Charter of Foundation by William de Warren granted to God and St. Peter, and the abbot and

I likewise made a grant of all the tithes which | them, and as any free-man has or can hold his my vassals had then given, or should give here- demesne, or bestow his alms. And if it come after. Afterwards I gave them Walton, with all to pass that the king of the country shall require the free-men and the messuage which Gundreda therefrom hidage or danegeld, or any tax or serthen held of me, and all I then had between the vice, or other matter, I will save them harmless, rivers of Lime and Wellstream, both lands and and free from all claim as of my demesne, so long marshes, and pastures, and waters, with the men as I live, and let my heir after me, and his heirs and all their services and goods whatsoever. Re-after him for ever, do the like as regards all serving for myself and my heirs two lodgings things which can or may ever hereafter be deduring the year, one in going into Yorkshire, the manded by any lord or other person on the king's other in returning, in lieu of all the services behalf, and let all men, and all belonging to them, which the men of the marsh were used to render continue in peace with them, as do the monks to me in carriages, and the transport* of baggage themselves. Wherefore I will, that if any conto and fro by land and water, and of all other tention, dissension, damage, or injury occur beservices wherefore I desire that they may be tween the men of St. Pancras, and me or mine, for ever quit and freed from all other services to from whence forfeiture shall arise, let the prior me and my heirs. of St. Pancras have, and receive in my stead, forfeiture and satisfaction from his men, in order that by this means the men of St. Pancras may never be injured or distressed on this account by those who are to come, and I would have my heirs do the same; and if I, or my heirs after me, add any gift, I will that it be given and holden as freely as what I have given, and that my heirs will and do likewise. And I will that as I grow rich, my monks shall be enriched also, and that as their goods increase, their number shall likewise increase; and this is my will and desire and command, which let my heirs will, and desire and command; and let them confirm and establish what I have done, and I hereby confirm and establish what they shall do. And whoever shall contravane this my donation, or in any respect derogate from or diminish it, let him incur the anger and curse of Almighty God, and His swift vengeance in heart and soul, both in this world and in the day of judgment; and may all the curses which a father can call down on his wicked children fall from me upon him. So be it. So be it. Likewise, if my heir after me, or his heir after him, or any of his successors shall add any thing to my donation, I pray God that who-ever goes against it for evil, may have God against him for evil; but whoever shall defend and keep it, may God keep him from all evil. Moreover, I would have my monks and my heirs know, that when I and Gundreda requested the Lord Hugh, Abbot of Clugny, (who had come into Normandy to confer with the King my master,) to restore to us Master Lanzo, our prior, whom he had kept all the year at Clugny, and which had disturbed us so much that we had almost resolved to lay aside our intention, and also to take our church away from them and give it to the greater monastery,* then at our earnest entreaty, the Abbot granted and promised that if God prospered our house, he would make it, after the death of Master Lanzo, or his promotion to any higher dignity, one of the greater abbeys. And moreover, that when the monks of St. Pancras should send to Clugny for a prior, they should choose from their congregation one of the best of the brethren, one whom they knew to be the holiest (next after the chief prior of the House of Clugny, and the prior of the House of Charity,) in the discipline and direction of souls in spiritual things, and the most prudent in the

And if we lodge there more than twice in the year, let them reckon up all that I, or any of my servants lodging there on my account, during the year, shall consume of their substance, over and above what is spent at the two seasons beforementioned, and we will repay them at the end of the year, on peril of our souls. Thus I have done, and will do, and so I would have my heirs, as they would be saved in the day of judgment, continue to do, lest for want thereof they turn my charity and theirs into tyranny and extortion. Moreover, I have given them the church of Acre with two carucates of land, the place where I and my Gundreda, in her life-time, proposed to build a monastery and dwellings for some of the monks from the monastery of St. Pancras, and where, at the first, we settled some from thence in the church of the castle. And this Master Lanzo promised to do, but on condition that the prior and monks of Acre should always be subject and under the entire control of the Prior of St. Pancras wherefore let the said prior and convent of St. Pancras, have and regulate without contradiction the house of Acre as their own monks and their own cloister; and this I will do, if God continue to me life and health. But if I cannot accomplish it in my life, I will that my heir shall do it. And if my successors shall in their day found any religious house, I will that it be subjected to St. Pancras, and that St. Pancras be always the chief place of their barony. And there let them be buried: my wife Gundreda sleeps there, by her my body will be interred, and I will that my heirs also be buried there. All the aforesaid gifts I gave to God and St. Pancras, and to the monks who should serve God in that place, during the life and with the consent of Gundreda, my wife, and William and Raynald my sons and heirs. But this charter I made after her death. After which I also gave them for her soul and mine, and those of my successors, a manor in Norfolk, called Hecham, and all that I had there, with the land of Paganus my bailiff, and all the free-men whose rents Paganus received. And this donation I will that my heirs grant and confirm, for it has been granted and confirmed by my master King William, and his father did the same as to my other gifts. All the aforesaid things I have given to the monks to hold for ever, free and quit from

*Summasiis; from summos, a horse-load. El-. lis's Introd. to Domesday, i. 134.

