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I expect some of you have
been watching the BBC2 programme “The Battle for Britain's Soul”. Recently
it dealt with the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By coincidence, at the
same time I read an article by Peter Hopkins, Chairman of the Merton
Historical Society in their current bulletin. In it he discusses what
happened to the clergy during this upheaval, including in Merton. With his
permission, I give some quotations.
“What
of the Augustinian canons whose way of life was brought to such a dramatic
end? Many of them had lived at Merton Priory for almost the whole of their
lives, for it was common for young children to enter monasteries as
oblates.” As you know, at that time St Mary's was served by the Canons from
the Priory. "When the smaller abbeys and priories were dissolved, most of
the inmates were transferred to other monasteries or became parish priests,
though the abbots and priors were retired on a pension. When the rest of the
monasteries were dissolved, all were given pensions, and the majority were
also appointed to parishes.
Of the 15 canons who
signed the document of surrender of Merton Priory in 1538, all but three
received a pension of £6.13.4 a year, the exceptions being the prior, John
Ramsey, who had 200 marks plus a house in London, the sub-prior, John
Debenham, with £8, and Thomas Paynell, who received £10. At least ten of
them are known to have been appointed to churches.
Canon John Codyngton,
became curate in charge of Merton parish church, built by Gilbert, founder
of Merton Priory, and given by him to the Priory. The canons were entitled
to receive the tithes for their own use, but instead of appointing a vicar
as
in their other
churches, St Mary's had been served by chaplains, so John was a curate
rather than a vicar.
He appears in a list of
canons in 1520 and had been appointed sacriston of Merton Priory by 1530.
John was serving as curate of Merton by 1541, according to the records of
Bishop Gardiner’s visitation. John's surname suggests that he probably came
from the village of Cuddington, which Henry VIII razed to build
Nonsuch
Palace.
In 1540/41 John
Codyngton witnessed a will as John Mansell alias Codington.
John Mantell (also
spelt Mantil, Mantyll and Mantle) was curate of Merton in 1562. He also
served as vicar (not rector) of Morden, being instituted in 1552. His time
at Morden was short for, like many of his colleagues, John had married and,
when Mary I succeeded her brother Edward VI to the throne in July 1553, the
clergy were soon forced to chose between wife and parish, and John, refusing
to give up his wife, resigned from Morden in 1554. It is not known whether
he also had to resign as curate of Merton for a time."
Our registers begin in
1559 and the baptisms of four of John's children can be found, as indeed the
early deaths of three of them. "The marriages of three Mantell girls also
appear in the registers: Elizabeth Mantyll married James Heron in 1575; Jane
Mantell married Alyn Taylor in 1579 and Ann Mantill married Richard Taylor
in 1589."
“From 1562 John and
Joane Mantell and their family also make regular appearances in the manorial
court rolls of Merton.
John Mantell died in
1593, a surprising 80 years after his ordination as John Codyngton, and was
buried at Merton on the 8th May "
James and Elizabeth
Heron had eight children baptised at Merton. James died about 1597/99, when
Elizabeth married John Galley, the curate of Merton.. The family stayed in
the Merton area until the early 17th century.
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