The Charterhouse: 4 Chapters of English History

  The Charterhouse, in the centre of London near St. Paul's, has a history dating back 650 years but is still alive today with 40 residents or Brothers, for whom it is home. These are elderly men in financial and social need but women will soon be allowed to apply: because it is partly domestic casual visitors are welcome to certain parts of the ancient building but those on the guided tour can see much more. We went on this hour-long pre-booked walk, accompanied by a charismatic and knowledgeable speaker and found the experience uplifting and memorable. Touchingly, the dining table was neatly laid ready for the Brothers' afternoon tea.
   She explained how there were 4 previous main chapters in the history of the site: a Black Death burial ground with a chapel; a Carthusian monastery; a Tudor courtyard house and then a school, hospital and almshouse

   The Black Death in London in the mid-fourteenth century killed around 40% of its population of about 70,000 people, leaving one third of the land within the walls uninhabited for a decade. It was in 2014 that evidence of a large emergency burial pit here, outside the city walls, was discovered by workers on the Crossrail project: DNA and isotopes revealed that they were 25 victims of plague outbreaks in 1348-9: some sources add 1361 and the early 15th century. It had been believed that prayer would help the souls of these dead to enter heaven and the wealthy courtier and soldier, Sir Walter Manny, built a small chapel for this purpose - he was fittingly buried before the high altar in 1372 as requested in his Will.

  The monastery was the largest Carthusian establishment in England and one of the best endowed: its 26 monks were greatly revered as this order was severe in its way of life, requiring poverty and solitude - although the range of cells testifies to personal space. They attracted large amounts in gifts. With its additional 40 priests and lay brothers, it was a significant presence in London for more than 160 years after 1371. Thomas More, later Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, came here around 1500 to find his vocation, eventually deciding to become a lawyer. In 1537 the monastery was seized by the crown and dissolved. The Prior who led the resistance, John Houghton, was executed in 1535 for treason and his body was chopped into pieces. In all, 16 men from here died for their faith.

 The site for the Tudor Mansion was bought in 1545 by Sir Edward North who remodelled the ruined buildings as a courtyard house typical of that era in the metropolis. Queen Elizabeth stayed here for 4 days in 1558 prior to her formal entry into the city of London for coronation. In 1565, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard, bought the house, renaming it Howard House and making it his principal urban residence, grand enough with tapestries, paintings and upholstered furniture. to accommodate royal ceremonies in the Great Chamber.

 
The most splendid chamber is The Great Hall, built by North but much embellished by Norfolk. The ceiling was largely damaged in the bombing and resultant fire of 1941. It has been beautifully restored as can be seen by comparing the modern with a small portion at the side. Here, intriguingly, Norfolk had placed a decorative thistle, emblem of Scotland and evidence of his treasonable support for Mary, Queen of Scots (and intention of marriage to her) for which he was executed in 1572: this was therefore a notably reckless piece of interior design, as our guide pointed out. It suggests a certain political naiveté on his part.

  In the early 17th century, Thomas Sutton, a self-made man of huge fortune and a philanthropist, set up his charitable foundation here:  an almshouse/hospital and a school. (The speculation as to who would inherit his wealth probably inspired Ben Jonson's play, Volpone). Football was important in the school and the fact that it was played in the cloisters may have led to the off-side rule and throwing in from the touchlines. In 1872 the school moved to Godalming: W. M. Thackeray was a pupil here so disliking it that he satirised his experience at "Slaughter House" in his fiction - a somewhat crude mocking name which might reflect real misery and the smashing of his nose by another pupil which left him permanently disfigured. He later softened his attitude.

