DUROVERNUM. CANTWARABYRIG
Abbey of Sts. Peter and Paul Built for St. Austin's Monks
For these, without doubt, the building of the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul (afterwards called St. Austin's), outside the walls of the City, was taken in hand with all convenient speed, to provide lodging and accommodation for the monks proper, as well as to provide a suitable place of sepulture for the Kings of Kent and the Archbishops.[1]
St. Saviour's Monastery Built for the Secular Clerks or "Familia" of St. Austin
For the rest, the secular clerks, the interpreters, etc., would be provided for at St. Saviour's monastery, as St. Austin came to call the Cathedral foundation which he began to build about the year A.D. 602.
It is certain that the familia of the Archbishop, down to the time of the Conqueror, was governed by a "Dean"; the Archbishop being, as it were, Abbot; but "Dean" practically meant "Prior" in those days. Two of these Deans were afterwards Archbishops, namely Ceolnoth in A.D. 830, and Ethelnoth in A.D. 1020. It was the last Dean, at the time of the Conquest, Henry, who took the title of Prior by order of Lanfranc,[2] by which they were afterwards known to the time of the Dissolution.
According to a letter sent by Pope Boniface IV (608–615) to King Ethelbert, it might appear that monks were introduced here as early as 615, and the St. Austin's Abbey historian, Thomas of Elmham (1414), is emphatic that monks were here in that year; but he probably made that statement on the strength of the Pope's letter.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle monks formed the familia of the Archbishop till A.D. 832. In the time of Archbishop Wulfred (807–832) a pestilence is said to have carried off all the monks but five; his next successor but one, Ceolnoth, then introduced a number of secular clerics to fill their places, whom Archbishop Ethelred (871–889) is stated to have expelled, and made up the number of the monks again.
On the other hand, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that these seculars were not expelled till the time of Elfric (995–1005), and the
5
- ↑ Bede, I, xxxiii.
- ↑ Chronicle of John Stone, edited by W. G. Searle.
