GOLDCLIFF 2- Kidnappings, Expulsions, embezzlements and Tsunami!

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The next five pictures are about Goldcliff's 'Mother House' in Normandy (1) Also a sea side location, perhaps these monks had special skills in sea defences and fishing.....Perhaps it is why Robert de Chandos offered it to Bec. Wool was an important commodity as were fruit farms and arable land. Goldcliff owned lands at Membury, Caerleon (Churches of Julius and Aaron and all their lands) and most of the surrounding area.

The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Bec recently, as you can see. Bec is a thriving Benedictine Community again, has a guesthouse where people can stay for retreats and rest, and there are many businesses undertaken by monks to pay for the outkeep of the monastery. Goldcliff was only a Priory of this great house, but would have had similar architechture to some of these pictures of the older bits of the Abbey.
















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The Fourteenth Century Squabbles and Excommunications

In 1304, the prior began litigation against Ralph, Earl of Gloucester and Joan, his wife on some things touching the freehold. There was a squabble between Philip de Columbers and Ralph de Runceville over who should become Prior! Philip was supposed to stand down but refused to do so and went around all the various lands taking oxen and money, and forcibly stopped the collector of the monies to give the money to Ralph. This dispute rumbled on until it was sorted out when the abbot of Bec dismissed Ralph in 1318, appointing his brother William de St Albino in his place(June 10th 1318 he was admitted by the king) Ralph in turn refused to go and said he had not been canonically removed and was still prior!, but is appeal failed and in 1319 William was accepted by the King.. The Pope himself nominated Adam Brette of Trellech a ‘poor clerk’ to be a priest in one of Goldcliff’s churches.

Robert de Runceville

Ralph de Runceville ‘disobeying his abbot and resisting the king’s mandate’ held the priory for another half a year and during that time ‘probably with is connivance, broke the treasury of the priory and took and carried away the chalices and other silver gilt vessels with other goods and the miniments, and the seal of the priory for sealing divers writings and quilt claims alienated divers lands and tenements, granted pensions and corrodies and charged the priory with divers debts’ One of the four men was William Walsh of Llanwern who at this time gained the lease of the priory mill at Milton and shortly after this troubled spell (1320) Prior William acknowledged the indebtedness of the Priory to Philip de Colombers to the tune of £63-13s 4d. Obviously Philip was right in his estimation of De Runceville-a bad apple in the barrel if ever there was one!

Earl of Norfolk and Welsh attacks

Sadly news had reached the king of the bad running and problems at Goldcliff and in April 1321 and the king issued letters of protection and support to the prior and at the prior’s request the Earl of Norfolk was appointed Keeper of the Priory. It had become very difficult for Bec to keep order when there were problems. Old Father William was beaten up by seventeen Welshmen at Morburne at Goldcliff. The kidnapped him for seven days and afterwards took him to Usk castle , and ransomed him for 100 marks. They also robbed the priory of all its horses and cattle at Morburne, Nash and the Coldra and stole other things. In May 1322 there were only ten robbers left but gives some detail about how they ‘ broke a chest secured with four locks , wherein the priory’s seal was kept.’(David Williams makes the point that this might ave been part of an ongoing problem with de Runceville and, whilst in prison, Prior William might have thought over how Prior Ralph had been treated three years previously before being imprisoned by a band of men including Roger de Wallington. He was temporarily excommunicated for the offence and absolved only on making satisfaction and doing penance. )William le Walsh then tried to prosecute the prior and his tenants in the lord’s court of Lebenydd and Caerleon.’although the Prior was a lord of the Marches and ought not to answer, save as lord of the Marches’.

The Sea, Shipwrecks reclaiming land.

With the troubles of 1318-22 the sea was making life difficult for the monastic lands in Gwent. (Allteuryn). Goldcliff was bounded to the South by the sea wall, which protected the surrounding landscape from the River Severn.

Shipwreck at Goldcliff!'There be wrecking tonight!

