Printed and Published at the Dover Express Works. 1916.

TO BE FORMATTED

ANNALS OF DOVER.
SECTION FOUR.
THE HISTORY OF RELIGION.
III. THE FOUNDING OF THE PRIORY.

Some writers have represented St. Martin's Priory at
Dover as being a continuation of the religious house
originally established at the Castle by King Eadbald and
transferred by King Withred to the bank of the Dour; but
although that first change, in Saxon times, was merely a
change in location for the sake of convenience, the change
in early Norman days was the establishment of another Order
in a new house supported by the revenues of the old one. The
Priory was first projected by Archbishop William Corboil in
the year 1124, when he told Henry I. that the Canons of
Dover had added to the crime of lewdness, worldly cares,
temporal pursuits and dissipation; that they could not be
cited to answer in any Court, and that the K-ng, who was
their patron, was answerable to God for all their sins.
These serious allegations were frequently repeated, and
eventually in the year 1131 the King gave the Archbishop
his desire embodied in a Charter, as follows : —

Henry, King of the Angles, to the Archbishojis, Bishops, Abbots,
Earls, Barons and all sons of the Holy Church in England settled,
greeting : Know ye that I have given and granted in alms to God
anil William Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of Christ
at Canterbury and to all their successors canonically appointed (for
the salvation of the souls of my parents and for the safety of my
Kingdom) the Church of St. Martin at Dover with all things belonging
to the same, in Land and Sea, in Toll and all other ap])urtenances,
for constituting an Order of Canons Re.;;ular in the same Church at
Dover, and that the Abbot of the sime order may be therein
appointed by Canonical Election of the Chajiter itself with the
Assent and Examination of the Arcl bishop ; which church shall be
in the proper hands, government and protection of the Archbishop
as his Dcmense is. Nor may it hereafter be changed into any other
religious order. Therefore, this, my gift and grant made, and by
all the underwritten approved, I confirm and strengthen by my
royal authority and the power by God to me delivered to remain entire
and unshaken.

Witness all the underwritten persons, in whose hearing this
was made and confirmed, to wit. Thurstan, Archbishop of York,
Hugh, Archbishop of Rouen ; Roger, Bishop of Salisbury ; Henry,
Bishop of Winton ; Gilbert, Bishop of Eondon ; William, Bishop of
Exon ; Robert, Bisho[) of Hereford; Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln;
Simon, Bishop of Worcester; Elbronius, Bishop of Norwich; Godwin,
Bishop of Bath; GeofTry, the Chancellor, Robert de Sigill ; Isegellas,



THE HISTORY OF RELIGION. 1 77

the Bishop's grandson ; R. Earl of Gloucester ; William, Earl of
Warren ; Ranulph, Earl of Chester ;R. Earl of Legr ; Brian, son of
the Earl ; Hugh Bigot ; Humphrey dc Boun ; Milo dc Gloucester ;
Paganus, son of John ; Richard, son of Gilbert ; Robert dc Vcre ;
Robert d'Essex; Richard Baset ; Albric de Vere ; and many others
at Northampton, given granted, but at Westminster confirmed in the
celebrated General Council, in the year of our Lord 1131, happily held
in Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Charter of Dover Priory was confirmed by Innocent,
Pope of Rome, as follows : —

Innocent, servant of the servants of God to our Reverend
Brother William, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his successors
canonically to be appointed for ever. The desire, which is evidcntally
for the interest of religion, and the salvation of souls is without
delay to be complied with, and whenever anything is requested of
us which is known to be agreeable to reason, it becomes us willingly
to grant it. We therefore. Reverend Brother, out of the accustomed
Benevolence of the Apostolic see allow your reasonable petition, and
confirm to you and the Church at Canterbury, and through you to
your successors for ever, the Church of St. Martin at Dover, by our
most dear son Henry, the illustrious King of the Angles, to you and
the Church at Canterbury granted and fully confirmed, with all things
which, at present it lawfully possesses, or which, b} the liberality of
Kings or Princes, or proceeds of the faithful, or any other just
means it may hereafter gain. And at the request of our said son.
King Henry, we decree that in the aforesaid Church of St. Martin,
an order of Canons according to the rule of St. Augustine be instituted
and inviolably preserved in time to come, and the Abbot, who shall
j)reside over the Brethren, shall be chosen according to the same in
the aforesaid Church. Whoever, therefore, shall endeavour rashly
to subvert this, our decree, let him be deprived of his honour and
office and be punished with excommunication, unless he duly atone
for his presumption. But let those who keep it obtain from the
Father of Mercies, and the God of all comfort a perpetual crown and
the favour of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.

