# A History of the Knights of Malta/Chapter 22

CHAPTER XXII.
THE “LANGUE” OF ENGLAND.
Before again reverting to the political and general history of the Order during the remainder of its residence in the island of Malta, it may not be uninteresting to enter into some details more particularly affecting the langue of England.
There can be no doubt that amongst the members of Godfrey de Bouillon’s crusading army who joined the establishment of Gerard on the capture of Jerusalem in the year 1099, there must have been a considerable British element, since very early in the next century we find the Order spreading itself over England. The first establishment of the fraternity in this country was certainly that founded by Lord Jordan Briset. The actual date of this foundation is not clear. It has generally been assumed to have taken place in 1101. This year is fixed by the fact that in the first charter of donation by the same benefactor to the adjacent nunnery of St. Mary at Clerkeuwell, which was not later than the year 1102, it was expressly stated that his gift was free from all encumbrances, so that the Hospitallers might claim nothing from them. On the other hand, the Register of deeds and titles to the possessions of the Order in England, dated in 1443, records that Lord Jordan Briset, in the reign of Henry I., about the ​year of our Lord 1110, founded the house and hospital of St. John of Clerkenwell. No separate deed can be traced for the foundation, as in the above-quoted register the first charter is only a recapitulation of that for the nunnery of St. Mary. No record has been preserved of the erection of the first buildings, nor of how the funds were procured for the purpose. The register, after quoting the charter as above, proceeds at once to record the dedication of the priory church by Heracius, patriarch of Jerusalem:—“In ye yere of Christ 1185 ye vj of the Ides of Merche, ye dominical lettre being F ye chyrche of ye Hospitall of S$^t$ Johns of Jerusalem was dedicatyd to ye honor of S John Baptiste by ye worshipful fader Aradius Patriarke of ye ressurection of Christe; ye same day was dedycated ye high Altre, and ye Altre of S John Evangelist by ye same Patryarke.”
Clerkenwell was then at a little distance from London, and was quite suburban. Fitz Stephen, in his “Description of the most noble City of London,” written in the time of Henry II., speaks of it as having “fields for pasture, and a delightful plain of meadow land, interspersed with flowing streams, on which stand mills, whose clack is very pleasing to the ear.” Two of these mills appear to have belonged to the Order, as we find the following entry, under the heading Clerkenwell, in the report of Philip de Thame, referred to in Chapter VII.: “Et ij molendina aquatica dimissa ad firmam Ffrancisco Bache tempore fratris Thome Larcher pro C’s.” As poor Thomas Laroher was accused of having wantonly made away with the property of the priory without due value received, we may presume that the rental of £5 for these two mills was a very good bargain for Francis Bach. Fitz Stephen refers to the “fons clericorum,” or clerks’ well, as one “frequently visited as well by the scholars from the schools as by the youth of the city when they go out to take air in the summer evenings.” Its name arose from the fact that the parish clerks of London were in the habit of acting miracle plays there.
The sisters of the Order were established at Bucklands in Somersetahire. William de Erlegh had founded at Bokeland a house of “Regular Canons,” which was suppressed by Henry II. on account of their turbulence, the canons having, amongst other offences, murdered one of his officials. In 1180 the king ​granted the forfeited lands to the Order of St. John, on condition that the knights should there establish all the ladies attached to the fraternity.
Philip de Thame, in his report (already referred to in Chapter VII.), states that the institution at Bucklands was at that time a house for fifty sisters. They were entitled to the services of a brother of the Order to act as senesehal, two chaplains, and a lay assistant for their churches. Their property consisted of three manors at Buckland, worth £6; one at Thele, in Devonshire, worth £2; one at Pruneslee, worth £2; and one at Kynemersdon, worth £2 10s. Also a redditus aswus (or rent paid by freeholders) of 90 marks. They further held three churches, one at Pederton, which was worth 50 marks; one at Kynemersdon, worth 20 marks; and one at Bromfeld, worth £10. The report adds that these possessions are not enough for the support of the sisters, and that they have to look for help to friends, and to confraria or charitable collections.
The establishment was suppressed by Henry VIII., and its lands granted to the earl of Essex and James Rockby.
The first introduction of the fraternity into Scotland was due to the generosity and zeal of king David I., who, shortly after his accession to the throne in the year 1124, established a sacred preceptory of the Order of St. John at Torpichen, in Linlithgowshire, which continued to be the chef-lieu of the knights in Scotland until their suppression in the sixteenth century. In the year 1153, just before his death, he confirmed, by a royal charter, the possessions, privileges, and exemptions with which the Order had become endowed in Scotland. He looked with so great favour on this institution, as well as on that of the Temple, that the author of the “Book of Cupar” records that “Sanctus David de præclara militia Templi Hierosolomitani optimos fratres secum retinens eos diebus et noctibus morum suorum fecit custodes.” His successor, Malcolm IV., increased the privileges of the Hospitallers within his kingdom, and incorporated their possessions into a barony freed from most of the imposts levied on the laity. William the Lion also followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, and made sundry additions to the munificent foundation which they had established.
The Order was first introduced into Ireland through the ​liberality of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Pembroke, who, almost immediately after the conquest of that country by the English, endowed them with a priory at Kilmainham, near Dublin, which in after years became their chef-lieu. This donation was made in the year 1174. Its property in that country grew gradually in extent, and at the time of the suppression of the laugue of England, in 1346, it consisted of twenty-one cornmanderies, viz:—In the county of Dublin, Kilinainhaim and Cloutarf; in the county of Kildare, Kilbegs, Kilheel, and Tully; in the county of Carlow, Killergy; in that of Meath, Kilinainham-beg and Kilmainham-wood; in that of Louth, Kilsaran; in Down, Ardes; in Waterford, Kilbarry, Killara, Crook, and Mincrioch; in Uork, Morne or Mora; in Tipperary, Clonmel; in Galway, Kinalkin; in Sligo, Teague Temple; and in Wexford, Kilciogan, Bally-Hewk, and Wexford. The latter commandery had been the seat of the grand-priory until it was transferred to Kilmainham. There are no records of the value of this property, most of which had originally belonged to the Templars, and was transferred to the Order of St. John on the suppression of the former fraternity.
The priory of Clerkenwell meanwhile grew apace. Many additions were made in the time of Edward I. Between the years 1274 and 1280 Joseph de Chauncy, the grand-prior, built a chapel for the use of the lord-prior in their house, and William de Henley, who was made prior in 1280, erected a cloister. The buildings went on developing in extent and grandeur until the insurrection of Wat Tyler, in 1381, when the priory was destroyed by fire. Grafton, in his “Chronicle,” says:—“ They went streight to the goodly hospital of Rhodes, called St. John’s beyond Smythfleld and spoyled that and then consumed it with fyre causing the same to burne for the space of seven days after.” At this time, “the building, in its widely-varied decorations, both internally and externally, is said to have contained specimens of the arts both of Europe and Asia, together with a collection of books and rarities the loss of which in a less turbulent age would have been a theme for national lamentation.” The grand-prior himself, Sir Robert Hales, was beheaded by the mob.
