An Inventory of the contents of the Bed-Chamber of Brother Richard Stone, Monk of Christ Church, Canterbury

( 103 ) AN INVENTORY OF THE CONTENTS OF THE BED-CHAMBER OF BROTHER RICHARD STONE, MONK OF CHRIST CHURCH, CANTERBURY. [Ch. Ch. Cant. MS. Inventory, Box A. No. 3.] EDITED BY C. EVELEIGH WOODRUFF, M.A. Richard Stone received the tonsure and was professed as a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, in the year 1483 [Causton Ch.Ch. Cant. MS. D. 12]. The date of his death is unrecorded (Causton's obituary ends with the year 1507), but probably it did not occur until the second or third decade of the sixteenth century. When it did, an Inventory was taken of the goods found in his- sleeping apartment (cubiculnm) and this—written in a careless hand on a single sheet of paper—has been preserved among the archives of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, and is an interesting document. Unfortunately it is undated, but, from the fact that so many things are enumerated, it may reasonably be inferred that at the time of his death brother Richard did not occupy a bed in the common dormitory, but a chamber in the Infirmary, to which privilege aged monks were sometimes admitted. The inventory begins with a list of upwards of fifty books, nearly half of which were printed works. Most of them, no doubt, belonged to the monastic library, and it is surprising that a single monk should have been permitted to have so many in his chamber at the same time. Against some of the volumes, however, a special mark is set in the margin, indicating— as I believe—that the book thus marked was the property of the deceased monk. One of these is described as Quaternae noviter conscriptae depatronis ecclesiae (certain quires newly written concerning the patrons of the Church). 104 AN INVENTORY OE THE CONTENTS OF THE I t is not unlikely that this may be identified with No. 159 of the MSS. in the Lambeth Palace hbrary, which, in the Catalogue of these MSS. now in course of pubhcation, Dr. M. R. James describes " as a roU relating to benefactions to Christ Church, Canterbury, written in 1507, with later additions, largely in one very decent hand—that of Richard Stone." The Lambeth MS. certainly came from Christ Church, as it bears the names of several Canterbury monks who entered the Monastery at a later date than Stone, the last owner being WiUiam Hadley (ahas Hunt) who was subprior at the time of the dissolution of the priory, and afterwards a prebendary of the New Foundation. The interest of this catalogue of books is not merely bibliographical, though that aspect is by no means neghgible ; it supphes first hand evidence of what was being read by the monks within twenty years or so of their expulsion. In addition to the books, there were found in brother Richard's chamber six splendid albes of various colours and costly material, and a curtain embroidered with the history of St. Dunstan, which was part of the furniture of the high altar of the Church. The albes no doubt, were donned by Richard, when he with his feUow monks took part in the processions with which King or Archbishop was met at the great western doors of the Cathedral Church ; but why a dorsal for the high altar should have been stored in this apartment is difficult to explain; possibly it may have been the work of the deceased monk, or his gift to the church. In contrast to the magnificent vestments, the personal apparel of the monk was of the meanest description, and practically worn out (vetustate comsumpta). There was a little plate in a cupboard, viz., one silver cup, two maser bowls and seven silver spoons ; some finely painted cloths laid up in a chest, and a little "Ship Coffer," containing, amongst other things, two bows, a quiver and arrows. Did Richard bring these with him when—long years before—he came up from Stone in Oxney to offer himself as a novice in the great Benedictine house, and had they lain in his chest ever since % We do not BED-CHAMBER OE BROTHER RICHARD STONE 105 know, but it is unhkely that he ever found opportunity for their use. On the other hand we would like to beUeve that the last article mentioned in the inventory, namely the monk's string of amber beads, had been in constant use aU the years, and typical of the Ufe of prayer to which the true monk devotes himself. I have to acknowledge with gratitude Dr. Montagu James's kindness in looking through the hst of books and for making several valuable suggestions ; my thanks are also due to Dr. Irene Churchill for kindly supplying information concerning the Lambeth MS., No. 159. The asterisk placed against certain books and goods, denotes that a mark is set against these in the inventory. CONTENTA IN OUBICULO ERATRIS RlOARDI STONE. In primis libri scripti. In primis missale 2° fo. mentibus. Item Exequie mortuorum 2° fo. unde cui non. It' Mat' beate Marie cum aliis contentis 2° fo. temptaciones. [Dr. M. R. James suggests that Mat' here is for matutinm and not mater.