Constance
de Lega and Lacock Abbey
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
The abbey for Augustinian
nuns at Lacock in Wiltshire was founded in 1229 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury,
in her widowhood. She was the wife of the late William Longespee, Earl of
Salisbury, and natural son of King Henry II.[1]
Ela was the only daughter and heir of William Fitz Patrick, Earl of Wiltshire
but styed always as Earl of Salisbury. She became Countess in 1296 on the death
of her father when about 5 to 10 years old. In the same year she was given as
wife to William Longespee by King Richard. William Longespee died in 1225 and
Ela took control of her inheritance. After the founding of Lacock Abbey in 1229
she became a nun there in 1238 and succeeded as abbess in 1240. Ela remain
abbess until 1257 when she resigned and on her death in 1261 was buried at
Lacock. She was succeeded as Countess of Salisbury by her great granddaughter,
Margaret Longespee who married Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln.[2]
An associate founder or
co-founder of Lacock Abbey was Constance de Lega (Leigh). I first wrote about
Constance de Lega in a previous article, see = http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2013/11/in-search-of-woman-in-time-of-king-john.html
This article attempts
to reconstruct the life of this Worcestershire/Gloucestershire lady with some
improvements on previous attempts.
William
de Lega, father of Constance
We do not know when
Constance de Lega was born. She was the daughter of William de Lega who in turn
was the son of William de Lega by his wife Lady Constantia. In 1170-71 a person
called William de la Lega was in charge in Hereford in Wales of gathering
supplies for the invasion of Ireland by King Henry II.[3] It
is not clear if this was William de la Lega senior or William junior. The
father of Constance first appears with certainty in January 1191 when William
de Lega granted his land at Calmsden in Gloucestershire, viz. all his house and
pasture of Aldesgare and 2½ virgates of villeinage, to G. de Naples, Prior of
the Hospital of Jerusalem in England, in fee farm in return for a yearly
payment of three marks. At a date around 1230 Constance de Lega granted this
rent to Lacock Abbey.[4]
About the year 1200
William de Lega was seneschal to the abbot of Pershore in Worcestershire. As
part of his job William de Lega made a grant to William the clerk of Bredona,
of a messuage of laud with a meadow in Pershore. The witnesses were Simon,
abbot of Pershore, the lady Constantia, mother of the said William de Lega,
Hugh and Alexander, chaplains of Pershore, Maurice the clerk, parson of
Aldremonneston, William le Poher of Peritone, William de Kinefare, Hugh the
porter and his son Reginald, and many others.[5]
Early
grants by Constance de Lega
In an undated document
of the early 13th century Constance de Lega, the daughter of William
de Lega, in her lawful ownership, made a grant to Roger of Pershore, the son of
Constantine, for his homage and service, the homage and service of William the
son of Robert Drake of Brocton, of one half hide of land which William held of
Constance in the village of Brocton, by the service of four shillings a year.[6]
The village of Brocton was south-east of Worcester in the parish of Pershore
High Cross. The place is today known as Drake Broughton.[7]
Sometime between the 8th
and 20th year of Henry III Constance de Lega, daughter of William de
Lega, widow, made a grant to Sir Gervase, the abbot, and the convent, of
Pershore, of all the land at Howeshulle which Adam son of Richard Org … held of
her, excepting demesne. The grant also included all the issue of Adam in
payment of rent due for lands held by Constance from the abbey of Pershore. The
witnesses included Hugh le Poher, sheriff of Worcester, Peter de Wika, and John
de Ecchynton, along with many others.[8]
Sometime between 1230
and 1235 Constance de Lega made a grant to Roger de Millinghoppe of all her
land in Srireuine in exchange for land in Widecumbe. The witnesses were Dom.
Hugh le Poer, Sheriff or Worcester, Master William de Colewelle, Walter de
Cheuemham, and Alan de la Sudhide among many others.[9]
This exchange, if it happened, was not of a permanent nature as in about 1242
Constance de Lega tried again to make the exchange. In a document of c.1242
Constance de Lega, daughter of William de Lega, made a grant to Roger Fillol of
her land in Srireuine in exchange for land at Widecumbe. The witnesses on this
occasion were Dom. Thomas, Prior of Great Malvern, and Richard, son of Andrew
de Lega, along with Alan de Sudhida, and William Fillol.[10]
Srireuine appears to
refer to the place in Worcestershire called Lench Sheriff which was also
written as Schyreveslench. It is not clearIn the time of King Edward II the
manor of Lench Sheriff was held by Guy de Bello Campo, Earl of Warwick, of the
Abbot of Evesham.[11]
In the time of King Edward III the Sudley family of Sudley in Gloucestershire
held a carucate of land and 30s of yearly rent at Lench Sheriff by the gift of
Ralph de Derset of the Earl of Warwick.[12]
Widecumbe is a harder
place to find. It does not appear to be located in Worcestershire. There is a
place in Gloucestershire called Witcombe, below Birdlip, which in the
fourteenth century was known as Wydecombe.[13]
But there is not enough in the way of surviving documents to connect this
Wydecombe with Constance de Lega.
