the residence of holy men ; and her idea found a ready response in her nephew and godson, Serlo, who at her instance and under her management granted the place to the Augustinian canons of Calke, near Mel- bourne. This grant took jilace, according to De Muskham, " when the house of Kale was the mother-church of Repington (Repton)." This can be explained : Matilda, Countess of Chester, gave Repton Church and a quarry to the canons of Calke, upon condition that they should as soon as possible remove their convent to Repton, and make their old priory a cell dependent upon it. This grant was made sometime when Walter Durdent was Bishop of Coventry (1149-61), and the older remains of Repton Priory are certainly of middle twelfth century date. But we can reduce the foundation of Depedale THE PRIORY OF DEPEDALE. 29 Priory to narrower limits: in 1157 the canons of Depedale were excused a payment into the Exchequer', hence it must have been founded between 1149 and 1157 — a date considerably earlier than that usually assigned. The Auguslinian or Black Canons — so called on account of the black cloak that covered their habit — were a new starting- point in the religious life of the West, the older orders being Benedictine. In their first intention the Augustinian rules were designed to regulate the lives of the clergy, especially those living in community, as at cathedrals and collegiate churches ; whence the life was canonical or according to rule. Ultimately a more decided monastic tendency gave rise to the canons regular, such as those of Depedale and Calke. While the canon regular and the monk were alike in being religious, that is, in the profession of the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, there was this difference, — the former was of necessity a member of the clergy, the latter was so by privilege, indeed, he might for ever remain a layman and still be none the less a perfect monk. The underlying reason of this difference is seen less in the actual practice than in the original intention of these two classes of orders. The chief aim of the typical monk was the contemplative life ; the canon regular combined this with the more active hfe of the ordinary clergy, being l)y his profession attached to a particular church and devoted to the ministry of the Word and cure of souls in the name of the Church. Hence canons' churches were usually parochial, and their rule (that of St. Augustine) was less rigorous than the Benedictine. The little colony of Deiiedale consisted of a prior and five canons, one of whom was Richard, the Gome's son. In due course they built a church, " a costly labour, and other offices " ; and their prior obtained from the Roman Court, those privi- leges of a full-fledged monastery, the right to bury and perform the divine office when the land was under an interdict, — I. See Pifc Roll Tor that year 30 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. " a most valuable privilege " in those days, when an interdict meant closed church doors, silent bells, dusty altars, veiled images, unconsecrated burials, and the merciless threats of future retribution as well. Albinus (i 154-1 176), first abbot of Darley (an Augustinian abbey near Derby) was a benefactor in some way to this priory : perhaps his gift consisted of valuable manuscripts or rich hangings which were still treasured up in De Muskham's day. Depedale even then was famous; not only did the Grendons, " but many others, noble and simple, begin to frecjucnt the place, to endow it largely with their goods, and at their decease to leave their bodies to be buried there." Among the buried was Peter Cook, of Bathley, hermit, " a man of sanctified memory," and of whose deeds our author hoped one day to write. \Ve know but little of the possessions of this colony. It certainly held the Gome's Depedale estate, subject, no doubt, to a pension or corrody of food and clothing for her mainte- nance while she lived, a small piece of ground called Chase- more, and the Boy hay estate.' A spot so pleasant, so snugly secluded from the haunts of men, so conveniently near a forest well stocked with deer and other game, and the canons human as well as 'religious,' — small wonder that after "many courses of years," they should begin "to frequent the forest more than t'le church; to be more intent upon the amusement than the improvement of their minds, and to hunting than'to prayer!" A forest in medieval parlance was a tract of country, not necessarily wooaland, kept in a virgin condition for ' beasts of forest,' ' beasts of chase,' and ' beasts and fowls of warren,' and placed under a code of laws — the tyrannical Forest Laws — distinct from those of the nation, and with its own sjjecial courts and officers. The starting-point of these laws was the Norman ma.\im that the King was the ultimate proprietor of the soil, — hence the pay- I. The latter is proved by the explanation given for the poverty of the second colony, 9S partly owing to the lord of Ockbrook retaining this estate and mansion. THE PRIORY OF DEPEDALE. 31 merit of the relief by which the heir of the tenant-in-chief obtained his inheritance, and the escheat of the tenancy to the King if the tenant died heirless. By a similar process of reasoning all untenanted lands, such as the virgin forests and wastes, were said to be in the King's hands ; and the principle was carried to the wild animals — the direct property of no subject — and therefore he alone had the right to take them. This right he could grant to others, as in the franchise oi Jree warren ox free fishery ; or he could grant a chaie in the forest, or the privilege of enclosing a paik elsewhere. Ihe Peak Forest was a notable example of a forest, and many are the records, the traditions, and the ])Iace-names that keep alive its memory. But it is quite otherwise with that of our text; not even is there now the lingering tradition of its former existence ! This forest may have been of but a transient character. From Henry I. to F.dward I., the Forest Laws were a constant grievance and chief factor in every insurrection. The popular wrath was exceptionally strong against the forests made by Rufus, and in subsequent reigns a loud cry was raised for the disafTorestation of these newer ones. It is quite jjossible that thii forest was one of these, and at an early stage was disafforested. It is not surprising then, that the depredations of these canons coming to the King's ear, should bring upon them his vengeance. They must go. His deer must be preserved — priory or no priory 1 There was nothing left for them, but to resign their possessions into the hands of their patron and return to whence they came. Their prior " betook himself to La Magdalen (wherever that may have been) and there lived the live of a hermit man) days," perhaps as a jjcnance for his remissness. Depedale was desolate ! — how long, we do not know; it may have been for weeks, it may even have been for years. Hut at length its bells again announced the daily round of services and the ear caught the weird tones of Gregorian chant, and now 32 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. and again might have been seen the fleeting figures of its new residonts, in white, not in black as heretofore. For Serlo's son and successor, William de (Ircndon, had planted a colony-^six canons and a prior — of the new and popular Premonstratensian order from Tupholm Abbey in Lincolnshire. This order was a reformed offshoot of the Augustinian tree : it was founded hnlf-a century previously by the saintly Norbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg and chancellor and trusted adviser of the Emperor Lothair, at PremontriJ in that great hive of western monachism, France, and introduced into England some twenty years later. This great churchman waged incessant war against abuses, unbelief, lax discipline, and the usurpation of the temporal powers over the spiritual, which w;is widely manifesting itself at the time ; but his chief victory was over Tankelin, who denied the sacrificial character of the mass. As might be expected his strong personality and the sjjirit of his warfare jjermeated the new order. His followers were to be prompt in their observance of the canonical hours in choir ; to be zealous for the salvation of souls ; to lead a life of self-sacrifice and penance; and chief of all, to be especially devoted to the Holy Eucharist and to St. Mary, patron and protectress of their order. Unlike the Augustinians, these canons wore a white cloak, said to have been ordered by St. Mary, over their habit, whence their popular name, 'White Canons.' At the date of our narrative they were in the height of their popularity. From the first, poverty was the greatest enemy that the new residents had to fight against, and unsuccessfully too, for after a seven years' struggle it drove them away. Two reasons are given for their poverty, — the lord of Ockbrook retained Boyhay to himself, the canons holding only the Gome's lands and Chacemore ; and they " were much incommoded by the tre- quent visits of the keepers of the forest, and of others." Hospitality to all comers was a first law of all monasteries, and frequently it imposed a burden their inmates could ill meet. This Priory, however, was enriched by the acquisition of THE PRIORY OF DEPEDALE. 33 Stanley Park. The extent of this park can be roughly traced : the Abbey was built upon its southern margin, and Baldock Mill (near WV-st Hallam Station), built by a lay-brother of these canons, must have been near its northern end. The prior was a clever, but bad man; he was a coiner of false money, and his moral character would not bear investi- gation. When the Priory was given up he refused to return with his brethren to Tupholm, but he was soon found and taken before his abbot by force, and finally he committed suicide. Again was Depedale not only desolate, but "stained and sallow." Williaui de Grcndon then made another attempt to colonize the place. Five canons of the same order were brought from the Premonstratensian house of Wclbeck, Nottinghamshire, amongst whom was William de Hagneby,, who, in the final Abbey, was prior when De Muskham received the habit. Although poverty had again to be battled agqinst, the chief character of their five years' residence was bad luck, and finally they left on account of it. The following brings out the super- stitious notions of the age. By some means, in drawing up the lamps that were suspended before the altar, they all fell down and were broken into fragments. In consequence, the prior was called into the auditory or parlour, the place where conver- sation was allowed, and permission to speak being granted, the matter was rehearsed. He concluded that it was time for them to leave the place, " for nothing happened prosperous," and, perchance, "the Lord had judged them unworthy of the place, or had reserved it for better things." Shortly afterwards the abbot made a visit to the Priory, and he found them "enduring a life of great poverty, possessing few things in the granary, and fewer still for the bakehouse and the brewery." He was much concerned for ihem, and reproached himself that his brethren should be " perishing with hunger and thirst in the deserts," while at home there was plenty. So to Welbeck they returned. And Depedale was again desolate I <. Hagneby, a Lincoliuhire PrcmoiutTateiuian ablxy. ^^ CHAPTER V. Zbc Hbbc^ of Stanley pai'h. ' One after nu collected from afar. An undissolving Fellowship.' N spite of the three unsuccessful attempts to establish a religious colony, and the episode of the fallen lamps which even in our own precise and scientific times would pass for an omen of bad luck, Depedale was not to remain a waste. William de Grendon had done his best ; it was useless, however, to repeat the experiment under the like conditions. But now appears upon the scene, one in whom the proverb, ' A friend in need, is a friend indeed,' is well ful- filled — the Lady Matilda Salicosa-Mara, cousin to William de Grendon, and daughter of William fitz Ralph (son and heir of Ralph fitz Geremund) of whom she and her husband, Galfrid, held Alvaston. How her interest in Depedale was first enlisted we cannot say ; probably her cousin had often mentioned his troubles to her. However, about this time her father purchased the village of Stanley from Nicholas Chyld,' and his intention was to bestow it upon Matilda and her husband. Now they had been married more than seven years and were childless, and in consequence of this, when this I. For particulars of this family, see Chapter VIII. THE ABBEY OF STANLEY PARK. 35 purpose of her father came to their ears, they made a vow that this acquisition should be devoted to God. They laid the matter before him, and desired him as their lord to confirm this gift of Stanley to the Premonstratensians, and to be dis- posed to build a religious house of that order in his park of Stanley, — "that God, the most High, the retributor of good deeds, looking down u])on the pious devotion of our humility, may grant us the blessing of wished-for progeny, and on account of this benediction, grant to us and to you the bliss of eternal life." He took it that tlicir hearts were ins|)ired of God, and at once determined to carry out the suggestion. He therefore conferred with William de Grendon, his Ockbrook tenant, in whose gift was Depedale, with a view to tiie annexa- tion of the Priory and its belongings to the new house, — " I purpose by the advice of my friends, to found a house of the order of the Premonstratensians in my park of Stanley, immediately adjacent to that ancient place of Depedale of which you are the patron, and where three congregations of rehgious men h^ve successively flourished ; all of whom being attacked and driven away by intolerable poverty, have left the spot desolate. And I most truly am persuaded that you will bestow that jjlace upon my new foundation ; so that between thee and me, we may provide out of our lands and possessions . . . that the religious men who shall be called thither, may not be compelled by necessity to beg or to change their situation." It hardly need be said that William de Grendon rejoicingly met the wishes of his uncle, — " Blessed be the name of the Lord, who hath inspired you wiih so piou.s a purpose, and blessed by God may tiiey be who have given you this blessed counsel I . . . And I will bestow the house of Depedale upon your new house, and all its appurtenances which are mine to grant." But he made one condition, — "a priest of the congregation (/>. of the jjroposed abbey) shall every day in per- petuity, within the chapel of Depedale (which they must keep 36 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. in repair), celebrate mass for my soul, and for the souls of my ancestors and successors, and for the souls of all those who are at rest in Christ ; and, further, that upon the great table in the refectory there shall be placed one prebend of conventual bread, beer, and companage to be distributed to the poor."' This, William fitz Ralph promised, should be inviolably executed. The way was then clear for active operations. This knight " being occupied both beyond sea (he was Seneschal of Normandy) and on this side of it, in the business of the King," could not find time to attend to the proposed foundation ; he therefore made his daughter, Matilda, and her husband, his executors in the matter, and in due course armed them with the necessary " charters and other instruments." The executors then repaired to Newhouse Abbey, Lincoln- shire, the first Premonstratensian house established in England, "to lead forth a convent," that is, a body of canons duly organ- ised as a separate society. They were well received by Abbot Lambert, "a man of the highest prudence, true to his word, just in his judgment, provident in counsel ; . . . . who so instructed his canons in the sweetness of heavenly inter- course, that it might truly he said with the Apostle that their conversation was in heaven." Having explained their mission he held a council with his brethren and granted them nine canons to establish the order at Depedale. Of these, Walter de Senteney, the first abbot of Dale, was " a man of the highest piety," who had previously established the order at St. Agatha (Easby, Yorks.) with a convent from Newhouse ; he had also been somewhere else, not expressed in the transcript. His com- panions were John de Byford, the associate of Peter de Gousel, the founder of Newhouse ; Roger de Alcsby, whose name was afterwards linked with the pond on the site of the Gome's house ; William le Sores, and others. X. Mr. Kerry makes him the ^/oitndtr of a chantry in the Hermitage Chapel.' D.A. & N.H. Society's /<;ar»'pe is fairly proved by a comparison of the view of 1727 with Stukcley's plan of 1730. 