  The complex building is beautiful, calm and inspiring, having been sensitively restored (after the destruction in 1941 by an incendiary bomb during the Blitz) in the 50's under the direction of John Seely and Paul Paget. The tour is one of those valuable experiences that lives with you long afterwards. Access for the public is recent and demand for the tour is high - book ahead and enjoy it and the CAKE in the cafe!
   The loyal followers of my blog will perceive with their sharp intellects that this trip cannot be taken entirely on Monmouthshire buses but the excellent National Express service from Cardiff or Newport will take you cheaply and efficiently to Victoria - I did warn you we would be going abroad in 2017! I intend to post more in the future about the plague and the historic characters connected with this fascinating building.
For opening times and details click here.

Richard Strongbow de Clare - and family

Chepstow Castle (Striguil)

   The de Clare family was rich, powerful and extremely prominent in the Welsh Marches of Medieval times and one of the most interesting of them was Richard Strongbow. Confusingly (and I sometimes feel it was done deliberately in order to muddle me!) they called alternate eldest sons Richard or Gilbert.
   The Richard who interests us at this moment was nicknamed Strongbow - but so was his father! Despite the tendency at this period to accord a cognomen that commented on some physical peculiarity (Rufus, Wryneck or Curthose - short arse  - springs to mind) neither of these men seems to have had oddly shaped legs.
The nickname was probably a mistranscription in a Latin entry in the Domesday Exchequer annals of the early 14th century which appended the word "Stranghose" to his given name. The chronicler thought this meant "foreign leggings" but it probably referred to Striguil (Chepstow) which could also be spelled Strangboge, Stranboue or Stranbohe. Clear? No, neither am I, but this nickname stuck from then on.

  He was born in 1130 in Tonbridge, Kent, and died on 20th April 1176, aged 45/6, in Dublin, having been master of Chepstow, planner of Usk town and Governor of Ireland. Gilbert I (they are often given Roman numerals because of the problem we have noted) and his brother Roger had been part of the hunting party when William Rufus was killed - or murdered - and were brothers-in-law of the man who did the shooting, Walter Tirel. Whether or not they were part of a plot, they were rewarded by Henry I (who claimed the throne in indecent haste) with extensive grants of lands throughout England and Wales. Male members of the family made judicious marriages until they were amongst the most powerful magnates of the kingdom.
   Our Richard succeeded to the lordship of Striguil, aged only 18, and supported King Stephen against Matilda for the last 5 years of his reign. The next Henry, Matilda's son, his new liege-lord, regarded him with suspicion and failed to confirm him in the important title of Earl of Pembroke. At that time, he was, as Orpen said "a man who, having been brought up to greatness, had fallen on evil days and who therefore was all the more ready to endeavour to repair his fortunes by a bold adventure in another country." This was the Norman occupation of Ireland.

 
  In August 1166, Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, was banished and later landed in Bristol with his followers to seek support from Henry II to recover his position.The King, who had designs on Ireland, gave him letters patent but Richard Strongbow was alone in offering military support - in return for promises to marry Dermot's daughter, Eva, and inherit Leinster after his death. (I will not trouble our heads with the variant spellings of all these names!) However, he did not go immediately and then Henry forbade the mission. Yet, since Strongbow was on the point of departure, he set off despite this prohibition and Henry seized Striguil. Richard landed in Waterford with 200 knights and 1000 light troops, some recruited in Gwent. They took Waterford and Dublin but Henry saw his own ambitions threatened by this success and did a deal with Richard who ceded some gains but kept Leinster. By August 1173, Henry trusted him enough to make him Governor of Ireland. At about this time the stone keep of Usk castle was built and the charter for its Priory was granted.

Usk Castle

   In 1189 his daughter, Isabella, married one of the most powerful and renowned men of the age, William, Earl Marshall of England, who strengthened both Striguil and Usk castles adding to the latter the dominating curtain walls. Strongbow's tomb is not local to Gwent despite such claims. He was described by Geraldus Cambrensis: "His complexion was somewhat ruddy and his skin freckled; he had grey eyes, feminine features, a weak voice and short neck. For the rest, he was tall in stature and a man of great generosity and of a courteous nature."
    He was also an ancestor of the American Bush political family.

