Friday, October 30, 2015

The value of Wexford medieval monasteries

The value of Wexford medieval monasteries

Niall C.E.J. O’Brien

Introduction

In 1905 William Grattan Flood wrote that Glascarrig priory was one of the wealthiest religious houses in County Wexford.[1] How accurate a description of the priory was this statement? In the absence of a cartulary or other documents from the priory we must rely on other sources. The various volumes of the Calendar of Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland provide values for the priorship over the decades while the various surveys and inquisitions taken following the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s and 1540s also give values.

But the values given in these surveys have to be treated with caution. Not all of the property of every religious house was included and there is much undervaluation of the recorded properties and not just to take account of the effects of war and waste. The Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Anthony St. Leger, and his associates made a “deliberate and systematic under-valuation of … [the] dissolved monasteries”. This was not just to give them and their friend’s cheap land but also to provide property for patronage purposes.[2]

Even using the papal letters and the various dissolution surveys the values for the various religious houses in Count Wexford as given below is a work in progress. Other documents may come to light in future to add more information and give a more accurate picture. This article examines twenty religious houses based in County Wexford or having substantial property there but base in another county.

Augustinian house of Clonmines

The edited of the Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1 described this house as of the Dominican Order. The jury of 1541 described it as the “Priory or House of Friars of Clonmine”.[3] The earliest reference for the Augustinian house at Clonmines is in 1317 when the Kavanaghs got a licence to grant a parcel of land to the House. The House was enlarged in 1385 at which time later writers thought the Dominican Order took over the place but this was incorrect.[4] In January 1541 the jury valued this house at 26s 11d. But when you add the amounts for each property the value comes to 30s 3d.[5] The friars were expelled in 1544 and roamed the countryside until 1773 when they were granted a site for a new friary.[6]

St. Mary de Portu at Dunbrody, OCist

The site of Dunbrody was first granted in 1172 to Buildwas Abbey but they did little with the site. In 1182 the Abbey of St. Mary in Dublin took over the site from Buildwas and founded Dunbrody Abbey. In 1348 Edward III confirmed the possessions of Dunbrody.[7] On 20th January 1497 Dunbrody was mentioned in the dispute but no value for the abbey was given.[8] At the dissolution of the monasteries the value of Dunbrody as returned by the jurors in January 1541 was £28 11s 4d.[9] But this value was after some deductions and some property of the abbey was excluded such as the property in County Limerick.[10] If we add on the deductions the value of Dunbrody in 1541 comes to £36 15s 10d. The property as returned in 1541 included over 1,200 acres and some land unmeasured, several granges, messuages, tenements and cottages, a water mill and three weirs as well as chapels and the abbey site which was given no value as it was in need of repair.[11]

St. John the Evangelist at Enniscorthy, O.S.A.

An early monastic house was established here in about 510 by St. Senan of Scattery. In about 1230 Gerald de Prendergast refounded the house as a cell of St. Thomas Abbey in Dublin. The house stood about a mile south of Enniscorthy on the west bank of the River Slaney.[12] On 11th May 1490 the priory was valued at less than 16 marks (£10 13s 4d).[13] At the dissolution of the religious houses an inquisition, which was taken in January 1541, valued this house at 13s 4d (one mark). But no value was placed upon the abbey church as it was deemed only fit to be knocked down.[14] In the rankings of the twenty religious houses involved in County Wexford, using the values given in 1540/41, the House of St. John comes in at nineteenth, second last. But if the 1490 value of 16 marks was used then St. John’s would rank in seventh position.

This change in rankings could also be applied to other religious houses if only we had a good range of earlier values than the 1540s by which time the material condition of many houses had declined and their landed properties were significantly in waste

St. Mary the Virgin at Ferns, O.S.A.