3. Several of these windows are now in Moriey Church A PEEP AT DALE ABBEY 400 YEARS AGO. 45 which was used also as a parlour (i.e. place where necessary conversation was allowed), near the S.E. corner. Next to this was the magnificent double portal of the chapter-room, with jambs of engaged shafts and intervening dog-tooth ornament, and crowned with an arch of many mouldings. A little further, was a small pointed doorway into the sacristy', and near the northern end of this east alley was a larger one open- ing into the south transept, under the steps to the dormitory. Save for a slowly pacing canon — perhaps the Sacristan, he had just emerged from the sacristy— the cloister was deserted, the conventuals being assembled in the refectory. His white habit, intercepting in changeful pattern the rays that converted the tiles of the pavement into a glory of colour, added not a little to a scene that impressed our visitors greatly. The courteous Novice ne.xt admitted them to the chapter- room, a well proportioned chamber worthy of its noble entr.mce. Two slender clustered pillars supported the vaulted roof Two painted windows diffused a softened light from the far, or eastern, end. Round the sides upon a stone basement were the canons' seats, the Abbot's, between those of the Prior and Sub-prior, being at the end below the windows. On the floor were several monuments, one the beautiful effigy of a former prior of the house. Here, daily after Prime, the convent assembled to hear a portion of the rule read from the desk and commi-nted upon by the Abbot, or in his absence, by the Prior ; to pray a solemn requiescat in pace for the souls of members, or such as had been received to fraternity, whose death-anniversaries were recorded in the orbituary for the day ; to transact business, confess faults, and punish delinquencies, and again in the evening to hear a spiritual lecture before retiring 10 rest. The common-room, where the canons retired after reflection to warm themselves in cold weather, or to take their allowance of wine or other indulgences in diet granted I, lodicalcd on Buck's view of 1717. 46 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. them, lay on the other side of the slype and formed the south- east angle of the cloister. A peep through its half-open door disclosed windows on the left side : there was a sink in the sill of the nearest, and just beyond it a capacious fire place, the only one allowed the conventuals. 'There must be,' Henry thought, ' a geniality in the glow of its fire in winter, which, if I were a canon, would, I am afraid, make me long for the flesh-pots of the Egypt I renounced I ' The visitors were, of course, debarred from the refectory, the canons being at dinner ; but they distinctly caught the monotonous voice of the novice reading some edifying book from the pulpit. The canons' meal was saddened by a circum- stance that the guide afterwards related (talking not being allowed in the cloister) : a young canon, John Bebe", by name, had been guilty of a grave misdemeanour, anil was now under- going a forty-days' Gravioris Cu/pte as penance. This punish- ment consisted in sitting by himself on the refectory floor ; feeding on coarse bread and water ; no otie speaking to him ; and exclusion from communion and the kiss of peace. This accomplished, he was to be sent to the Hales Owen Abbey for seven years. The undercrofts with their ample stores of food and clothing, and the bright brazen pots and pans and snowy table cloths and napkins of the kitchen and buttery, the Novice decided to omit, so that the companions should have more time for the church. With excellent judgment, he would have them enter the church by the west doors, in order that the full sweep and perspective of the noble interior might be seen at the first glance. This was kind of him, for these doors were ordinarily used for processions only. As he anticipated, the cathedral- like character and size of the edifice ; the goodly array of painted glass mantling the cleanly white-washed' walls with its tender tints ; the lofty timber roof, broken only by the massy 1. Afterwards Abbot. 2. Abundant traces of white-wash were found on the stones during the excavations, and much still remains. Some of the hollows of the mouldings were coloured chocolate. A PEEP AT DALE ABBEY 400 YEARS AGO. 47 tower arches ; the great east window with its noble head of tracery showing high above the elaborate rood-screen ; the music of the organ' with clear ringing voice of a junior prnctising an introit ; the sweet redolence of incense, — all combined to entrance the visitors for a moment. As soon, however, as their thoughts resumed their usual groove, they began to inspect the details. The nave they observed to be about 30 feet wide, and 100 feet long. An arcade of three obtusely-pointed arches, sup- ported on clustered pillars of bold and effective design, separ- ated it from its north and only aisle. The upper-walls were pierced with six square-headed= windows, three on each side, and immediately above, was the low-pitched roof. These windows and roof were of more recent construction than the lower parts of the nave, being the work of Abbot John Spondon, half a century previously. The elegant font was of similar date ; one of the eight sides of its bowl had the Crucifix, and the opposite side, St. Mary and the Holy Infant, both ex- quisitely carved, — the remaining sides having each a shield and rose. The cover was a piece of new oak work ; its under surface presented the emblems of the Passion, and it was finished above in an octagonal pyramid decorated with emblems of the evangelists and other devices, all in relief.' The floor was of encaustic tiles ; and what was uncommon, some of them were disposed in bands for the arrangement of proces- sions, in place of the more usual stones. ' What a pity,' whispered the guide, ' that to-day is not a festival ; or the annual return of the Abbot from the great Chapter of Pr^- montrc, when the convent two and two, would issue forth through the western doors with cross and waving banners and chanted psalm, to welcome him, the great bell tolling and the church gaily decked with costly palls and baldekins !" 1. There was ' a pair of organs * at the Suppression. a. Shown on Buck's view. -). The font is now in the Parish Church, and the cover is at Radbourne. 48 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. Passing under the arches and vaulted ceiling of the tower, the party entered the north transept to take a peep through the timber screen that filled the arch opening into the Lady chapel, on the east side just beyond the parclose of Our Lady of Pity, with its small altar and alabaster reredos and image. This chapel was parallel with the choir, but did not actually join it. Its altar was ascended by four steps and was adorned with an alabaster reredos. The vaulted roof was rebuilt in Abbot Spondon'si time, to which period the elegant stalls apparently also belonged. Across the entrance of the choir was a new rood screen and loft, surmounted as usual with a crucifi.\ and the images of Sts. Mary and John. The basement panels" displayed the then fashionable linen-fold pattern with Tudor foliage. The visitors lingered below its arch to survey the choir which was a noble specimen of architecture, closely following the nave in dimen- sions. On its south side was an arcade of four richly moulded arches with clustered pillars and sculptured capitals. 'I'he arches were filled in with timber screen-works separating the choir from its aisle, yet allowing of a glimpse of the altar at its east end. Ihe opposite or north wall was pierced with pointed windows. From above, the light streamed through ten pairs of square-headed windows, five on each side. These were necessarily placed close together, hence the new clear- story seemed to be all glass and roof 4 But the glory, not only of the choir, but the whole church, was the noble old east window, containing over 300 square feet of glazing. It was of five lights, and its pointed head was filled with geome- trical tracery, consisting of a large central rose or traceried circle, and a smaller one on each side at a lower level. The altar was unusually large, and with its painted wooden reredos I. 1436—1469. 3. Now in front of the Hall pew at Radboume, see next chapter. 3. See Inz'entory, Chap. IX. 4. Built by the abbot of the time. A PEEP AT DALE ABBEY 400 YEARS AGO. 49 or table,' stood a few feiit in front of the east wall. Like the clearstory and rood screen, the stalls were also new, displaying on their ends the linen-fold pattern and foliage as on the screen panels. Some of their finials were very curious : one, at which the visitors lingered, was an allegory in oak, representing a group of heads — a youth's, an old man's, and a skull with horribly wide-open moutli, all in monks' cowls.' Before leav- ing the choir, the Novice pointed out the seats of Abbot, Prior, Precentor, and Succentor. The clocks warned the party that they had not many minutes to spare, so they hastily passed into the south transept. This transept had a small south door into the sacristy, and, as already noticed, another on its western side into the cloister, on which side also were the steps to the dormitory. Its eastern wall was perforated wiih two arches, — the left into the choir aisle and the right into a south chapel. Attached to the intervening jjierwas the Holy Rood altar, the altar of the laity. The view up the choir aisle disclosed that its eastern bay formed a pretty vaulted chapel, fronted with a screen, and having an extremely graceful east window showing high above the alabaster reredos of its altar. In construction, this window was not unlike the great choir window, but its head contained vesicas instead of circles. To the left of the altar was a founder's tomb in a recess of the wall with which the eastern-most arch of the choir arcade was partly built up, and it was surmounted with elegant canopy of carved stone. On the ojjposite side of this aisle was an arcade of three arches opening into another chapel, which as Hugh remarked, was of newer construction than the fabric generally. Arriving at the guest-hall door, they learned that owing to some delay there was still a quarter of an hour to dinner-time ; this allowed of a stroll round the base court. 1. ttrt'tntory, 3. Now at Radbournc Church 3. Invrntory, 50 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. Their attention, however, was detracted from the workshops, storehouses, breweries, and bakeries of this court, by an inter- esting conversation that Henry had struck up with the Novice, who in response to a query, stated that he liked tlie life well, and would not willingly change it for another. ' At first,' he went on to say, ' I found Matins the most irksome of my daily duties, but now I turn out the moment the Sub-sacrist sounds the dormitory bell ; but — Sancta Maria Fa/rona ?wstra singu- laris, Ora fro me ! — to rise at midnight in winter is much easier said than done ! ' He was not brought up in the house, as the education of youth was forbidden by the Premonstra- tensian rule ; still a good education was a sine qua iwn for the noviciate. He was now eighteen, and looked forward to early profession. When asked if he would not like to be abbot or prior, he feared that he had not ability for so high offices ; but he hoped after becoming a choir-religious, to early receive some high conventual office, perhaps that of precentor or sacristan, his father having introduced him with that end. Hugh afterwards confessed that this grieved him much : it could not he denied that wealthy parents too often ensured their sons obtaining these dignified degrees, but it was unfair to those who had merit but not wealth. Henry delicately referred to the late detrimental rumours about the inmates. ' If evil report,' said the Novice, ' spreads quickly, it dies slowly 1 These rumours belong to the lime of Abbot Stanley, who resigned a few years ago. This venerable father is really a very good man, and he is now honourably lodged at the expense of the convent ;' but during the latter years of his rule his age made him weak and easy-going, and the result was misrule and laxness. The present Abbot, however, has res- tored discipline, freed us from debt, and has the good word of our visitor.' The guest-hall bell now rang ; so with a hasty good-bye to the Novice, the companions returned to the hall, just as the z. For particulars see Chap. IX, A PEEP AT DALE ABBEY 400 YEARS AGO. s^ Cellarer entered the Abbey precincts from a visit to one of the granges. A portly form was his ; his business-like eye rested on the refectory and dormitory which were under his special care, and the lay-brethren present paid him profound reverence, for his office was high. Sweet little bells jingled from his bridle, and no horses were better groomed, and no servants more neatly attired than his ! The Hospitaller was an excellent host. In spite of sickness in the house, a large and varied company were assembled in the hall, who, grace sung and themselves seated according to their rank, soon made short work with the roast mutton and pork, the haunches of venison, the mountains of fish and fowl, the pasty meat and loaves of wastel and simnel i)read, — all washed dosvn with copious draughts of ale and beer Some visitors who were minstrels, volunteered a glee, and excellent it was pronounced ; and a tumbler caused such merriment with his antics, that all, fmm the knight and his lady at the upper table to the beggar at the lower, were convulsed with laughter. ' What a contrast,' thought Henry, ' between all this jollity, and the meagre repast and monotonous leading of the refectory.' After dinner, the companions attended the church for None; but they declined the Hospitaller's invitation to prolong their visit until the following day. They lingered on their return journey on the hill above the Hermitage to take a last look at Dale, when Hugh ventured to remark that such self-denial and devotion as they had witnessed did not look as though monasticism was worn out. ' Your premise,' Henry answered, ' I admit ; the order of the inmates is excellent. Your conclusion, I deny. 