} It' Psalterium, 2° fo. peccatorum. It' Aliud Psalterium noviter conscriptum, 2° fo. meditati sunt. It' Aliud Psalterium, 2° fo. sum rex. It' Liber de missarum misteriis, 2° fo. ordo. [No. 1244 in Dr. M. R. James's Oatalogue of the Libraries of Ch. Ch. Cant., St. Augustine and Dover.] It' Liber de britannie insula, 2° fo. longum. It' Formula noviciorum, 2° fo. specialiter. It' Passio see Katerine & Elpegi, 2° fo. Curat . . . [No. 281 op. cit.] It' Cronica Johannis de Valanc' 2° fo. filio regis. [I am unable to identify John of Valence. Dr. James writes that though several Johns of Valence are mentioned in A Chevalier's Bibliotheque Bio-bibliographique, none are specified as a chronicler.] It' MeduUa pupiUi oculi, 2° fo., scienter. [An abridgement of J. de Burgo's Pupilla oculi.] It' Psalterium magnum, 2° fo. apprehendite. ^ 106 AN INVENTORY OE THE CONTENTS OE THE I t ' Solinus de mirabilibus munch, 2° fo. deinceps. [No. 713, op. cit.] It' Liber de perquisito fratris Willi Fonteyn 2° fo. Cawyt. [William Fonteyn was professed in 1431 and died in 1490 (Causton's Obituary, Ch. Ch. Cant., MS. D.12.).] I t ' Cronica Cestrensis, 2° fo. a meipso. [This may be the Polychronicon of Ralph Higden, but since that work is mentioned later in the inventory, it may be the work of Peter Twytham.] It' Missa abbreviata, 2° fo. credo. It' Liber Sequenciarum, 2° fo. tue. I t ' Sentencie super librum copiosorum, 2° fo. . . pollunt. It' Exposicio super boecium de consalacione, 2° fo. vel etate. [No. 412, op. cit.] It' Vita see Siburge cum aliis, 2° fo. ita sese in vita. [St. Sigeburga, or Sigebergis, was the fourth abbess of Minster in Thanet; her relics were translated to the Cathedral Church by Dunstan, and were removed during the rebuilding of the choir to the North side of the altar of St. Michael (Gervase, R.S., I. 10).] It' Bellum troianorum, 2° fo. modum in. It' Biblia versificata, 2° fo. qui fructus. [No. 636, op. cit.] It' Liber sancti Bernardi de libero arbitrio, 2° fo. desunt. It' Alii libelli diversorum operum scripti. Libri Impressi. * Parva Biblia, 2° fo. sciens. * It' Legenda sanctorum, 2° fo. patris tui. * It' Biblia cum cordanciis veteris et novi testamenti, 2° fo. et non. [This was printed at Strasburg by Gabriele Bruno Veneto in 1497.] It' Prima pars Lyra (sic) super biblia in tribus voluminibus sed secundum deest, 2° fo. nobis in exponend. [Printed at Venice by Joh. de Colonia and Nio. Jenson in 1481—in five vols.; the first three contain the Old Testament (Brunet).] It' Eoclesiastica historia, 2° fo. plenitudinis. [Probably Bede's Ecclesiastical History, printed at Strasburg by Eggesteyn c. 1473 (Brunei).] BED-CHAMBER OF BROTHER RICHARD STONE. 107 * It' Legenda sanctorum, 2° fo. ad tocius. It' Vita sci Thome martiris, 2° fo. sane. [Probably the Quadrilogus—printed in Paris by Joh. Alemanus in 1495.] It' Regule grammaticales, 2° fo. sunt propria. It' Grammatica Carmeliani poete, 2° fo. quotuplex. [Brunei mentions Peter Carmelianus as the author of a little poem on the projected marriage of Charles, Archduke of Austria, with the princess Mary, daughter of Henry VII. He was born in the diocese of Brescia, but was ordained in England, and became Archdeacon of Southwark. He died in 1527. (Tanner's Bibl. Brit., p. 154.)] It' Policronicon, 2° fo. preferd yn. [John Trevisa's translation of Higden's Polychronicon, printed by Caxton in 1482.] It' Exposicio hymnorum et sequenciarum, 2° fo. construe. [Printed by R. Pynson in 1498.] It' Historie notabiles in gestis romanorum, 2° fo. custodire. [An edition was printed at Cologne in 1493.] It' Lavacrum consciencie, 2° fo. consulo. [By Jac. de Guystrode; a copy is mentioned in the Catalogue of the Syon Library. The first edition was printed at Augsburg by Anthony S.org in 1489.] It' Profectum (sic) religiosorum, 2° fo. sunt spiritus Dei. [The Profectus Religiosorum was printed at Rouen by Maribinus Morinus in 1494.] It' Ortus vocabulorum, 2° fo. retanies. [A dictionary : Ortus =Hortus.] Cum aliis hbris diversorum operum. * It' quaterne noviter conscripte de patronis ecclesie. [This may possibly be Lambeth MS. 159 ; see introduction to the present article.] It' Cronica Cronicarum, 2° fo. Amathenes. [An edition was printed in Paris in 1621.] * It' Vitas patrum, 2° fo. caritas. It' Speculum exemplorum, 2° fo. beati Gregorii. [The Speculum exemplorum omnibus Christocolis inspiciendum, by .XEgidius Aurifaber, was first printed at Deventer by Rich. Paffraed in 1481.] It' Liber contra validos mendicantes, 2° fo. ad naturam. [Ouratorum defensio contra fratres mendicants, by Ric de Radulphis, Archbishop of Armachnan, Printed at Lyons by Joh. Treschel, 1496.] 