In 1331, the takingof a shipwreck (which had been assessed at being worth 2shillings per annum to the priory in 1291, was the cause of a long running dispute with Robert Gyene of Bristol, a ‘king’s merchant’ over the ship, which he had chartered at Bordeaux to carry wines and other goods to Bristol It had been driven ashore at Goldcliff by stormy weather and ‘notwithstanding that those in the ship escaped alive to Clevedon’ when twenty tuns of wine were washed ashore at Goldcliff, Nash, Clevedon Walton and Portishead, a number of men ‘carried the wine away’they included Prior Gopylers of Goldcliff and Thomas de Bec, one of his monks.’ The case was stopped because of an irregularity and then another merchant William de Upton took up the case, a taverner from Shrewsbury-presumably because he ad ordered the wine. A further plea later in the year even adds for good measure the name of Geoffrey , Abbot of Bec in the list of culprits (!) but this was probably legal cover. In any case, Prior Gopylers died a few months before at Goldcliff and the outcome of the case is unknown.

The Sea attacks the Priory

In the next (fourteenth) century, there was continuing coastal erosion and flooding and in 1424, the prior wrote to the king about the attacks. The Priory walls were on the point of being destroyed , and ‘half the parish church of the priory was destroyed by the sea. The Prior was allowed to take stone cutters and labourers to repair the walls . paying them reasonably for their work and food . This was necessary as ‘there are such customs in Wales that no labourers will leave the lordships wherein they dwell to any work, so there is a great dearth of labourers’ For such a huge amount of damage, there must have been huge tidal violence at that time and the new parish church for Goldcliff was built well inland for the parish, but it still suffered in 1606 from the Tsunami of 1607.

Laurence de Bonville-A Controversial Prior!

Laurence was appointed by Bec and in 1439, he was the legal prior , successfully appealing for the restoration to the monastery of its Devon Manor of Membury. Shortly afterwards he was summoned to Bec on a charge of embezzling money out of the priory’s revenues. He refused to go and was excommunicated by his abbot who complained to the commissioners for the alien priories. The Archbishop of Canterbury presented John Twining , a monk of St Peter’s, Gloucester as Prior of Goldcliff and the King ratified his position in September 1441. A few months previously (March 1441) Tewkesbury Abbey , using its Cellarer John Abingdon as proctor, began to negotiate with the Bishop of Llandaff to annexe Goldcliff as a cell of its abbey. This was approved in 1444 ‘to the end that the priory might be appropriated in perpetuity to the said monastery’. The annexation did not take effect until the death or resignation of John Twining, and when it did become effective ,the abbot of Tewkesbury had to maintain at Goldcliff a prior and two monks, there to celebrate divine office for the king, the priory founders and other personages.

Laurence de Bonnville was ejected and kidnapped to Usk Castle! -Llandaff v Tewkesbury

David Williams believed John Twining remained Prior until early 1442 Laurence de Bonneville complained bitterly to Pope Eugenius IV about being deposed and to have ‘transferred it, as far as it lay in him to the convent and abbot of Tewkesbury’. He told how John Twining with a hundred or so lay accomplices attempted to eject him from the Priory, but ‘ was prevented ‘by the resistance of Laurence, the monks and other persons of the Priory’. However on another occasion, about dawn, Twining ,now an official of Llandaff, was more successful, broke into the Priory , kept Bonneville and the monks without food all day, broke the doors ad windows and did much damage, to the extent of more than 100 gold coins. Then at night, they set Prior Laurence on a horse and ‘led him by the bridle like a thief ‘ to Usk Castle where he was imprisoned for five days, chained by one foot . Then he was taken and for one week was imprisoned in Abergavenny Castle, while Twining took control of he Priory bullying money from its tenants . Despite threats, Bonneville refused to resign, he was allowed to return t the Priory (with, he claimed, the King’s license) but for fear hid in the Priory church for three days and nights .