'I'ime was, when learning was confined to the cloister, — tJitn, the monks fulfilled a useful mission ; M(ru', learning is widely diffused and cheapened through the invention of printing, and the world would get on just as well without the monks.' ' Your admission, Henry, is candid ! Self-indulgent men are not given to rising at midnight, to spend two or three 52 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. hours singing in a cold church ! But look at this Abbey, — are not its roots of influence, wealth, and charity, too deep and widely spread to fail, while England lasts ? ' ' Of a nobler and greater temple was it once said, that not one of its stones would be left upon another, and in forty years it was fulfilled' ' Henry, thou art a prophet of evil ! Time will prove it ; so Adieu, Dale, Benedicite ! ' CHAPTER VII. Zhc present IRctnains. ' Tie solemn arches breathe in stone, Windows and walls have lips to tell. The mighty faith of days unknown.' A. The Conventual Buildings. HE visitor is presumed to have rcid the previous chapter, 'A Peep at Dale four hundred years ago,' hence to be familiar with the general character and arrangement of the Abbey as it once was. If he has not, he should do so at once, as much of the present chapter pre- supposes an acquaintance with the former. As late as the view of the Abbey ruins published by the brothers Buck, in 1727, and the visit of Dr. Stukeley in 1730, the south wall of the nave and a whole range of buildings round the cloister-court were standing. Indeed, so perfect were portions, that Stukeley could thus write, ' the walls of the cloister, the kitchen, the hall entire, and under it the cellars, at the end of the hall the abbot's parlour, all the ceilings well 1. A {aC'timile U ffiven in Tnieman's Hitiory of liMuton, 54 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. wainscotted with oak, . . . and a magnificent gate-house just dropping.' Alas, within a century later, nothing above ground remained except the arch of the great east window of the choir, a large fragment called the ' Kitchen,' forming the side of a cottage, and a portion of the gate-house. The arch owes its preservation to a tradition that so long as it stood the parish would be exempt from tithes, and on this account a portion of the high-way rate was devoted to its restoration fifty or sixty years ago. Thus matters rested, until in 1 8 78-9 the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society laid bare the sites of the choir. Lady chapel, transepts, the two south chapels, chapter-room, and parts of the common-room and nave. Besides the foundations and lower courses of the walls, many fragments of mouldings and other details of the super- structure, encaustic tiles, and other objects, were brought to light in the operation. So far as can be judged from the present remains, both the church and the claustral offices, with the exception of minor alterations and additions, belonged to that great church- building era, the 13th century, which has betjueathed us, Salisbury, Lincoln, anl Westminster. It is difficult to specify more exactly the date except in the case of the choir and its aisle. The tracery and mouldings of the glorious east window of the foi mer are characteristic Geometric Early Eng- lish, cir. 1250-60. The fragments of tracery of the choir aisle east windows are a little more advanced in style, indicating perhaps a lull in the building operations, — church-erection was usually slow and intermittent, and the builders ever conformed to the fashion of the day. The chapter-room may be a little earlier : the lower walls at least, of the Lady chapel, nave, and common-room are also of the same century ; and to judge from the view of 1727 the other cloister buildings were of the same, period, or earlier. It will occur to the reader that the Abbey being founded in, or shortly before 1196, either the canons were a long while in THE PRESENT REMAINS. 55 Choir. High Altar. I. North Transept. J. South Transept. K. Nave. L. Aisle of Nave. M. Lady Chapel. N. .\ltar of Lady Chapel. O. , Chapel, or Chuir-aisle with P. chapel extension, — St. Margaret's? c. Altar of St. Margaret's Chapel ? ^-iTi. V t f(Fmt.> 9 PLAN OV DALl", AHBKV. H. St Werhurgh's Chapel? Muniment Room ? S.icristy. Chapter Room. Slype. Common Room. Refectory. Cloister Court. Prior's Lodgings, with Guest Hall ? 5 6 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. building their church, or it was wholly rebuilt half-a-century or less later. There is probably truth in each alternative. The clwir was certainly rebuilt in the ("icoinotrical period ; but as it was usual to erect the choir first, maybe the rest of the church came in between an earlier and a later choir. The indications of older work are tolerably plain. The exca- vators of 1S78-9 noted that the N.E. pier of the crossing rested upon an older plinth, which is shown as a square on their plan, but which, probably, was boldly recessed towards the crossing. In the S.E. pier the 14th-century north and west responds are built against the flat surfaces of an older and apparently square pier. Tliese gaunt piers set rectangularly with the struc. ture have all the appearance of Norman or Transitional work, the latter, of course, being the style of the foundation period. The massive square foundations of the choir arcade pillars are apparently also of the same date ; they may relate to an early arcade with arches of equal span. The 13th-century arcade was somewhat out of gear with these foundations, apparently through the rcbuilders adding a respond to the east side of the great pier. To remedy this, yet so as to utilize the old found- ations, they planted their first pillar as near the east edge as possible of the square below, and even then the westernmost arch was smaller than the others. Nothing further can be ascer- tained of that short-lived choir, but the old S.E. pier seems scarcely, large enough for the support of a tower: there-builders certainly contemplated one, and to that end strengthened the pier. The tower — itteple would have been a happier term, since there is no positive evidence whether it was a tower simjily or a tower and spire — has already (Chap. VI.) been mentioned. As no indications of a steeple of any sort are to be found in any old account, plan, or view, and nothing was found during the excavations, that could be identified as having belonged to one, — what prools are there that there was a steeple at all.' Singly, the following are not very conclusive, but together they make evidence of some weight THE PRESENT REMAINS. 57 1. — It was usual for cruciform churches to have a steeple at the intersection of the transepts. 2. — The massiveness of the intersection piers at Dale proves that the 13th-century builders />//('«ut twelve months aRO, somebody carved a king's head on the west jamb of the doorway. He apparently was the mischi«vous individual, described as a 'gentlemanly m.-in,' who was caught in the act of carving his name on the Abbey ruins. THE PRESENT REMAINS. 73 used as a wishing well. The modus operandi is to go on Good Friday, between twelve and three o'clock, drink the water three times, and wish.'^ fe6©C»C>^^''^J^5C0li5e V- '"^ih-'^Si D. The Church. The little Church, or rather Chapel, of All Saints, is perhaps the most interesting relic of monastic Dale, and it certainly is the most puzzling. It is one of the smallest and most curious of English parish churches. Incorporated with it, and under the same roof is a dwelling-house — the Church House. Previous to 1827 the predecessor of this house (the old one was unfortunately pulled down a few years since) had been time out of mind an inn — ' The Blue Bell ;' and tradition has it that the bar-room served as the vestry and had a convenient door into the aisle, until scandal at length necessitated its being built up. The outline of such a doorway certainly can be traced, but it is doubtful how far we may trust the tradition : the doorway may have been stopped before the house was made 3. Mr. K. C. Hope, Anttfuary^ March, id90. 74 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. into an inn. But the eccentricities of this diminutive fnne do not end here. The communion table (a chest), Puritan fashion, is in front of the readmg desk ; and the latter occupies the orthodox site of the former, and has on one side of it, the tottering panelled oak pulpit of 1635, and on the other, the clerk's seat. The chalice is one of the largest in I^ngland, being 9 inches high, and its bowl 15 inches in circumference. The general appearance of the interior — the odd collection of pews and benches, and the numerous props and struts which have from time to time been introduced as the original timbers showed signs of decay — is extremely quaint. But the most extraordinary feature of all is the ' Bishop's Throne,' a massive arm-chair of dt cidedly domestic type, all a-glare with paint and varnish and decorated with nondescript scrolls and rosettes. This seat, it need hardly be said, is for the use of the celebrant of Holy Communion ; but how came it to bear so high sounding a title, or the mural tablet on the opposite side of the chancel to designate a former Earl Stanhope (the Earls Stanhope are lords of the manor) as ' lay-bishnp of this church ?' The Rev. William Fo.x, rector of Stanton and chaplain of Dale, has the original letter, dated ' Chevening, July 30, 1824,' in which the then Earl gave notice of this chair being sent, and instructions where it was to be placed in the Church. The Earl took great interest in this curious old structure, play- fully alluding to it as ' my little Cathedral,' — an epithet that fairly expressed the position of things at Dale, the township being extra-parochial and the living a donative. It is quite possible that he spoke in the same strain of himself as ' bishop,' and the chair as his 'throne;' but in any case his playful allusion to the Church would be amply sufficient to give rise to these popular designations. The writer is assured that the local mason who drew up the inscription for the above tablet, wrote down the Earl as bishop of tlie parish (!), and that some objections being raised, the expression ' lay-bishop ' was introduced instead, as a via media out of the difficulty. THE PRESENT REMAINS. 75 Mr. Kerry has dealt in The Reliquary, Vol. XXI., with the origin and history of this Church. He, as already slated, believed that the nave and chancel were the Gome's private chapel, and that the aisle and the old Church House at its west end marked the site of the Hermit's oratory and cottage. There is good reason to think that he was substantially correct. The present writer has, since the first edition of this work, contributed a fairly exhaustive and illustrated paper on the structural peculiarities of this fabric, to the Derbyshire Archaeo- logical and Natural History Society's Journal for 1891 : to it the reader is referred for a more detailed account. The Church is 26ft. long and 25ft. across, and consists, as may readily be seen on the accompanying plan, of a nave pro- longed eastwards to form a short chancel, and a south aisle. The nave has a north door (a). The chancel has a north flat- topped window of two lights (b), an east one of three lights surmounted with a shallow pointed arch (both these windows are well seen on the frontispiece), and a small south flat-topped casement window of one light (d). The aisle has an east (e), and two south (f, g) windows, all flat-topped and of one light each, and a west doorway now blocked up (h). The aisle is not marked ofl" from the nave by an arcade of arches ; but along the usual line for one is an oak screen, or rather frame work for panelling, the panels having long been cut out, — this we will call the ' Side Screen ' (i, k). Instead of extending to the south wall of the chancel, it finishes in a large post (k). From this post, another screen (the 'Chancel Screen ') stretches across the nave to the north wall (k, 1) : this has always been an open screen. These screens and their angle post are an integral part of the structure (otherwise they would, no doubt, have long since been removed), the post' being an important support of the roof, and the screens bearing the joists of the floor above. The second story floor, now reached by some ugly modern steps outside the south wall, extends over the whole 1. ThU post is iccD on the lefi-hand of the second story chamber in Fig. 4. 76 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. internal area except the chancel, so that the Church might be described as of two stories but with a common chancel.' The walls of the second story arc, with the exception of the north side (an obviously modern brick insertion) of i)ost-and- panel work, like the old Church House. The chief roof runs across the Church, presenting a timbered gable north and south Fi?. 2. while the other roofs — those of the chancel and the Churcli House (the old as well as the new) — die into it on opposite I. Similar internal arrangements are noted in Cutts' Middle Ages, at the clmpels of the preceptory of Chobh.ini, the Coi^ton Almshouses, Leicester, Tewkesbury Abbey Church and elsewhere ; and in Parkers Meditn-al Domestic Architecturfy at Markcnfield Hall (Yorks), Kast Hendrcd (Herks.), Ik-rkley Castle, Chibbern, Treccard House (Cornwall), God^tow Nunner>*, &c. Parker remarks that in tlicse domestic chapels (for such they usually were) the upper room was usually the place of the lord and his family or guests, and the lower for domestics. THE PRESENT REMAINS. 