108 AN INVENTORY OF THE CONTENTS OF THE ALBE. In primis due rubei coloris quarum una de velveto cum columbinis aureis intextis, et altera de Damask Antlappys cum zona serico. „, It' una alba albi coloris cum antlappys de Damask. It' due Albe blodii coloris de saten quarum una cum Antlappys, altera cum Flower de lues aureis. It' una Alba viridis coloris cum flower de lues intext'. It' una cortinea blodei coloris pro summo altari cum historia sancti Dunstani. [Translation.] ALBES. First two red (albes), one of which is of velvet embroidered with golden doves, and the other of damask antlappys with a girdle of silk. It' One white albe with antlappys of damask. It' Two blue albes of satin, one with Antlappys and the other with fleurs de lys. It' One green albe embroidered with fleurs de lys. It' One blue curtain for the high altar, with the history of St. Dunstan. UNA KARELLA CUM CONTENTIS. In primo unus ciphus argenteus cum cooperculo operis plani cum sperulis auratis in summitate. It' una parva murra cum pede fixo, cum lamina argentea et deaurata in fundo cum martirio Sancti Thome martiris cum cooperculo de murra eiusdem quantitatis cum circulo argent' et deaurato, cum lata sperula in summittate de argent' et deaurata, continet' . . . ? It' una murra cum circulo argent' et deaurat' cum cooperculo eiusdem habent' in summitate una sperula de argent' et de aurat'. I t vij coclearia argent' cum summitate eiusdem forme. It' iiij pecie de brawd Rebands pro vestementis ornandis. [Translation.] One Press1 with contents. First a silver cup with a plain cover with small gilt knobs on the top. 1[Karella=Carola; Ducange (Gloss. Med. et Inf. Lat.) quotes from a visitation held at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, 1295 : " Porro in claustro Carolse vel huiusmodi scriptoria aut ciste cumclavibusindormiterio nisi de Abbatis licencia nullatenus habeantur."] BED-CHAMBER OF BROTHER RICHARD STONE 109 Also one little maser= (cup of maple wood) with a fixed foot, having a plate of silver gilt in its bottom (engraved) with the martyrdom of St. Thomas the martyr, a maple wood cover of the same size with a silver-gilt band, and a broad knop at the top, of silver gilt, containing . . . (illegible). Also one maser with a silver-gilt band, with a cover of the same having at the top a silver-gilt knop. Also seven silver spoons with silver knops. Also four pieces of brawd rebands for ornamenting vestments. PARVA CISTA CUM CONTENTIS. It' Dimidium virge panni nigri coloris pro manicis faciendis. It' una bursa. It. una mappa de dyaper cum duodecim natkyns eiusdem forme. It' a nyght kertcher, w* ii natkyns et a pylowbere. [Kerchief, courrechief, a covering for the head.] It' ij ells of dyaper cloth. [Translation.] Half a yard of black cloth for making cuffs, one purse. A diaper table-cloth with twelve napkins to match. UNA PARVA SHXP-COFER OTJM CONTENTIS. It' ii nyght kertchers et xxii skeyns off (iUegible) diversi coloris. It', iiij CandyU stikks. Panni pulchre picti tres, quorum unus de Sancto Gregorio, secundus de Assumptione Virginis, tercius de ymagine sancti Jeronimi. I t ' iiij parvi panni depicti, quorum unus de prodicione X1, secundus de X" crucifixo, tercius de nativitate X1, et quartus de tribus Magis X™ adorantibus. It' Sahxtacio virgunis parvo panno pulcerime depicta. It' Cappa vetusta itinerant' It' Due tunice vetuste. It' Due Ainisie vetuste. It' Due frocce cum una cueuUa vetustate consumpta. It' iiij paperi depicti. It' Due lucerne, una magna et altera parva. * It' iii arcus cum pharetra et sagittis eiusdem pertinentibus. It' i Male (trunk) w* a bogett (leather-bag). 1 1 0 AN INVENTORY OF BROTHER RICHARD STONE. It' ii Crateres quorum unus continet potell et alter quarter 1 It' unum par feltr'. * It' oracule de ambyr. [Translation.] One little ship-coffer with contents. Namely 2 night kerchiefs and 22 skeyns . . . (illegible) of various colours. Also 4 candle-sticks. Three well-painted cloths, one representing St. Gregory, the second the Assumption of the Virgin, the third the figure of St. Jerome. Also 4 small painted cloths, one representing the betrayal of Christ, the second the crucifixion of Christ, the third the birth of Christ, and the fourth the Wise men adoring Christ. Also the Salutation of the Virgin very beautifully painted on a small cloth. Also an old travelling cloak. Also two old tunics. Also two old amices. Also two frocks with one worn-out hood. Also 4 painted papers. Also two lanterns, one large and the other small. •Also 3 bows with a quiver and arrows pertaining to the same. Also one trunk with a leather bag. Also 2 baskets (?) one of which holds a potell and the other a quart. Also one pair of blankets (feltrum=ie\t, a covering of coarse wool, Du Cange). * Also Amber beads.