This book[3] is a good example of its kind, being perfect as the day when it was first hidden away. In it are written the grants of lands from the Abbey’s second foundation by Henry I.[4] Vast possessions given bit by bit—generally by those families whose ancestors lay buried in the abbey church, for whose souls prayers were desired. The inventories of relics are very curious, and the vestments also are described. There is a long list of the books in the abbey libraries of Reading and Leominster. All the books in this long list disappeared, no one knows where or how. Two volumes, a missal and a book of hours, said once to have been part of the abbey library, were sold by auction in 1889. Nor was Reading the only instance of the total disappearance of valuable monastic manuscripts. Gasquet speaks of the wanton destruction of manuscripts at this period, and says that they were sold for all kinds of uses.
Mr. Maskell, ‘Monumentæ Ritualia Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ,’ reckons there must have been more than 250,000 volumes of Church service books in use, and that they must have been destroyed to prevent men from following the worship of their forefathers. A most interesting article on ‘Ancient Prymers,’ the service books of the people, appeared in the Antiquary of March, 1892, written by Mr. Henry Littlehales.
READING ABBEY CHARTULARY.
(Photographed by Mr. A. A. Harrison, of Theale.)
The original deeds or grants of land to abbeys are seldom met with among private documents. The wording differs little from that of an ordinary grant, except that the donor gives for the good of his soul and the souls of his ancestors. Sometimes very interesting details may be gathered from the foundation deeds of chantries, with the appointment of a priest to celebrate Mass and offer up prayers for the dead, receiving in return a salary derived from lands or else given at once in money.
Original grants from the Crown to abbeys are seldom dated the day or year they were written, except that they conclude with the names of the bishops attesting them and the witnesses who were present, although sometimes the King’s reign is given, or the episcopal year of the archbishop or diocesan bishop.
The names of the English archbishops and bishops are important as supplying the date of undated charters. Of the latter the contracted names of the sees are all given in Wright’s ‘Court-hand Restored,’ but neither there nor in any other book is mention made of the Norman bishops,[5] who frequently appear as witnesses to monastic charters.
| Bishoprics of Normandy, etc. | ||
| Name of See. | Modern Name. | |
| Archbishopric: | Rothomagensis. | Rouen. |
| Bishopric: | Baiocensis. | Bayeux. |
| „ | Abrincatensis. | Avranches. |
| „ | Lexoviensis. | Lisieux. |
| „ | Ebroicensis. | Evreux. |
| „ | Cadomensis. | Caen. |
| „ | Sylvanectensis. | Senliz. |
| „ | Bellovacensis. | Beauvais. |
| „ | Atrebatensis. | Arras. |
| „ | Constantiensis. | Coutances |
| „ | Sagiensis. | Séez. |
| „ | Ambianensis or Samarobrivensis. | Amiens. |
As likely to be a help towards affixing the date of undated charters I append a list of the archbishops and chancellors of England from the Conquest to the fourteenth century; also a few of the bishops of the same period.