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Bodmin Priory (Augustinian) 1123/24-1539

Bodmin Priory, also known as the Priory of Saint Mary and Saint Petroc, was a priory housing Augustinian canons founded in 1123/24 and located in the town of Bodmin, in the county of Cornwall. It was dissolved in 1539.

Introduction

The town of Bodmin developed from the 10th century onwards around a religious foundation. For reasons which are unclear and subject to debate, the religious community which had grown at Padstow during the life of St Petroc, and grew further after his death there in c. 564, later moved inland to settle near a place called Dinuurrrin, a placename the origin of which is now lost. It would appear that this place, which housed the Cornish bishop Kenstec in the 9th century, was a fortified monastic site on the northern edge of Bodmin.REF OLSOn, JANKULAK The community brought with them the relics of St Petroc.

Later still the community moved to the site where the current parish church of St Petroc is located, in Priory Road, Bodmin. There it developed a collegiate form of organisation, similar to that of a Minster, staffed by a group of secular canons led by a Dean.

Foundation

Bodmin Priory was founded as a house of the Canons Regular of the Lateran in the winter of 1123-24 by William Warelwast, Bishop of Exeter (1107-1137). John Leland, who inspected the Bodmin Priory archives in 1538, just before the Priory was dissolved, quotes from them as follows: "William Warelwast, Bishop of Exeter, erected the last Foundation of this Priory". It was one of three Augustinian monasteries founded by the bishop in Devon and Cornwall around this time, during a century or so characterised by a rapid growth in monasteries of all sorts and of Augustinian houses of Regular Canons in particular.

The first Prior of Bodmin was Master Guy, a senior cleric from Merton Priory, of which Bodmin Priory was a daughter house. Guy held the office of prior only briefly, as he died on 15th May 1124). The new Priory must have begun its life at the existing REFER TO ORME It is likely that most of the new priory's canons, at its foundation, came from Merton Priory, or from its daughter houses,<refGreen</ref> as the secular canons from the existing minster were often married, with children, and so unable to take the vows required of a Regular Canon. Nonetheless

The Priory, probably from the time of its foundation, was known as the Priory of St Mary and St Petroc, reflecting the expansion at that time of the cult of St Mary. Its Marian dedication distinguished the Priory from the minster that it now overshadowed, reduced to the status of a parish church staffed by Regular Canons from the neighbouring Priory in place of its own secular canons.

The principal relics of St Petroc had been held by the (secular) dean and canons of the minster church of St Petroc (in direct succession from the community which had brought them from Padstow), but they were transferred to the new priory when the conventual church of the new Priory was sufficiently complete to receive them. There seems to have been a view among the promoters of the wave of new monastic houses in the 12th century that secular priests were not 'holy' enough to have custody of saints' relics, as they were not bound by monastic vows of poverty and celibacy. Other factors may have played a part in the desire to transfer relics to monasteries, such as the associated income from pilgrims.

The completed Priory Church, probably cruciform in plan, measured some 192 feet (58 metres) in length and 51 feet (15.4 metres) in width, excluding any transepts. These dimensions are a little below the average for all the daughter houses of Merton Abbey, but the Priory church was nonetheless a large and impressive, even dominating, feature in medieval Bodmin, built in the Transitional Norman style. A tower housing the bells was added to the north-west corner of the church in the 15th century.

Twelfth Century Events in the Life of the Priory

The Career of Algar

The personal name "Algar" occurs several times in the surviving fragmentary historical sources relating to the early years of Bodmin Priory. His earliest appearance is in a report written by a cleric from Laon Cathedral in France, one of a group of clergy visiting the south of England in 1113. Their cathedral had been damaged in Easter riots in 1112, during which Bishop Gaudry was killed, and they came to raise funds for repairs. They journeyed as far as Bodmin since they had a friend there, and on their arrival "a certain Clerk called Algar received us with great honour for he had long ago stayed at Laon." (Algar had once studied at the cathedral school under the theologian Anselm of Laon.) On that visit, during a healing service using the the relics brought from Laon by the visitors, an affray broke out. The situation was defused by Algar.

