The 1536 Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries: Same Suppression ...

Benedictine order. 49 There also appeared to be no prior, so monk James Burton was appointed
administrator and instructed to make a full account of the house and its inventory. Other than the
lack of a prior and pre-professed monks of other houses, Folkestone appeared to be in fine
shape. 50 The monks having been professed to other orders may be a sign that they had problems
committing to their rules, but sources do not say why the monks changed orders.
Some visitation records of Folkestone reveal a decline in the high principles of
monasticism in that house as well, while others report the house as being in a good shape. In
1491, Archbishop Morton appointed a commission to look into the conduct of the prior. The
commission found and charged the prior ―with various excesses and dishonest appropriations of
the goods of the Priory, and in 1493 was deprived.‖ 51 Folkestone then surrendered on 15
November 1535, a year prior to the passing of the suppression act of 1536. The value of the
house had increased over time, being worth annually £26 1s 8d during the reign of Richard II,
and £41 15s 10d at the time of Dissolution. 52 The house – consisting of one hall, one chamber, a
kitchen and a parlour underground – was claimed to be in utter decay, with only two religious, a
prior and sick monk both of whom were guilty of serious offences. The prior at the time was
Thomas Barrett Bassett, and he received a pension of £10 a year, which he was reportedly still
receiving in 1553. Folkestone was received by Thomas Bedyll, who interestingly enough
reported the house to be well repaired, and the prior a good husband beloved by his neighbours.
Whether the house was actually in disrepair, or if Bedyll correctly reported on the condition of
49 K.L. Wood-Legh, Kentish Visitations of Archbishop William Warham and His Deputies, 1511-1512 (Kent:
Archaeological Society, 1984), 28; ―Priory of Folkestone,‖ BHO.
50 ―Priory of Folkestone.‖
51 Mackie, A Handbook of Folkestone, 6; Woodward, The Past and Present of the Parish Church of Folkestone,
32. 52 ―Priory of Folkestone‖; Dugdale; Mackie, A Handbook of Folkestone, 5.
42