The magnificent pile thus ruthlessly destroyed had witnessed ​many a gay pageant and sumptuous entertainment, and the great hail of the priory was several times used for royal councils. On these occasions the grand-prior of England occupied a position between the spiritual peers and the barons, being considered either the last of the former or the first of the latter. One of the earliest of these councils was held in the year 1185. The king of Jerusalem had sent the Grand-Masters of the Hospital and Temple, with the patriarch Heracius, to Europe, to solicit a new crusade (vide Chapter II.). The Grand-Master of the Temple died on the way, but the Hospitaller Roger des Moulins. and the patriarch Heraclius came to England. The king (Henry II.) went as far as Reading to meet them, and conducted them to the priory at Clerkenweil, where he summoned the barons of the realm to hold a council. Speed thus describes in his chronicles what took place:—“At this meeting he (the king) declared that Heraclius (then present) had stirred compassion and tears at the rehearsal of the tragical afflictions of the eastern world, and had brought the keys of the places of Christ’s nativity, passion, aud resurrection, of David’s Tower, and the Holy Sepulchre, and the humble offer of the kingdom of Jerusalem with the standard of the kingdom, as duly belonging to him, as grandson of Fulk of Anjou.” The barons in council determined that tle king should not risk his person in the crusade, but should content himself with a donation in aid. Heracius thereon lost his temper, and with the arrogance common to ecclesiastics in those days, broke out into abuse of the king, winding up by exclaiming, “Here is my head; treat me, if you like, as you did my brother Thomas (meaning a Becket). It is a matter of indifference to me whether I die by your orders or in Syria by the hands of the infidels, for you are worse than a Saracen.” The Master of the Hospital was greatly hurt at the insolence of the patriarch, but the king passed it by without notice.
In the year 1212 king John stayed at the priory during the whole month of March, enjoying the hospitality of the prior, and on a Sunday in Lent he there knighted Alexander, son of the king of Scotland. The following record of this transaction has been preserved in the roil of the fourteenth ​year of king John:—“The expenses of Alexander, son of the king of Scotland, which he incurred at Clerkenwell when he was made knight on Sunday in Mid-Lent, 4th March, 1212, amounted to £14 4s. 8d.”
“In 1237,” Matthew Paris records, “the Hospitallers sent their prior Theodoric, a German by birth and a most clever knight, with a body of other knights and stipendiary attendants and a large sum of money, to the assistance of the Holy Land. They, having made all arrangements, set out from their house at Clerkenwell, and proceeded in good order with about thirty shields uncovered, with spears raised, and preceded by their banner, through the midst of the city, towards the bridge, that they might obtain the blessings of the spectators, and bowing their cowls with their cowls lowered, commended themselves to the prayers of all.”
In 1265 Prince Edward and his wife, Eleanora of Castie, were entertained at the priory.
In 1399, only eighteen years after the destruction of the buildings by Wat Tyler and his mob, we find that Henry, duke of Lancaster, on the eve of his accession to the throne as Henry IV., was entertained at the priory for a fortnight. Of this fact there are two records, one,—”The Duke entered London by the chiefe gate and rode through the Cheape to St. Paules where he was after lodged in the bishops palace five or si days and after at St. Johns without Smithfield where he remained fifteen days right willingly.” The other record is metrical, and in French:—
“Quant le Duc Henry arrive
Fu à Londres nouvellement
A Saint Pol alla droitement
Et puis à Saint Jehan apres
Que est hors des murs assez près
C’est un hospital des templiers
La fu le Duc moult voulntiers
Quinze jours tons plains sans partir.”
​In 1411, Henry V. resided in the priory for some time, according to the “Grey Friars Chronicle” of London, which records that “kynge was lyvinge at Sent Jones.” In 1485, Richard III. held a royal council in the great hail of the priory for the purpose of disavowing all intention of marrying his niece, Elizabeth of York, a rumour of which had become prevalent.
These later entries all shew that the grand-priory had been greatly restored since the calamity of 1381. It remained, however, for Sir Thomas Docwra to complete the work, and in addition, to erect the gate, now almost the only part of the structure remaining. Camden, speaking of the priory in Docwra’s time, says “that it resembled a palace and had in it a very faire church and a towre steeple raised to a great height with so fine workmanship that it was a singular beauty and ornament to the city.”
Whilst referring to Docwra, allusion may be made to a lease granted by him to Cardinal Wolsey. In the year 1211, Joan Lady Grey left by her will the whole manor and manor house of Hampton to the Order. This manor, which contained about 1,000 acres of land, according to the return given by Philip de Thame, was on the banks of the Thames, and, owing to the proximity of the duke of Cornwall, was heavily charged under the item of hospitality. The lease to Wolsey is dated January 12th, 1514, for a term of ninety-nine years, at a rental of £50. It runs thus:—“This Indenture made between Sir Thomas Docwra priour of the hospitall of Seynt John Jerusalem in England and his bredern knights of the same hospitall upon that oone partie and the moost reverend fader in God Thomas Wulcy Archebisahop of Yorke and Primate of England upon that other partie Witneasith that the said priour and his bredern with theire hole assent and auctorite of their Chapitur have graunted and letten to fferme to the said Archebusahop their manor of Hampton courte in the countie of Midd with all landes and tenementes medowes lesnes and pastures rentes and services vewe of ffranciplegis perquesites of courts ffishing ​and ffishing weres and with the waren of conys and with all manner proufites and oommodites and other thinges whatsoever they be in any manner of wise to the foreseid manor belonging or apperteigning. To have and to holde the foreseid manor with the appurtenaunces to the foreseid most reverend ifader in God Thomas Wulcy Archebissliop of Yorke and to his assignes ifro the ifest of the Nativite of Saint John Baptist last past before the date hereof unto thend and terme of lxxxxix yeres than next folowing and fully to be ended and paying therfor yerely to the seid priour and his suecessours in the tresoury of there hous of seynt Johns of Clarkenwell beside London fifty poundes sterling at the ifestes of the purification of our Lady and of Seynt Barnabe thappostle by even porcions.” The lease goes on to make an allowance of £4 13s. 4d. for the maintenance of a priest for the chapel and continues with provisions for due repair of the buildings, wears, etc., and penalties in case of non-payment of rent, etc. The schedule attached to the lease is interesting :—“ In the Chapel First a chalesse of silver, a pix of copur for the sacrament, ij alter clothes, a corporaxe, ij candlestikes of laton, a masse booke, a porteux, a pewterbotil for wyne, a crewet of pewter, a crosse of tynne, a paxbrede of tree, an alter clothe of whyte and blue lyke unto armyn, an ymage of our lord of tree, an ymage of our lady of tree, an ymage of saint John, an ymage of saint Nicholas, an ymage of the crosse paynted on a borde, ij alterelothes, ij pewes with a chest of wynscott, an holy waterstok of laton with a stryngel of laton, ij bells in the toure one of them broken. Of bedsteddis in all xxti, eleven tourned chyars. In the parlour a table of Estriche bourde with ij tristells. In the haule ij tables dormant and con long table with ij tristells, a close cup board, iiij fou.rmes, iiij barres of yron about the harthe. In the kechen a pot of bras cent v galons, a cadron sett in the fournace cent xx galons, a spyt of yron, ij awndyrons a trevet, ij mortem of marbil, a cawdron of iij galons, a sterner of laton, a fiesshe hoke, a frying pan, ij pailes, a barre of iron in the kechen to hange on pottes, a grete salting troughe, a steping fatte, an heire of the kyin of xxiii yerdes, ij gretebynnes in the kechyn, a bynne in the buttry, a knedying troughe. In the stable a pitchfork, a dongfork. A ​presse in the towreehambre a great coffar in oon of the toure chambres a parciose in the toure, a parolose in the parloure.” On securing this lease, Wolsey pulled down the manor house and chapel and built a palace on the site.