The precise clerical status of Algar at that time (1113) is unclear, though he appeared to be in charge. Another source describes him (in Latin) as "illius loci procurator" or "then in charge of that place", a phrase translated elsewhere as "dean of that place". So it is very likely that he was already dean of the MINSTER of St Petroc (having a secular dean and canons). Next, Algar clearly had a key role in the establishment of the new Priory too - so much so that William of Worcester, who inspected the Priory archives in 1478, claimed that Algar effectively founded the Priory. He was certainly instrumental in recruiting Master Guy to become its first prior: Algar "obtained, though with difficulty, Guy as prior"; alternatively, "on his own account and also through the Bishop of Exeter, at length and with difficulty [he] obtained that venerable man [Guy} as the prior. When, shortly after becoming Prior of the new Bodmin Priory, Master Guy was fatally injured in a riding accident, Master Algar (by now a Canon of the Priory), together with Canon (later Prior) Geoffrey of Plympton Priory, nursed him at Exeter. When Master Guy died there, Geoffrey had to care for the body as Algar had become incapable through grief. Master Guy's funeral was held at Exeter with great ceremony; he was buried either at Exeter, or possibly at Bodmin.

Master Algar "probably" succeeded Master Guy in 1124 to become the second Prior of Bodmin. According to a pipe roll he was still prior in 1131, but in 1132 he became Bishop of Coutances in Normandy (1132-1151). One of his first actions as bishop, in 1132, was to re-establish the Abbey of Saint-Lô, which lay within his diocese, as an Augustinian house by having canons move there from the Abbey of Sainte-Barbe-en-Auge. "Algar ... visited England ... just once after his elevation", in 1133, witnessing a charter at Winchester and, at Exeter, "attending the removal of the canons from the old minster [the Anglo-Saxon cathedral] into the new Norman cathedral."

The Theft of Saint Petroc's Relics

Like most religious houses dissolved in the 16th century Reformation, few records remain of Bodmin Priory, but one event in its early years has secured its place in history. A very full account of the affair is contained within a hagiography of St Petroc, the main (supposedly historical) elements of which are now summarised below. (To reduce the number of references, each paragraph is referenced as a whole to Doble.)

In January 1176 Canon Martin of Bodmin Priory stole the relics of St Petroc from the shrine in the Priory Church. He took the sack of bones to the Abbey of St Méen in Brittany, where they were seemingly accidentally discovered, then venerated and retained. News of the relics brought pilgrims, and months later reached Bartholomew, Bishop of Exeter, who informed Bodmin Priory (until then unaware of the theft). A Canon went to Brittany to find the relics, and a letter was sent to the Prior, who was away at the King's Court.

Bartholomew, accompanied by Richard de Luci and Master Walter de Coutances, petitioned the King "to send letters to Brittany, [which was then under his suzerainty], and order these relics to be sent back". The King commanded Walter to write to the leading clerics and officials in Brittany to that effect. Upon leaving the King, Walter met a one-armed man selling an ivory casket, which Walter bought as a container for the relics.

Soon the Prior of Bodmin and a King's messenger arrived at Coutances in Normandy with the King's letter, and others from: the King's son, Geoffrey, (Count of Brittany); Richard, Archbishop of Canterbury; Bartholomew; and Walter. Next day the party visited "prelates and nobles to whom the King of England had addressed letters" concerning the relics until they arrived at Dinan. Failing to find Rolland de Dinan, who was "the King's minister", they spent a night at Caulnes. When they arrived at St Méen the Abbey "refused them hospitality", so they stayed the night at an inn. By now it was early June 1177, "the vigil [eve] of Pentecost".