77 sides. This story receives light from a window under each gable. We will now endeavour to unravel the history of this curious building. There is no douljt that the nave and chancel at least, are that "Chapel of Depedale " which William de Grendon bestowed on the proposed new abbey in 1199 or earlier, on condition that one of its canons should daily say mass therein for the repose of his. his ancestors' and successors' souls. " The" not his cha, el, — this implies that it was no newl)-built structure, but one well-established and well-known in the district. Who can doubt that it was, half-a-century earlier, the Gome's private chapel — " her Chapel of Depedale ?" We may regard her date as approximately 1150. Is there anything in the present Church to connect it with her day ? There is. On the respond-like projection of the south wall of the chancel (facing the post k) is a fr.igment of Norman moulding — evidently the impost whence an arch once arose. This, and the wall in which it is built, certainly belonged to her time, and as the doorway is also Norman, the existing shell of the nave and chancel must be regarded as the identical chapel. The present aisle was built halfa-century or more later. This is proved by the wide splays of the narrow windows, and the character of the doorway into the Church House. In con- formity with the style of the period (Early English), these windows would be pointed : how they came to be square- headed as at present, will be explained shortly. The former Norman archway just alluded to, was not a doorway nor yet a window, hence it must have opened into a chamber of some sort, ui)on the site of the aisle. This would be the Hermit's oratory: the lady would naturally have her chapel built against it, and have an opening in the intervening wall to allow of its occupant participating in her son's ministrations. At a later date, say 1250, new east and north windows were inserted in the chancel, of which the jambs of the present are 78 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. relics. These jambs fit rather clumsily into the older masonry, and the fine white sandstone of which they are made contrasts with the coarse grit of the latter. The heads of these windows were considerably loftier than at present, and probably they contained geometrical tracery. For two centuries the structure seems to have remained prac- tically untouched. In the 15th century it underwent a great transformation, the chief end of which was to introduce a second Fi(T. 3. ►. story and a wing west-ward of the aisle. The introduction of this story necessitated the walls being lowered and brought to a common level, the windows being decapitated in the process. No attempt was made to re-arch the aisle windows, or the south one of the chancel; but the chancel gable being rebuilt, a shallow pointed arch was thrown over the east window, while that on the north received a stone lintel. An indication of THE PRESElSiT REMAINS. 79 these operations is well seen on the inside of the east window : on each jamb is an engaged shaft (now devoid of its capital) carried part luny through the arcli above. On the angle of this arch is a clumsy imitation of these shafts, but no attempt has been made to mitre it into thom. The existing tracery was inserted at the same time, and the new work may be readily distinguished from the jambs and sills by the quality of the stone. The new second story also necessitated the present roof-arrangement. Previously the Church had pro- bably two parallel high-pitched roofs, as in Fig. 3, (where the dotted line represents the level to which the walls were reduced on this occasion). The second story consists, as already stated, of a large chamber ; the north, south, and west walls (of substantial post-and-panel work) of which are erected upon the corresponding walls of the older basement. The east side, however, falls short of the east wall of the ai.sle,-^extending only to post k, which is the central roof-support on this side. This chamber is open to the chancel, from which it was with little doubt protected by a para]Ht of some sort. The nave was, at the same time, screened off from the aisle by a wooden partition in lieu, probably, of a former wall of stone ; and, it is almost unnecessary to say, the chancel screen was introduced at the same time. The present roof of this chamber — the great transverse roof of the Church — is the one then erected. It is sound, hand- some, and of peculiar construction, but unfortunately is hidden by a clumsy modern ceiling. It is divided into two bays by a tie-beam with accessories, one end of which rests Uj on post k, and the other on the west wall. The general character of this chamber (with the ceiling removed) will be gathered from Fig. 4. This chamber seems to have been entered from the second story of the Church House by a door, indicated at X. The wing consisted of a two-story post-and-panel house (see page 73) immediately behind the west wall of the aisle. This house underwent great alterations in 1651, — a relic of which 8o DALE AND ITS ABBEY. date, the parlour mantel-beam, is placed outside the new house. feet b Fig 4. Mr. Kerry considered that the only remains of the 15th-century THE PRESENT REMAINS. 8i house were the west end, the western-half of the north side, and probably the corresponding half of the south side, the posts of all of which were more closely placed together than in the newer portions. A bay window of the old house is inserted in the south wall of the present one. Mr. Kerry, judging from the mouldings of the screens, fixes the date of these alterations as about 1480, that is, during the rule of Abbot Stanley, the rebuilder of the cloister. The fact that the tracery of the chancel windows corresponds in design with that of the Dale windows at Morley, which were probably from the cloister, adds no little weight to Mr. Kerry's opinion. Fig. 5. It is clear then, that allowingjfor minor^alterations, this 15th- century transformation brought the Church to its present form. Fig. 5 is an ideal restoration : the post-and-panel work of the north end of the upper chamber (now brick) is copied from the south side, and the projecting bell-cote is conjectural, but the remains of tenons inside the gable prove that there was some such structure on the outer face. The stone bell- cote of Fig. 3 is also conjectural. Before the old house was 82 DALE AND ITS ABBE V. destroyed there was a broad buttress-like projection (shown in Fig. 2, n) on the outer face of ihe west wall of the Church, which admirably fulfilled the requirements of a basement to a turret. Recent investigation, however, has shown that it was more centrally placed with regard to the nave than as represented on the plan or in Fig 3. The former uses of this curious structure. We have no reason to suppose that the daily mass instituted by the Grendons ever lapsed during monastic times ; on the contrary, the indications in the chancel of the altar hacked away in true Reformation style, show that masses were celebrated here to the last. And the fact that, at least after the i5ih-ccntiiry alterations, the aisk- was shut off from the nave (as e.x[)lained on page 75) is strongly suggestive of an anchorhold or some such office. There are numerous examples of these curious appendages to churches, the more notable being those of Rettenden (Essex), Crickhowel (South Wales), Clifton Camp- ville (Staffordshire), and Warmington (\V'arwick). They usually consist of two small chambers, one often placed over the other, and attached to or near the chancel, having a window-like opening towards the altar. We do not know how the gap eastward of the partition at Dale was filled up, but it is signifi- cant that the projecting wall which bears the fragment of N rman moulding, does not present a neatly trimmed vertical face to the ground as we would expect the resp 0/ thi-i church, luho diea March 2, l8sS-' The font belonged to the Abbey church, and has been sufficiently described in a previous chapter. Many years ago it was removed from the village to Stanton Hall, where it served as a flower vase on the lawn ; then, it was brought back to Dale by the late Mr. Hancock, of Boyha Grange, and deposited in the churchyard ; and at length was introduced into its present and more appropriate resting place by the rector. The rich white satin frontal of the communion table was the work and gift of Mrs. Crompton, whose handiwork adorns many of our local churches. *♦♦♦♦♦ An old i)ost-and-panel house near the remains of the gate- house, is undoubtedly another relic of the Abbey, but what its purpose was is unknown. The front alone is exposed ; the remaining sides being built against by modern extensions and the next house. It is a simple parallelogram in plan, with a stone plinth and cellars. The lower story is divided into two rooms, in the larger of which is the recess of a large open tire-place, containing a modern grate. The excel- lent oak staircase also opens into this room, but it is now closed in. The upper story projects in front over the lower. In the disposition of its timbers and some other respects, this house has a close resemblance to the older portions of the old Church House, indicating probably that it was erected at the same time. ♦ ****♦ 86 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. The order in which the various offices of the Abbey are enumerated in the inventory' drawn up by the King's Com- missioners at the Suppression (1539), is obviously that in which they would naturally be visited. After dealing with the chwir, the visitors passed into the two south chaptls, and working round by the south transept and the crossing (noting the Holy Rood altar on the way), they entered the Lady chapel, upon leaving which they took the particulars of the Lady of Pity altar. Then followed the nave and some details of the church as a whole. Ascending the steps out o( the south transept, the dormitory was visited ; then returning, the round of the cloister was commenced with the vestry. The cha])ter-room, fratry (common-room), hall (retctory), hultery, and kitchen, were next successively visited. P"rom the latter, the base-court was entered. The curious mass of masonry, referred to on page 64, and known as the ' kitchen,' projected considerably .south- ward of the refectory, the south wall of the latter being indicated on its eastern face. On this projecting portion, which has always been exposed to the outer air, is a square-headed east doorway opening into what is now a sort of closet, but which formerly was probably a passage into the kitchen. At the S.E. angle are indications of a lolty and substantial wall extending southwards. This probably was the western boundary of the base-court, which accordingly would be immediately south of the refectory. The above doorway is with little doubt that by which the Commissioners issued for.h to visit successively the brew-, bake-, and malt-houses, and other offices usually found in a base court, and by which they returned to visit the various apartments on the west side of the cloister-court, called the 'Bishop's,' the ' Bonney,' the 'Elton,' and the 'Inner' chambers. After these they at once dealt with the granges in the district, no mention being made of the Abbot's lodge, the guest-house, or the infirmary ; so the Inventory gives us no clue as to their relative positions. 1. For particulars, see Chapter IX. CHAPTER VIII. Zbc lEnttovvcrs anb tbcir (Bifte. ' 7ie knights are dust. Their swords are rust. Their souls are with the saints, we trust.' r may be said — and with some truth, too — that se'fishness was predominant in the medieval bene- factor to a religious foundation ; that the element of barter underlay both the gift of the giver and the prayer of the monk, — ' If you will sing masses for the repose of my soul, I will pay you in broad acres I ' Is it agreed ? — then let the charters be prepared, and the compact be notoriously bounden on either side ! Be it so ; yet the common people were the chief gainers, for with all the faults of the monastics, it cannot be laid to their charge that they lacked hospitality, — that the poor were not fed, the orphan educated, and the wearied way- farer housed at their hands ; nor can it be denied that the system was the most effective power towards the amelioration of the masses and the dissemination of learning. No better proof of this can be needed than the general dissatisfaction of the poorer classes at Henry VIII.'s suppression of these establishments, which in the north gave rise to the 88 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. formidable ' Pilgrimage of Grace.' Dale was no exception to the rule : we have already observed that William de Grendon made provision for daily food for the poor ; and at a later date (1345) the half rectory of Egginton was appropriated to enable the Abbey to meet the increased demands on its hospitality." For these reasons, if for no others, these mediaeval endowers are worthy to be held in remembrance ; and obviously this work would be incomplete without a chapter devoted to them and their gifts. With the exception of a few small grants of a later date, our standpoint now is 1235, the year of Henry III.'s charter reciting and confirming all dona- tions made up to that time, which thereby gives in compact form the possessions of the Abbey. The community of interests and the reciprocity of obligations between tenant and landlord under the Feudal System render it difficult to un. erstand the feudal and social position of the one without a reference to the other. The reader must there- fore be introduced to Ralph fitz Geremund's feudal superior, Ralph Hanselin, with whom he is usually confounded. Ralph Hanselin was a successor, perhajis grandson, of the Goisfred Alselin of the Domesday Book, who held in Derby- shire of the King, Elvaston, Alvaston, Thulston, and Ambaston, as one manor; Ednaston and Hulland,as another; Egginton and Ockbrook, as two others ; a soke in Etwall, and St. Michael's Church, Derby ; and besides these, three manors in Yorkshire, eighteen in Nottinghamshire, sixteen in Lincolnshire and five in Leicestershire. For some unexplained reason, this baron did not inherit all these estates, forwe find,that so far as Derbyshire is con- cerned, he received only two-thirds of his patrimony, the remainder going to Robert de Cauz, a relative, probably. This early partition of the Alselin barony (which took place on or before Ralph Hanselin's succession to it, sometime between 1130 and 1 136) must not be overlooked by the county historian, for it is Lichfiild Episcopal RcgMers. Churches of Derbyshire, Vol. IV., page 185. THE ENDOWERS AND THEIR GIFTS. 89 responsible for changes and transfers that otherwise would be inexplicable.' Little is known of this nobleman: he was a leader on Stephen's side in the battle of the Standard, and he founded a priory at Shelford, his chief seat, near Nottingham, to which he granted the advowson of Elvaston Church, the chapel of Ockbrook, and lands at Alvaston and Elvaston. He died shortly before 1 1 7 1, leaving his vast possessions to Thomas Bardolf, who married his only daughter. Rose. The Bardolfs were an influential and important family of Norfolk and Suffolk. One of them was a counsellor of the hauglity Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, to whom Richard I. committed a large share of the government in his absence. The son of the above I'homas and Rose became Baron of W'ormgay, Norfolk, by marriage with the heiress of William Warren Another descendant adhered to Henry III. in the Baron's wars, and was made prisoner at Lewes. The last descendant of the name took part in the attempt of the Earl of Northumberland, the Archbishop of York, and others, in 1405, to place Mortimer, Earl of March, upon the throne. This led to the confiscation of his possessions to the Crown. Subsequently, the lordships tliat had belonged to Raliih Hanselin, with Birling in Sussex, were restored to his two daughters, who married Sir William Clifford and Sir William Phillip, — Elvaston and Alvaston belonging to the latter in Henry VL's reign, and under him the manor of Elvaston was held by the Blounts, and that of Alvaston by the Kreshvilles.' From the lord to the tenant. We know but little of Ralph fitz Gerkmund, the Hermit's protector, and still less of his ancestry. His name first crops up early in Henry II's reign, in the R(d Book of the Exchequer, where he is certified to hoki two fees of 1. Sec the firiit Pifil KoU. In the subsequent rolls wid C*rtifii:atts^ Ralph Hanselin and his successors nre :iccount:»blc for 25 fees; Robert de Cauz for \t\. For p.trttculap> and probable explanation, see Vcatinan's Feudal liistery^ Vol. 1, pages 2. Inijuesl. /"Oil tiii^rt., 19 Hen. VI. The abbots of Dale and Darley each held also a fee of him. 