A HISTORY OF LONDON Henry VII.'*' Stanley became bishop of Ely in 1506,^-* and must have given up his deanery then if he had not done so before ; ^-^ the pre- bends of Keton,i2» Cowpes/-' Chrishall,'-'" Imbers,"" Paslowes,"" Knight's Tolleshunt, and Good Easter'" were resigned by their holders between February, 1503, and May, 1504; those of Fawkeners and Burghs appear to have been vacant. '^^ The abbey gained the issues of these estates, and the chapel services possibly lost little. There were still two canons resident and there seem not to have been more for two centuries,'^ in 1391, indeed, there was only one.'^* On the other hand the number of vicars may have been reduced : the accounts of 1391 mention eigh- teen vicars, a sacrist, and a clerk ; those of 1385, seventeen vicars, a sacrist, and a clerk,^ while after the appropriation there were eight vicars, three clerks, a sacrist, the keeper of the 'vestiarium,' '" and the clerk of the church. There were four choir boys in 1503 as in 1304.'^* No great changes can have been introduced until 1508 for the protest of John Fisher, one of the prebendaries of Newland, was made in November of that year. Fisher complained that the abbot, with the bishops of London and Winchester, had visited the chapel, had abolished the ancient statutes and customs of the place without the consent of the canons and vicars per- petual, had taken away the common seal, and deprived the canons and vicars of their fruits and obventions, and Fisher himself of the emolu- ments of his prebend. The arbitrators decided in November, 1509, in favour of Fisher and his fellow canon : '^^ they were to have the arrears of their prebend, but were to expend almost the whole sum on the chapel ; they were to receive 5 marks a year each ; compensation was to be '" Harl. MS. 1498 ; Kempe, op. cit. 158. "' Did. Nat Biog. liv, 71. "' The fact that things were not much changed until 1508 seems to prove that Stanley held the deanery until I 506. "' Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 3, No. 13202. '" Ibid. No. 1320S. " "« Ibid. No. 13203. '" Ibid. No. 13205. »° Ibid. No. 13232. '" Ibid. No. 13233. '" Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. No. 1 3 199. "' In a document which seems to be a statement of what the ministers were receiving at the time of the appropriation these prebends are recorded as in the hands of the lord, one through the promotion of the last holder, the other through death. Ibid. No. 13215. '" Ibid. A bequest was made in a will of 1304 to the two canons then resident. Ibid. No. 13272. '" Ibid. No. 1 3 3 1 1 . >« Ibid. No. 1 3 3 1 o. '" Ibid. No. I 32 1 5. »s jbij_ No. 13272. "' Ibid. No. 13300. "Mbid. No. 13^02. given them for their loss of the profits of the convent seal ; '*' they were to enjoy the statutes and old constitution and were to have the presentation of four vicars' stalls. The statutes made by Abbot Islip for the college "^ will enable some idea to be formed not only of the daily life of the members, but also of their standard of conduct. Two of the most discreet of the chaplains were to be named every year, and to govern the others as the abbot's procura- tors ; each chaplain was to take his turn to act as seneschal for a fortnight and superintend the expenses of the house ; no one was habitually to absent himself from the services, and there was to be no talking in the choir or presbytery before and after, but especially at the time of service, except of matters pertaining to the divine office, and that in a low voice ; the priests were all to sleep in the dormitory unless they had good reason for their absence ; at table one of the priests was to read the Bible or some homily aloud that vain conversation might be avoided, and no one was to withdraw before grace had been said, except by leave of the procurator or seneschal ; no one was to write with his knife on the vessels, candlesticks or tables of the hall or rooms, nor wilfully tear the cloth or towel ; the priests were commanded under certain penalties not to cause quarrels or discords among themselves or reveal the secrets of the house, not to use angry words to each other or hit each other with swords or sticks within the hall or close ; the priests were to have tonsures and not to wear rings ; they were forbidden to use bad language ; they were not to engage in trade ; they were ordered not to bring any woman sus- pected or defamed by day or night within the close to their rooms. The college was suppressed in 1542, and all the members were pensioned, the one prebendary of Newland receiving J^20 a year, three vicars £^ each, another ^^6, the fifth £6 13;. ^.d., the sixth, who was to serve the cure, ;^io 16s. 6d., three clerks, 40^. each and two others, 53^. ^.d. each.'« The plate possessed by the church at the time of the Dissolution was considerable in weight at least, 194 oz. gilt, 182 oz. parcel gilt, and 144 oz. white. '■'■' The vestments both in quantity and quality appear to have been worthy of the place : ^*^ there were forty-six copes alone, some "' They were before paid 3/. 4^/. for affixing their seal to leases of property belonging to the commons. Ibid. No. 1 32 1 5. Each was now to have 3/. ^d. a year. Ibid. No. 13277. '" Ibid. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 2. '" L. and P. Hen. Vlll, xvii, 74. '" Aug. Accts. ibid, xvii, 258. '" Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. Misc. parcel 63, No. 25. A large number was of course necessary, for the church had at any rate six chapels. Ibid. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 4, No. I 33 10 and parcel 3, No. 1 32 1 5. 562