Meanwhile, in about
1231-1232, Constance de Lega was in court against the Prior of Great Malvern in
an assize of darrein presentment concerning the church of Eckington. At the
Worcestershire Court the Prior of Great Malvern fell into the King’s mercy.
Before the justices Hugh le Poer, Peter de Saltmarsh, Peter de Wick and Robert
of Spetchley the Prior was amerced at two marks.[14]
Grants
to Lacock Abbey by Constance de Lega
In 1229, Ela, Countess
of Salisbury, desired to establish at her manor of Lacock in Wiltshire an abbey
for nuns to be known by the name of Blessed Mary.[15]
One of the early benefactors of the abbey was Constance de Lega. In about 1230
Constance de Lega, in her widowhood, made a gift in free alms to Lacock Abbey
for the souls of her father William de Lega and her mother Mabel de la Mare.
Her gift to the Abbey was all her manor of Woodmancote in Gloucestershire ‘with
all appurtenances, liberties and free customs in all places and in all things’.
The gift was to help establish Lacock Abbey.
The witnesses to the
gift included Sir Walter de Pavely, Sir John Daco, Sir Henry Daubeny, knights;
Masters G. the penitenciary, Thomas de Ebelesburne, Adam vicar of Audiburn,
Walter de Soliers, Peter de Saucey and Hugh de Dol.[16]
It
would seem that Constance de Lega travelled to Lacock or some castle of Ela,
Countess of Salisbury, to make the gift of Woodmancote as most of the witnesses
appear as witnesses to other documents by Ela or in documents by the Longespee
family, the family of her husband. The only witness that seems to have come
from Constance de Lega’s side was Walter de Soliers.
There are three places
by the name of Woodmancote in Gloucestershire. The first is near Bishop’s
Cleeve, a second is near Dursley and a third one near North Cerney.[17]
It is the latter place which formed the gift of Constance de Lega. In 1086
Woodmancote belonged to Gislebert Fitz Turold but he lost it when he joined the
revolt of the Normans against William Rufus. It was then granted with North
Cerney and part of Calmsden to Robert Fitz Hamon and formed the Honor of
Gloucester.[18]
Robert Fitz Hamon, Lord of Creully in Cavados married Sibyl, daughter of Roger
de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, and was succeeded by his daughter Mabel who
married Robert, illegitimate son of King Henry 1, first Earl of Gloucester.[19]
Chapter House of Lacock Abbey
In April 1233 Wymarca,
prioress of Lacock, appeared in the King’s court through her attorney, Nicholas
de Heddington, concerning two ploughlands in Woodmancote. Constance de Lega was
called to warranty her charter. The court found that the prioress held the land
by right of Constance’s gift and kept it of Constance in free alms. For this
the prioress received Constance de Lega and her heirs into all future benefits
and prayers in the church of Lacock Abbey.[20] Clearly
somebody had questioned the gift of the land to Lacock and the prioress went to
the King’s court to register her claims.
This person may have
been Nicholas de Mara, rector of Thotesthorn. Between 1239 and 1257 he made an
agreement with Ela, abbess of Lacock, concerning two carucates of land at
Woodmancote and 21s in rent. Nicholas de Mara quitclaimed these to Lacock abbey
in return for 10 marks.[21]
The
second founder of Lacock Abbey
If Ela, Countess of
Salisbury, was the founder of Lacock abbey, as the documents all agree to be
the case, then Constance de Lega, by her gift of Woodmancote to establish the
abbey, was the second founder of the house. Other people, in the years after
1229, gave property and money to Lacock abbey but they then so to an
established and operating abbey. It would be interesting to discover how
Constance de Lega came to know of the foundation of Lacock abbey. Did she hear
about it a letter read at churches from the Bishop of Worcester advertising the
abbey and seeking support? Or did she know Ela, Countess of Salisbury, before
1229 and so agreed to help her friend to establish the abbey? It would also be
interesting to discover if this was common to have a chief founder of an abbey
and a second founder, giving endowments at the same time or was Lacock an
isolated case – a job for another day.