The next day the party returned to Dinan and waited there to contact Rolland. Rolland already knew of the situation, and when he learned that the Prior of Bodmin was nearby he summoned Geoffrey of Montfort, a legal adviser to the abbey. They met at the abbey, and the Prior's party joined them there. Advised by Rolland and Geoffrey, the Prior's party confronted the abbot and monks of St Méen with the King's letter, demanding the relics' return. After some argument and delay the community of St Méen surrendered the relics, swearing "they were the same relics, whole and entire" that Martin had brought. All the relics fitted exactly into the ivory casket which Walter had bought. Rolland gave the Prior a letter for the King, and the party returned to England.

In England, the party waited at Winchester for Walter, the King, and his Court to arrive. The Prior presented Rolland's letter explaining the whole matter to the King. After reading it, he ordered the casket to be opened. Bartholomew opened it, and blessed those present with the head of St Petroc. With the permission of Bartholomew and the Prior, the King took three joints for himself and sent a rib in a silver case back to the Abbey of St Méen. The party then set off for Bodmin, visiting on the way Exeter Cathedral and then Launceston Priory, at each of which places Bartholomew led public veneration of the relics.

At Bodmin, Bartholomew preached to large crowds, promising to show the relics the next day, and they were placed on the High Altar of the Priory Church overnight. The following day, the 15th September 1177, he showed the relics to the people, and read out various letters stating that the relics were complete. He then divided them: St Petroc's skull and his upper bones were placed in the ivory casket, the rest were put into the shrine. The bishop then declared indulgences for those present, and for future pilgrims who solemnly celebrated the anniversary of the relics' return (which celebrations were repeated annually until the Reformation.

Some Later Events in the Priory's History

In 1193, "four Bodmin canons went to Ireland to start a new [Augustinian] priory at Kells in County Kilkenny. Three of them rose to be priors of Irish monasteries and one of the three an Irish bishop."

In 1349, out of the full establishment of 13 canons, the Black Death killed 11.

In 1381, some local people who were sympathetic to the Peasants' Revolt attacked the Priory.

Dissolution

The last Prior of Bodmin, Thomas Wandsworth (a Londoner), surrendered the Priory to the King's agents on 27th February 1539, and received a substantial pension. The priory church was included in several lists of Henry VIII's 1540 proposals as a possible cathedral for Cornwall, but instead all the buildings and the site were disposed of for monetary gain.

Henderson reports that the "[t]he church seems to have been at once marked out for destruction as it was unsuitable for conversion to a dwelling-house and its lead roof and free-stone dressings could be profitably sold". Other sources claim that, for some time, the church was used for metal-working. All but the largest of the five bells were sold to the parish of Lanivet.

On 5th March 1540 Thomas Sternhold took a 21-year lease of the whole priory site, including the remaining buildings, dove houses, orchards, stables, and fishponds, and on 2nd July 1545 he bought the whole outright. On his death in 1549 Sternhold's daughters inherited the property, and in 1567 sold it. The buyer did not wish to live in it, so it was subdivided and leased out piecemeal.

Remains

The Priory was located in what is now Priory Park, a short distance south-east of the parish church on the other side of Priory Road. This is a public park, owned by the local authority, and it includes several recreational amenities. One of these is a large pond, said to have been developed from the original monastic fishpond. Also within the park are the exposed foundations of the NE??? corner of the priory church, revealed by an 19?? archaeological dig. At the western end of the park is Priory House,

Stonework

A collection of pieces of masonry from the demolished priory is displayed near Priory House. There are also reported to be a hundred or so pieces of stonework distributed visibly around the town of Bodmin and the surrounding district, many of them incorporated into later buildings. Henderson mentions examples such as ???[CHECK]

Reliquary

The reliquary holding Petroc's supposed relics went missing at the time of the Reformation, but was discovered (empty) in the 19th century. Dimensions, see Doble AND PINDER_WILSON The date of discovery of what is presumed to be the 1177 casket, in a muniments room above the South Porch of the Parish Church is unclear: it has certainly been in the ownership of the Corporation of Bodmin (and successor local authorities) since 1867. It was stolen from the church in 1994, but found soon afterwards in a field in Yorkshire.[date, SOURCE]

Memorials

A memorial to the last-but-one Prior, Thomas Vyvyan, was erected in the Priory Church, but following the Dissolution it was moved to the Parish Church, where it is still to be found.