This Augustinian house was founded about 1158 by Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster. Ferns was the chief centre of the Kingdom of Leinster as ruled by the MacMurrough family. The abbey was rebuilt in 1169 and in 1171 Dermot was buried there.[15] In 1444 the abbot position was worth less than 24 marks sterling.[16] By 1477 the abbot position had decreased in value to less than 16 marks sterling.[17] Over a decade later, in 1488, the abbot position had increased in value to less than 18 marks.[18] On 7th October 1507 the abbot position was still valued at less than 18 marks (£12).[19]

On the 26th January 1541 the jury at the suppression of Ferns Abbey valued the house at 101s. But, when you take account of reductions for war and waste the value increases substantially to 298s or £14 18s. Yet even this amount is not the total value as the buildings around the abbey church were not valued as they were worth nothing beyond repairs.[20]

The house of St. Mary at Ferns is an interesting religious house in terms of its value. With the other houses the value given in the 1540s was less than in previous times but with St. Mary’s the 1541 value is greater than all previously known values. Any attempt to assess the value of the different religious houses in a region or among a particular order can only be a best estimate and will change over time, going down and going up.

Benedictine priory of Glascarrig

Glascarrig priory was founded about 1190 as a daughter house of St. Dogmael Abbey in Wales. For a history of the priory see http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2015/10/glascarrig-priory-interim-history_92.html

In 1401 and 1439 Glascarrig was valued at less than 40 marks (£26 13s 4d). By 1508 the value of the priory had fallen to less than 24 marks.[21] In January 1541 the priory and its property was valued at 30s 8d. But, when you take account of reductions made for war and waste, the value of Glascarrig comes to 96s 8d (£4 16s 8d).[22] Another reference book gives the value of Glascarrig before any deductions as £5 19s 8d.[23] Yet even this amount is not the total value of the priory as the church site and associated buildings were not valued as they were worth nothing beyond repairs.[24]

In addition to any value placed on the church site not all of the property owned by Glascarrig was included in the inquisition of 1541. In 1543 another enquiry found that the priory had an additional 360 acres. Later in 1551 another enquiry found that the priory had six rectories in Wexford but five of these rectories differed from those mentioned in previous enquiries.[25] The true value of Glascarrig is therefore difficult to determine.

In the value ranking of the twenty religious houses involved in County Wexford, based mainly on 1540 values, Glascarrig ranks ninth out of the twenty but if the 1439 value was used than Glascarrig would be in fifth position. Of course the value of the other religious houses would also change if the 1440s valuations were used.

Remaining walls of Glascarrig priory 

Carmelite house of St. Mary at Horetown

This priory was founded by the Furlong family in the fourteenth century (about 1350 or 1387).[26] In January 1541 the inquisition into the value of this house said it was worth nothing due to war and waste. When you add up the gross values of the individual properties held by the house the value comes to 48s.[27] After the dissolution the friars remained in the area and in 1737 a convent was said to be still in existence.[28]

Augustinian friary of New Ross

This friary was first recorded in 1320 when William de la Roche is said to have founded it but others say it existed long before then. In the time of Pope John XXII (1316-1334) some Augustinians became Franciscans and then changed back again. Those who stayed as Augustinians excommunicated the turncoats and the Pope later absolved them from any excommunication.[29]

The inquisition for this house was taken in January 1541 and valued the house at £1 6s 8d (26s 8d). But when you add the figures for the individual properties held by the house you get 27s 4d. This figure would have been greater if a book value was given for the church site. But the church site and associated buildings had previously being sold to the Countess of Ormond for £13 6s 8d and no book value was therefore given.[30]

Franciscan house of St. Saviour at New Ross

This house was established before 1256 when a provincial chapter was held there. By 1295 the friary had moved to a new site beside the River Barrow where merchandise was stored. In 1300 the friary was granted a duty on every ship entering New Ross port and in 1406 Henry VI confirmed this duty.[31] This duty would have added greatly to the value of the friary in medieval times but was not mentioned in the various inquisitions at the suppression of the friary.