VOL. I. No. III. 36

This monastery was at Tours. See Monast. An glic. vol. v. p. 1. New ed.

land and tithes made to it. The founder concludes by recommending it to the fostering care and patronage of his heirs, solemnly calling down upon them blessings or curses, according as they shall treat his monks with favor and kindness, or oppress and deal unjustly by them.

to introduce the Cluniac monks into England, and the abbot having on his part requested the consent of the king, gave and granted to us four these we gave at the outset all we had promised, monks, Master Lanzo, and three companions. To confirming it by a charter, which we sent to the abbot and convent of Clugny, for they would not send us the monks till the king, as well as ourselves, had confirmed, according to promise, all the gifts which we had made. And so the monks of Clugny were given to me and my wife, and of my master, King William, on the arrival of his settled on English ground. But after the death son in England to assume the throne, there be

The perusal of this charter may perhaps excite a desire to know the subsequent fate of the priory. It was the common and melancholy one. Earl William's successors continued to foster his foundation, and it became wealthy by their gradual benefacing much strife concerning his succession, and tions. Thus enriched it did not, of course, escape the general dissolution, and the site and buildings were granted to Lord Cromwell. The Monasticon contains a letter to him from the Commissioner, detailing the demolition of the priory, and boasting of the unusual rapidity with which the work of destruction had been carried on.

Yours, &c.

PRIORY OF LEWES IN SUSSEX.

V. V.

doubts as to the result, much peril also daily accruing to myself, Master Lanzo, the prior, and my monks, reminded me that the deed of confirmation of the gifts which I had made to them at evidence thereof, and owing to the perilous times the first, was at Clugny, and that they had no that were at hand, I ought to secure to them as much as possible the gifts and grants I had made. This, having advised with my friends, I willingly did by means of another charter, which is as follows:

Know all men present and future, that I, William de Warren, Earl of Surrey, have given and

Charter of Foundation by William de Warren granted to God and St. Peter, and the abbot and

Earl of Surrey.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

convent of Clugny, the church of St. Pancras, which is situate under my castle of Lewes. And to the same St. Pancras and the Monks of Clugny, who shall serve God in the church of St. Pancras for ever, for the health of my soul. and the soul of Gundreda my wife, and for the soul of King William my master, who brought me into England, and by whose permission I introduced the said monks, and who confirmed my former donation; also for the health of my mistress, Queen Matilda, my wife's mother; also for the health of my Lord King William, his son, after whose arrival in England I gave this charter, and who made me Earl of Surrey; also for the health of all my heirs, and the faithful in Christ, living and dead. I have likewise given, for the support of the said monks of St. Pancras the messuage called Falemel, and all the land I hold there in demesne, with all the hide of land which Eustace holds in Burgamel, appertaining to the said messuage. The messuage also called Carlenton, which my mistress, Queen Matilda, gave to my wife Gundreda and myself, and which my master, King William, granted and confirmed in aid of the endowment of our new monks, being all our possessions in that place. And in Swansbergh five hides and a half. The land also which is called the Island, near the monastery, with its meadows and pastures. Also all the land which I hold in demesne within the Island wherein the monastery is situate, with the mill which is on the pool near thereto, and with one suburb adjoining, called Lewin.

I, William de Warren, and Gundreda my wife, being desirous of making a pilgrimage to St. Peter in Rome, visited many monasteries in France and Burgundy for the sake of devotion. But when we arrived in Burgundy we learnt that we could not safely proceed owing to the war which was then being carried on between the Pope and the Emperor. So we turned aside to the Monastery of Clugny, a great and holy Abbey in honor of St. Peter. And there we paid our devotions, and sought his assistance.and finding that the holiness, piety, and charity of the place was very great, and that we were honorably treated by the good prior and holy convent, who received us into their society and fellowship, we began to feel love and devotion towards this order and house above all the other houses which we had seen. But Lord Hugh, their holy abbot, was not then at home. And whereas I and my wife, by the advice of my Lord Lanfranc, Archbishop, both previously, and especially at that time, had resolved to found a religious house, as a satisfaction for our sins, and for the good of our souls, we now thought that to no order should we so gladly dedicate it as to that of Clugny; wherefore we sent and requested Lord Hugh and his holy brotherhood to assign to us two, three, or four monks, in order that we might grant to them the church beneath the castle of Lewes, built of old in honor of St. Pancras, which we had lately converted from In Tuniac, the land which belonged to Norwood to stone, and together therewith as much man, the rood of land which is called Redrewell, land, cattle, and goods, as would suffice for the and the other rood called Stanford. In Wastesupport of twelve monks. But the holy abbot den, two hides with four villeins and one meawas at first very reluctant to listen to our peti-dow. The tithes also of my lands, and especially tion, on account of our foreign land lying so far off, and across the sea. But afterwards we obtained permission from our Lord King William

those which Richard, the priest, holds, and is to enjoy during his life, on condition of their passing to the monks after his death.