'ITie Hloiinls ultimately sold the m.inor of Klvaston to the Poles of Kadboum, and in or al>ont 1 ^^^ it passed to the Stanhopes (Earlt of Harrington), to whom it still remains, the Castle being one of their seats. 90 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. the old feoffment (i.e. fees granted his family before Stephen's reign) of Ralph Hanselin, and half a similar fee of Robert de Cauz. The names of the p'aces so held are not given, but they are in part supplied by De Miiskham, who speaks of this gentle- man as "Lord of half the vill of Okebrokt-, and of Alwaston cum soka." At the date of the Domesday Book, as already observed, Alvaston and Ockbrook formed part of Alselin's manor of Elvaston ; but previous to the time we are dealing with — perhaps whm the Hanselin-Cauz partition took place — Alvaston was made a sejMrate manor and annexed with its chapel to St Michael's, Derby, and under its manorial jurisdic- tion, i.e., ' soke,' were placed certain Alselin lands in the parishes of Etwall, Egginton, Elvaston proper, and Ockbrook. These constituted the Alvaston-cum-soka, of which Fitz Gere- mund, who may have been an heir of Alselin's great tenant of Egginton and Etwall, Azelinus, was mesne lord, Ralph Hanselin retaining in his own hands the manor of Elva-ton proper and his portion of Ockbrook. Ockbrook shared in the above- mentioned partition ; Hanselin having the southern parts of the parish, with the village and chapel, and Cauz the northern. It was the latier portion that Ral|)h fitz Geremund held as tenant, and whii.h he bestowed on his daughter and her husband, Serlo de Grendon. as her marriage portion. How this passed Irom the Grendons to the Abbey has been sketched, and will be more fully explained when we come to that family. His son and heir was \Villi.\m fitz Ralph, a gentleman who, unlike his father, stands out clearly in contemporary history. We know nothing of his early life", but to judge from his successful career which culminated in the office of Seneschal of Normandy, he must, as a child, have had an aptitude for learning. For twelve years, 1169 — 1181, he held the high office of Sheriff of the counties of Nottingham and Derby'', during 1. The earliest mention of the name — if it refers to this Fitz Ralph — is in the Pipt Roll for 1 165. 2. Pipt RolU. THE ENDOWERS AJ^D THEIR GIFTS. 91 the last three years of which, Serlo de Grendon, the brother-in- law just mentioned, or his son, acted as his deputy. A public duty of no mean responsibility, which he in common with Richard Mantel, fulfilled in 1171 and 1172, amply jiroves his capacity for office,- — it was that of accounting for the pannage, i.e., the proceeds of the acorns, and beech and other nuts for feeding swine, of the King's forests throughout England., We next meet with him as a justice, holding for several years a foremost posiii'-n on the King's Bench, until his preferment in 1 1 80,^ to the dignity of Seneschal or Dapifer of Normandy,3 an office which included also that of Chief Justice. The reader will recollect that his business with the King on both sides of the sea compelled him to appoint his daughter Matilda and her hushand, executors in the founda- tion of Dale .Abbey. As Seneschal, he resided in great state at the castle of Cnen, the chief city of Lower Normandy, where was held ihe King's Court. One little circumstance brings out at once the confidence reposed in him by Richard I., and his integrity of character : when this king went to the Holy Land he placed his fiancee, the Princess Aliz, sister to the King of France, in his charge, and he subsequently, unlike most others, stood firm to the absent monarch, resolutely refusing to deliver her up to his brother John.* He was a benefactor to l)arley Abbey as well as to Dale, bestowing U"on it St Michael's Church, Derby, the chapel of Alvaston, and a mill and lands in that parish, the arrangement then entered into to meet the spiritual wants of the parishioners causing in later times much discontent.^ He had at least six children. Robert fitz Ralph,'' his only son, was Prebendary of Lincoln and Archdeacon of Notting- I. Pipe Rolls \%Y\.y.\\. 3. In 1180, according to Madox. 3. He is mentioned as such in the Pipe Roll for 1183, the Kotuii NormaHnia for 1198, the Koi. de Fini^s for 1199, the RoL Chart, for 1200, &c 4. Madox. 5. Churcke* of Derbyshire^ Vol. III., page 137. 6. Note thacyf/s Ralph had now become the pemuuieiic family namt. 92 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. ham. Through the influence of his friend, Longrhamp, Bishop of Ely, and Lord Chancellor and favourite of Ric hard I., he was made Bishop of Worcester in 1191. He died in 1 193, and is said to be buried in the cathedral of that city." His daughter Avice, was married to Geoffrey de Musters who received with her, her father's share of the manor and rectory of Egginton,2 and they subsequently made over tlie advowson to Dale. Matilda and Galfrid de Salicosa-Mara have already come before the reader's notice. They received an estate in Alvaston, which she as a widow bestowed on the Abbey., It has been noticed that William fitz Ralph purchased Stanley with the intention of granting it to Matilda and her husband, but at their request it went to the Abbey instead. There is a statement in the Pipe Roll for 11 78 that throws a light upon this transaction : a Ralph Juvenis (Child)^ is there said to hold Stanley and to be an outlaw, and the Sheriff, William fitz Ralph, accounted 8s. 2d. for his goods, hence as Sheriff he was in a good position to purchase the estate from the next-of-kin, prob- ably the Nicholas Child of the text Another daughter, Edelina, was married to Hubert fitz Ralph, Baron of Crich, and a chief benefactor of Darley Abbey, who died 1 1 24. He had at least two other daughters, one of whom, Amelia, gave land at Boulton to Darley Abbey ; they, probably, never married. According to Madox, William fitz Ralph died in 1200; he certainly was dead before 12 19, for in that year we find his three heirs, Avice, Matilda, with their husbands, and Hubert fitz Ralph (his wife, Edelina, evidently being dead), granting lands at Alvaston, Elvaston, and Ambaston, on an assize of Mort d'ancestor.i Meagre as is the information concerning his personal character, it indicates his as a noble mind, a true 1. Gx^zvCs H istory o^ iyorcester ; Stubb's Kc£. Stur. Anglic. He is mentioned as ' Roberli Episcopi mei fratri ' in the deed of Matilda de Salicosa-Mara. 2. See Churclus o/ Derbyihirt, Vol. IV. 3. Dale Cfuirtulary — see forward. 4. See forward for particulars of this family. 5. CaUndar of Fines : D. A. and N. H. Soc.'s /tturnai. THE ENDOWERS AND THEIR GIFTS. 93 heart, and an active and social temperment ; and that while his public career was crowned with the greatest success, he was by no means unmindful of his duties towards his God. His daughter, Matilda, was married to Galfrid de Salicosa- Mara shortly before the last decade of the i2th century ;■ both were living in 1219, and probably also in 1235 when Henry HI. confirmed the grants made to the Abbey. She outlived her husband ; for as a widow, and without children, she made over her estate at Alvaston to Dale.= She died before 1252. Several small gifts of land and messuages were made to the Abbey in her husband's name ; these were situated at Sandiacre, Ocki)rook, Stanton, and Nottingham. Avice, her sister, seems also to have died childless, for William fitz Ralph's possession's descended at length to his great-grandson (the grandson of his daughter Edeiina and Hubert fitz Ralph), Ralph de Freschville, in which well-known family Alvaston remained for nearly 200 years.3 The Grendons. — To judge from the frequency of the name in ancient records, they must have been a wide spread family, but little else can be said of them beyond the statements of the Chronicle. At an early date (Henry I. — Stephen) a Roger de Grendon held a fee in Derbyshire of the Ferrers4 ; but we are not told where. The Serlo de Grendon who married Margaret, the daughter of Ralph fitz (ieremund, is described as the " Lord of Badeley ; " a place which, in consequence of a marginal reading, Bradeky juxta Ashbourne, in a 17th- century hand, is usually assumed to be that village. The writer is unable to find any traces of the family there, or at a Badley in Suffolk. The only alternative is Bathley, 1. At least seven years before the foundation of the .\bbey. He is mentioned in the Pife and Patent Rolls oi 16 and 17 John, and in the Testa de Neville as holding Gatton (Lincolnshire) in the same reign. 2. L^alc Cliartulary- ; she |;ranlcd for the love of God, and for the souls of her father, mother, husband, Robert the Bishop her brother, Wilelnia and Odelina her sisters, &c., all her domain with meadow and pasture land in the viU of Alvaston. 3. Hubert fit/ Ralph confirmed the Grendon grants 10 Dale, and one of the Freschvilles, the Fit2 Ralph grants to Darley. 4. Certilcates. 94 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. near North Muskham, and this has some countenance from the burial of Peter Cook, the anchorite of that place, at Depedale ; but against it must be set the absence of evidence that the Grendoiis ever had property there. His wife's dowry, the half vill of Ockbrook, which her father and afterwards lier brother, their feudal 1 )rds, held of Robert de Cauz and hi; successor, was the northern po tion of Ockbook parish, and comprised Depedale, Littlehay, Boyhay, and Chacemoor.' The story of Depedale — how Serlo de Grendon bestowed it upon his aunt, the ' Gome of the Dale,' and how she in her turn made it the site of a priory — has been sufficiently told. The other places apparently were granted to the priory at difTerent times by the Grcndons, and were more than once confirmed by the mesne lords (Galfrid de Salicosa-Mara, Hubert fitz Ralph, &c.). The site of Chacemoor is quite uncertain. Littlehay as a wood, wa? confirmed to Serlo de Grendon by his brother-in-law, with the royal license to convert it into a park.' Serlo de Grendon died before the foundation of the Abbey. His family, as given in the Chronide, consisted of five sons, Bertram, who became a canon in the Abbey ; William, to whose perseverance and generosity much of its success was due ; Fulcher, Jordan, and Serlo who after- wards confirmed his father's grants ; and three daughters. The chief interest, of course, gathers round William, who is described both in the Chronicle and the Pipe Rolls as a ' cleric' This does not necessarily imply that he was in holy orders, as the word (an abbreviation of clergyman) once only meant. At this period anybody who could read and write was a cleric or clerk, — Henry I. was Beauclerc on account of his learning ; and as the clergy and the lawyers were the only classes who could read and write, the name was customarily applied to them. I . .At a Liter date, 27 ITen. III. ( Testa di Nci'itU) this Ockbrook property was held by the Abbot of D:i!e .1S one fee of the Honour of Everinghatn (the Rvcringhams were the successors of Rob. de Cau^) ; and later still, 4 Ed. I. (Hittuired Rolls), the Abbot was said to hold Imlf tht vil of Ockbrook. i. This adjoined the p.irk of Thomas Bardolf — hence it must have been the southern portion of the Cauz fee of Ockbrook. THE ENDOW ERS AND THEIR GIFTS 95 This Grendon was educated at Paris, then the chief seat of learning ' He was the Abbe) advocate ; and as such, his duty would he to defend its interests in the secular courts, and, if necessary, in the field. The advocate of an abbey was usually some neighbouring lord, who in return for his protection, received many lucrative privileges, and very frequently con- siderable estates by way of fief from ! is ecclesiastical clients. Besides the Ockbrook lands he held of his uncle William, the half manor of Egginton, and ultimately much or all the other half, for his widow, Ermintrude, gave the manor to her daughter Margaret on her marriage to Robert Walkelin, a gentleman of Radbourn and Mugginton. This property was afterwards .divided between the two daughters and heirs of the latter, who were married to John Cliandos and William Stafford, from the former of whom have sprung the present Chandos-Poles of Radbourn.^ After enumerating Serlo's sons, the Chronicle becomes vague and almost illegible, and at variance with the transcript. A Robert is mentioned, who is made in the latter to be a son of Serlo by a second wife, '• Matilda, Lady of ... . and Selston ;"3 but in the former he is the husband of this lady. The transcript is obviously wrong ; and it is a pity his relation- ship to Serlo is not given, for what we know of this family proves that De Muskham's words, "The Grendons were at that time most famous in the land, and men of great power," were no exaggeration. Robert is frequently surnamed ' De IvCve- land ' — his chief seat being at the village of that name in Kent He bestowed all he held at Breaston, near Long Eaton, upon Dale. His eldest son and heir, Andrew, was living in 1256 when the younger son, Ralph, who in the Chronicle is spoken X. In ihe Pif>e RolHox 1201 he, in common with others, had the oversight of repairs at Harcstan (Horslcy) Castle, near Derby ; and he is described as ' cleric* 3. For ftitt p-irticuLirs of William de Grendon's connection with Egginton, ami his descendants, see Churches 0/ Derbyshire, Vol. III., J^d ; and IV., 184. 3. Selston, a small and prettily situated Notts, villagrc, near Alfreton. The abtive Imdy was probably a Do WandesLey. 96 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. of as " Lord of Boyleston and Leveland," died. This Ralph obtained the Boyleston (near Ashbourne) estates through marriage, and they, with those of Leveland, passed successively to his thiee sons Robert, Ralph, and Stephen, and finally to the daughter and heiress of the latter, Joan, in 1286.' We glean from various records, that this branch of the family held by inheritance the manor of Westminster and the custody of the Fleet Prison, there being several references to the first Robert commencing with 1204, and to his grandson Ralph in 1279." Foremost amongst the other benefactors to Dale was Hugh FiTZ Ralph — a name intimately associated with Ilkeston in the 13th century. At an early date, the Domesday Gilbert de Gant, the Conqueror's nephew, granted his Derbyshire fees — ■ Ilkeston, Little Hallam, Stanton and Shipley, to his seneschal, Robert de Miischamp,^ whose surname was derived from Muskham near Newark-on-Trent, where the family held much land. Hugh, the son of this Robert, was a great bene- factor to Rufford .'Vbbey' ; and his grandson Robert, was sometime custodian of tie King's castle of Harestan. 