It has already been recorded that in the year 1546 the priory of Clerkenwell was suppressed, and the estates of the Order in England confiscated to the crown. In the statute 32 Henry VIII., o. 24, it is enacted that “the Kinges Majestie his heirs and successours shall have and enjoye all that Hospitall, Mansion house, Churehe and all other houses ediflcions buylclinges and gardienes of the same belonging being nere unto the citie of London in the Countie of Midd called the house of St. John of Jerlm in England.”
The reason given for this confiscation was that they had “Unnaturally and contrarie to the duety of their allegaunces sustayiied. and maynteynid the usurped powere and auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome and have not only adhered themselfes to the said Bishop being comon enemy to the King our souvraine Lord and to his realme, untruely upholding, knowlegiug, and affirmyrg maliciously and traitorously the same Bishop to be supreme hed of Christos Churche by Godds holy wourde, intending thereby to subvert and overthrow the good and godly lawes and statutes of this realme their naturall contrey made and grounded by the auctoritie of the Holy Churche by the most excellent wisedome and polyce and goodness of the Kiuges majesty.” The members of the langue were forbidden to wear the dress of the Order, or to assume any of its title or dignities, as to which it said, “they shall be callid by their awne propre chren names and surnames of their parentis without any other additions towching the said religion;" and the bill rescinded “all priveleges of Saincturies heretofore used or claymed in mansion houses and other places coenly called Saincte Johne’s holde.” The following pensions were awarded out of the confiscated property:—To Sir William, Weston, the grand-prior, £1,000; Clement West, £200; T. Pemberton, £80; G. Russel, £100; G. Mimer, £100; J. Sutton, £200; E. Belingam, £100; E. Browne, £50; E. Huse, 100 marks; Ambrose Cave, 100 marks; W. Tirel, £30; J. Rawson, 200 marks; to A. Rogers Oswald Massin ​berg and eight others, £10 each, amounting in the whole to £2,870.
On this subject, Fuller, in his “Holy War,” records—“The suppression of the Hospitallers deserveth especial notice, because the manner thereof was different from the dissolution of other religious houses, for manfully they stood out to the last in despite of several assaults. The Knights Hospitallers (whose chief mansion was at Clerkenwell, nigh London), being gentlemen and soldiers of ancient families and high spirits, would not be brought to present to Henry the Eighth such puling petitions and public recognitions of their errors as other Orders had done; wherefore, like stout fellows, they opposed any that thought to. enrich themselves with their ample revenues, and stood on their own defence and justification. But Barnabas-day itself hath a night, and this long-lived Order, which in England went over the grave of all others, came at last to its own . . . Their dears friends persuaded them to submit to the king’s mercie, and not to capitulate with him on conditions, nor to stop his favour by their own obstinacy. This counsel, harsh at first, grew tunable in the ears of the Hospitallers, so that, contented rather to exchange their clothes for worse than be quite stript, they resigned all into the king’s hands.”
The bulk of the knights retired to Malta; out of those who remained several were executed. Sir Thomas Dingley, Sir Marmaduke Bowes, and Sir Adrian Fortescue were attainted together of high treason, for denying the king’s supremacy, on the 29th April, 1539, and were all beheaded. Sir David Genson, for the same reason, was condemned to death, and having been drawn on a sledge through Southwark, was hanged and quartered at St. Thomas Watering, on the 1st July, 1541.
A few years afterwards the king granted to John Dudley, Lord Viscount Lisle and Lord High Admiral of England, “as well in consideration of his service as for the sum of £1,000 sterling, the site, circuit, and precinct of this hospital or priory of St. John, only the lead, bells, timber, stone, glass, iron, and other things of the church were specially reserved for the king’s majesty.” Stow records that “the priory church, and house of St. John were preserved from spoil or pulling down so long as Henry VIII. reigned, and were employed as a store​house for the king’s toils and tents for hunting and for the wars.” Edward VI. granted to his sister, the Princess Mary, by letters patent, in the year 1548, “the seite, circuit, ambit, precinct, capital messauge and house, late of the priory of St. John of Jerusalem at Clerkenwell.” In the following year, viz., 1549, the greater portion of the church of St. John was blown up, and the materials used in the erection of Somerset House. No doubt this was an arbitrary act of the Protector Somerset during the minority of the king.
On the accession of Queen Mary, the prospects of the suspended langue seemed once more to revive. By royal letters patent, dated April 2nd, 157, the bailiffs, commanders, and knights of St. John were once more incorporated by and under the name and title of the “Prior and Cobrethren of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England,” giving them, as a corporation, a common seal, and ordaining for the crown, its heirs and successors, that the knights of the Order in England should for ever have and enjoy their name, style, and dignity. with all their ancient privileges and prerogatives. Sir Thomas Tresham, of Rushton, was appointed grand-prior of St. John Anglice.
