RELIGIOUS HOUSES erected by Roger Depham and Sir William Langford,^ while the gild of St. Nicholas, founded by the parish clerks of London, added in 1449—50 two more chaplains to those then celebrating in the chapel, but in 1475 took away one for lack of funds. '° Stow says that the college consisted of a warden, seven chaplains, three clerks, and four choristers,'^ but from the ordinances of Bishop Bonner in 1542," the number of priests seems not to have been more than seven, the custos and three chaplains established by the original foundation and the three annexed to the same. The bishop's attention must have been drawn to the college by the unruliness of the priests, as he observes that the founders had made no ordi- nances, and in consequence the chaplains recog- nized no spiritual person in the college as their governor and refused to obey the custos. The bishop accordingly ordered that in future they should be obedient to the custos as their head, and that the highest seat in chapel and college should be assigned to him. Small misdemeanours were to be judged by the custos and two chap- lains, but serious offences were to be dealt with by the bishop. Culprits not submitting to pun- ishment were to be reported to the bishop, and in case of contumacy to be expelled. The bishop made arrangements for the daily celebra- tion of masses in the chapel, and then proceeded to lay down rules for the life and conduct of members of the college : every year two of the chaplains, viz., one of each of the two sets, were to be appointed to provide the food, drink, and fuel ; every week one of the commoners was to be steward, and prepare and see the food served at table ; dinner was to be at 11 a.m., and supper at 5 or 5.30 p.m., according to the season ; persons arriving after grace at the end of the meal must pay extra for bread and drink ; anyone wanting more delicate fare than that provided must pay for it himself; anyone having fault to find with the meals was to tell the custos, steward, or bursars quietly ; the four children, evidently the choristers, were to serve at all meals, and to take turns to say grace and read a portion of the Bible in the middle of dinner ; no one except the bursars was to break- fast in the buttery or kitchen ; none was to soil the table with liquor or wipe his knife upon it ; the chaplains must not haunt taverns or ale- houses ; no weapons were to be worn within the precinct ; the slander of a fellow-commoner was punishable by a fine of 4^. to the commons ; " Stow, Surv. of Lond. (ed. Strype), iii, 42. " Christie, Parish Clerks, 27-8. '° Stow, op. cit. iii, 42. It is strange that no refer- ence is ever made to the chantry of two chaplains founded by Gilbert de Bruera, dean of St. Paul's in I 348. Doc. of D. and C. of St. Paul's, A. Box 76, Nos. 2005-6. " Lond. Epis. Reg. Bonner, fol. I4-17. I 5 in case of a blow the fine was to be 6j. %d. ; none without special leave of the custos was to have a layman, a stranger, lodging in his chamber within the precinct ; chaplains or priests having rooms in the college were not to sleep away from the same ; no woman was to go alone into any of the rooms in the precinct except to attend to cases of severe illness, and then with leave of the custos ; the college gates were to be shut every night at a certain hour, and those coming in later were to be fined. The college was suppressed with other chan- tries and colleges by Edward VI. Pen- sions were paid to three chaplains of the col- lege and to another chantry priest.'^ The income of the college was estimated by the Valor at ^37 7;. ^d. gross and ^^33 ids. 8d. net ; ^° its property lay in the London parishes of St. Leonard Foster Lane, St. Giles without Cripplegate, and St. Andrew Hubbard, in which last Stephen Spilman had granted a mes- suage and garden in 1397-8 for the better maintenance of the warden and chaplains.^' The chapel was purchased from the king in 1550 by the Corporation of London.^" Wardens of Guildhall College William de Brampton, appointed 1356^' Edmund Noreys, occurs 1389^^^ John Barnard, occurs 1430-I "■* Thomas Francis, appointed 1448, died 1488 ■* 39. WALWORTH'S COLLEGE IN ST. MICHAEL CROOKED LANE The church of St. Michael Crooked Lane owed much to two prominent I,ondon citizens, John Lovekyn, who was four times mayor, and his sometime apprentice, William Walworth, of Wat Tyler fame : Lovekyn rebuilding the church and Walworth adding the choir and side chapels.' In 1381, moreover, Walworth ob- tained permission from the king to suppress certain chantries established in the church by Pentecosten Russel and John Harewe, William " The lands were in the king's hands in June, 1548. Rec. of the Corp. of Lond. Journ. xv, fol. 370. " Chant. Cert. No. 88, m. 5. Three were receiv- ing pensions in Mary's reign. Add. MS. 8102, fol. 4. '" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i, 385. From this must be deducted three stipends of 10 marks each. " Stow, op. cit, iii, 42. " Newcourt, op. cit. i, 362. 1 7 April, 4 Edw. VI, the king's letters patent of Guildhall Chapel or Col- lege made to the mayor and corporation of London Rec. of Corp. of Lond. Repert. xii, fol. l-2 2li'. " Riley, Mem. of Lond. 228. "■^ Sharpe, Cal. of Letter Bk. H. 339. " Stow, op. cit. iii, 42. ""> Weever, Jnct. Fun. Mon. 399. ' Stow, Surv. of Lond. (ed. Strype), li, 185. 77 73
