Life of St. Werburge - Henry Bradshaw
Edited by Catherine A. M. Clarke
chapter 16
Of the comyng of Willyam conquerour to this lande, and howe Hug. Lupe, his syster sonne, was founder of Chestre monasterye.
stanza 187
1304
Blessed Anselme at the erles supplicacion
Came vnto Chestre with gladde
chere
shortly:
Where he founded an abbaye of holy
religion,
A pleasaunt place and a noble monasterye,
In worshyp of god / and saynt Werburge,
sothely,
The yere of grace by full computacion
A thousande .iiii. score .xiii. yere alon.
1
stanza 188
1311All secular prestes
/ and
chanons
also,
Within the sayd place
afore-tyme dwellyng
Were clerely dismyssed / and letten go;
Religious monkes, perfect in
lyuynge,
Receyued were gladly their rule professynge.
Saynt Anselme ordeyned Richard of Beccense
To be their abbot with great preeminence.
2
stanza 189
1318Landes / rentes / libertes / and great possession,
Franches / fredoms / and priuileges
riall
Were gyuen mekely to that foundacion,
Maners / borowes / townes / with the people
thrall,
And many faire churches / chapels withall,
Wardes and mariages
were gyuen that season
To god and saynt
Werburge, cause of deuocion;
3
stanza 190
1325
Kyng Wyllyam Ruff, son to the conquerour,
4
Confirmed the foundacion / with great
auctorite,
Endowed the monastery with
mycle honour
Of fredoms / franches / also liberte.
The place that tyme was made as fre
As the sayd erle was in his castell,
Or as hert myght thynke / or tonge myght tell.
stanza 191
1332
Saynt Anselme departed thence vnto
London
And was made archebisshop of Canturbury.
To the place he gaue a sure
confirmacion,
With singular priuileges to be had in
memory;
Of whom it is written here folowyng, truly:
Hic vir dum vixit, extirpantes maledixit
Werburge iura presentia siue futura.
5
stanza 192
1339
This noble prince gaue of
his charite
Riall riche
enormentes vnto the sayd place,
Coopes / crosses /
Iewels of great
rialte,
Chales /
censures /
vestures and landes dyd purchace;
A librarie of bokes to rede and synge there was -
Of whiche riall iewels and bokes some remayne
Within the sayd monastery to thys day, certayne.
stanza 193
1346
The founder also buylded within
the monasterie
Many myghty places / conuenient for religion,
Compased with stronge walles on the west
partie
And on the other syde with Walles of the
towne,
Closed at euery ende with a sure
postron
,
In south part the cimiterie
inuironed rounde about.
For a sure defence ennemies to holde out.
stanza 194
1353The .ix. yere aftre this
riall foundacion,
This noble founder the
.xxvii. day of Iuly
Departed to-warde the heuenly mancion.
6
Next whom his son Richarde succeded,
truly,
7
Than regnyng in honour was the first kyng Henry.
8
Also
the place had their
fraunches and fredom
Afore
the sayd cite
a hundreth yere and one.
9
Footnotes
- 1.
- See A.T. Thacker, Early Medieval Chester, Lewis and Thacker, 2003, 16-33, 31, also available via British History Online. Back to context...
- 2.
- Richard, a monk from Anselm's monastery in Normandy, became the first abbot. See Higden, Polychronicon, Book VII, Ch. VII (Babington and Lumby, 1865-86, vol. 7, 360). Back to context...
- 3.
- This stanza includes many legal terms which underpin the rights and possessions granted to St Werburgh's - many of which would still have been crucial to the abbey's status and wealth in Bradshaw's own time. Back to context...
- 4.
- See line 1291, above. Back to context...
- 5.
- 'While this man [Anselm] lived, he cursed those who would eradicate the rights of Werburgh, whether present or future.' Back to context...
- 6.
- This line recalls the biblical phrase 'In my father's house [i.e. heaven] are many mansions' (John 14:2). Back to context...
- 7.
- Richard d'Avranches, second Earl of Chester, drowned in the White Ship disaster, 1120. See the end of the entry on Hugh d'Avranches in DNB (subscription only). Back to context...
- 8.
- King Henry I (ruled 1100-1135). See DNB (subscription only). Back to context...
- 9.
- Here Bradshaw makes the point that the monastery of St Werburgh's enjoyed freedom and independence long before the same privileges were granted to the city of Chester. The date of the charter to the city of Chester which Bradshaw is probably recalling is 1300, when Edward I recognised its mayoralty and granted the city certain concessions. See See A.T. Thacker, Later Medieval Chester 1230-1550, Lewis and Thacker, 2003, 34-89, 37 and 43-4, also available via British History Online. Bradshaw's comment hints at possible tensions and rivalries between secular and religious institutions and authorities in medieval Chester. Back to context...