5 The latter died in or before 12 14, and his possessions passed to his d.uighter and heiress, Isabella, and her husband Ralph de Gresley, whose Nottinghamshire estates lay around Greasley, of which he was lord of the manor. Their daughter, Agnes, brought the united wealth to her hu'-band, the fortunate Hugh fitz Ralph, upon the death of her father in 1228. Hugh's name is frequently met with in the Pipe Rolls and kindred documents, between 12 17 and 1286, but little is known of his origin. He was probably the eldest son of Ralph de Wandes- Icy, a landowner at Selston and at Wandesley in its neighbour- hood.' In early life he joined the barons against King John. I. Nine years old when her father died. These particulars are from Inqutsts post mart. a. Inquest past morl.^ \2^<). Charter Roll, xvi^. Rot. Je Finihus, 1213. 3. So the Beauvalc Cftartuiary, Ijut the pedigree there given is erroneous* in several points. 4. Thoroton. 5. Pipe Ri>U, 6 John. 6. So Pym Veatman — Feudal History, Vol. I., p. 335-7. THE ENDOWERS AND THEIR GIFTS. 97 For several years subsequent to 1 236, he and Robert le Vavasour his tenant of Shipley jointly held the shrievality.' In 1252, he obtained from the King a grant of free warren for his demesne lands of Ilkeston, Greasley, and Muskham, and a market every Thursday and an annual fair for his Ilkeston manor. ^ His gifts to Dale consisted of lands, rents, services of tenants, &c., at Selston, Paynesthorpe (Bagthorpe near Selston ?), Wandesley, and Little Hallam, He was also a benefactor to Rufford Abbey and Lenton Priory. Through his grand-daughter and heiress Eustacia's3 marriage with Nicholas 1. Pi6€ Rolls, 20 and 23, Hen. III. 2. Charttr Rolls, 36, Hen. III. 3. The Beau vale pedigree blunders greatly making Ralph de Gresley the husband of Agnes instead of father, and Hugh fitz Ralph and Eustachia his son and daughter. \>\i%'\di\it (^Baronagii) ?iv\A Dr. t.ox {Churches, Vol. IV., page 257) both fall into the Beauvale pit. The Pipe Ro/l of 12 Hen. HI., expressly states that Hufjh's wife was Agnt:s, the daughter and heiress of Ralph de (Ireslcy ; and the Estreats 0/ Grants, 45 Hen. III., that Eustacia was the daughter and heiress of Hugh fitz Ralph. The latter seems, however, to have been the t;raniidaughttr of Hugh fitz Ralph, — so the foilowing brief pedigree from the Plea Rolls hy Q^n^r^ Wrottcsley (Antiquary, Jan., 1890):— Ralph Hugh — Joan (temp. Hen. III.) Ralph Nicholas de Cantilupe — Eustachia— William de Ross William de Cantilupe His father, Ralph, was probably, as already stated, Ralph de Wandesley. Joan, according to the Dale Chartuiary, was his second wife : his first wife Agnes, apparently left no children. Perhaps this explains a puzzling partition in the Musclianip-Gresley estates ; and as it particularly bears upon the early history of Ilkeston, the writer will be pardoned for introducing it in extenso. At various dates b<:twcen 1235 and 1302, we find these possessions divided between Hugh fitz Ralph and his descendants the Ilke.ston Cantilupcs, .ind William de Ross (fathrr and son), each side holding apparently upon an equ.-il ftxjiing. For instance, three fees (Ureasley and Claindon — Thoroton) in the Honour of Hcverel, that had passed from the Gresleys to Hugh fitz Ralph, were divided between him and William de Ross in and subsequent to 1236 — Hugh retaining only one of these fees : Pipe Rolls, 4 John, 5 and 16, Hen. III. ; Testa dt Neville, 1336 and 1240. Ilkeston, Shipley, Stanton, and Brcaston shared a similar fate from before 1237 to a later dale than 1302. — the Ross's holding apparently the larger share : Testa de Neville, 27 Hen. 3 ; Kirby's Quest', Scutate of 20 Edward I. In 1322 this gentleman, described as of Ingmanthorpe, made a grant of lands at South Muskham and Carlton — Thoroton, William de Ross was the second husband of Kustacia, and by her he had a son.Wdliain (so the above pedigree, the Beauvale Chartuiary, and Thoroton, who states that in 1278-9 he and Ralph de Wandesley went to law over Selston Church and that he recovered it as his wife Eustacia's right). Hut the curious point is that the above partition was a fact in hcx^rst hushamfs time, and still earlier, durin^^ thi li/e'titne of ner grandfather. It wuuld seem that William de Ross w.is .1 sufficiently near relative to .Agnes, this lady's step-mother, to enable him to successfully pose as a co-heir to her estates, her husband Hu^;h Iwing the other heir. However It was, these properties became united again, and owned by Nicholas de Cantilupe, the grandson of Eustacia, before \-i^j^Book 0/ Aids, 20 Ed. lU. 98 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. de Cantilupe, a large portion of his estates passed upon his death in 1264 to that celebrated family, some of whose monuments are in Ilkeston Church. Their grandson, Nicholas de Cantilupe, had a royal license to convert his house at Greas- ley into a castle, the ruins of which are well worth the antiquary's attention ; he was also founder of the neighbouring priory of Beauvale, of which also there are existing remains. One member of the family was Bishop of Wore, ster, and another, the saintly bishop, St Thomas of Hereford. Ilkeston at length passed to the Zouches, and afterwards by purchase to the ancestors of the Duke of Rutland, the present lord of the manor. > Another great benefactor to Dale was a second Robert de MuscHAMP, a contemporary of Hugh fitz Ralph, and relative (but neither son nor heir) of his namesake, the ;ather-in-law of the latter. The Muschamps were a wide-spread family. In the reign of Henry I. a branch was settled in the north,' descend- ants of which still reside in Northumberland. Then, as already noticed, there was an Ilkeston branch. As this Robert's gifts lay in the vicinity of Muskham — consisting of half the proceeds of a mill, half the Trent fishery, land and services of villeins at Muskham, Holme, and Bathley, and an island in the Trent — we may conclude that he belonged to the Muskham, which was, perhaps, the senior branch. ^ In our district he was Hugh fitz Ralph's tenant at Stanton.* The writer suspects that the author of the Dale ChronuU was a son of this gentlem;m. At the period we are dealing with, a Muschamp was Archdeacon of Derby and subsequently Bishop of Lincoln, and another was Bishop of Lichfield. I. For particulars of the Cantilupe connection witli Ilkeston see Trueman's History of Ilkeston. «. See Dugdale's Baronage. A member is now residing in Derbyshire : the first and fourth quarterings of his arms are Argent, a chevron, Purpure, between three flies, — an alUlsion to the name (Lat. Musca, a tly). 3 The Muschamps had long held land in this district under the Archbishops of York, the Everinghams, and others. The two Muskharas are not very interesting villages, but Holme Church is well worth a visit from the ecclesiolo^ist. 4. Testa de Nei'ilU, 27 Hen. 111. Robert and Galfrid de Salicosa-Mara also held a little land there. THE ENDOWERS AJS/D THEIR GIFTS. 99 Besides tlie above, there are other benefactors mentioned in Henry III.'s charter, but as their gifts were small or their families possessed but little local interest, we need only mention them. Several Tukes, a wide-spread family, whose Derbyshire possessions chiefly lay in the direction of Hilton, Findern, and Mickleover, are mentioned. Philip and Robert Tuke gave lands at Sandiacre and Hilton respectively, and Jordan, the manor of the latter place, less three acres. A little land at Boulton and Alvaston was given by Henrv de Bolton. Richard de Stapleford — whose ancestors, as the name imjjlies, had long resided at Stapleford — benefited Dale to the tune of three bovates at Sandiacre. Robert de Lexington, a justice itinerant for the counties of Northampton, Rutland, Nottingham, Derby, Lincoln, York, iStc, from 1229 to 1241, and previously governor of i'eak and Bolsover Castles, bestowed right of common pasture and other privileges at Ashover. One of his brothers was Chief Justice of the forests north of the Trent ; and another was Bishop of Lincoln. Nicholas de Chuvekcoukt, for the good of his wife's soul, &c , gave all he possessed at Little Hallam to the Abbey. This property, which was then held of Hugh fitz Ral[)h,' was a marriage - portion of her mother, who was a iMuschanip. William de Saumara (Salicosa-Mara ?), William de Aldwerxe, and William de Burouvlim gave lands in the vicinity of Kniveton and Brassington,^ between Wirksworth and Ashbourne : part of these was the beautifully situated Griff Orange, near the end of the Via Geliia N'alley. William DE Bathlev bestowed all his Muskham, Holme, and Balhley lands ; in 1242 he was a fellow tenant of Hugh fitz Ralph at South Muskham and Coliston, holding them of the Honour of Tickhill. Land at Croxton (in north Leicestershire ?) and Mickleborough (near Ruddington ?) was handed over by I. Ttsia dt S'nille, 37 Hen. III. 7. Tlic Abbot of Dale held 80 acrc6 in the fee of Brassiagton aod 10 acres at Hopton. Hundrtd Rails. DALE AND ITS ABBEY. Richard de Croxton ; some houses and acres at Derby by Robert Wurm, and a few hovates at Stanton near Dale by Galfrid and Roger de Salicosa-Mara. The grants subsequent to Henry III.'s confirmation charter were not very large ; several of the more interesting are worthy of a little notice. Closely following the date of this charter, some gifts of lands and rents in the vicinity of Trowell and Cossall on the west border of Nottinghamshire were made by members of the Trowell family. This family were, from an early date, connected with the village of the same name ; they were also landowners at Brinsley,' Bevercote,^ Leek, and Stanford-on-Soar, all in Nottinghamshire. Their superior lords, at all events at Trowell and Stanford, were an important Lincolnshire family, the Kymes, an early member of whom (Simon de Kyme) founded the Gilbertine priory of Bolington, and was a benefactor to Kirkstead, both in Lincolnshire. He married the daughter of Robert de Muschamp, whose accjuisition of Ilkeston we have just noticed. His son, Philip, founded Kyme Priory ; and his grandson took part in the barons' opposition to King John, and was also a benefactor to Lenton Priory, Nottingham. Part of the donation of Richard Trowell to Dale was a rent at Trowell^ which he received from William de Stanley. The Stanleys seem to have been closely related to the Trowells, and there is no doubt that they were identical with the Childs, mentioned in the Dale Chronicle and the Pipe Rolls* as holding Stanley near Dale. Nicholas, brother to William Child of Trowell, held (according to the Chronide) " Trowell, Boculscote (Bram- cote ?), Lamcotte, and Lindsay,^ of the Lord of Kyme," and 1. Calf de Trowell held half carucate of land in Brinsley by the curious render of one load horse worth 5s. and a sack, whenever the King went into W.iles. Ttsta de Neville. 14 John. 2. Pipe Roll, 5 John. 3. Thoroton. 4. Pipe Roll, 25 Hen. II. 5. In Lincolnshire. The Lady Matilds de Salicosa-Mara came from the " district of Lindsay " on the occasion mentioned on page 19. Her husband, Galfrid, held Gatton in that county in the time of King John. THE ENDOW ERS AND THEIR GIFTS loi other places are mentioned — " Honwys, Leston (Glover makes this, Leek), and Stanford," — some of these being places where the Trowells also held lands." The early history of these families and places is very intricate, and if it could be unravelled an interesting page would be added to the feudal history of the district. Glover made these Stanleys to be the progenitors of the present Earls of Derby, but it is little else than a guess." A rental of William de Trowell's gift to Dale (which included part of the patronage of Trowell Church), was to be devoted to buying wine tor the Eucharist for ever. Before the close of Henry III.'s reign, the Abbot of Dale possessed fifteen bovates of land and a wood in the sergenty of Sandiacre. This seems to have consisted of, or at least included, certain grants of land at Kirk Hallam, by Ralph de Hallum, Robert de Strelley, and Walter de Morley.sall of which were confirmed by John de Sandiacre as their chief lord. The Sandiacres had long been settled in the district, their name being derived from the neighbouring village, their chief seat The father of the above John himself had made over certain lands and tenements, and the patronage of the church at Kirk Hallam, the latter of which was soon expanded to include the great tithes. The chapel of St. Margaret in the Abbey of Dale was maintained out of these tithes — perhaps, as Dr. Cox suggests, one of the canons received them, and in return served this chapel* The Sandiacre lordships passed by marriage to the Sandiacre branch of the powerful family of Grey. The Strellevs were a Nottinghamshire family — their old home being the village of that name, where they held much land. Besides the grant — a meadow — at Kirk Hallam, Robert de Strelley also made over some land at Trowell. He was 1. If the names Trctveli s.nd Stanley are merely local variations of the same family, the above Nicholas may lie the Nicholas Trowell of the Pi/fe Kolls, n and 13, Hen. II. 3. For an interc-itinc disquisition on thi.s family, see Feudal History, pages 384.5, Vol. I. ; also D. A. and N. H. Soc.'i Journal, Vol. VIII., page 137. 3. Churches of Derhyshire, Vol. IV., page 211. 4. lb. page 213. It is ver>' likely that the founder's tomb referred to on page 58 contained the bones of this benefactor (Richard de Sandiacre) — they were those of a powerful man. DALE AND ITS ABBEY. born late in King John's reign ; and b3' a lurky marriage with the, or an, heiress of the Vavasours of Shi])ley,' near Heanor, and Bilborough, Nottinghamshire, he came into possession of these manors, also the land at Kirk Hallam which he gave to Dale. Shipley was held by the Strellcys for more than 300 years, when it was sold to pay off the owner's debts. According to Thoroton, the last male representative was a Noitinghain mechanic, of marked gentlemanly bearing. Another branch of the family was as early as John's reign settled at Haselbadge in the Peak, and the picturesque old water-mill of Broughi was also theirs. Another small grant of Henry III.'s reign consisted of an acre at Alvaston, by Gkoffrev le Chamberlang. One of the witnesses to the deedj was Thomas Hanselin, who, in the Annals of Burton Ahher, is described as lord of the manor of Elvaston ; his name, with that of his son, Galfrid, appearing there in connection with a curious celestial phenomenon. He probably belonged to a junior branch of Ralph Hanselin's family. In 1 33 1, Matthew de Chadoesden and others gave to Dale, land and messuages at Chaddesden, Stanley, Ockbrook, and Alvaston. This family were of considerable local import- ance. At a little later date. Hinrv de Chaduksden, a canon of Lichfield and .Art hdeacon of Leicester, founded a chantry in Chaddesden ("hurch, to be served by a warJen and three priests, who were to sing mass for the King, himself, and his ancestors and executors (his cousins, Nicholas and Geoffrey) for ever. The presentation was placed in the hands of the Abbots of Darley and Dale, an arrangement faithfully carried out.4 1. According to the Reauvale Cfuirtutary he was enfeoifed of this manor by Robert, the third Ilkeston Muschamp. 