It has been said above that Somerset had destroyed the greater portion of St. John’s church for the sake of the building materials. He, in fact, left only the chancel standing. As soon as Queen Mary had decreed the revival of the langue, Cardinal Pole effected such repairs as were necessary to render the church once more available for ecclesiastical purposes. This he did by enclosing the space left undestroyed with a new west wall. There is a fine crypt beneath, which is much in the same condition as when abandoned by the Order. It is a very handsome Gothic structure, and originally seems to have been above ground, as in Hollar’s view of it, as it appeared in 1661, the entrance is shewn from St. John’s-street up some steps. It is thus described by Pinks in his “History of Clerkeuwell":—“The crypt comprises a central avenue 16 feet 3 inches in width, and 12 feet in height to the crown of the arch, with corresponding side aisles extending from east to west, and of the same length as the present church above. The west end of the crypt, at present bricked up, was found, when an excavation was made in front of the church in the year 1849, to have ​extended much farther westward than it at present does. The central portion of the crypt consists of four severeys or bays; two are simple and plain, being semi-Norman, and two (towards the east) are early English, and very perfect, the details and mouldings being worthy of a careful examination. The ribs of the early English bays spring from triple clustered columns, 3 feet 9 inches high, in each angle of the bays with moulded capitals and bases. The upper moulding is horizontally fluted, similar to some Greek Ionic bases. The central shafts of the clustered columns are pointed, and the diagonal ribs have three mouldings; the centre one is pointed, and the outer are rolls. This pointed bowtell occurs frequently in semi-Norman and early English work, and is coeval with the introduction of the pointed arch. Suspended from the keystone of each is an iron ring. On each side of the two western bays of the centre aisle is a deeply recessed pointed window opening.” This crypt was the scene of the celebrated Cock Lane ghost excitement, in the year 1763. It is supposed by competent authorities that the original church of St. John was about 300 feet long, extending westward over the area of the present St. John-square, and that its transepts stood in a direct line with the great south gate and the north gate or postern.
The death of Queen Mary ended all hope of a revival of the langue of England. One of the earliest acts of her successor, viz., Statute 1, Elizabeth, c. 24, annexed to the crown all the property of the Order in England, without, however, enacting the dissolution of the corporate body established by the charter of Mary. The old priory now fell to the basest uses, and became the head-quarters of the Master of the Revels to the queen. The office of this functionary “consistethe,” says Edmund Tylney, “of a Wardropp and other several Roomes for Artiflcers to work in viz. Taylors Imbrotherers Propertimakers Paynters Wyredrawers and Carpenters together with a convenient place for ye Rehearsalls” (doubtless the great hall that had been the scene of so many royal councils and other splendours) “and settynge forthe of Playes and other Showes for those services.” This Edmund Tylney was appointed Master of the Revels on the 24th July, 1 79, and the priory was used as an office by him until 1607. It does not seem to have been ​well adapted for the preservation of theatrical properties, since there is a charge in the accounts for “ayringe,” represented to be necessary in order “to keepe the same in redynes for service wch els wold be mowldy mustie motheten and rotten by meanes of the dankenes of the howse and want of convenyent Presses and places requysite.”
By letters patent dated May 9, 1607, “the scite or house of the late Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, etc., having therein one great mansion and one great chapel, etc., containing by estimation five acres,” was granted by James I. to Ralph Freeman and his heirs, “in free and common soccage.” It subsequently came into the possession of William Cecil Lord Burleigh and earl of Exeter, whose countess, says Fuller, “was very forward to repair the ruined choir.” The church then became a private chapel, and as such passed into the hands of the earl of Elgin, on his marriage with Diana, the daughter of the earl of Exeter. Fuller thus describes it in 1655:—“At this day, though contracted, having the side aisles excluded (yet so that the upper part is admitted affording conveniences for attention), it is one of the best private chapels in England, discreetly embracing the mean of decency betwixt the extremes of slovenly profaneness and gaudy superstition.” It was much injured in 1710 by a mob led on by Dr. Sacheverell. In 1716 it was advertised for sale “as fit as any for a schoolroom that will hold above 200 scholars.” It was purchased in 1721 by a Mr. Mitchell, who once more restored it, and then sold it for £3,000 to the commissioners for providing new churches in and about London. It was consecrated on December 27th, 1723, by the bishop of London, as the church of St. John, Clerkenwell. When it was being repaired in 1845 many traces of the old building were discovered. Upon removing the plaster from the east wall it was found that Docwra’s masonry still existed up to about the middle of the window, about 27 feet in height, all above that being rebuilt in brick by Mitchell. It was also found, in the south aisle, that Mitchell had used portions of the old church to support the pews, such as ribbed mouldings, parts of shafts, portions of the groining capitals of clustered columns coloured and gilt.
The priory itself has long since vanished, to make way for ​the modern buildings which now occupy the space. Mr. Griffith, the architect, thus describes what can now be found of its remains:—“The enclosure wails can still be traced on the north, south-east, and west sides, and the modern dwellings in St. John-square are mostly built upon the old rubble walls of the Hospital. Fragments of the ancient buildings are frequently discovered. The northern boundary comprised the north postern and the priory buildings, and walls extending from the north postern westward towards Red Lion-street, and from the north postern eastward towards St. John-street. The foundation of the priory buildings and walls form the foundations of the cellars under No. 19 and the basements of No. 21 and 22 on the north side of St. John-square. An opening was made in the basement wall between Nos. 19 and 20, St. John-square, in 1851, and the wall was found to be seven feet thick, and formed of squared stone on the outer or north side and chalk rubble within. Some of the stones had been used for windows, etc.; one stone was covered with black shining flinty particles, as if it had been subjected to fire. The north postern was evidently covered, and by a plan in the commissioner’s book it appears to have been 17 feet 10 inches long and 10 feet 1 inch wide at the south end, enclosed next St. John-square by a light enclosure, with a gate 10 feet 7 inch high, and at the other end by a gate 5 feet 5 inches wide and 8 feet high. This was an outer gate in the north boundary wall. The priory was enclosed on the south side from St. John-street towards Red Lion-street, with St. John’s-gate in the centre. Of the southern boundary there are St. John’s-gate and 67 feet of wall extending westward from the gate remaining. Of the eastern boundary Hollar has given a view as it appeared in 1661. It portrays the east end of St. John’s church with the Hospital gardens and boundary wall, all of which faced St. John-street. Regarding the westward boundary, there are remains of the old priory wall in Ledburyplace, being originally the west garden wall of Bishop Burnet’s house, and in the west garden wall of Dr. Adam Clarke’s house. which adjoins Burnet’s house southward, and was the western boundary.”
It now remains to trace the tenure and occupation of St. ​John’s-gate. Like the priory, it was used in connection with the office of the queen’s revels so long as that was maintained in Clerkenwell. It then fell into private hands, Sir Morrice Dennys and Sir Roger Wilbraham having both been its possessors. In 1731 it became the property of Edward Cave, who lived there and set up a printing establishment in a portion of the space. It was here that the “Gentleman’s Magazine” was for many years published. The gate was, whilst in Cave’s hands, the scene of the memorable incident when Dr. Johnson dined behind a screen at an entertainment given by Cave, because he was so shabbily dressed that he did not wish to join the company. It continued to be a printing establishment till the end of the last century. Its subsequent career was more ignoble, as it became a public-house. Fortunately the landlord, Benjamin Foster, was a man who appreciated the historical associations of the place, and during his tenure established literary and archæological meetings, and otherwise raised its status beyond that of a mere tavern. It has of late years recovered its original position, having been purchased by the members of the revived English langue, and by them fitted up once more as a chancery and domicile for the Order.
