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 A HISTORY OF LONDON by him ; while in Stephen's reign it was Queen Matilda herself who granted as provision for another canon the churches of Chrishall and Witham, with the chapel of Cressing.^'' King Stephen, moreover, gave to the canons free warren on their lands of Easter, Norton, Maiden, and Tolleshunt.'* The position of the church, however, at this time, was most unenviable, and nothing gives a better idea of the utter anarchy then prevailing than the history of St. Martin's. Although the college could depend on the favour of both parties in the Civil War, for when the empress was in power *' it was secure through its dean, Henry de Blois bishop of Winchester, her supporter, yet its property was seized again and again by various persons under cover of the general disorder. Their land at Aldersgate,-" Cripplegate,-' Maldon,-^ and elsewhere ^' was all taken from the canons at different times, and Geoffrey de Mandeville not only deprived them of the church of Newport -■• and its appurtenances, but committed depredations on other possessions of theirs in Essex.^' It may have been before the beginning of the war that the rebuilding of St. Martin's or some extensive addition to the church was undertaken, since Nigel bishop of Ely offered an indulgence of forty days to those of his diocese who contributed,-^ and he was more likely to be interested in St. Martin's while his " Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. Cartul. of St. Mar- tin le Grand, item 124. ; also St. Martin le Grand, parcel i, Exemplif. of 1440. " Reg. of St. Martin le Grand, fol. 10 ; Lansd. MS. 170, fol. 61 ; Kempe, op. cit. 55. " The empress ordered Osbert Octodeniers to seise Henry bishop of Winchester of certain lands in London, which belonged to the deanery of St. Martin, and of which he and his church had been disseised, as De.in Roger and Fulcher had held them. Reg. of St. Martin's, fol. 12 ; Lansd. MS. 1 70, fol. 63 ; Kempe, op. cit. 51. '" See Stephen to Osbert Octodeniers and all the barons of London, Reg. fol. 11^; Kempe, op. cit. 44. " Henry bishop of Winchester to the justices and sheriffs of London. He speaks of the canons h.iving long sustained unjust spoliation within and without the City, and requests that they may restore their property without Cripplegate. Reg. fol. 11^; Kempe, op. cit. 63. " Letters of Stephen and the bishop of Winchester as to the land at Maldon. Reg. fol. izb ; Kempe, op. cit. 45. " It is evident from a letter of Queen Matilda to Baldwin de Witsand that they were not allowed peace- ful possession of their land at Good Easter. Cartul. item 139 ; Reg. fol. 21 ; Kempe, op. cit. 58. '* Ibid. " Geoffrey's letter ordering that the canons' corn at Good Easter shall be restored to them. Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. Cartul. of St. Martin, item 133 ; Kempe, op. cit. 61. »« Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. Cartul. of St. Mar- tin, item 129. uncle, Roger of Salisbury, was dean. If so, the work probably extended over some years, for the begging letter sent out by the college speaks of the troubles of the kingdom as having affected the church.^' The canons, to induce liberality, promised to receive all who helped this cause into the fraternity of their church, and set forth the various remissions of penance offered to the charitable : forty days by the bishop of Win- chester to those of his diocese who gave alms ; fifteen days by Alberic, bishop of Ostia- and papal legate, to all benefactors of St. Martin's ; and forty days every year to those who on 4 July, the anniversary of the dedication, visited the church and made an offering. W. bishop of Norwich, besides aiding the canons in this way, gave them leave to preach in the cause ot their church throughout his diocese.^^ The gift of a piece of the cloth in which the body of St.Cuthbert had been wrapped, ^^made to St. Martin's by Hugh bishop of Durham at some time between 11 71 and 1 189, may have had some connexion with these building operations, for such a relic, even without the bishop of London's indulgence,'" must have been a great financial benefit ; it is more probably, however, a sign of the important position already held by St. Martin's. The year 1 158 marks the constitution of the prebends of St. Martin's.'^ William I had ordered the ' Custos ' of the property of the college to assign a proper portion to each canon, but the arrangement cannot have been wholly satisfactory, since it was at the request of the canons that the share of each was fixed. The dean was to have the church of Newport and land to the value of 20s. in Tolleshunt, the pre- bend being called Newport ; '- Maldon provided for two canons, one of whom was called pre- bendary of Keton ;^^ out of Good Easter were formed four prebends, known afterwards as Imbers, Fawkeners, Paslowes, and Burghs or Bowers ; '* the church and land of Chrishall, lox. " Ibid, item 109. The letter was taken round by Thomas, chaplain of St. Martin's. "* Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 2. W. was bishop of Norwich 1146-75. ■' Ibid. The event occurred when G. de Luci held the deanery. ^° Gilbert bishop of London offered twenty days' relaxation of penance to the parishioners of St. Paul's who visited St. Martin's within twenty days of the anniversary of the reception of the relic. Cartul. item 144. '' Doc. of D. and C. of Westm. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 4, No. 13247; ibid. Reg. of St. Martin, fol. lo;^; Lansd. MS. 170, fol. 6ib ; Kempe, op. cit. 65, 66. " It is called by that name in a document of 1 39 1. Doc. of D. andC. of Westm. No. 1331 1. ^^ Ibid. St. Martin le Grand, parcel 3, No. I 32 1 5. The other is probably that known as Cowpes. " Ibid. No. 13268, No. 1002 ; Morant, Hist, of Essex, li, 458.
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