In January 1541 a jury valued the house as 52s 10d which was calculated by valuing the house site as 13s 4d and other property as 39s 6d. But if you try to add the figures to get the total of 39s 6d as per the inquisition you end up with 64s 10d. This difference is because some of the property was given a value but other sites were noted by their rent value. The sub-total value of the house is therefore 78s 2d but this is not the total as the priory church site was given no value. Instead the jury said £20 was the sale value of the church site.[32]

After the suppression the friars stayed locally and seem to have reoccupied the site. In 1549 the friars were driven out but returned during the reign of Queen Mary. In 1558 they were driven out again and the friary buildings were knocked down.[33]

St. Peter and Paul priory at Selsker, O.S.A., Arroasian Congregation

This Augustinian house was under the patronage of the Roche family and was founded in about 1190 or 1216 according to different sources. In 1240 Bishop John St. John of Ferns held a synod in the priory. In 1355 there was a large fire in which the muniments were destroyed. The priors sat in the Irish Parliament as spiritual peers showing the importance of the house.[34]

The loss of the muniments made it hard to get a early value for the priory. The priory was mentioned in 1503 where a number of people claimed to be the true prior but no value of the priory was given.[35] In January 1541 the inquisition into the property of Selskar valued the house as £129 10d.[36] When you add the values of the individual properties the value of Selskar comes to £124 10d. Yet this amount was not the true value as when account is taken for war and waste the value of the house comes to £145 17s 8d.[37] This value makes Selskar the wealthiest religious house base in County Wexford and among nineteen religious houses involved in County Wexford.

St. Mary de Voto at Tintern, OCist

Tintern was founded by William Marshal the elder in 1200 as a blessed for his safe delivery after a rough sea crossing. King John confirmed a grant of 30 carucates to the new abbey. The abbots sat in the medieval Irish Parliament as spiritual peers but after 1447 were excused due to destruction of the abbey lands and the high cost of rebuilding the abbey buildings.[38] In 1440 the abbey was worth less than £100 sterling.[39] On 27th April 1511 the abbey was worth less than 38 marks (£25 6s 12d).[40] This reduction in value could be attributed to the destruction in the 1440s referred to above.

Tintern Abbey, County Wexford

At the dissolution of the monasteries a number of inquisitions were carried out into the property of Tintern Abbey. The abbey was suppressed in 1536 and the first inquisition taken in July 1539 said that there was the abbey site along with about 2,066 acres, two water mills, a ferry and an interest in ten churches among other property. The total value was given as £93 3s 8d. In January 1541 another inquisition found the abbey site (not valued), several granges and about 2,370 acres with some tenements, three mills, a ferry and ten rectories.[41] This second inquisition valued Tintern as £99 1s but owing to rebellion and waste (including 700 acres detained by the Cavanaghs) the value was reduced to £59 18s 4d.[42]

The different descriptions of the property held by Tintern and the value of same is part and parcel of the various inquisitions taken at the dissolution. It has often been said that the various inquisitions have to be taken with a careful mind as the jury were often tenants of the dissolved house and sought to reduce the values for their own benefit while the property tycoons of the day wanted reduced values so as to get cheap property from the government. At other times the same religious houses claimed the same property. In New Ross the houses of Dunbrody and Tintern claimed to own the same churches and chapels.[43] 

Franciscan house of Wexford

This friary was founded in the time of Henry III but an exact year is not known. In about 1270 Friar Nicholas of Wexford was mentioned in the Liber Exemplorum. In 1486 the Observant reform was introduced into the friary.[44]

In 1539-40 the prior was found seized of the church, belfry, chapter-house, dormitory, hall, kitchen and other buildings along with eight burgages in the town to a value of 17s.[45] On 25th January 1541, a jury made an inquiry of the property of the Franciscan friary. The jury said the church site and associated buildings could be knocked down and the sale value was £8 and so they gave no book value for the buildings. Instead the jury valued the eight burgages held by the house at 16s.[46] The true value of the house is therefore 16s plus a value for the church site.