This fact leads naturally to a detail of the circumstances which have led to the revival of that langue, although it is anticipating the general course of the narrative to touch on it now. As it satisfactorily closes the sketch of the langue, it is thought better to deal with it in this place rather than to insert it in its proper chronological order.
The fall of Napoleon and the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814 removed the ban under which the French knights had lain since their suppression by the Republican government in 1792. They at once reassembled in chapter-general at Paris, and forming, as they did at that time, the most powerful branch of the Order still surviving, elected a permanent capitular commission in which was vested plenary power to act as might seem best for the general interests of the fraternity. The creation of this capitular commission was confirmed by a pontifical bull issued by Pope Pius VII. on the 10th August, 1814, and recognized by the lieutenant of the Mastery and sacred council, in an instrument dated the 9th October following. ​addressed to the bailli Camille prince de Rohan, prior of Acquitaine the bailli de Cluguy; the commander de Bataille (representing the langue of France); the commander de Peyre de Chateauneuf (representing the langue of Provence); the commander de Dianne (representing the langue of Auvergue); the commander Bertrand, and the bailli Lasterie du Saillent, prior of Auvergue. It also received the recognition of the king Louis XVIII.
This commission exercised important acts on behalf of the Order in general during a series of years; it negotiated, though unsuccessfully, with the king for the restoration of the property of the institution in France; it treated, in 1814, with the congress of Vienna for a new chef-lieu in the Mediterranean. In an appeal to the French king and chambers it represented the whole Order in 1810, and again at the congress of Verona in 1822. Also, as recorded by Sutherland, “in 1823, when the Greek cause began to wear a prosperous aspect, the same chapter, encouraged by the goodwill which the Bourbon family was understood to entertain for the Order, entered into a treaty with the Greeks for the cession of Sapienza and Cabressa, two islets on the western shore of the Morea, as a preliminary step to the reconquest of Rhodes, to facilitate which arrangement an endeavour was made to raise a loan of £640,000 in England.”
Whilst engaged in these various negotiations for the benefit of the Order at large, the question was mooted of a possible revival of the English langue, and the matter speedily received a practical solution. The commission placed itself in communication with the Rev. Sir Robert Peat, D.D., Chaplain Extraordinary to His Majesty George IV., and other Englishmen of position, to whom were submitted the documents by which it was constituted. These gentlemen undertook to give their aid in the resuscitation of so interesting a relic of the ancient chivalry of Europe. The negotiations, which were continued for some months, resulted in the revival of the English langue of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, for which purpose articles of convention were executed on the 11th June, 1826, and on the 24th August and 15th October, 1827. These documents thus refer to the English people:—
“This brave and generous nation furnished formerly illus​trious subjects who made part of the most formidable, the most valiant, and the most renowned chevaliers of this ancient sovereign Order, and whose successors are now invited to raise that Christian and famous banner which was in former times the pride and glory of their ancestors, and who can again form part of this Order in climates and in oountries the most fortunate and most celebrated.”
The articles of convention distinctly recite that in making this revival the French langues are acting with the concurrence and approval of those of Aragon and Castile, thus, by a representation of five out of the eight divisions of the Order, giving the weight of majority, if such addition were necessary, to the powers of the associated French langues. This revival of the Order in England was conducted and accomplished in the most honourable spirit, and with the most chivalric intentions. The English gentlemen whose interest was enlisted in the revival, were men of the highest character, whilst the disinterested views of the French chevaliers may be gathered from a passage in one of their official communications, in which they declare that the business of the English langue must be conducted in an English manner, and so that the foreign members should not interfere in the management of the funds, which were to be solely and exclusively under the direction of the English brethren. These communications further enjoin the greatest caution in the nomination of chevaliers, and declare that, “to revive so honourable an institution, it is most necessary to act legally and according to the existing statutes, otherwise the Order would not be esteemed and respected; that the statutes must be taken by the committee as its guide and direction in the work, and that from this foundation no departure could take place, except as regards the modifications necessary owing to the religion of the United Kingdom.”
The chevalier Philippe de Chastelain and Mr. Donald Currie were appointed delegates for formally inaugurating the revival, by deed dated 14th December, 1827.
On the 24th January, 1831, the chevalier de Chastelain attended a meeting in London when the English langue was formally reorganized, and the Rev. Sir Robert Peat, D.D., Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of St. Stanislaus of ​Poland, and Chaplain Extraordinary to George IV., was invested with the functions and authority of grand-prior of the revived English !angu’. The names of many English noblemen and gentlemen were then inscribed on the roll of the tongue.
In 1834, acting under the advice of the Vice-Chancellor of England, Sir Launcelot Shadwell (who himself shortly after joined the Order), Sir Robert Peat sought to qualify for office, and at the same time to revive the charter of Philip and Mary, before referred to, by taking the oath de fideli administratione in the Court of King’s Bench. He accordingly attended, on the 24th February, 1834, and the Court, as the records of the langue state:—
“On its being announced by the Macer that the Lord Prior of St. John had come into Court to qualify, rose to receive him, and he did then and there openly qualify himself before the Lord Chief Justice of England, Sir Thomas Denman, Knight, to hold exercise and discharge the office of Prior of the tongue of England under the Charter of King Philip and Queen Mary.” The oath of qualification taken by Sir Robert Peat in the Court of King’s Bench is now a record of the kingdom, and a copy of the same, authenticated by the signature of the Lord Chief Justice, is in the archives of the langue. The following is the copy:—
“In the King’s Bench
“I the Right Reverend Sir Robert Peat Knight Vicar of New Brentford in the County of Middlesex and Prior of the Sixth Language of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem in London do make oath and say that I will faithfully truly carefully and strictly perform I fulfil keep and obey the ancient Statutes of the said Sovereign Order as far as they are applicable to the government of the Sixth Language and in accordance with the other seven languages and that I will use the authority reposed in me and my best endeavours and exertions amongst the Brethren to keep the said Statutes inviolable, this deponent hereby qualifying himself to govern the said Sixth Language as Prior thereof under the provision of the Statute of the 4th and 5th of Philip and Mary in the case made and provided. “(Signed) Robert Peat. ​“Sworn at Guildhall, in the City of London, this 24th day of February, 1834, before me “ "(Signed) T. Denman.”
From that time the km gue has continued to advance in numbers and prosperity, and has endeavoured by works of usefulness and charity to follow in the footsteps of the parent Order of old.
Those labours have not been unimportant, as may be seen by the following list of the principal objects which have engaged its attention:—
Providing convalescent patients of hospitals (without distinction of creed) with such nourishing diets as are medically ordered, so as to aid their return, at the earliest possible time, to the business of life and the support of their families.
The (original) institution in England of what is now known as the “National Society for Aid to Sick and Wounded in War.”
The foundation and maintenance of cottage hospitals and convalescent homes.