2. Hazlebadgc, now a farm-house, is a good specimen of 15th century domestic architecture : Brough is partly on the site of a koman station (Navio?). 3. The original dted belongs to H. 11. Bemrosc, Esq., Derby. 4. Churc/us 0/ Derbyshire^ Vol. 111., page 304. ^m CHAPTER IX ^bc abbots anb tbc Suppression. ' Down ! down they come — a fearful fall — Arch and pillar and roof -tree and all. Stained pane, and sculptured stone ! ' N page 1 6, it was remarked that the Dale Chartulary contained a list of Abbots. This Abbey is particu- larly fortunate in having such a list ; few others can show a complete sequence of abbots, still fewer, biographical notes and the lengths of their respective rules. The List is written in an early 16th-century hand by someone who seems to have been a contemporary of the last two Abbots therein mentioned, their names being a later addition of the same hand. The notices of the first and third Abbots are obviously taken from De Muskham's Chronicle. Dates, unfortunately are not given, and the lengths of rule can be shown in some cases to be a trifle incorrect ; occasional dates from other sources, however, which relate to some of the Abbots, enable us to build up a reliable chronology. The date of the foundation of the Abbey as given in the returns of the canons to their Visitor-General in the 15th century, is 1204 ; but the List makes it 1199 or 1200. The actual date, however, seems to have been still earlier. In I04 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. response to a Quo Warranto (4 Edw. III.) as to whence he claimed free warren, &c., the Abbot of Dale produced a charter of Apr. 1, 7 Richard I., to Stanley Park, and one of Henry II., to Welbeck. The latter refers to the time when Uejjedale was a dependency uf Welbeck Abbey and the former, of course, to our Abbey itself. According to this, the latest date for the coming of the Welbeck canons was 1189, and for the foundation of the Abbey, 11 96. There is no reason to think that there would be any delay in getting such a charter, hence the latter date may be accepted with little hesitation as the year of the foundation. The Abbey seems to have run an even and uselul, though uneventful course, from its foundation to its supiiression in 1538 ; and when the items of the List are given, little remains to be said of the interval. The following translation, given in italics, is from a paper by Mr. St John Hope, ' The Abbots of Dale,' in the Journal of the Derbyshire Archa;ological and Natural History Society (Vol. V.), The dates in brackets are conjectural only. Our successors must remember and commit to perpetual recollection that this is the ti tie and perfect number and order of all the Abbots of this plcue from the beginning of the foundation, succeeding one after another: — 1st. Father Walter de Senteney, of pious memory', the first .Abbot, and a man of the highest religion, ruled ^i^ years, [i 199 2- 123 1.] In the Obituary, of Beauchief Abbey (Premonstratensian), his death is commemorated on January 3rd, and he is described as a canon of Newhouse. 2nd. Dan William, a man of all prudence, ruled 2^ years, and afterwards was made Abbot of Primontre, and Chaplain of the Roman Pontiff. [1231 — 1233.] X. Another is given in The Hermitages of DepedcUe. 2. This, of course, is the date deducted from the List ; if the Quo Warranto date is accepted instead, the rule of this or the second Abbot must have been longer. 3. Cotton MSS. Krit. Mus. Its use was sufiiciently indicated on page 45. A mass was said ever^* day for those conimenn>raltd by the priest of the second week. All the canons had in their turn to say, the tirst week, high mass, the second week the mass/rtf de/unctis, and the third week, the mass de Beati. THE ABBOTS AND THE SUPPRESSION. 105 He was the second Englishman who held the high office of Abbot of Prdmontre, to which he was elected, 6th October, 1233. Immediately afterwards, Gregory IX. made him Visitor of the order. He does not seem to have had an easy time of it at Pr^montre, and at length he resigned, and returned to England to spend the rest of his days at Bayham Abbey, Sussex, where he died. 3rd. Dan fohn Grauncorlh, lovely to God and man, who in his days shorn in our ordir as Lucifer and Hesperus in the height of heaven, and ruled 19 years and 39 weeks. [1233 — 1253.] This was the Abbot from whom Ue Muskham received the habit. According to him he was an especial associate of the blessed Augustine' of Lavendon, a small Premonstratensian Abbey in Buckinghamshire. 1235 — Henry III.'s charter confirming the various donations hitherto made, signed by the Bishop of Chichester, the Chancellor, at Burton, on the nth of September. 4th. Dan Hugh de Lincoln ruled 14^ years. [1253 — 1267.] jth. Dan Simon ruled 5 years and 11 days. [1267 — 1271.] He is commemorated in the Beauchief Obituary on Sept. 2 7. 6th. Dan Lawreiue ruled \6\ years. [1271 — 1287.] From a letter to him by one, brother Robert de Derby, on belialf of an apostate member of the order, we learn that he resigned the abbacy : the letter is given full by Mr. Hope. 1276 — the burgesses of Derby made lomplaint against him and the Bishop of Chester for impeding the course of the Derwent by their dams.' 1 281 — ho and his convent were acknowledged in a suit at Lincoln to own land at Stanton-by-Dale. 1286 — he entered into an agreement with the Prior of Dunsiable respecting some tithes in the Peak. A few years previously the i;reat tithes of Bradbourne were appropriated to t'lat |)riory; and as our Abbey possessed lands near Brassington in the parish of Bradbourne, this agreement probably related to the tithes of those lands, which seem to have been m dispute. ' I. He was Abbot of L.avendon in 1336. 3. Hundrtd rctU. 3. AntuUs 0/ DuHstait*. io6 DALE AND ITS ABBE\. Jih. Dan Richard de Normanlon, who was a squanderer in his time and very' burdensome to his successors, ruled the first time 8 years except lo days. [1287 — 1295.] 1 294 — he obtained a grant of free warren for the Abbey lands. 8th. Dan John de Lincoln ruled 6 years. [1295— 1301.] gth. Dan Richard de Normanlon the second time ruled I year anti 38 weeks. [1301 — 1303.] It is curious that after apparently having been compelled to resign for squandering the goods of the monastery, he should have been appointed a second time. lOth. Dan John Horsley ruled 26 years and 45 weeks and certain days, who worn out with age voluntarily resigned into the hands of the convent. [1303 — 1329] He died in 1333, and is commemorated in the Keauchief Obituary on Nov. gth. 1330 — it is satisfactory to know that in a pleading of Qitn JVarrantn relative to the .'Mjbey rights of free warren, ' the jury found in favour of the Abbot, and that he had used his privileges well.' nth. Dan John IVoodhouse ruled 15 weeks. For some unexplained reason he resigned his office. /zth. Dan IVilliam Horsley in whose days the stone chamber at Stanley Grange was built and many other very strong edifices, ruled 21 years and 41 weeks. [1332 — 1352.] Mr. Hope gives the full account of the election, ' per viam compromissi ',' of this Abbot, from the Register of Prdmontre; it is dated Sept. 19th, 1332. Amongst the ' strong edifices ' mentioned may have been some of the Decorated work of St. Werburgh's chapel. 1344 — the half rectory of Egginton bestowed upon the Abbot and his twenty- four canons, in order that they might better exercise hospitality, for on account of tht great distance from towns, the Abbey was much frequented by wayfarers. Jjth. Dan Roger de Kyrketon ruled 3 years and 20 weeks. 1. This consisted in the convent, assemhled in the chapter-house after the mass of the Holy Spirit and havinji heard the statutes on election read, delegating several nf their number to elect an abbot /or them. This, election duly confirmed by the father-abbot and the Abbot of Premontre's vicegerent, the Te Deum wis sung, and the new abbot received corporal possession of the houre, and the manual obedience of the convent. THE ABBOTS AND THE SUPPRESSION. 107 14th. Dan William de Boney, shining forth by the token of honest conversation quite a new founder, re-edified many ruinous tenements, and ruled 42 years and 13 weeks. [1355 — 1397.] 1386 — the rectory of Ilkeston conferred upon the Abbey by William, Lord Zouch.' i^th. Dan Henry Monyash, excellent in all honesty of manners, ruled y^ years and II weeks. [1397 — 1436.] 1423 — the Abbots of Dale and Darley by the concession of the Dean of Lincoln, presented to the vacant vicarages of Matlock, Edlaston, and Fenny lientley, the Dean being the patron of each. ^ i6th. Dan fohn Spondon, of memory to be cherished ruled laudably the flock committed to him 33 years, and he built the roof of the body of the church, and the roof of the chapel of the Blessed Mary, ^vhere the antiphon is sung. And very many ^ood deeiis did he, and slept in the Lord. On whose soul may God hocve mercy. Amen. [1436 — 1469.] The ' body ' of the church was evidently the nave, and in accordance with the fashion of the time the new roof would include a clear-story (see page 47). 1462 — the deposed Abbot of Beaiichief having appealed against the decision of the Commissary-Gen r.il, a court of appeal, consisting of several abbots including the Abbot of Dale, sat at Nottingham, and in the end confirmed the decision. lyth, Dan John Stanley, a venerable father in prudence and knowledge, who caused to be made the cloister tf our House, and by his prutience and labour got possession of certain lands and tenements lost of old time, and laudably ruled the flock committed to him 22 years, and afterwards he passed to the Lord. [1469 — 1491.] From t';e visitations of Richard Redmayne, Bishop of St. Asaph, the Commissary-General of the order, we learn the cloister was 'newly hcgim ' in 1478 and almost finished in 1482. 1473 — the great tithes of Heanor ajipropriated to Dale, the convent to sustain the vicar and provide for the I. Patent Rolls. Churches •'/ Dfrl>)shire,\o\ \W.,i[,i. 3. Churches of Dert'ythirt, Vol. asfi, 11. %it anj III. 156. His namf is also mentioned in on Inquest 0/ Knight' s/ees of 1431, as in receipt of lok renu froin Derby* io8 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. poor of the parish. The later visitations found that the rules were not properly obeyed, and that the Abbot was ' imbecile ' and ' impatient.' He at length resigned. l8th. Dan Richard Nottingham, a pious father aJonud with sundry powers of the virtues, caused to be built the roof of the uppermost choir, and many other edifices and benefices did he to this monastery ; and like a good shepherd, he happily governed the sheep committed to him ig years, and then his soul having been loosed from his body, he ended his life in peace. [1491 — 1511.] He was Circator' in 1478, Sub-Prior in 1410, and Vicar of Heanor from 1485 until he was made Abbot. In all the visitations he is extremely well spoken of One of his first acts as Abbot, was to provide for his predecessor ; and the indenture, then drawn up (dated Oct. 28, 1491), affords a graphic and curious glimpse of the internal life of the Abbey. By it, is ' given, conceded and confirmed to the venerable father, Dan John Stanley ' one annual rent of 20 marks from 'all our granges, lands, and tenements,' below written, —from Stanley, 4 marks Hilton, 6 marks and Alvaston, 10 marks — ' to have and to hold for the term of his life.' For his lodgings he was to have the upper and lower chambers, formerly known as the Chaddesden C^hamber, with the Storehouse and Woodhouse. He was also to have sufficient wood billets and coal for his fire ; candles ; loaves of the best paste made in the monastery, and wholesome victuals from the kitchen ; 8 flagons of the best beer a week when obtainable in the neigh- bourhood ; and one of the canons as chaplain 'for saying with him divine service daily, as is seemly.' Also bread, drink, pro- visions and dishes of flesh and fish sufficient for his two servants (man and youth) whom lie was to choose ; pasture and hay for his two horses, and stables at the monastery. He was to be honourably treated, and to have the use of 2 silver salt cellars, a silver bowl with cover, 2 mazars bound round with silver gilt, I. His office was to go round the offices at stated times to see that religious discipline was obserred. THE ABBOTS AND THE SUPPRESSION. 109 6 silver spoons ; also all the furniture of his chamber called ' Kooster's ; ' clothes, linen and woollen, and other necessaries for his and his servants' beds. The ex-Abbot was not to ' give away, alienate or pawn ' any of these, but at his death they were to revert to the monastery.' In 1499 or iS°°i 'he Abbey was visited with plague and many of its inmates died from it. The List concludes with this Abbot ; the only other, the last, that L)ale possessed, was John Bebe. He was a novice in 1491, and Sub-Sacristan and Deacon two years afterwards. A little later, a most unfortunate (as will be seen in the see issued a bull, enjoining the Archbishop of Canterbury to call upon the heads of religious houses to reform themselves and their dependents, and authorizing him to use stronger measures if they neglected the command. The system had evidently outlived its usefulness. The popularity of the mendicant orders in the 14th century was an index of its waning influence; and the introduction of printing and the spread of academical education were its death-knell. Here then was a pretext for Henry's interference ; but, mind, there was a good deal of plunder at the bottom of it ! He could count upon the support of two classe.-;, — those who honestly desired reformation, and the crafty courtiers and office-holders, whose eyes were fixed upon the broad lands of the monastics. Towards the close of 1535, the King organised a commission to visit the monasteries, and to report upon the doings therein, ■ — ' subtle headed fellows,' as an old historian puts it, who were not likely to smooth down any irregularities, The very terror of these gentlemen, c.iused not a few of the smaller houses to voluntarily resign their cliarttrs into the King's hands. The results of this visitation were some hastily drawn up reports' {Comptrls"), which if only half their indictments were true, the monks deserved all they received at his hands, but modern criticism has proved that their contents were little else than wilful perversions and falsehoods. Early next year, Parliament, by a little management, suppressed all religious houses with incomes under jQzoo a-year ; but 52 of these lesser houses o;)tained the King's licence to continue a while longer, and amongst these was our Abbey of Dale.' This placed in the King's hands revenues to the extent of ^32,000 a-year, and goods and plate valued at ^100,000. A few years 1. Record Office. The most complete series deals with the religious houses of the province of York and the diocese of Lichfield. 