His enemies, one of whom was Thomas Herbert said if he 'would not resign’ they would make him resign with violence, even if he were on the high altar of his Priory’. In another petition to the Bishop of Bath, Chancellor of England, Bonneville claimed have been Prior of Goldcliff for thirty one years(an exaggeration). He mentioned his ‘supposed resignation arguing he had not resigned and claimed that the entry of his resignation in the register of the Bishop of Llandaff had been forged! He describes his eviction by Twining as ‘about midnight’ now and talks about his imprisonment at Usk . (like one his predecessor)

Tewkesbury Wins! Bec Monks are 'violently expelled' then Glyndwr expells the Tewkesbury Monks!

Bonneville also talks about the annexation of the Priory by Tewkesbury Abbey. It was not a peaceful thing. The eight monks of Bec still living in the Priory were ‘violently expelled’ by Sit Thomas Herbert and a crowd of men-at-arms and ‘thereby caused to wander about England’. Lawrence claimed that the King, through the chancellor had intervened on his behalf, but the only result of this had been two more periods of imprisonment in Llandaff. The Pope (1445) therefore ordered the archbishops of Canterbury , Worcester and Hereford to restore Lawrence to the Priory, to test his allegiance and if found to be true, to excommunicate Sir Thomas Herbert and the other offenders. How effective the papal ruling was cannot be known. What is known is that the monks of Tewkesbury were expelled from Goldcliff by the Welsh uprisings of Glyndwr in 1445, but that they returned in 1447.

The Abbey and College of Eton

In 1451, the Priory was given to Eton College by the King, and Eton now had to send monks. In 1462 it was returned to Tewkesbury (and confirmed 1464-1465 by a lost Papal Bull)In 1467, it was given to Eton. David Williams writes tat because of the uncertainty of what happened 1445-50. We do now that in 1474-5 the property was split between Eton and the Dean and Canons of Windsor (the lands in Devon/Somerset)Whether monastic life continued 1465-72 is also not known for certain, but likely. In the troubled days of the 1440’s a monk of Bec, Hugh de Morainville was sent by Bec to Goldcliff and it is possible he was prior there in 1445-7.We know he stayed two years and one record terms him late monk, alias Prior of Goldcliff ‘ and we learn ‘being expelled there from by the abbot of Tewkesbury’ he stayed for a while with Nicholas St Loo of the diocese of Bath and Wells where he ‘duly and with decency performed his priestly office as far as the bishop knows’ The Bishop f Bath and Wells (1455) asked all people ‘to receive him kindly, treat him favourably ,and hold out helping ands to him.’ Perhaps as an alien monk, loose in the English countryside, the Crown took a different view, however, in 1457 he was granted a pardon ‘for all ‘treasons, felonies, offences, and other trespasses or misdeeds’.
We believe monastic life may have ended here, the money for the lands and tithes going directly to Eton College. The Priory had had a turbulent fifteenth century with great floods some murky priors, Welsh outlaws, Glyndwr’s uprisings and politics of greedy men trying to get their hands on the lands chartered to the monks granted by Chandos. Yet through most of it, monastic life had continued at the Priory overlooking the sea. The monks filed in and out for Divine Office every day and night and fulfilled the Benedictine Opus Dei, praying to God for the sins of the world.

I am most grateful to the outstanding local historian David Williams for most of this information and scholarship, without which I could not have compiled information.

The Priory buildings lie on the site of Hill Farm and the church is grassed over. I am not sure if it as ever been excavated in recent times. The sea wall and drainage system (The Monks' Ditch) maintained by the monks still stands and their spirit and work made a huge contribution at this time


If you wish to read Dr David Williams Article, from which much of this information comes, please look at the Monmouthshire Antiquary-available in any library in Monmouthshire.

NEXT****The Year of a Breakaway monk from Tintern as Prior of Goldcliff!

GOLDCLIFF.1 The Benedictine Priory of St John the Baptist and St Mary Magdalene

Here you can see the entrance to the original seaside priory.You can see part of the sea wall they built (now reinforced with concrete!) Also the outline of Hill farm a later development of where Goldcliffe was.More pictures in the next post.



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This information has come largely from the excellent account given by the eminent scholar, David Williams in the Monmouthshire Antiquary.

