6. THE ABBEY OF RECULVER
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that in
669 King Ecgbriht gave 'Reculf' to Bass, the
mass-priest, to build a monastery on. (fn. 1) The
foundation of this appears to have followed
shortly afterwards; for Lothair, king of Kent,
by a charter (fn. 2) in 679 granted land in Thanet
and Sturry to Brihtwald, abbot of the monastery of ' Raculf.' On 1 July, 692, Brihtwald,
described as ' abbot in the monastery called
Raeulf situated by the north mouth of the
stream Genlade,' was made archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 3)
Some other charters to this monastery are
preserved. (fn. 4) Eardulf, king of Kent, granted a
plough-land called Perhamstede to Heahbert,
abbot. Eadbert, king of Kent, who was buried
at Reculver on his death in 761, (fn. 5) in 747 granted
the toll of one ship in the port of Fordwich to
Denehaeh, abbot; and Ealhmund, king of Kent,
in 784 granted twelve plough-lands in Sheldwich
to Hwitrede, abbot. The exact end of the
monastery is not known; but King Edred by a
charter in 949 granted it with its possessions to
the archbishopric of Canterbury, and it was held
by the archbishop at the time of the Domesday
Survey. (fn. 6)
Abbots Of Reculver
Brihtwald, occurs 679, resigned 692
Heahbert
Denehaeh, occurs 747
Hwitrede, occurs 784
Footnotes
1 |
Angl.-Sax. Chron. (Rolls Ser.), i, 56-7; ii, 30. |
2 |
Printed in Dugdale, Mon. i, 455, from Bodleian
MS. Tanner, 222. |
3 |
Hist. Mon. St. Aug. (Rolls Sen), 287; Bede, Eccl.
Hist, v, 8. |
4 |
Dugdale, Mon. ut supra; Twysden, Decem Scriptores, 2211, 2220. |
5 |
Hist. Mon. St. Aug. 324. |
6 |
V.C.H. Kent, iii. |