POTENCIALIDADES DEL TRABAJO EN EQUIPO:

Quittances differed slightly from the two types of grants discussed already. They were not simple gifts, nor were they as tangible as land or even money. Quittances could be granted for many different things, for example, relief from tolls such as those on bridges, ports or roads and from dues on goods. But quittances could be granted on other things. Payments made to the Exchequer for fees arising from justice, for example, could be excused as well as payments for assarts or fees associated with the forest.

The idea of exemption and legal or financial privilege has not normally been studied in as much depth as patronage by land and money but it is equally important. Quittances benefited both the king and the monastery. The grant of

77

Reading Cartularies, i. 56-7 no. 28.

78

Acta of Henry II, no. 1193 (4076H), Clark (ed.), The English Register of Godstow Nunnery, near Oxford, written about 1450, ii. 659 no. 880.

quittances did not require land or money to be at the king’s immediate disposal although the king would have to part with future revenue; however, the monastery would see some relief in the many payments they were responsible for and, in turn, this saving could then be put to other use. There are entries of pardons in the Pipe Rolls which record the various quittances afforded the monasteries. The following examples illustrate charters granting quittance on tax and toll. The Pipe Rolls record other circumstances for quittance, which are discussed in a later chapter.79

A first example of quittance relates to Bridlington Priory, Yorkshire, between December 1154 and August 1158.80 _{Henry granted the canons of}

Bridlington the quittance of pannage for their pigs in the king’s forest of Scalby, ‘where all their pigs are in pasture.'81

A second example is a charter Henry issued to Bourne Abbey, Lincolnshire between 1155 and March 1166.82 _{In this charter, Henry orders that}

the Canons of Bourne and their men should have all things necessary for the rebuilding of their church ‘quit of tolls, passage and all customs.’ This quittance would have been very important in the rebuilding of their church as it would allow them to purchase and then transport the goods without paying the extra tolls and dues, which could be hefty. A patron could help pay for the building

79

See Chapter 3 on Pardons and Outstanding Debts and Chapter 4 on Confirmations. The quittances have been divided according to charter evidence and Pipe Roll evidence. The charters contain general quittances of taxes and tolls while the Pipe Roll quittances tend to be for more specific assessments such as Danegeld, scutage, and aid.

80

EYC, i. 283 no. 363, Acta of Henry II, no. 302 (3311H) (For dating purposes only),

81

EYC, i. 283 no. 363. Pannage was the right or privilege to pasture pigs in the king’s forest; Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225, p. 326, Warren, Henry II, p. 393.

82

materials themselves and there are records in the Pipe Rolls for the king supplying the building material for monasteries.

There are two charters to Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire granting quittances. In the first, issued between 1155 and August 1158, Henry grants the monks of Abingdon all the things that they and their men need for food and clothes quit of tolls, passage and all customs. 83 _{The second, issued between}

1155 and April 1172, is a mandate to the same effect—an order stating: ‘the monks of Abingdon are quit of tolls, passage and all customs of all things that they need for their food and clothes.'84

The final example is a quittance granted to the abbey of St. Benet of Holme, Norfolk. In a charter issued between 1154 and March 1166, Henry grants Holme Abbey quittance of the tolls in all of England ‘in the city and outside, in the burgh and outside, in fairs and markets and in the sea ports and in all places.'85 _{Henry also gave them the freedom of royal licence to transport}

their things and money throughout his lands without paying custom. This charter provides more detail than some of the previous charters regarding the quittance and its terms.

Quittance Analysis

a. Values

A total of 141 charters granted quittances. The nature of these quittances varied and it is difficult to compare the amounts or to calculate values for these charters. The quittances would have fluctuated due to what they were for and how often they were granted.

83

Abingdon, ii. 350-1, Acta of Henry II, no. 8 (2303H). (For dating purposes only).

84

Abingdon, ii. 346-7.

85

b. Geography

The following table illustrates the county and number of charters found there and indicates that Berkshire had the most monasteries receiving the greatest number of quittance charters, chiefly owing to Abingdon Abbey and Reading Abbey. Yorkshire prominence is linked to its position as home to a large number of Cistercian houses; there were 26 houses for monks and nuns in Yorkshire alone.86 _{Only four of the charters in Yorkshire were for non-}

Cistercian houses. What this table shows is that Henry’s quittance charters were scattered geographically but not necessarily in those areas which benefited most from his land grant charters.

County Number of Charters

Berkshire, Yorkshire 11

Nottinghamshire 9 Hampshire 8

Essex, Lincolnshire, Gloucester 6

Northumberland, Shropshire, Dorset, London, Huntingdonshire

5

Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk,

4

Glamorgan, Northamptonshire 3

Sussex, Durham, Lancashire,

Herefordshire, Cumberland, Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire 2 Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, 1 86

Monmouth, Wiltshire, Worcestershire

Scotland 1

No counties (Knights Templar, Lazarites) 3

c. Chronology

Chronology of Charter Distribution

Time Period Number of Charters

1154 x 1172 121

1173 x 1189 20

The chronology of Henry’s grants of quittance shows little deviation from the land grant distribution. The very considerable majority of the charters were issued in the first half of Henry’s reign. Quittances were most likely to be handed out upon the accession of a new king as monasteries wanted to ensure they kept their exemptions granted to them by previous kings.87 _{Those issued}

later on in Henry’s reign include five religious houses that had already received quittances in the first half of Henry’s reign. The remainder had never been issued with grants of quittance, perhaps as they did not petition for these new issues until later on in Henry’s reign. It must also be stated that some of these quittances may have been confirmations of quittances granted by Henry’s predecessors.

87

There are many charters in the database which indicate that the monasteries were requesting the same quittances they had under Stephen or Henry I. For example, Wherwell Abbey was granted a quittance in the first half of Henry’s reign, giving them the quittances they had in the time of Henry I; CChR, ii. 29.

d. Recipients

Table 1. Religious Orders and Charters of Quittance Religious Orders Number of Charters of

Quittance Benedictine 79 Cistercian 31 Augustinian 21 Premonstratensians 6 Knights Templar 2 Gilbertine 1

Hospitals, Sick and Lepers 1

A familiar pattern can be found between the layout of the quittances and the other forms of patronage already discussed. The Benedictines, Augustinians and Cistercians received the largest number of charters. This is similar to the land grant charters. It is possible that Henry found quittances as a way to patronize the Cistercian order. The other orders received fewer charters and there was a large difference in the numbers. This both reflects the monastic landscape of England and indicates that Henry patronized the established monastic orders. It is also possible that quittances were associated with established rights and customs.