The Name-Gold Cliff-Allteurin

The name ‘Goldcliff ‘(Allteurin) is said to have originated from the silicious limestone cliff, about 60 feet high, at the Priory , rising over a great bed of yellow mica which breaks the level at the shore and has a glittering appearance in sunshine, especially to ships passing in the Bristol Channel.The survey of alien priors drawn up in 1324 explained that the reason for the low value of £66 13s 4d which was te amount paid to the king was ‘because its possessions in Wales are in large measure submerged by the water of the sea’.

Alien priories

Alien priories were cells of religious houses in England which belonged to French monasteries; when manors or tithes were given to foreign monasteries or convents, the monks built small priories and established priories. Within the ;cell’ there was the same distinction within those priories which were cells subordinate to some great abbey. Some of them could choose their own priors, some had priors appointed. Some kept all the tithes and revenues and monies to maintain their buildings and carry on their work in the community, and others depended entirely on their ‘French ‘mother’ houses who removed and appointed Priors as they saw fit and removed all the revenues to France, leaving just enough for he priory to survive. Most of these priories were founded by Norman families who had already founded the mother houses or contributed to hem. According to Dugdale, there were more than one hundred and twenty in England and Wales. The cells which were independent had been made denizen or English.

Alien Priories and the French Wars in Mediaeval times

These alien priories of which Goldcliff is one were first seized by Edward I in 1285 on the breaking out of the war between France and England , and it appears from a roll that Edward II seized them as well and this is referred to in an Act of Restitution under Edward III In 1337 he seized all their lands again and rented their lands out himself for 23 years and then restored them in 1361. Sometimes he granted their lands out to noblemen . During Richard II’s reign they were grabbed again and the ‘Mother Houses’ in Normandy were allowed to sell their priories to English noblemen who wanted to endow priories. They were restored and then seized again under Henry IV. They were all, of course taken by Henry VIII later on.

Abbey of Bec-the Mother House and trained Archbishop Lanfranc and St Anselm of Canterbury

Giants of the Mediaeval Church from Bec- Lanfranc and St Anselm of Canterbury.
The Benedictine Abbey of Bec, or Le Bec, in Normandy, was founded in the earlier part of the eleventh century by Herluin, a Norman knight who about 1031 left the court of Count Gilbert of Brionne to devote himself to a life of religion. The modern name of the place, Bec-Helloin, preserves the memory of its founder.. Herluin's first foundation was at Bonneville, or Burneville, where a monastery was built in 1034, and here in 1037, Herluin was consecrated abbot. But in a few years it was decided to move to a more suitable site, two miles away, by the banks of the Bec (Danish, Bæk, a brook) which gave its name to the abbey. This removal took place about 1040. About two years after this,the great teacher Lanfranc, who had already become famous for his lectures at Avranches, left the scene of his triumphs and came to bury himself at the monastery of Bec. At first his retreat was unknown to the outside world, while his fellow monks seem to have been unaware of his worth. But within a few years of his arrival at Bec, he had opened a new school, St Anselm and scholars were flocking from all parts to listen to his lectures. The abbey grew and prospered and the good work begun by the simple piety of Herluin was crowned by the learning of Lanfranc.

Bec Expands

Before long it was necessary to build a larger and more lasting monastery. As the site first chosen had proved to be unsatisfactory, the new foundations were laid in another spot, higher up the valley of the Bec and further away from the water. This important change was really the work of Lanfranc, who was now the prior and the right hand of the aged abbot. As the first change of site was closely followed by the arrival of one great teacher, this second foundation was almost coincident, with the coming of a yet greater glory of the abbey, St. Anselm of Canterbury. Two giants of learning then came out of the abbey of Bec, which sent monks to our priory at Goldcliff, Newport.