Constance
de Lega’s gift is challenged
In the meantime there
was some disagreement between William de la Mare of Rindecumbe and Ela, abbess
of Lacock (the founder of Lacock) about the homages, reliefs and suits of the
heirs of Dame Constance de Lega. An agreement was made between 1239 and 1257
that William quitclaimed to the abbess all his claims for homage, etc., from
the heirs of Constance in return for 6d a year in rent and for the royal
service of the men of Woodmancote. The abbess was obliged to do twice a year
the view of frankpledge at William’s court.[22]
In about 1269 William
de la Mare of Rindecumbe tried to obtain a reasonable aid from Beatrice, the
then abbess of Lacock, from her land at Woodmancote, to help William’s first
born son to become a knight. In May 1269 the matter went to arbitration but without
a clear agreement.[23] Later
on, between 1269 and 1283, both sides did come to an agreement. William de la
Mare quitclaimed for 17 marks to Beatrice, abbess of Lacock, all his dues of
homage, fealty, relief, heriot and tallage along with all works of ploughing,
sowing, harrowing, reaping and carrying. William further ended all claims for
aid to make his son a knight or for marrying his first daughter and the 6d rent
his family formerly received out of Woodmancote.[24]
Early
deeds for Woodmancote: Perevel land
At some unknown time
Mabel de la Mare made a gift of a virgate of land in Woodmancote to Reynold
Peverel with the assent of her daughter Constance de Lega in return for one
bezant paid to each of them and 7s of rent. The land was formerly held by Nicholas
the reeve.[25]
By an undated document
of the early 13th century Constance de Lega, daughter of Mabel de le
Mare, confirmed the gift to Reginald Peverel, of the virgate of land with
appurtenances in 'Wodemonnek', for 7 shillings of annual rent. The witnesses
were: Thomas de Mara, knight, William de Soleres, Geoffrey de Mara, William son
of Robert, Walter Lohand, Alan de Bosco, William de Bosco, William son of Guy,
Joseph de Mareis, William de Mareis, Henry de Henleg, Roger son of Nicholas and
many others.[26]
Reynold Peverel
subsequently gave all his land in Woodmancote to his son Henry to hold by
hereditary right while paying to the chief lord 7s a year in rent. This was
witnessed by Walter de Soliers among others. Walter de Soliers was alive in
1230 to witness the gift of Woodmancote to Lacock Abbey by Constance de Lega.[27]
After the death of Reynold Peverel, his widow Juliana gifted and quitclaimed
all the land in Woodmancote that she would be entitled to have as part of her
dower property, to Henry Perevel in return for 8s a year. Following her
marriage to Walter de Haudyngton, Juliana Perevel renewed her quitclaim to
Henry Perevel in return for the 8s.[28]
At around the same time Geoffrey Perevel quitclaimed to Henry Perevel any
rights he had to the virgate of land in Woodmancote in return for two marks and
6d (pence) per year while paying 7s to the chief lords of Woodmancote.[29]
At around the same time
Henry Perevel received lands at Woodmancote from John Gerard of same who was in
urgent needed of money. John Gerard first gave the land on lease but later sold
it to Henry Perevel. At a later, unknown date, Henry Perevel made a gift in
free alms of the former Gerard property to the church of the Blessed Mary and
St. Bernard of Lacock. A certain Henry Perevel witnessed a gift of land to
Lacock abbey in 1257-83 but it is not certain if he was the same Henry Perevel.[30]
In the above documents
it is difficult to put a date for when things occurred. Medieval documents
before 1250 rarely included a date and up to 1300 you can still find many
documents that just give a regal year. After 1300 the vast majority of
documents have a date with day, month and year. For early documents we have
only the list of witnesses to narrow down the date to a few years and even that
can be difficult. The last mentioned document was written somewhere within a
twenty-six year period. If a few of the witnesses are well known people the
date range can be reduced. But if, as in many Woodmancote deeds, the witnesses
are local people who were not well known it can be next to impossible to even
put a date range on the document.
