Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/291

 THE ALIEN PRIORIES IX THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 239 9^. 2l(i. the wcy ; .aii<l 2."; lb. of " cepnm — lianl suet f«»i- making caudles — at il. a pouuJ. Allusiou lias already bceu made to the articles of uiilitary equi{)uieut cutered iu these returns. I take it such would have been fouutl iu larger or smaller numbers iu every religious house during these storm}' periods, when personal violence was so rife. But they would be especially iiecessaiy in establish nients lying so near the sea-board, and in a district so peculiarly liable to, and, in point of fact, so con- stantly sutici'ing from hostile descents as the Isle of Wight. The military furnitui-e at Carisbrooke may be given as a type of the whole. The inventory comprises a breastplate, a hauberk, one corslet, a pair of iron shoes, an aketon (a coat of mail), two lances, and a pair of " trcppa)." " The monas- tery of St. Cross contained a crossbow with its quarrels ; those of St. Helens and Appuldurcombe two pairs of mustelers.^ The profits of the Abbey Mill also appear in the Caris- brooke account." The St. Helens return contains several curious items. This diminutive establishment supported a vicar to serve the parish church, and an English monk with his boy, " gai'cio." The waires of this monk amounted to 17.?. for seven weeks and two days, being at the rate of id. a day. His name was Fremond. He was of Wenlock Abbey in Shropshire, and appears to have had a great capacity for running the priory into debt. He had pledged a piece of cloth of gold, " baudekinum deauratum," to the Vicar of St. Helens for 60*. " ad commodum domus Sanctse Helena} ; " and was also indebted to Roger, the parson of Brading, for a quarter of wheat, two quarters of pulse, a quarter of barley, and one of vetches, and 15s. to John le Saglier of South- ampton for Avheat bought of him. Other burdens lay on this little Cluniac house. The prior had sohl a livery to a certain Herneburgha de Makingham for 30 inarks of silver, which sum he had carried away with him to Finance when " Probably for " trap] no," the covciings Realm," vol. i. p. "201, lUKlcr " Statut.a of horses. In the " Ronjance of Richard Arinoriim" is this iia3.s,age : " E qe tnz CoDur tie Liou,"of the fourteeuth century, les baueors qe baiiers itoiteiit, .seent amies we read : — de laustilers, edeqiiiscrs, e de e.). viij. septimauis, j. qiiarteriam dimid' man- ' "MnstiU-rs." In "Statutes of the corn, precium qn.irterii v," vol-. X.XIX. I, L