Robert de Chandos

Robert De Chandos, whose lands lay very near the monastery at Bec founded the Church of St Mary Magdalene at Goldcliff in 1113 endowed it with several possessions and lands, and by the persuasion of Henry I gave it to the Abbey of Bec. It was the third cell of Bec to be established in Britain. Goldcliff was given an annual allowance of £1 and originally supported by Bec. The Church of St Mary Magdalene of Goldcliff with its lands and tithes and the Chapel at Nash were all given to Bec….
This dedication is revealed in the seals of the priory,the best preserved being the scene on that first Easter Day , with our Lord appearing to Mary Magdalene who is kneeling and holding a box of precious ointment.

He was to send a prior and twelve Benedictines to Goldcliff.

David Williams writes 'The monks of Bec and consequently their dependent priories had the especial privilege of wearing the white habit , a feature exactly paralleled today by the modern Benedictine foundation of Prinknash and its dependent priory of Farnborough whose monks wear white habits , unlike the black ones worn at Belmont, Downside, Ramsgate and elsewhere….

So the monks of Goldcliff would have worn white habits unlike those at the Benedictine Priories of Monmouth, Chepstow and Abergavenny. There is added proof that this was the case, for in the troubled, declining years, an ousted prior . Laurence de Bonneville, petitioning Pope Eugenius IV for re-instatement specifically drew that Pontiff’s attention to the fact that monks of a dependent house of Bec where ‘ a white habit is worn’ had been replaced with monks from Tewkesbury ‘wearing the black habit of that said monastery’

The site of the Tudor farmhouse adjoining the churchyard at Christchurch was a grange of Goldcliff Priory, the later house may have been an extension of the former. The tiny window in the south wall at the far end of the house looks directly on to the Priory and as Hando says that he found it pleasant to think that a light in the window may have signalled ‘All’s Well’ to the bretheren below.

Iowerth ab Owen and Robert de Chandos buried at St Mary Magdalene Goldcliff

Robert de Chandos died in 1120-23 and was buried on the south side of the choir of the church at Goldcliff (the only other recorded burial was that of Iowerth ab Owain in 1174.)William le Marshall got the priory then and then it passed to the De Clares The Prior was still appointed by Bec and after he was nominated the new prior would present himself to the patron and then the diocesan Bishop . David Williams writes again that ‘One Prior at least claimed to have exercised his rights asserting that the then prior of Goldcliff had been removed once by the abbot, but sent back at his request’.

Oath of Fealty during the French Wars

Shortly afterwards the wars with the French began and there is plenty of evidence of the procedure. Ralphe de Runceville becoming Prior of Goldcliffe in 1313 was presented to the king by the abbot of Bec as by the letters patent of the abbot to the king appears , from whom the king, admitting that presentation has accepted fealty and to whom he has restored the temporalities , the monarch holding the latter, while the priory was vacant.

The king then sent the letters of the abbot of Bec to the Bishop of Worcester , as keeper of the great seal, commanding him ‘ to proceed in the business according to the law and custom of the realm’. David Williams writes ‘The next stage was as the Prior of 1290 put it to be ‘presented to the Bishop of Llandaff and admitted as a prior and then have the spiritualities of the Priory entrusted to him.’ Another account of 1491 is recorded. In the mid fifteenth century , the Register of Tewkesbury claimed that for 318 years no prior was admitted to the Priory of Goldcliff , except previously he had presented him to the king and had been licensed by the king and admitted, inducted and instituted by the Bishop of Llandaff or his archdeacon!!!. In 1328 the crown had charged Prior Peter Gopylers 40marks for restoration of the lands, after another seizure!

Conventual Priory

Goldcliff, says David Williams was a conventual priory as distinct from a monastic cell. They trained to keep enough monks to faithfully perform the daily Litugy of the Hours which was the essence of a Benedictine Community.Praying the psalms in the rhythm of the day, the pattern of psalms-which they learnt in Latin by heart, canticles which are extracts from the Bible like Mary’s Song of Praise (known by its Latin name ‘Magnificat’)at the service called ‘Vespers’ the ‘Nunc Dimittis’(Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in Peace) at a service called ‘Compline’ Featuring strongly was the ‘Benedicite’ (Blessed be the Lord) at Mattins or lauds. Most of the psalms were sung. Every day there would be Mass, where the monks would personally meet Jesus Christ. Prayer was one of their fundamental activities as Benedictines and so was study. David Williams said ‘We get a glimpse of this prayer life when Prior Laurence de Bonavilla (ca 1441) told how one attack took place, when the monks were in their church at divine worship at Midnight’. (Williams)

