prebends is the next topic of the Ordinance; and when the bishop comes to speak of the large estate of Combe we pick up again the story of Reginald, the brother and heir of John the archdeacon and provost. We learn from another source that in pursuance of his brother's injunction Reginald had come to Bath and surrendered into the new bishop's hands the lands and rents of the canons which his father and brother had unjustly usurped, and that he became precentor of Wells and received in addition to the precentorship the prebend and whole manor of Combe.[1] This is in harmony with the statement of the Ordinance: 'We have granted Combe as a single prebend to Reginald the precentor for his life, mindful of the benefits conferred on our church by his uncle, Bishop John of good memory'. After Reginald's decease five prebends were to be made out of Combe.
After reciting his new gifts of Yatton, and Huish with the church of Compton, the bishop grants and confirms (1) half a hide in Wotton and a virgate of land which Giso of happy memory gave to the chapel of St Mary, (2) half a hide which Godfrey gave to St Cuthbert's church at its dedication, and (3) the tithe of his own wine. Lastly, he provides a special solatium for the canons who attend the night offices. He ends with an appeal to his successors to preserve and confirm his work.
It is not possible to fix the exact year in which the constitution thus briefly outlined had actually come into being. It was clearly in full play before June 1155, as is shown by the correspondence of Dean Ivo with the chapter of Salisbury to which we have already referred. A charter of Bishop Robert preserved in the Bruton chartulary[2] takes us back with reasonable security another eight or nine years: for the bishop thereby confirms a gift made in 1146 to the church of St Mary at Bruton by Alexander de Cantelupe, and it is likely that this confirmation would be speedily obtained: the bishop's confirmation is witnessed by Ivo the dean and Reginald the precentor.[3]
- ↑ 'Historiola', p. 24.
- ↑ Som. Rec. Soc, vol. 8, p. 11.
- ↑ The attestation is of interest not only as giving us the names of the three archdeacons who constantly meet us in the period before 1159, but also as placing them before the precentor ; the two archdeacons of the later period, Robert and Thomas, do not (unless quite exceptionally) take precedence of the precentor. The witnesses are thus given:
'Testibus: Communitate ejusdem ecclesie [i.e. St Mary of Bruton] Ivone decano, Eustacio, Hugone, Martino archidiaconis, Reginaldo cantore et toto capitulo.'