St. Mary Magdalene leper hospital at Wexford

The leper hospital of St. Mary Magdalene was founded by Strongbow before 1175. In 1212 it was confirmed to the Knights Hospitallers. The value of the hospital in 1610 was given as 22s. this included the hospital site, 120 acres, messuages and tithes.[47]

Other religious houses

In the survey of the monastic possessions of Ireland taken in 1540-41 the Dominican house at Arklow was included in the entries for County Wexford. In January 1541 this house was valued at 29s 10d but when account is taken for war and waste the value comes to 69s 10d (£3 9s 10d).[48]

Property held by religious houses outside Wexford

Just as Dunbrody and Glascarrig held property in other counties so religious houses based in other counties held property in County Wexford. The largest of these outside property owners was the Knights Hospitallers based in Kilmainham, Co. Dublin. In fact the largest landholding of the Knights Hospitallers was in the two south-east counties of Waterford and Wexford. William Marshal the elder granted the Hospitallers land in Wexford town and out in the country. This property was augmented in 1314 when the Hospitallers acquired the Waterford and Wexford lands of the dissolved Knights Templar Order. The order for the transfer of the Wexford property was issued on 18th March 1314 to Nicholas de Balcote. But the actual transfer possess was slow and matters were not finally settled until 1324.[49]

At the dissolution the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem at Kilmainham held in County Wexford a total property worth £59 17s 9d or £59 17s 8d depending on your calculations. Of course some allowance has to be made for depressed values due to waste and war.[50]

The Abbey of St. Thomas, Dublin, OSA, held in County Wexford the following properties. In the vill of St. John near Enniscorthy, 4 messuages and 3 carucates of lands (120 acres each) and all worth 20s along with the tithes of the chapel of Kilcorbre where the land was worth 20s when occupied, a total of 40s. Other places in Wexford had the carucate valued at between 10s and 40s. The border clashes with the Irish must have depressed land values about Enniscorthy. Sir John Travers acquired the lands in the vill of St. John.[51]

The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Maynooth held property in County Wexford worth £6 13s 4d, namely the rectory of Killenagh which was lease for £6 per annum to Walter Brown.[52]

The Priory of St. John the Baptist at Kilkenny held land in County Wexford worth 107s per year by lease to Walter Talbot and the two-thirds of the tithes and altarages in the rectory of Ross (worth £8) which was leased to the Countess of Ormond for £6 per year (total £13 7s). The real value for the land is unknown but would be above the lease value as paid by Walter Talbot.[53]

The Cistercian Abbey of Jerpoint in County Kilkenny held one messuage in the town of Ross worth 4s 6d and rented by John Bryncam.[54]

The Augustinian Priory at Inistioge held a vill worth 13s 4d and a rectory worth 24s in County Wexford (total value of £1 17s 4d).[55]

The Augustinian Priory at Kells held tithes in County Wexford worth 48s and a rectory that previously was worth £8 but in 1540 was worth nothing because it was in Irish hands (total value of £10 8s).[56]

The Cistercian Abbey of Duiske held land in County Wexford worth 80s in good times but was totally worthless by 1540 due to the Irish attacks.[57]

Religious houses, inside and outside County Wexford, in order of value

1 = Selsker priory £145 17s 8d
2 = Tintern Abbey £99 1s
3 = Knights Hospitallers at Kilmainham £59 17s 8d
4 = Dunbrody Abbey £36 15s 10d
5 =St. Mary’s at Ferns £14 18s
6 = St. John’s at Kilkenny £13 7s
7 = Kells Priory £10 8s
8 = Maynooth College £6 13s 4d
9 = Glascarrig Priory £5 19s 8d
10 = Duiske Abbey £4
11 = Franciscan house at New Ross £3 18s 2d
12 = Carmelite house at Horetown £2 8s
13 = St. Thomas Abbey, Dublin £2
14 = Inistioge Priory £1 17s 4d
15 = Augustinian House at New Ross £1 7s 4d
16 = Augustinian house at Clonmines £1 10s 3d
17 = St. Mary Magdalen leper hospital, Wexford 22s
18 = Franciscan house at Wexford 17s
19 = St. John’s at Enniscorthy 13s 4d
20 = Jerpoint Abbey 4s 6d