2. For this brief 'tolerance and continuance,' Dale paid into the Court of Augmentations the fine of j£i66 13s. 4d. ; grunted Jan. 30, 1537. THE ABBOTS AND THE SUPPRESSION, iii later, in 1539, the greater monasteries were, with less show of reason, suppressed ; and these brought to the King wealth almost four-fold that of the lesser ones. And thus, to use the words of a well-known historian, ' the piles of delicate stone work, enriched with the thoughts of the architect and sculptor, which ever since the Conquest had been growing up in beauty over all the land, were levelled, unroofed, or turned into stables or pig-styes. Choice pictures, in whose tinted forms glowed the spirit of Italian art, shrivelled in the flames. Stained windows became splinters of coloured glass. Sweet bells, that had sprinkled the air at prime and sunset with music, were melted down or sold. As schools, hospitals, cenires of agricultural progress, lodging-houses for the traveller, these monasteries had been of much service to the country. Their fall accordingly left serious gaps, which it took a considerable time to fill. Much suffering and consequent discontent occurred among the humbler classes, as the result of the violent, though necessary, change.' This discontent, broke out in the north into the formidable ' Pilgrimage of Grace,' shortly after the first Supjiression. It must not be thought that these proceedings were altogether novel and unprecedented. Years before, VVolsey had suppressed a number of small houses, and much earlier a whole order was broken U[). The great sin of Henry's proceedings was the use he made of the wealth. Of course, he promised great things, new bishoprics, colleges — one to turn out statesmen ! — and other useful foundations. A few of these were established ; but the great bulk of the proceeds went to the courtiers and others of the aristocracy, to purchase their sujjport and friendship. Perhaps after all, this was better than to place it in the hands of the Church, yet ' there was one class to whom restitution was due — a large proportion of conventual revenues arose out of parochial tithes, diverted from the incumbent to swell the ])omp of some remote abbot (we have already noticed that Dale held those of some neighbouring parishes). These appropriations 112 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. were in no instance restored to the parochial cicrg)', and have passed either into the hands of laymen or of bislio])s and other ecclesiastical persons, who were frequently compelled by the Tudor princes to take them in exchange for lands. ' To return to Dale. The irregularity of the Abbot's early days was raked up for the Com/>erls, but the life of the Abbey was prolonged to October 24, 1538, when it was surrendered to the King ; this was its death. It finds its burial in an inventory of its effects and of the prices they made when sold. There is something jiathetic, and at the same time ludicrous in its end ; — ' household stuffe, come, catell, ornaments of the Churche, and such other lyke found within the late Monastery at the tyme of the dyssolution of the same house,' lumped together in one common list,— organ and candlesticks, 'Mary and John,' ' oulde father beds' and ' coverletts,' pots and ' pannes,' cheeses and ' swyne,' roofs, ' ieron ' and paving stones ! Truly a nice termination to four centuries of devotions and masses ! What matter though, it was so much more pocket money for the King ! The hivetitpry'' gives some interesting particulars as to the Abbey furniture and goods. In and about the choir were the following : — A painted table or reredos at the high altar, two brass candlesticks, a lamp, seats, crucifix, ' Mary and John,'3 and a ' payre of organs,' — the lot sold for 20.S. Right of the choir, evidently in the chapels of Sts. Margaret and Werburgh, were two ' alters, with two tables of alebaster,' and a ' grate of yren abowte the Founder' (/>. the tomb of the founder). t The ' rode alter in the Churche and a rode ther,' went for 2s. Equally cheap was the furniture of the Lady chapel — it brought only 5s. ; while 'a table of alebaster wyth an image of our Lady 1. Hallam's Cimstiiutional History of England. a. Addit MS.S. 6698. Given in full in Fox's History, &>c., of Money Church. 3. See page 48. 4. Sec page 58. THE ABBOTS AND THE SUPPRESSION. 113 at the altar of Our Lady of Pity, was sold for 3s. Then the clock, roofs, iron, glass, paving-stones, and grave-stones of the church — only ^18 for all ! The dormitory brought in 7s. 6d. In the vestry were two tunics of black satin with a cope to corres[)ond, a suit of white silk with a cope ' spottyd with blew sterres,' a suit of black silk, eight old copes, and eight altar cloths, — all of which went for 40s. The cloister furniture, roofs, glass, iron, etc., made ^,^6 ; and those of the chapter-house, less its roof, 5s. The proceeds of the fratry, hall, and buttery made 36s. In the kitchen were a 'brasse pott in a fumes, 3 brasse pottes, 3 lyttel pannes, 3 spytts, a payr of oberds, i pott chayen, 2 cressets, i grydyron, a payr tongues, a morter with a pestell, 40 platers, dysshes and saucers,' which together were sold for 40s. Then there were the brew-house, with its 'leads,' 'mashyng fatte ' and ' malt arke ; the 'yclyg' house," with 'belying leads' and various vats and tubs ; the bake-house, with ' moulding borde,' three troughs, and a 'boultyng arke;' and the malt-house with cistern of lead and ' hoper for a mill.' In the ' Bisshops,' ' Elton,' ' Bonney,' and ' Inner ' chambers, were divers ' fether beds,' 'old coverletts,' 'testers of lynen,' ' hengyngs of old saye,' etc. The cattle went cheap, even allowing for the difference of present money-values. Eight oxen made ^4 ; fifteen young bullocks, 4s. each; twenty pigs, 13s. 4d. the lot ; horses, 20s. At Boyhay Grange, ' eleven kyne,' sheep, cheese, a pot, and two pans made ^^9 17s. 4d. At Ockbrook (Littlehay) Grange, a cow, seven swine, a horse, and eight oxen, £^G 5s. 4d. Wheat made 8s. a quarter; rye, 7s. ; malt, 4s. ; pease, 4s. ; oats, i6d. ; while hay went at zs. a load. Waggons were worth buying, seeing that four made only 6s. 8d. each ! I. Mr. Kcrr>' explains this oflice, in a letter, thus, — ' YtU-houu is a brewing-hottse. According to Hrockctt, Yttl-house is an alehouse. /.eU \i. ale, s,imc word ,-\s above, Yftt is a modern Hampshire and Somersetshire pronunciation. 1 should say, to judge from the contents, that this oflice was the cooling shed, where the ale fermented for a while before it was liarrcllcd. The old cooling vats used to be lined with lead, hence htlyiHg Jetttis, that is ale-ing leads.' 114 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. All the above, which renlised only ;^77 12s. od., were sold by the King's Commissioners to Francis Pole, Esq., of Radbourn, by whom he was also put in possession of the 'seite of the said Priory, and all the demaynes to yt apertaynyng to our Soveraigne Lorde the Kinge's use, the 23rd day of October, in the 30th yere of the raigne of our seid Soveraigne Lorde, Kyng Henry the VIII.' Remaining unsold, were eleven spoons, three little chalices, and the plale of a wooden cross, — 62 oz. of white plat: ; six bells," weighing 47 cwt. ; two hundred fodders of lead, worth ;^4 each ; and, of course, ' the houses edyfyed on the site,' — the church and the cloister reduced to mere roofless and windowless shells, and the chapter-house and the common-room shorn of all glass, iron, and paving materials worth removing, the rest of the buildings apparently being left intact.' Debts owing by the monastery amounted to ^24 iis. 6d. ; some of the items are of interest : — ' To Dawson for fibh, 2cs.'; to Doctor North, _^4 ; ' to Rodger Colyar's wife for candles, 9s.'; 'to Robert Smyth, of Derby, for bryke and tile, 5s. 3d.'; 'to John Halom, of Stanley, for eron and stele, 20s. od.' And it had granted out ;i^i8 13s. 4d. in fets and annuities. Robt. Nesshe owed the monastery, 'for woods within the closyng of his ferme, and the rowes and hedges thereof; due at our Lady Day, next ensuying.' Probably he was of the same family as the Peter Nesse, whose monument is in Dale Church (page 85). 1. These bells still remained unsold at the commencement of Edw. VI. 's reign ; Land Revenue^ File i, H. 1393, Public Record Office. See Feudal History, Vol. II. 2, Some of these were still intact when Dr. Stukeley visited the spot in 1730 (see page 53). The fat;t th:it the h.ill was then standing and roofed is a further proof that the Dale windows at Morl-y were not derived from it. The previous encroachments made by decay and imman wantoness were comparatively slow and insignificant compared with the wholesale destruction of the following half centurj-. When Pilkington wrote his Present State of Derbyshire in 1780. the great east window arch and some of the offices, converted into dwelling houses, alone remained, a few of the windows of the latter having painted glass with inscriptions ; the ' several large windows ' of the church, the gale-house, and the enclosing wall of the precincts — all shown on Buck's view — existing but as memories. There is an excellent little engraving in Edward's All Saints., Derby, 1805, of the above arch before the restoration mentioned on page 54. THE ABBOTS AXD THE SVPPRESSION. 115 Rewards to the extent of ^49 3s. od. were given to the Abbot and his dependents at their departure, for their immediate wants, and he and his canons were pensioned off to the tune of ^88 los.; the Abbot having ^26 13s. 4d. a year, and the others ranging from ;^5 6s. 8d. to i6s. 8d. The pensions of the abbots seem to have been proportionate to the weahh of the abbeys ; and those of the monks according to thf-ir age, or the number of years they had worn the habit. No mediseval reHgious house was of much account unless it possessed a relic or two. In the Comperts, it is reported that ' here {i.e. Dale Abbey) they hold in veneration some of the girdle and milk of St. Mary, and the wheel of Catherine in silver.' The Inventory has no mention of these objects, and apparently the hard-headed Commissioners made no inquiry about them. How came Dale to possess these delectable treasures, and what became of them } What miracles did they work ; what maladies, cure ?' The Minister's Accounts (Public Record Office) of 28 Hen. VIII., give a valuable insight into the lands and other properties of this Abbey, but it would be tedious to give the details. At Dale the farms of rectory, mill, lands, and granges brought in ^^50 iis. od. a year. Their next most valuable IjropL-rties were in Ilkeston and Little Hallam, where the farms of land, glebe and otherwise, tithes, &c., brought in ^^24 12s. 8d. Then followed Alvaston (where a cottage was let for 6s. a year!), with its ^13 7s. 8d. Trowell, Stanley, Stanton, Egginton (half the rectory), Heanor (tithes), Ockbrook, Derby, Nottingham, Griff (near Wirksworth), Hilton, Bathley, — ranging from ^'4 to £,11 each. After these came Breaston, Thulston, Kirk Hallam, Selston, Codnor, Ratcliff, Burnaston, Mapperley, Normanton, Hanley, Cossall, Kniveton, Stanford, and West Hallam, with rents, etc., ranging down to 5s. At the time of the Suppression the yearly revenues were valued at ^144 I2S. 9d. I. Can it b« that the wheel was the remarkable Roman silver salver found near Kisley in 1729, which bore a :^ih.ccntur>* inscription, and which Dr. Stukelcy surmised to have been a gift to Dale Abbey '.' Ti6 DALE AND ITS ABBEY. Perhaps the latest official document relating to this Abbey is the Pension Roll of Mary's reign (1553)- It gives eleven members of the convent, out of the sixteen who were pensioned ofT in 1538; the missing ones, among whom was the abbot, probably having died in the interval. The jjcnsions enumerated on this Roll are exactly the same as those o{ Inventory. It would be interesting to know whether they had been faithfully paid during the fifteen years.' The extra-parochial character of modern Dale is the outcome of the peculiar jurisdiction of the Abbots ; and since the Suppression, the lords of the manor, like them, have been directly responsible to meet the spiritual wants of the district, which by virtue of the statute, 31 Hen. VIII. ,c. 13, has been free of tithe ever since. To briefly sketch the descent of the manor : — At first, Francis Pole, Esq. was lessee of the Abbey lands atound Dale, but in 1554 they were granted to him in fee. In the same year he conveyed them to Sir John Port of Etwall, a justice of the King's Bench, whose son was founder of Repton School. The daughter of the latter brought them to her husband. Sir George Hastings, whose representative sold them to Henry Willoughby of Risley who died in 1605. These lands, together with the manor, afterwards passed in moieties to the families of Grey and Dewes, into which his two surviving daughters and heiresses married. The Dewes moiety was purchased in 17 16 by the trustees of the Earl of Chester- field for his son Alexander, father of the first Earl Stanhope ; and the other was purchased of the Earl of Stamf, rd in 1778 — the whole manor now being the property of Earl Stanhope. THE END. 1. Addit. MSS. 8102 The Dale extract is given in Utrmitagts of I^epedale. (' Bishop's Throne,' Communion lABLt, Reauini; Desk, AND Clerk's Seat). NOTES AND CORRECTIONS. Page 26. — For ' godmonther,' read ' godmother.' Page 32. — The Premonstratensian Order contained and still contains several grades of membership : — (l). Canons Regular (professi), priests, or studying to be so ; (2). Nuns, who like the canons went through a two-years' noviciate ; and (3). Tertiaries, who though living in the world, conformed themselves to the spirit of the orcier, wearing the white scapular under their secular dress. Forming part of the communities of canons or nuns, were lay-brothers (in the former) and lay-sisters (in the latter), both of whom also were under perpetual vows; and donates, whose vows were not perpetual, simply offering their services and leaving when they willed. Then there were those in the world who had received the confraternity of some house of the order, usually in return for some benefaction Page 43. — For ' the refectory, the hall, and other chambers,' read ' the refectory or hall, and other chambers.' Page 53. — A fac-simile of Buck's View is also given in an early volume of the Reliquary. Page 59. — For ' North Trasept,' read ' North Transept.' Page 61.— A fac-simile of Dr. Stukeley's plan of Dale Abbey is given in D. A. and N. H. Soc.'s /aurna/, Vol. II. Page no. — Footnote. The visitors (Drs. Leigh and Layton) left Lichfield on December 22, 1535, for 'certain abbeys u|ion Trent side, and so to Southwell ; and we intend to be at York within a day after the twelfth day, and thus to make speed with diligence and true knowledge of everything is our intent.' They .actually reached York on January 11, 1536, re]i