Providing the means and opportunities for local training of nurses for the sick poor; and the foundation of what is now known as the metropolitan and national society for training and supplying such nurses.
The promotion of a more intimate acquaintance with the wants of the poor in time of sickness.
The establishment of ambulance litters, for the conveyance of sick and injured persons in the colliery and mining districts, and in all large railway and other public departments and towns, as a means of preventing much aggravation of human suffering.
The award of silver and bronze medals, and certificates of honour, for special services on land in the cause of humanity.
The initiation and organization during the Turco-Servian war of the “Eastern War Sick and Wounded Relief Fund.”
The institution of the “St. John Ambulance Association” for instruction in the preliminary treatment of the injured in peace and the wounded in war.
The object of this association is for the purpose of disseminating information as to the preliminary treatment of the sick ​and injured, and of thereby alleviating to some extent the enormous amount of human suffering at present so frequently needlessly aggravated by the ignorance of those unskilled persons with whom the patient is first brought in contact.
It is an undoubted fact, well enough known to medical men, that the results of such ignorance are often most deplorable. By rough handling and bad management on the part of the attendants, however well-intentioned, a simple fracture may be converted into a compound, or even a complicated fracture. Again, how many thousands of lives have been lost merely from want of knowledge as to various extemporary methods of arresting bleeding, or as to the immediate treatment of the apparently drowned, or otherwise suffocated! It would be easy to multiply instances where knowledge of this kind is invaluable, but a glance at the syllabus drawn up by the medical committee is sufficient to shew how well adapted the course of instruction is to meet the requirements of the cases of sudden illness and injury ordinarily met with in every-day life.
The “British hospice and Ophthalmic Dispensary,” at Jerusalem, which has been established by the langue for the alleviation of the terrible sufferings caused in that country by diseases of the eye, and the ignorance prevalent as to their proper treatment. The sultan has aided in this good work by granting a firman for a site for the hospital. He has since redeemed this promise by a pecuniary gift of £900 Turkish, the langue having themselves purchased a site and building, and having started the operations of the dispensary. Crowds of afflicted Syrians flock thither for relief, and as the work is strictly on a non-sectarian basis no opposition is encountered. Of all the charitable operations now being carried on by the langue there is none that promises to effect so much real good as this, or which so closely copies the objects of the original founders of the Order. ​The langue now consists of the following members:—
The Lord-Prior, His Grace the Duke of Manchester.
The Bailiff of the Eagle, The Rt. Hon. Lord Leigh.
1 Knight Commander.
54 Knights of Justice, including H.R.H. The Duke of Cormaught, H.R.H. The Duke of Albany, and H.S.H. The Duke of Teck.
18 Chaplains, including the Rt. Rev, the Bishops of St. Albans, Gibraltar, and Tennessee.
29 Dames Chevalières of Justice, including H.R.H. The Princess of Wales, H.R.H. The Princess Christian, Hit & S.H. the Duchess of Tcck, and the reigning Grand Duchess of Baden.
17 Knights of Grace.
21 Esquires.
3 Serving Brothers.
There are also affiliated to the langue, a considerable number of Honorary Associates and Donate, who have aided in the good works now being carried on.
In Appendix No. 11 will be found a list of the grand-priors of England, Turcopoliers or conventual bailiffs, bailiffs of Aquila, grand-priors of Ireland, and priors of Scotland, so far as they can be traced.
All the historians of the Order who have treated of the relative ranks of the dignitaries comprising the chapter-general have been mistaken in the position which they allot to the grand-prior of England. They have placed him below the grand-prior of Messina, whereas his real place should be above the Castellan of Emposta (vide Chapter XIII.). This is proved by a document in the Record Office of Malta, which shews that the matter was decided on in 1566. As this document, which was written.by the Englishman, Oliver Starkey, secretary to La Valette, gives an interesting insight into the mode of dealing with questions of etiquette in the sixteenth century, a translation of it is given in Appendix No. 12.
This branch of the subject cannot be more appropriately closed than by giving a brief account of some of the knights of the langue who have rendered themselves either celebrated or notorious.
Garnier de Napoli.—First grand-prior of England, at the ​time when the Master Roger des Moulins and the Patriarch Heracius visited Clerkenwell. He must not be confounded with the Gamier who became Master of the Order in 1187, and was killed at the battle of Tiberias the same year, although all the historians of the Order have fallen into that error. The Grand-Master had been Turcopolier, and was probably his brother. That they were two different persona is clear from a manuscript in the possession of Canon Francis Smitmer, at Vienna, which is dated Anno Domini Incarnationis MCLXXXIX. apud London Ordinatio Fr Garnerii de Neapoli Prioris in Anglia. This document proves that Gamier was exercising the office of prior two years after his namesake the Grand-Master was killed at Tiberias.
Walter Levinge, a companion in arms of Richard Cœur de Lion, in Palestine.
hENRY BAYNTUN, son of Sir Henry Bayntun, Knight Marshal to Henry II. He was killed in Bretagne, in 1201.
Theodore de Nuzza, grand-prior of England about 1230. The Grand-Master Bertrand de Comps having, in 1237, invoked assistance to recruit the diminished ranks of the fraternity in Palestine, a body of 300 knights, headed by de Nuzza, left their priory at Clerkenwell with the banner of St. John unfurled. Their ranks were swelled by the presence of Richard earl of Cornwall, Simon de Moutfort earl of Leicester, and William Longspe, son of the earl of Salisbury. Their arrival in Jaffa induced the sultan of Egypt to offer most advantageous terms of peace to the Christians.
Alexander Welles.—His name appears amongst those who swore fealty to Edward I. in the chapel of Edinburgh Castle, July, 1291. He was killed at the battle of Falkirk, on the 22nd July, 1298.
Giles de Argintine.—He gained great renown in the Holy Land. He was killed at the battle of Bannockburn, in 1314, having first succeeded in rescuing Edward II. from the perils of that disastrous conflict.
Thomas Larcher.—In spite of the great accession of wealth consequent on the suppression of the Templars and the transfer of their lands to the Hospital, this grand-prior involved the ​finances of his priory in such hopeless confusion that the Grand-Master and council were compelled to supersede him, in 1329. The reckless manner in which he granted pensions and created other incumbrances would, had he not been suspended, have annihilated the property of the langue.
Leonard de Tybertis.—Originally prior of Venice. Being a man of much tact and skill in administration, he was selected to succeed Larcher, in order to unravel the tangled web which had become so complicated under his predecessor. In this task he succeeded admirably.
Robert Hales.—He was in the suite of the Grand-Master d’Heredia when he escorted Pope Gregory XI. from Avignon to Civita Vecchia in 1377. It was in his time that the priory at Clerkenwell was burnt by the mob led on by Wat Tyler. The prior’s residence at Highbury was also destroyed. Froissart records that “they went straight to the fayre hospytalle of the Rodes called saynt Johans and there they brent house hospytall mynster and all.” Such a strong animosity was felt by the people against the Order, that Jack Straw in his confession said, “specially would we have destroyed the knights of St. John.” Sir Robert Hales was beheaded by the mob on Tower-hill in company with Sudbury archbishop of Canterbury and other lords.