Early
deeds for Woodmancote: Niel land
Returning to Constance
de Lega and her mother Mabel de la Mare we find other deeds made by them
concerning land at Woodmancote. At an early time Mabel de la Mare gave a gift
of half a virgate of land and 6 acres which Ralph son of William Walsh had to
Roger son of Niel along with one acre of her demesne which Reynold Wykint
formerly held. For this Roger son of Niel was to pay one pound of pepper per
year or 12d. This gift was made with the consent of Constance de Lega.[31] The
joy for us who are trying to reconstruct the life of Constance de Lega with
this gift is that the gift to Roger son of Niel was confirmed by Constance de
Lega and her husband, Geoffrey de Abbetot.[32]
Woodmancote by Philip Halling
Geoffrey de Abbetot, husband of Constance
Geoffrey de Abbetot was
possibly a descendent of Urse de Abbetot who in about 1069 was appointed
sheriff of Worcestershire or of Osbert de Abbetot, brother of Urse, who was sheriff
of Worcestershire about 1110.[33]
The family came from the village of St. Jean de Abbetot in the commune of La
Cerlangue near La Havre in Normandy.[34]
Most of the
Worcestershire property of Urse de Abbetot was divided by the Beauchamp and
Marmion families after the exile of Urse’s son, Robert de Abbetot, in about
1110.[35]
Yet later descendants held some property in Worcestershire and continued to
call the county their home. In 1200 Geoffrey de Abbetot gave the King 100 marks
to have the manor of Hanley (Enley) and the Forest of Malvern. In 1209-10
Geoffrey de Abbetot and two others owed 2,000 marks for having custody of the
lands of Wilekin de Beauchamp, their lord, for four years.[36]
The Abbetot family were cousins of that of Beauchamp as a daughter of Urse de
Abbetot, Emmeline, married Walter de Beauchamp.[37]
In about 1210 Geoffrey
de Abbetot and his son, also called Geoffrey, were among the witnesses to the
grant by John de Wrenifort of a messuage and land at Longdon in Worcestershire
to Geoffrey of Teffort (Stefford).[38]
It is likely that Geoffrey the son was by a different woman to Constance de
Lega. If he was the son of Geoffrey de Abbetot and Constance it would seem
proper that he should have given his consent to the gift of Woodmancote to
Lacock Abbey. Geoffrey de Abbetot junior appears in February 1262 as one of the
jurors for the inquisition post mortem of William Shurnake in Feckenham Forest
and later May 1262 as one of the jurors for the inquisition post mortem of
Robert Strech in Feckenham Forest in the County of Worcestershire.[39]
Marriage
of Constance de Lega
By 1220 Sir Geoffrey de
Abbetot had a knighthood and appears to have become the husband of Constance de
Lega. He certainly was an associate of the de Lega family by that time as he
was witness to the release by Jordan de Lega of land at Longdon to Sir Robert
Folet in exchange for land near Widelon and grazing rights in Malvern wood.
Another witness was Sir William de Abbetot.[40]
With his marriage to
Constance de Lega, Geoffrey de Abbetot became a relation of the de la Mare,
family of Constance’s mother. In about 1220 Geoffrey de Abbetot further bonded
himself to the de la Mare family when he gave his sister Lucy in free marriage
to Richard de la Mare. The marriage portion of Lucy was to be the half virgate
of land formerly half by Ralph de la Mare (Richard’s father) of Geoffrey de
Abbetot at Redmarley with a messuage at Petford. Geoffrey’s seal to the deed
was of a figure on horseback.[41]
How happy the marriage
of Constance de la Lega and Geoffrey de Abbetot is difficult to tell at this
distance in time. Yet we can read between the lines and say it wasn’t the best
of marriages. Constance de la Lega kept her own surname and in her bequest to
Lacock Abbey in 1230 she only gave the gift in return for prayers for her
father and mother. By 1230 Geoffrey de Abbetot was dead and it would be
expected that Constance would ask for prayers for his soul but she did not.
The
later history of the Niel lands at Woodmancote
After Mabel de la Mare
gave the half virgate of land and six acres to Roger son of Niel, the latter
held it for an unknown length of time before he gifted the land to Walter son
of Walter the chaplain in return for six marks. This gift to Walter son of
Walter was witnessed by Reynold Perevel among others.[42]
Constance de Lega was concerned about this transaction and got Roger son of
Niel to restore the property to her. Following recovery of the property
Constance de Lega then proceeded to gift the half virgate and six acres to
Walter son of Walter the chaplain for a rent of one lb of pepper or 12d yearly
as Walter could decide.[43]
Sometime later Walter
son of the chaplain and Mabel his wife made a quitclaim of the land to Lacock
Abbey. For this the nuns granted Walter and Mabel an allowance for life.