Thus the Church of St. Martin's Dover, and all that
belonged to it was given by Henry I. to the Archbishop of
Canterbury in the presence of the heads of the Church and
Realm before written, to found an order of regular Canons
according to the rule of St. Augustine, and the same was
solemnly blessed by the Pope. But in spite of the Royal
grant, the Papal confirmation and the array of high and
mighty witnesses, the spoliation of the Canons of Dover
brought a legacy of trouble on all who subsequently took
part in it.

The proposal of Archbishop Corboil to e.stabli.sh at
Dover a house of Canons Regular after the Order of St.
Augustine (the Order to which he had belonged) was fiercely
opposed by the Prior and monks of Christ Church, Canter-



IjS ANNALS OF DOVER.

I)ury. To avoid opposition, the Archbishop kept his scheme
secret as long as {)ossihle, and hastened the building of the
new house in the fields at Dover ; and before it was finished
(for the cloisters and other buildings were completed later)
in the year 1134 Archbishop Corboil fell sick, and being
anxious to introduce the Canons Regular of his Order at
Dover without delay, he commissioned two Bishops and the
Archdeacon of Canterbury for that purpose, but when they
attempted to instal the Augustine Canons in the new Dover
Priory, a Monk of Canterbury objected, contending that the
King had not given the new Priory to the Archbishop, but
to the Priory of Christ Church. The two Bishops had no
authority to refute that claim, for Henry I. was then at
the point of death in Nf)rmandy, and as the Monks of Canter-
bury appealed to the Pope, nothing was done. Within a
few days, Archbishop Corboil died, leaving the object on
which his heart was set unattained. The times were not
favourable for an equital)le settlement. Soon after the affairs
of Dover Priory were left in thi> unsettled state King Henry J.
died; Corljoil, the Archbishop, was dead; and Stephen,
the grandson of William the Conqueror, and Matilda, the
daughter of Henry I., immediately commenced a civil war
to decide w'ho should wear the Crown. During this state of
things the Monks of Christ Church took possession of the
Priory, with WilHam de Longville as their Prior, and they
appear to have held their ground during the reign of Stephen,
who died at Dover Priory on the 25th October, 11 54. King
Stephen's presence there implied sanction of the existing
state of things, and the new Archbishop Theobald .^ approval
of the Benedictines gave them additional security Never-
theless, the Monks of Canterbury knew the defects of their
title to the Dover Priory. There was the express provision
in the Charter of Henry I. that it was always to be held by
Canons Regular of the Order of St. Augustine, and that the
members of the Dover Priory were to elect the Prior from
amongst themselves. Soon after Henry H. came to the
Throne, a new Charter in favour of the Benedictines was
obtained from the King, as follows: —

Hcnrv, KinK of England, {greeting : " Know ye that I have
granted and cfinfirmed for an alms and a perpetual possession to God
and the Cliurrh of Christ at anterbury, and to the Archbishop
Theobald and his successors, the Church of St. Martin, Dover, and all
things thereunto belonging, in land and sea, and in toll, with the
old toll of herrings and the new tvthe of fishery, uliic h the Burgesses