Chedworth Church in Gloucestershire-an Ordination

All the priors were Frenchmen, as their names would imply, and it was said of William de Vedast long after his death that he had been a Frenchman. Many of the monks too were from Normandy-some are described as monks of Bec and if there was a death in the community, the Prior sent to Bec for a fresh monk. We can’t really tell how many English and Welsh monks were there because of lack of records at Llandaff. There is only one detail of an ordination of a priest of a Goldcliff monk at Chedworth Church in Gloucestershire-Richard Frageron in 1301.The community was at times a sizeable one with 25 monks in 1295 and eight towards its close. It also supported lay chaplains with the priestly work in the chapel of Nash, and the local churches.

Travels of the Prior

The Prior was the most travelled member of the community.Every summer he had to go to Bec to attend the annual chapter, and often had to present himself at the King’s council during the wars with the French. In May 1292 the Prior went to Cottisford (Oxon) and two bushels of oats were provided for his horse. In the spring of 1294 he was going abroad . In early summer 1303, the Prior was travelling to Bec, not to return. In 1347, the Prior was visiting his lands in Membury, and on legal business in Chepstow assizes in 1415. In 1190-1119, there was a real prior of note, Prior William who served archbishop Hubert Walter as judge delegate in an appeal in Canterbury and was also a commissary in a Llandaff ecclesiastical case. He was the only Prior who achieved high office and was described as a provident and honest men. He was consecrated bishop of Llandaff in 1219 . He died ten years later.

Corrodians (Terminally ill or old crown employees, larger abbies took others)

There were a number of Corrodians at Goldcliff. These were sick people and invalids in the service of the King who were cared for by a monastery when in lingering ill health or old and retired with no home. Or they could donate property to the monastery in return for regular nursing and care. The wholesome air at the sea must have been wonderful. Two of the Goldcliff corrodians seem to have been local. In 1305 Geoffrey de Llantrissent ‘who was maintained in the king’s service’ was sent to the priory. He had been detailed for Tintern the previous year. David Williams goes on ‘In 1316 Thomas de Marteleye ‘who long served the king was to ‘receive the necessaries of life’ at Goldcliff.’ When he died Thomas le Foyar appeared in 1343 from the Forest of Dean. Others were Geoffrey Hurst John Seys (1345) 1375 Richard de Careswell had taken his place.(1386)John de Banhan replaced him 1403 Agnes Henyver replaced Bahan.She was replaced by Thomas Reingwood (Yeoman of the King’s robes) and his wife.’during their lives and the life of the longest liver’As far as royal corrodians were concerned there were only two at most, so the nursing burden was not heavy.

Goldcliff, the Hill Farm

There is a picture showing the location of the Priory today. The Abbey Church is ruined, but there are some remains in the farm building , now built on the site, which must have been idyllic. In the foreground is a modern fishery, which would have undoubtedly also been a focus for the monks. Ironic that the sea wall they reinforced is still working today.

The Monks worked on the Sea Defences

The construction of the abbey was uneventful. The church would have been in the normal cruciform shape plus tower, since at times the Priory would have to defend itself. There would also have been a wall. Lay brothers were recruited and also other workers. They shored up the sea wall ,improving on Roman sea defences. They farmed .We know the local people used the church for their services. At Midday and at 6 the Angelus Bell would be rung and during the Mass the bell would be tolled at the moment of consecration. All the people working would stop and then turn towards the Priory Church , kneel and join in the prayer. The monks fulfilled their duties as Priests, scriptors and administrators, cooks, cellerers, infirmarians and apothecaries, Throughout it all they would pray the Liturgy of the Hours and pray mass, feeling the rhythm of the days, seasons and years in the service of God. Now and again there were problems. In 1265 Prior Jean du Plessis was recalled to Bec .
Court Case against the Earl of Warwick