References

• Barlow, Frank (1979). The English Church 1066-1154. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-50236-5
• Clarke, B. B. (1981). "Bodmin medieval Priory Church" in Old Cornwall, Vol.IX, No. $., pp. 177-182.
• Colker, Marvin L. (1969). "The Life of Guy of Merton by Rainald of Merton" in Medieval Studies, 31, pp. 250-261
• Doble, Canon G. H. (1939). "The Relics of Saint Petroc" in Antiquity Vol 13 Issue 52, December 1939, pp. 403-415.
• Green, Lionel (2002). Daughter Houses of Merton Priory. Morden: Merton Historical Society. ISBN 1-903899-08-7
• Hawks, Katie (2020). The Life of Guy of Merton. Morden: Merton Historical Society. ISBN 978-1-903899-80-9
• Henderson, Charles (1935; reprinted 1963). Essays in Cornish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press; reprinted Truro: D Bradford Barton Ltd.
• Jankulak, Karen (2000). The Medieval Cult of St Petroc. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 0-85115-777-7
• Jeffery, Paul (2012). England's Other Cathedrals. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-5347-7
• Knowles, David & Hadcock, R. Neville (1971, 2nd edn.). Medieval Religious Houses England & Wales. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-11230-3
• Olson, Lynette (1989). Early Monasteries in Cornwall. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 0-85115-478-6
• Orme, Nicholas (1996). English Church Dedications. Exeter: University of Exeter Press. ISBN 0-85989-516-5
• Orme, Nicholas (2007). Cornwall and the Cross. London: Phillimore & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86077-468-3
• Orme, Nicholas (2009). Exeter Cathedral: The First Thousand Years, 400-1550. Exeter: Impress Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9556239-8-1
• Orme, Nicholas (2010). VCH Cornwall Religious History to 1560
• Orme, Nicholas (2013). The Church in Devon 400-1560. Exeter: Impress Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-907605-41-3
• Pinder-Wilson, R. H. & Brooke, C. N. L. (1973). "The Reliquary of St. Petroc and the Ivories of Norman Sicily" in Archaeologia, Vol. 104, 1973, pp. 261 - 305.

Category:Monasteries in Cornwall Category:Augustinian monasteries in England Category:1539 disestablishments in England Category:Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Category:Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Category:United Kingdom Christian monastery stubs Category:Cornwall building and structure stubs

OTHER MATERIAL

EDMUND

Hoxne

A local tradition concerns the death of Saint Edmund, King of East Anglia. It is said he hid under Goldbrook Bridge to elude the pursuing Danes. A newly married couple saw the king's gold spurs and gave his location away to his enemies. According to the legend, Saint Edmund put a curse on all couples who cross the bridge on their way to get married. The account continues, explaining how he was subsequently killed by the Danes at St Edmund's Memorial, Hoxne after refusing to disavow Christianity.

Jean Ingelow's poem 'The Tradition of the Golden Spurs' tells of this legend and she added the following note:

• About the year 870, the Danes under Hingvar invaded East Anglia, which was then governed by Edmund, a king of singular virtue and piety.
• After defending his people with great valour, Edmund was at last defeated in a battle fought near Hoxne in Suffolk. Being hotly pursued, he concealed himself under a bridge called Gold-bridge. The glittering of his golden spurs discovered him to a newly married couple who were returning home by moonlight, and the bride betrayed him to his enemies.
• The heathen Danes offered him his crown and his life if he would deny the Christian faith, but he continued steadfast, and when he was dragged on to the bridge, he pronounced a malediction (or warning) on all who should afterwards pass over it on their way to be married, the dread of which is still so strong in the neighbourhood that it is said no bride or bridegroom has ever been known to pass over it to this day.

Despite the above tradition, there is no reliable historical evidence linking Hoxne to the death of Edmund.