THE HISTORY OF RELIGION. 1 79

of Dover have given and offered u})On the aUar, and with all other
its appurtenances which it at present possesses, or may in future
justly acquire, for the souls of myself and my parents and for
the remission of my sins, and for the state and safety of my kingdom ;
and chiefly for the soul of King Henry, my grandfather, the first
giver of the same church. I, therefore, appoint, and by my royal
authority, command that the Monastic Order instituted in the
Church of St. Martin by the authority of Pope Innocent of blessed
memory, and Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury ; according to the
rule of St. Benedict, be for the future inviolably preserved for ever,
nor may it be lawful for any man further to change the said church
to any other Order. I also will, and by my royal authority, command
that the aforesaid Church of St. Martin shall always remain in the
hands and power of Theobald, the Archbishop, and all the Arch-
bishops succeeding him, and shall have none but the Archbishop of
Canterbury as Disposer, and Director of Exteriors and Interiors."
Witnesses : — Roger, Archbishop of York ; N. of Ely ; Robert of
Lincoln Bishop, Thomas the Chancellor ; John, Treasurer of York ;
Regevius, son of the Earl of Gloucester; Richard Peccat ; Archdeacon
Froi^'ern : Archdeacon Nicholas de Hamtune ; Earl Regenald ; Earl
Hugh ; Henrv d'Essex, Constable ; Richard de Hamlet ; Robert de
Dunstanville ; Manaster Biset, Steward ; \Vi!liam de Bekamp ; Henry
de Pomeray ; John Mareschal, at Dover.

It will be ob.served that the last document, while it gives
the Dover Priory to the Order of Benedictines, does not give
the Monks of Christ Church, Canterbury, the right to
nominate the Prior of Dover; and the Archbishop Theobald,
to gratify the Monks of Canterbury, carried the matter a
step further by himself granting a Charter to the Prior and
Chapter of Chri.st Church, Canterbury, providing that the
Prior of Dover should always be taken from the Convent of
Canterbury and from no other place; but the " Monastican
Anglicanum " states that that Charter was made without the
consent of the King.

In that irregular way, the Monks of Canterburj' obtained
the entire control of the temporalities and the internal
government of the Dover Priory from the beginning of the
reign of Henry II. down to the thirteenth year of the reign
of Edward I., a period of more than 140 years. During
that time its revenues and endowments were squandered by
a succession of nineteen Priors, nominated by the Monks of
Christ Church, Canterbury, the last of whom, Asceline. the
sub-Prior of Canterburv, was appointed Prior of Dover in
1275. In the year 1284 this Prior was deprived for dilapida-
tions, whereupon the Monks of Dover Priory, by presenting
a petition to the King, once more claimed their ancient
right to elect their Prior from amongst themselves, and it



l8o ANNALS OF DOVER.

appears from the " Monastican Anglicanum," Vol. II.,
page 2, that the Prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, was
summoned to show cause why he made claim to nominate the
Prior of Dover from his Monastery. This matter was heard
in the King's Council, and his decree, after examining the
Charter granted by Archbishop Theobald, was that that
Archbishop, having exceeded the will of the donor, the
Archbishops Charter was of no validity, therefore the
nomination of the Prior ot Dover should be taken into the
King's hands, and that the j\rchbishop for the time being
should receive the Prior of D.tver nominated by the King,
into whose hands the advowson had lapsed. So the arrange-
ment stood from the thirteenth year of Edward I. until the
beginning of the reign of Edward II., when the Prior of
Canterbury again claimed the nomination. Hearing after
hearing took place in the Court of Chancery, the litigation
being dragged along by a succession of Kings, Priors and
Monks for 220 years. Both in the spirit and the letter of
the law, the Monks of Dover were always in the right, but
the Monks of Canterbury pugnaciously held on to the richly
endowed Church of St. Martin until the thirtieth year of
Edward III., when, owing to so many years of expenditure,
the Monks of Dover were unable to continue the contest ;
and, finally, the nomination of the Prior of Dover, contrary
to all three of the Charters, was allowed to be in the hands
of the Prior of Canterbury. So it remained until the dissolu-
ion of the Dover Priory in 1535. The whole period of the
existence of the Priory — in round numbers, 400 years — may
be divided into two equal parts ; the first 200 years were
spent in continual strife and wasteful expenditure, and the
last 200 years in penury ; a very miserable picture compared
with the 400 years of valuable mission work carried on by their
}>redecessors, the Canons of Dover. The Dover Priory might
have done more for Dover if its revenues had not been
wasted; but, on the other hand, its comparative impotence,
especially towards the close of its career, left freer .scope for
religious work and for the development of municipal
government outside its walls.



THE HISTORY OF RELIGION, iSl