On 5th October 1338, The French conducted their first raid of the Hundred Years War on Southampton. The raiders, described by Edward III as pirates stole goods and set fire to the town, doing substantial damage. Three churches of the town, St Michaels, All Saints and Holy Rood were damaged by fire. Along with St Lawrence and They were under the umbrella of St Denys Priory, an Augustinian house around three miles from the town centre.
St Denys was founded by Henry I in 1124, he granted the canons the advowson of the church at Chilworth. His grandson, Henry II granted the priory his chapels of St Michael, St Lawrence and All Saints, Southampton. In November 1334, Bishop Orleton confirmed the appropriation of the churches of East Tytherley, Shirley and Chilworth, and the chapels of Holy Trinity, and St Andrew, Southampton. They were also granted pensions from the Southampton churches of St Michael, 60s; St Cross 13s 4d; St Lawrence 13s 4d; and All Saints 26s, 8d. Once they had paid the parish priests, the income from the churches was used to support the priory. The priory had the rights to appoint the priest for each church it held.
The archdiocese of Canterbury had agreed to paying a tenth of it’s income to Edward III every three years. The taxes for Southampton were collected on behalf of the diocese of Winchester, by the prior of St Swithun’s, now the cathedral. Due to the need to repair the town and churches the prior of St Denys applied to Edward III for tax relief. The king had agreed and this is the text of his letter to the prior of St Swithun’s:
“To the prior of St Swithin’s Winchester, collector in the diocese of Winchester of the triennial tenth granted by the clergy of the province of Canterbury. Order to permit the rectors of the churches of Holy Rood, St Michael and All Saints, Southampton, and the prior of St Denys near Southampton to whom the churches are pensionary to have respite until the quinzaine of Michaelmas next for the money of the tenth touching them, provided that they satisfy the king for the money of the tenth touching the churches and the pensions thereof, due before the churches were burned, as they have besought the king to discharge them of all tenths from the time when the houses and other buildings in the parishes of the churches were burned with the churches by certain pirates who invaded the town, and the fruits except obventions and oblations which were wont to be brought by the parishioners of the churches do not pertain to the churches, and the oblations which are brought after the burning do not suffice for the maintenance of the priest of each church or for paying the pensions due thereof.”
Close Rolls of Edward III 1339 – 1341 pp477-478
Medieval churches had three income streams, tithes, oblations and obventions. Tithes were a fifteenth of a man’s income and were paid annually. Oblations were monies and goods given as a religious sacrifice. Obventions were casual gifts of money or goods over and above tithes and oblations. The loss of income to the churches in terms of tithes, oblations and obventions would have made the payment of the pensions to the priory difficult.
Despite being a royal foundation, St Denys continually struggled financially. Perhaps because they did the most to feed the poor of the city. The Maison Dieu, another Augustinian house situated on the quayside provided a few almshouses but mainly existed to support pilgrims enroute for France and Rome.
The 1338 raid and those that followed were still causing the priory financial problems fifty years later. In April 1385, Richard II granted the priory protection as the convent was still repairing its tenements and paying towards fortifying the town. Over the course of the later fourteenth and fifteenth centuries new purpose built towers, some specifically for artillery were added. Keeping the town and its inhabitants safe was an expensive if necessary business.
The canons lacked the funds to maintain themselves, pay pensions, or support corrodories. The latter were arrangements where a person could pay in advance for accommodation and food within the priory when they were no longer able to work. The system was open to abuse, especially in the nunneries where entire families would turn up demanding support. At one time the king had reserved the right to send pensioners from his household to the priory but this had been stopped earlier in the fourteenth century. To try to improve its finances Thomas de Mowbray, earl of Nottingham was given custody of the house for five years.
The majority of citizens living within the town walls were the merchants and artisans. They all contributed to upkeep of the town and to a tax known as the fee farm which was sent to the king. They were also responsible for the repair and maintenance of their homes. The raid had had a significant impact on their income and ability to make gifts to the church.
Many, as well as rebuilding constructed stone vaults beneath their homes and businesses following the raid. They were built from precut stone, fitted into a hollow beneath the house. Buying the stone, and paying the masons, and labourers was costly. As were the improvements to the security of the town. The king allowed the citizens to retain their fee farm in order to repair and upgrade the walls.
The open arcades along the quayside allowed the raiders to simply walk in. The former master of the Wardrobe, Edmund de la Beche, was appointed to oversee the construction of the town’s defences. Amongst other changes the arcades were blocked up and the Wool House constructed. This was a store for the king’s wool ready for export to Flanders. Wool was an important part of the English medieval economy and was used as collateral to fund the war effort. When finances were tight, military leaders were paid in wool, for their wages and those of their troops.
Sources
Close Rolls of Edward III 1339 – 1341
‘Houses of Austin canons: Priory of St Denis, Southampton’, in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 2, ed. H Arthur Doubleday and William Page (London, 1903), pp. 160-164. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol2/pp160-164 [accessed 18 February 2022].
Lecture notes: Dr Andy Russel (2018) The Buildings of Medieval Southampton. Southampton Archaeological Society Study Day.
Image of St Denys Priory: By Engraved by R Sands from a drawing by J Halsell – Scan of an original engraving in my private collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5376198
Photo’s are author’s own
Footnotes
- St Michaels is only church still standing and in use today. Holy Rood sustained heavy bomb damage in the Southampton Blitz of 1940. It’s ruined shell stands as the Merchant Navy Memorial Chapel
- All Saints was rebuilt in Palladian style in the late 19th century. It too was heavily bomb damaged. The parish was recreated in the large post war social housing estate of Millbrook Park and the new church built in the early 1960s. Today it is the parish church for Redbridge.
- There is a fragment of masonry in a garden in Priory Road, the only insitu remains of St Denys Priory. An arch in the garden at Tudor House is said to be from the church.
- Large sections of the medieval walls remain insitu. The arcades are now found a fair distance from the sea, along Western Esplanade and it is possible to see the repairs.
- The Wool House is now a public house, The Dancing Man Brewery, and has been restored. The upper floor allows you to view the medieval roof structure.
- The High Street and Old Town is peppered with vaults. Many have been blocked up but some remain. It is possible to join walks exploring the walls and vaults but these are unsuitable for the mobility impaired.
Bev's Historical Yarns 