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REVIEW.
The Grey Friars of Oante1·bury, 1224, to 1538. A contribution,
to the 700th Anniversary of their arrival in England
By CHARLES CoTToN, O.B.E., F.R.C.P. E. British Society
of Franciscan Studies. 1924.
ON the purely historical side the British Society of Franciscan
Studies has no better subject for its work than thehistory
of the English houses of the Orde1'. But the task of
compiling such a history of any individual house is not an.
easy one. Many of the houses were small, the records:
which they have left are commonly slight, and very often
little or nothing survives of the actual buildings. To weave·
togethel' the fragmentary material requires something morethan
the industry of an antiquary. I£ the work is to be·.
successful the author must not only havfl a good knowledge·
of the medireval history of the town where the house was.
situated, but also an intimate personal acquaintance with
its present topography. Dr. Cotton, as honorary librarian
of the Cathedral, and as one long resident in Canterbury,,
possesses in an eminent degree the necessary qualifications.
The story of how Agnellus of Pisa. and his eight companions,
arrived at Dover on 10 September 1224, as the first Franciscans
who cam to England, is too well known to need
repetition. They stayed one night at Dover and then went
on to Canterbul'y, ,vhere for two days they were hospitablJf
REVIEW. :n5
entertained by the monks of Christ Church. Then four of
them proceeded to London, whilst Agnelius with the rest
remained to become the founders of the friary at Canterbury.
Until they could obtain a more permanent home they were
lodged in Priests' Hospice. This Dr. Cotton is able to
identify with the Poor Priests' Hospital, of which the remains
still stand on the west side of Stone Street. Documents at
Christ Church make it possible to trace out the early history
of the buildings of the hospital. This it was 0£ importance
to do, for it was from the warden 0£ the hospital that the
friars obtained £or their dwelling a plot of ground on which
he built them a chapel sufficiently becoming for the time.
This plot was the garden of the hospital on the Island of
Binnewith between two arms of the Stoor. A very humble
lodging satisfied them at :first, and it was not till 1267 that
John Digge, a wealthy citizen of Canterbury, gave them a,
larger site across the Stour on the north-west, which became
their permanent home. Later on the stone Friars' Bridge,
0£ which one of the original arches still remains, was built
for their convenience. The greater part of the Friary buildings
wa.s destroyed in the sixteenth century ; but recent
excavations have made it possible to recover something of
the ground-plan and to show that the church, which probably
followed the usual plan of friars' churches, was 77 ft. long,
Something more of the domestic buildings may be discovered
when further excavation is possible. One interesting l'e+io
remains in the picturesque building ,vhich spans the Stour.
This the present owner, Major James, has had conservatively
restored undei; the direction of Mr. R. H. Goodsall, who has
contributed to Dr. Cotton's volume a valuable account of
its architectural character.
The history of the Friary, apart from its buildings,
can only be piece
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