Robert Bootle.—At a grand wrestling match, held at Clerkenwell on St. Bartholomew’s day, 1456, at which this grand-prior was present with the Lord Mayor and sheriffs of London, a quarrel arose on a question of wrestling, in which a servant of the prior was concerned. Bootle being discontented with the decision of the Lord Mayor, fetched a party of bowmen from the priory, and a conflict ensued, the Mayor’s cap being shot through. Eventually a party of citizens rescued their chief, and bore him off in triumph.
William Knolls, grand-preceptor of Scotland. He was Lord Treasurer under king James IV., who raised him to the peerage under the title of Lord St. John, which dignity was held by the priors of Scotland until the Reformation. He was killed in the battle of Flodden Field on September 11, 1513.
John Langstrother was bailiff of Aquila in 1466. He had been the bearer of a letter from Grand-Master de Lastic to ​Henry VI., and took part with the house of Lancaster in the Wars of the Roses. He was made prisoner at the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, and put to death in cold blood by order of Edward IV. His near kinsman and predecessor in the bailiwick of Aquila was William Langstrother, who held that rank at a chapter-general which sat at Rome in 1446. Both these dignitaries were buried in the church of St. John at Clerkenwell.
James Heting, or Keating, was deprived of his dignity as grand-prior of Ireland for not hastening to Rhodes when summoned to take part in its defence in 1480.
Thomas Docwa, or Docray, was the second son of Richard I)ooray, of Bradsville, in the county of York. He was present at the siege of Rhodes in 1480. During his priorate, the new establishment at Clerkenwell, to replace that destroyed by Wat Tyler, was completed. Docwra possessed considerable talents in diplomacy, and was very wealthy. He was nearly elected Grand-Master, having only lost the nomination by one vote, when L’Isle Adam was appointed. He died in 1527.
John Rawson was present at the siege of Rhodes in 1522. He was afterwards made Turcopolier, and eventually, at the special request of Henry VIII., appointed grand-prior of Ireland. He died in 1547.
William Weston, grand-prior of England, time of Heury VIII. By an act passed in 1533, it was made lawful for “Viscounts, the Pryour of Seint John of Jerusalem, and Barons to wear in their dublettes or sleveless coates clothe of golde sylver or tynsel” It has already been recorded that it was during the priorate of Weston that Henry VIII. suppressed the langue of England, granting Weston a pension of £1,000 a year. This pension, so liberally allowed to him out of his own property, was not long enjoyed. Unable to bear up against the calamities which had befallen his Order, he died of grief on Ascension Day, 1540, in the very year when his pension was granted. He was buried in the chanoel of St. James’s church, Clerkenwell, where an altar tomb in the architectural style of the age, representing him as an emaciated figure lying upon a winding sheet, was erected over his remains. Weever has thus ​described this memorial, now utterly destroyed:—“In the north walle of the chancell is a faire marble tombe with the portraiture of a dead man lying upon his shroud the most artificiaily cut in stone that ever man beheld. All the plates of brass are stolne away only some few peeses remaining containing these words:—
“Hospitalitate inclytus genera prclarus.
(Here are Arms.)
Hanc urna officii causa.”
In the centre, on another plate, in old English characters, was:—
“Spes me non fallat quam in te semper habebam,
Virgo da fadilem votis natum.”
And on another:—
“Ecce quem cernis semper tuo nomini devotum
Suspice in sinum Virgo Maria tuum.”
In 1788, when the old church of St. James was pulled down, this monument was taken away. “During the removal,” says a contemporary writer, “the lead coffin was discovered, which was deposited within a few inches of the surface. On the breast part was a cross raised in lead. On raising the cover, the skeleton appeared, but without any appearance of its having been wrapped in cere cloth, or habit of his Order, nor did it seem at first that ever any embalmment had been used; but, on more careful inspection, there was found a quantity of dark-coloured mucilaginous substance between the thighs and the lower parts of the body, of an unctuous feel, but quite inodorous. The bones were laid in the same order as when the corpse was deposited in the lead coffin, which did not appear had ever been enclosed in one of wood. The fingers and toes were fallen off, but the other parts retained their proper situation, and some teeth remained in each jaw. On measuring the skeleton it was exactly six feet in length, wanting one inch.” When the monument was removed, the effigy was left, and for many years stood upright in a corner of the vault below the church. It has, however, recently been restored by a descendant ​of the grand-prior, Col. Gould Hunter Weston, himself a knight of the revived langue. It now lies once more in its original recumbent position, on a suitable base, in the north side of the church. Sir William Weston had been present at the siege of Rhodes in 1522, where he greatly distinguished himself.
Adrian Fortescue was the second son of Sir John Fortescue; his mother was aunt to Queen Anne Boleyn. He was created by Henry VIII. a knight of the Bath for his services in the French wars. He was summoned to attend that king at the field of the cloth of gold, when he was directed “not only to put yourself in arreadiness with the number of ten tall personages, well and conveniently apparelled for this purpose to pass with you over the sea but also in such wise to appoint yourself in apparel as to your degree the honour of us and this our realm appertaineth.” He was committed “to the Knight Marshall’s ward at Woodstock,” in 1534, for denying the king’s supremacy, and released under the general pardon late in the autumn of the same year. He was again attainted in the spring of 1639. Hull has the following entry in his chronicle on the subject:—“Sir Adrian Foskeu and Sir Thomas Dingley knights of St. John were the 10th day of July beheaded.” There are two pictures of him in the church of St. John at Valetta, and a third in the Collegio di San Paulo at Rabato, Malta. The two first are by Matthias Preti, called “Il Calabrese,” a knight who flourished in the latter part of the seventeenth century. Sir Adrian Fortescue has always been revered as a martyr in the island.