To read more about his influence in Monmouthshire you can click on Chepstow Castle, Usk Castle or the planting of Usk Town. There is also a post about the illustrious William Marshal.

Your Welsh ancestors: how they lived in the 12th century

How do we know?
   Giraldus Cambrensis, or Gerald of Wales, toured Wales in 1188 as companion to Baldwin of Forde, Archbishop of Canterbury. He wrote of his journey in what must have been one of the earliest travel books and also gave an account of the character and habits of the people he met in Descriptio Cambriae (Description of Wales) in 1194. The trip was a recruitment campaign for the Third Crusade.
  He attempted to give the good and bad points as he saw them and - it must be said - the less flattering picture is somewhat longer than the admiration. I will reverse these proportions as I want to keep my readers! Perhaps his observations cannot be regarded as the entire truth as he made several errors in his account of the natural world, such as his assertion that beavers on the River Teifi castrated themselves to avoid danger.
    Born in Manorbier Castle around 1146, he was of mixed Norman and Welsh descent, the youngest son of William FitzOdo de Barri and Angharad Fitzgerald. He was well educated and wrote in excellent Latin, becoming royal clerk and chaplain to Henry II, although he never attained the post of bishop of St. David's which he coveted.

Praise for the Welsh
   "The Welsh people are light and agile. They are fierce rather than strong, and totally dedicated to the practice of arms. Not only the leaders but the entire nation are trained for war." Substitute rugby for war and one tends to believe him here. Normally, he found they ate plenty of meat but little bread and were neither gluttonous nor drunk.  They were preoccupied with the defence of their country and the care of their horses, consuming no food all day and managing patiently without nourishment in the evening if there were none.
   He found them generous and hospitable: "When you travel there is no question of your asking for accommodation or their offering it: you just march into a house and hand over your weapons to the person in charge. They give you water so that you may wash your feet and that means that you are a guest." Entertainment would be a harp and the dinner was simple with no tables, tablecloths or napkins. The hosts waited to eat until everyone else had finished and then a communal bed was rolled out.
    Hair was cut short and both sexes took great care of their teeth, rubbing them until they shone and avoiding hot food which might damage them. He found the Welsh sharp and intelligent and highly musical, playing 3 instruments: the harp, pipe and a stringed crwth. As singers they were adept at parts, as poets they loved alliteration and they were clever at puns and word play, even if those were cruel in intent. Bold and confident in speech in general, there were also "awenydion", soothsayers who behaved as if possessed and answered questions by going into a trance and talking gibberish.
  A great respect for family and ancestry led them into ferocity over insults to their relations when they became "vindictive, bloodthirsty and violent" ready to avenge even old injuries. Yet they lived isolated lives on the edge of woods and were deeply religious: "The Welsh go to extremes in all matters."

The flip side
    Giraldus stated that the Welsh rarely kept their promises since their minds were agile and frequently changed opinion - the only constant was sticking fast when something was reprehensible. They lived on plunder and, when battle was joined, they appeared ferocious, shouting and glowering but were thrown into confusion if the enemy resisted strongly (rugby again?)
   Greedy for property, they had the custom of dividing land between brothers which led to violent disputes, arson and fratricide. Cheating over territory was common with boundary ditches being dug up and marking stones moved. Arriving at an affluent house, they "lose all control of themselves, and insist on being served with vast quantities of food and more especially with intoxicating drink." This seems inconsistent with much that he has described earlier but circumstances may have been different.
   Incest was common and not seen as dishonourable, keeping matters within the family! They had given up homosexuality but still indulged in perjury, theft, robbery, rapine, murder and adultery, "a deep abyss of every vice." One wonders how they had time for warfare - and I have no images for this section.
   He goes on to give advice on how the nation may be conquered but I will leave that to another post. Meanwhile you can read about the Norman Marcher Lords who attempted to control these people and their territory.