Religious houses, based in County Wexford, in order of value

1 = Selsker priory £145 17s 8d
2 = Tintern Abbey £99 1s
3 = Dunbrody Abbey £36 15s 10d
4 =St. Mary’s at Ferns £14 18s
5 = Glascarrig Priory £5 19s 8d
6 = Franciscan house at New Ross £3 18s 2d
7 = Carmelite house at Horetown £2 8s
8 = Augustinian House at New Ross £1 7s 4d
9 = Augustinian house at Clonmines £1 10s 3d
10 = St. Mary Magdalen leper hospital, Wexford 22s
11 = Franciscan house at Wexford 17s
12 = St. John’s at Enniscorthy 13s 4d

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[1] William H. Grattan Flood, ‘Glascarrig Priory, County Wexford’, in J.R.S.A.I., Vol. 35, No. 2 (1905), p. 167
[2] Vincent P. Carey, Surviving the Tudors: The ‘Wizard’ Earl of Kildare and English Rule in Ireland, 1537-1586 (Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2002), p. 55
[3] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland (Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 1970), p. 233
[4] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 297
[5] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1 (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1943), pp. 365-66
[6] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 297
[7] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 131
[8] Anne P. Fuller (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters, Vol. XVI Alexander VI (1492-1503), Part 1: 1492-1498 (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1986), no. 681
[9] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 353-56
[10] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 132
[11] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 132
[12] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 175
[13] Michael J. Haren (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters, Vol. XV Innocent VIII: Lateran registers 1484-1492 (Stationery, Dublin, 1978), no. 481
[14] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 374
[15] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 175
[16] J.A. Twemlow (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters (Stationery Office, London, 1912), Vol. IX (1431-1447), p. 435
[17] J.A. Twemlow (ed.), Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland, Vol XIII, 1471-1484 (Stationery Office, London, 1955), p. 575
[18] J.A. Twemlow (ed.), Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland, Vol XIV, 1484-1492 (Stationery Office, London, 1960), p. 223
[19] Michael J. Haren (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters, Vol. XVIII 1503-1513 Pius III & Julius II (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1989), no. 783
[20] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 371-72
[21] W.H. Bliss & J.A. Twemlow (eds.), Calendar Papal Registers Great Britain & Ireland, Vol V, 1398-1404, p. 356; J.A. Twemlow (ed.), Calendar Papal Registers Great Britain & Ireland, Vol. IX (1431-1447), p. 30; Michael J. Haren (ed.), Calendar Papal Registers Great Britain & Ireland, Vol. XVIII 1503-1513 Pius III & Julius II, no. 851
[22] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 374-75
[23] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 112
[24] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 374
[25] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 113
[26] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 289
[27] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 367
[28] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 289
[29] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 301
[30] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 364-65
[31] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 257
[32] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 363-64
[33] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 257
[34] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 198
[35] Anne P. Fuller (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters, Vol. XVII Alexander VI (1492-1503), Part 2: 1495-1503 (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1994), no. 989
[36] Billy Colfer, Wexford: A Town and its Landscape (Cork University Press, 2008), p. 86
[37] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 367-70
[38] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 142
[39] J.A. Twemlow (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters (Stationery Office, London, 1912), Vol. IX (1431-1447), p. 74
[40] Michael J. Haren (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: Papal Letters, Vol. XIX 1503-1513 Julius II (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1998), no. 409
[41] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 143
[42] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 358-61
[43] Tom Dunne, New Ross-Rosponte-Ros Mhic Treoin: An Anthology Celebrating 800 years (Wexford County Council, 2007), p. 143
[44] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 261
[45] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 261
[46] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 371
[47] Audrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses Ireland, p. 357
[48] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 373
[49] Niall Byrne, The Irish Crusade: A History of the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights Templar, and the Knights of Malta in the South-East of Ireland (Linden, Dublin, 2007), pp. 219, 384
[50] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 100, 101, 102, 103
[51] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, pp. 45, 48, 100, 102
[52] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 176
[53] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 180
[54] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 184
[55] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 187
[56] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 192
[57] Newport B. White (ed.), Extents of Irish Monastic possessions, 1540-1, p. 195

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