Between 1257 and 1283 Beatrice, abbess of Lacock, made an agreement with Walter
son of the chaplain on what this allowance should be. The allowance included
the provision of a dwelling house for Walter and Mabel; two white loaves each
day, two gallons of nun’s beer per day and a dish of food. Walter and Mabel
also got 6s a year for clothes and four cart loads of fuel and four bundles of
straw. If Walter or Mabel died the allowance was halved and if Mabel sought her
dower after the death of Walter, the allowance would cease.[44]
Conclusion
Thus we come to the end
of this brief biography of Constance de la Lega, an important benefactor of
Lacock Abbey. It would appear that she was still alive in about 1242 but it is
unknown when she died. It may be possible among the early records of
Worcestershire to find some other bits of information as Constance and her
husband came from that county. Further research among other medieval abbeys,
and more especially, nunneries could determine if the gift of Constance to the
foundation of Lacock Abbey (as a second chief founder of the house) was common
or usual.
================
End of post
===================
[1]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), p. 1
[2]
G.E. Cokayne, The Complete Peerage
(Alan Sutton, Gloucester, 1987), Vol. XI, pp. 379, 381, 382
[3]
H.S. Sweetman (ed.), Calendar of
Documents relating to Ireland (Kraus reprint, 1974), vol. 1 (1171-1251),
no. 7
[4]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), nos. 372, 373
[5]
H.C. Maxwell-Lyte (ed.), A Descriptive
Catalogue of Ancient Deeds (1894), Vol. 2, No. B.2914
[6] http://www.wyverngules.com/Documents/BroctonManor.htm
from the Aug office Misc. Bk lxi fol. 86d, accessed on 20 November 2013
[8]
H.C. Maxwell-Lyte (ed.), A Descriptive
Catalogue of Ancient Deeds (1900), Vol. 3, No. B.4009
[9]
Bermingham City Archive, Mathon, M3688/225
[10]
Bermingham City Archive, Mathon, M3688/226
[11]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of
Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol. V, Edward II (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 615,
p. 398
[12] J.E.E.S.
Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, vol. VIII, Edward III, nos. 30, 258; J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, vol.
XII, Edward III, no. 166, p. 146
[13]
W. St. Clair Baddeley, Place-names of
Gloucestershire (John Bellows, Gloucester, 1913), p. 166
[14]
Paul Dryburgh & Beth Hartland (eds.), Calendar
of the Fine Rolls of the reign of Henry III, Volume II, 9 to 1 Henry III,
1224-1234 (Boydell Press & National Archives, 2008), nos. 16/199, 17/93
[15]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 1
[16]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 5
[17]
W. St. Clair Baddeley, Place-names of Gloucestershire
(John Bellows, Gloucester, 1913), p. 166
[18]
Charles S. Taylor, An analysis of the
Domesday Survey of Gloucestershire (Bristol, 1889), p. 157
[19]
George E. Cokayne, The Complete Peerage
(Alan Sutton, Gloucester, 1987), Vol. V, p. 683
[20]
C.R. Elrington (ed.), Abstracts of Feet
of Fines relating to Gloucestershire 1199-1299 (Bristol &
Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Gloucestershire Record Series, Vol. 16,
2003), no. 229; Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock
Abbey Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 375
[21]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 380
[22]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 376
[23]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 378
[24]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 379
[25]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 381
[26]
National Archives, Kew, WARD 2/50/176/63; Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey Charters (Wiltshire Record
Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 382
[27]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 383
[28]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), nos. 384, 35
[29]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 386
[30]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), nos. 387, 388, 389,
390, 393
[31]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 394
[32]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 395
[34]
W.H. Stevenson (ed.), Calendar of the
Records of the Corporation of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1893), no. 122, note
3
[36]
W.H. Stevenson (ed.), Calendar of the
Records of the Corporation of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1893), no. 122, note
3
[38]
W.H. Stevenson (ed.), Calendar of the
Records of the Corporation of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1893), no. 122
[39]
J.W. Willis Bund (ed.), The Inquisitions
Post Mortem for the County of Worcester, part 1 from their commencement in 1242
to the end of the 13th Century (Worcestershire Historical Society,
1894), pp. 5, 7
[40]
W.H. Stevenson (ed.), Calendar of the
Records of the Corporation of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1893), no. 151
[41]
W.H. Stevenson (ed.), Calendar of the
Records of the Corporation of Gloucester (Gloucester, 1893), no. 155
[42]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 396
[43]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), no. 397
[44]
Kenneth H. Rogers (ed.), Lacock Abbey
Charters (Wiltshire Record Society, Vol. XXXIV, 1978), nos. 399, 400
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