I likewise made a grant of all the tithes which | them, and as any free-man has or can hold his my vassals had then given, or should give here- demesne, or bestow his alms. And if it come alter. Afterwards I gave them Walton, with all to pass that the king of the country shall require the free-men and the messuage which Gundreda therefrom hidage or danegeld, or any tax or serthen held of me, and all I then had between the vice, or other matter, I will save them harmless, rivers of Lime and Wellstream, both lands and and free from all claim as of my demesne, so long marshes, and pastures, and waters, with the men as I live, and let my heir after me, and his heirs and all their services and goods whatsoever. Re-after him for ever, do the like as regards all serving for myself and my heirs two lodgings things which can or may ever hereafter be deduring the year, one in going into Yorkshire, the manded by any lord or other person on the king's other in returning, in lieu of all the services behalf, and let all men, and all belonging to them, which the men of the marsh were used to render continue in peace with them, as do the monks to me in carriages, and the transport* of baggage themselves. Wherefore I will, that if any conto and fro by land and water, and of all other tention, dissension, damage, or injury occur beservices: wherefore I desire that they may be tween the men of St. Pancras, and me or mine, for ever quit and freed from all other services to from whence forfeiture shall arise, let the prior me and my heirs. of St. Pancras have, and receive in my stead, And if we lodge there more than twice in the forfeiture and satisfaction from his men, in order year, let them reckon up all that I, or any of my that by this means the men of St. Pancras may servants lodging there on my account, during the never be injured or distressed on this account by year, shall consume of their substance, over and those who are to come, and I would have my above what is spent at the two seasons before- heirs do the same; and if I, or my heirs after mentioned, and we will repay them at the end of me, add any gift, I will that it be given and holdthe year, on peril of our souls. Thus I have done, en as freely as what I have given, and that my and will do, and so I would have my heirs, as heirs will and do likewise. And I will that as I they would be saved in the day of judgment, con- grow rich, my monks shall be enriched also, and tinue to do, lest for want thereof they turn my that as their goods increase, their number shall charity and theirs into tyranny and extortion. likewise increase; and this is my will and desire Moreover, I have given them the church of Acre and command, which let my heirs will, and dewith two carucates of land, the place where I sire and command; and let them confirm and esand my Gundreda, in her life-time, proposed to tablish what I have done, and I hereby confirm build a monastery and dwellings for some of the and establish what they shall do. And whoever monks from the monastery of St. Pancras, and shall contravane this my donation, or in any rewhere, at the first, we settled some from thence spect derogate from or diminish it, let him incur in the church of the castle. And this Master the anger and curse of Almighty God, and His Lanzo promised to do, but on condition that the swift vengeance in heart and soul, both in this prior and monks of Acre should always be sub-world and in the day of judgment; and may all ject and under the entire control of the Prior of St. Pancras: wherefore let the said prior and convent of St. Pancras, have and regulate without contradiction the house of Acre as their own monks and their own cloister; and this I will do, if God continue to me life and health. But if I cannot accomplish it in my life, I will that my heir shall do it. And if my successors shall in their day found any religious house, I will that it be subjected to St. Pancras, and that St. Pancras be always the chief place of their barony. And there let them be buried: my wife Gundreda sleeps there, by her my body will be interred, and I will that my heirs also be buried there. All the aforesaid gifts I gave to God and St. Pancras, and to the monks who should serve God in that place, during the life and with the consent of Gundreda, my wife, and William and Raynald my sons and heirs. But this charter I made after her death. After which I also gave them for her soul and mine, and those of my successors, a manor in Norfolk, called Hecham, and all that I had there, with the land of Paganus my bailiff, and all the free-men whose rents Paganus received. And this donation I will that my heirs grant and confirm, for it has been granted and confirmed by my master King William, and his father did the same as to my other gifts. All the aforesaid things I have given to the monks to hold for ever, free and quit from

Summasiis; from summos, a horse-load. Ellis's Introd. to Domesday, i. 134. VOL. I. No. III. 36

|

the curses which a father can call down on his wicked children fall from me upon him. So be it. So be it. Likewise, if my heir after me, or his heir aster him, or any of his successors shall add: any thing to my donation, I pray God that who-ever goes against it for evil, may have God against him for evil; but whoever shall defend and keep it, may God keep him from all evil. Moreover, I would have my monks and my heirs know, that when I and Gundreda requested the Lord Hugh, Abbot of Clugny, (who had come into Normandy to confer with the King my mas ter,) to restore to us Master Lanzo, our prior, whom he had kept all the year at Clugay, and which had disturbed us so much that we had almost resolved to lay aside our intention, and also to take our church away from them and give it to the greater monastery,* then at our earnest entreaty, the Abbot granted and promised that if God prospered our house, he would make it, after the death of Master Lanzo, or his promotion to any higher dignity, one of the greater abbeys. Ånd moreover, that when the monks of St. Pancras should send to Clugny for a prior, they should choose from their congregation one of the best of the brethren, one whom they knew to be the holiest (next after the chief prior of the House of Clugny, and the prior of the House of Charity,) in the discipline and direction of souls in spiritual things, and the most prudent in the

This monastery was at Tours. See Monast. An glic. vol. v. p. 1. New ed.