Clement West, Turcopolier. He rendered himself notorious by the turbulence and disrespect of his conduct. In the chapter-general held in 1532, he argued that the proxies for the grand-priors of England and Ireland, and for the bailiff of Aquila, should not be allowed to vote. The assembly having decided against that opinion, he broke out into the most unseemly and blasphemous language, calling the procurators Saracens, Jews, and bastards. The latter then preferred a complaint against him, and when called upon for explanation he merely stated that it was impossible for him to know whether they were Jews or not, for that they certainly were not Englishmen. The ​council thereupon enjoined him to ask pardon, but this he positively refused to do, and, flying into a violent passion, began cursing and swearing most vehemently, and throwing his mantle upon the ground, said that if he deserved condemnation at all he ought to be deprived of his habit and put to death. Thereupon he drew his sword and left the council chamber, to the great scandal of all present. He was in consequence deprived of his habit, and of the dignity of Turcopolier. As soon as this news reached England great exertions were made to restore West to his office. The knight, John Sutton, was despatched by the grand-prior of England and the duke of Norfolk to beg that he might be reinstated. From the letters which this envoy presented to the council on the 23rd February, 1533, it appeared that the feeling in England was that West had been unjustly condemned, and that a bad feeling had sprung up against him owing to his wearing an Order appertaining to the king of England. The council feeling much aggrieved at this calumny, a commission was appointed to inquire into the matter, consisting of Sir Edward Bellingham (English), Aurelio Bottigello (Italian), and Baptiste Vilaragut (Spanish). The report of these commissioners is not in existence, but by a decree dated April 26th, 1533, West was reinstated as Turcopolier, he having expressed contrition. The lesson bestowed on this turbulent knight appears, however, to have been thrown away, for in 1537 he was again in trouble for acts of disobedience and for provoking another knight to fight a duel, and in 1539 he was once more placed in arrest by decree of the council for disrespect to their body (vide list of crimes in Chapter XXI.), and finally, he was again deprived of the dignity of Turcopolier, on the 3rd September in the same year, at the instance of the English knights then resident at the convent. He had, nevertheless, evidently been held as a person of consideration, for on the death of Dupont, in 1534, he was nominated lieutenant of the Grand-Mastery during the interregnum.
Sir Gyles Russell, Turcopolier in 1539. At the death of this knight in 1643, it was decreed that there should be no further nomination to the dignity until the Catholic religion should be re-established in England.
Nicholas Upton was appointed lieutenant of the Turco ​polier on the death of Russell. He distinguished himself so greatly in this office that in 1548 the Grand-Master D’Omedes and council rescinded the resolution carried on the death of Russell, and appointed Upton Turcopolier. He died in 1551 from the effects of a coup tie soled, which he received whilst resisting a descent on the island of Malta by Dragut. The Grand-Master declared his death to be a national loss.
Oswald Massingberd was the second son of Sir Thomas Massingberd, of Sutton, in the county of Lincoln. He appears, like West, to have been & man of a most violent and insubordinate temper, and to have been in continual trouble whilst at Malta. On one occasion he was brought before the council for the murder of four slaves, for which act he was deprived of his habit for two days. The following entry appears also amongst the records of the council in 1552:—“The right reverend Lord the Grand-Master and Venerable Council, having heard the report of the commanders deputed to inquire into the complaint preferred by the noble Paolo Fiteni against the Lord Lieutenant of the Turcopolier, Brother Oswald Massingberd, for having forcibly entered his house and violently taken therefrom a certain female slave with her daughter whom he had recently purchased from the Order, and for having struck him with his fist, and also having heard the said de Massingberd in contradiction, who pretended that the above-mentioned Paolo could in no way have purchased the female slave as she had previously been branded with certain marks in his name, as is customary and usual on similar occasions, and that therefore the preference in the purchase of the said slave appertained to him, de Massingberd, do now, after mature deliberation, condemn the said de Massingberd to restore the above-mentioned female slave with her daughter to Fiteni, and order that they shall be restored accordingly. Further, in consideration of the force and violence used, they furthermore decree that he shall remain and be kept for two months within his own residence, and that for this period he shall not be permitted to leave it” (vide list of crimes, Chapter XXI.).
George Dudley had been professed a knight in 1545, but had shortly after become a Protestant, abandoning the ​fraternity, and taking to himself a wife. In the year 1557, however, the seceder demanded pardon for his errors of the Grand-Master and council. On reconciliation to the church he was readmitted into the fraternity, and in May, 1.558, it was decreed “that on account of the poverty of the brother George Dudley, at present the only English brother of the venerable langue of England, permission should be granted to him to sue for, exact, and recover all the revenues and rents of houses belonging to the said langue from any and all of the tenants, and to give receipts for the same.”
Oliver Slarkey was Latin secretary to La Valette, and was present at the siege of Malta. He appears to have thoroughly enjoyed the confidence of his chief, and to have been held in high estimation by all the members of the convent. He was reduced to so great destitution whilst at Malta, that a pension of 100 scudi (£8 6s. 8d.) was awarded to him from the treasury. He was buried at the foot of the tomb of the chief he had loved and served so well, in the crypt beneath St. John’s church at Valetta, being the only knight not a Grand-Master who was so honoured.
James Sandlands was preceptor of Torphichen and Lord of St. John. lie was the intimate personal friend of John Knox, and by the persuasion of that reformer renounced the Catholic faith in 1553. He, however, continued for some time longer to maintain his office and dignities. In 1560 he was sent by the congregation parliament of Scotland to France to lay its proceedings before Francis and Mary. There the cardinal of Lorraine loaded him with reproaches, accusing him of violating his obligations us a knight of a Holy Order. Notwithstanding all his efforts to soothe the prelate, and the most assiduous endeavours to recommend himself to the queen,. he was dismissed without any answer. After this, feeling himself no longer authorized to retain his office, he resigned the entire property of the Order of St. John into the hands of the crown. Upon this, the queen, on the 24th January, 1563-4, was pleased, on condition of an immediate payment of 10,000 crowns and an annual duty of 500 marks, and in consideration of “his faithful, noble, and gratuitous services to herself and to her royal parents,” to convert it into the ​temporal Lordship of Torphichen, creating him Lord of St. John, and giving him the lands and baronies of Torphichen and Listoun, Balintrodo, Thankertoun, Denny, Maryculter, Stanhouse, Guitna, etc. He afterwards married Janet, daughter of Murray of Polonaise, but had no issue, and at his death in 1596 his title and the possessions which he had plundered from the Order devolved on his grand-nephew, James Sandilands, of Calder, and have remained in that line ever since.
David Seton is said to have been the last prior of Scotland, and to have retired to Germany with the greater portion of his brethren about 1572. In an old poem of that period he is mentioned as the head of the Scottish Hospitallera The poem is entitled, “The Holy Kirke and his Theeves.” After apostrophizing Sir James Sandilands for his treachery to the Order, it proceeds thus:—
“Fye upon the traitor then,
Quha has broucht us to sic pass
Groedie als the knave Judas.
Fye upon the churle quwhat solde
Halie Erthe for heavie golde,
But the Order felt na base,
Quhan David Setonne bare the Crosse.”
* ↑ “History of Clerkenwell,” by Pinks. The author is indebted to the antiquarian researches of this writer for much of the matter he has quoted referring to the priory of Clerkenwell.
* ↑ The langue is indebted for this establishment to the untiring energy and zeal of Sir Edmund Lechmere, who has laboured most assiduously for the attainment of the object. He has personally visited Jerusalem and placed himself in communication with the Turkish authorities in order to obtain the most suitable site for the hospice, and to carry on the necessary and somewhat delicate negotiations for the purchase.
* ↑ See illustration of this monument in plate opposite page 571.