Goldcliff in Poverty-Had to pay Taxes to Bec, THe King and Rome

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In 1291 the Taxatia Ecclesiastica hit the Catholic world, and made it clear how much the fortunes of Goldcliff had decreased.The King had made a mention of the poverty of the Priory the previous year. Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Caerleon, Earl of Gloucester and was also Patron of the Priory had a number of issues with the Priory , and tis was also troubling Llantarnam Abbey (Cistercian) In 1289 he withheld money from the Priory ‘asserting that the prior and monks had abused these liberties to his detriment’. The Prior brought the case in front of the King’s bench 1291, pleading that he held his possessions in chief by gift of Hywel of Caerleon and should not be destrained to appear at the Earl’s court at Caerleon concerning the avowson of Undy church. De Claire claimed that he should not have to answer the Prior as the latter was a ‘bailiff of his abbot and not a legal person’. However he was overruled , since it was felt that he had already recognised the Prior legally . The Prior claimed he had ‘ given lands, gifts, annual pensions, freed villains and no acre of theirs had been even disputed by any abbot and Bec. He had a Convent in his Priory and a seal and presented clerks to the churches in the Patronage of the Priory. While the case was pending before the king, the bailiffs of the earl in Newport and Caerleon told the Community they would still be forced to appear at Caerleon, despite an order from the king telling them not to do so until the case before the king was settled. ‘The four offending bailiffs were ordered 1291 to appear before the king for contempt The case, suspended for a time was cut short by de Clare’s death 1295 The following year, however, the prior found it necessary to proceed against a clerk Alexander of London for trespassing on his land.

Years of War with France

In 1295 war with France began and lasted for the rest of the Priory’s life.’All foreign monks dwelling thirteen miles or less from the sea , or by waters bearing ships to the sea were to be removed and sent to their manors twenty miles at least away or to other orders of the same order and language.’A guardian was to have charge of the priory , the monks confined within it. They were to send to messages or letters with allowance of 1/6d per week for food and drink and 10/-a year for clothes and shoes. As soon as the number of monks to be removed was known, they were sent at the cost of their houses with their beds and books to the places ordained for them and if they were found to be going around the country they should be arrested.’ In 1295 Goldcliff had 25 monks at this time. Five were removed ‘ for lack of sustenance ‘in 1296.In the following year a further five were removed leaving them fifteen in the Community. It is possibly because these were the actual French content and the fifteen more local monks. There is no record of the appointment of a guardian, but it seems ,according to David Williams , that ‘its Prior was allowed , as many alien priories were to keep the priory, holding the land and goods not in his own right but of the king and rendering him there from a very heavy annual payment to the Exchequer. This varied, in Goldcliff’s case with the prosperity of the house-£100 in 1295,£71 in 1298,£79 in base coinage in 1300, £66.13 in 1324,£10(!) In 1337 to pay the annual tribute to the mother house. The position may have eased a little with Prior Germain (1406)who was allowed to old the King’s manor of Membury without rendering anything to the king, but he had to maintain the houses and buildings and support all charges. Being seized again 1324-7, 1337-60,1369-1400, and from 1403 on. On the outbreak of war again, the ‘sureties which were called in by the priors gave pledges that the prior would stay continually in his house , maintain the ancient number of monks and servants , find chaplains for chantries and repair the buildings ; and also that neither the prior nor the monks or servants would pass out of the realm , reveal state affairs or secrets to foreigners by letter or word of mouth , or send away money or jewels ‘

There were other problems. Because of these restrictions, Goldcliff could not easily collect the money from its churches and there is a great deal of evidence to support the fact that the king did this . At least four times the Prior of Goldcliff had to present himself at Westminster (January 1342) with the priors of other alien priories to discuss the custody of the priory and the financial arrangements.’ on pain of deprivation’ on Hune 25 1347.

Thank you to Professor David Williams for his considerable Research, which I referred to here.