Life of the Community

A reading of Fr. Ambrose Whitehead’s History of St. Monica’s Priory during the time of the Canons Regular gives us some idea of the life the canons led. It was a surprisingly busy centre of activity. Not only was there the teaching, studying, taking of examinations, etc., concomitant with a House of Studies and the religious offices to be performed, but there was also a great deal of coming and going between Spetisbury, Marnhull, Bodmin and other places. At various times the Canons had the care of Deer Park at Honiton, Corfe Mullen, Henbury Manor, Langton Manor, Exmouth, Blandford and Swanage as well as Spetisbury. And there was continual anxiety about their financial situation; the property was to prove a constant drain on financial resources.

When the Canons arrived at Spetisbury a great deal of work needed to be done at the Priory. Not only had ‘Spettisbury House’ been converted from domestic to institutional use for nuns, it had also been added to by school buildings to accommodate the ‘Young ladies’ whose schooling was advertised in the current Catholic Directories, In addition, the stables of the original establishment had been turned into school buildings for the poor children of the village. With the Canons taking over the buildings a certain re-ordering of them for male use was obviously required and in addition much restoration work needed to be done as soon as possible. All such reordering and repairing of the living accommodation was completed in time for the Scholastic Year to open on 7^th September 1887.

Within three months of their arrival, the Canons had adapted the Church for their own use, using their own funds. The nuns’ choir (which was situated in a transept to the right and screened off from the High Altar), and the marble altar were dismantled and on 19^th September the Bishop with the Visitor and two workmen appeared on the scene. “Bishop Vaughan, despite his aristocratic background, rather fancied himself on a building site.” The former nuns’ choir was turned into a Lady Chapel and the marble High Altar rebuilt against the east wall of the church, giving the people in the nave a clear view of the canons’ choir and the sanctuary and altar and the Blessed Sacrament above. The gallery around the church, save for a west end choir and organ loft, was dismantled.

In October 1897 there was a crisis meeting in Spetisbury to discuss “the debts under which this house laboured” O’Connor and McAdam arrived from Bodmin and White from London. They discussed closing down Bodmin and selling the land and moving the Novitiate back to Spetisbury among other options. There seems to have been some disagreements. McAdam wrote “If you keep this place (Spetisbury) it will cost £250 a year at least, for it will soon want new roofing and is ever in repair.” In the event the Novitiate was not transferred although McAdam was: he took over the office of master of the professed from Isodore O’Leary.

In Mar 1898 twelve members of the community went to Honiton for the solemn opening of the new Church of the Holy Family: the Prior sung the solemn High Mass and Fr. Norbert Jones preached. “The plain chant was sung by the choir from Spettisbury Priory.”

In June 1898 St. Monica’s decided to stop celebrating Sunday Mass at Henbury Manor but agreed to provide Sunday Mass in Langton Manor, the home of the Gilpins who owned stables and a string of racing horses, served by a number of stable-boys, mostly Irish.

In the summer of 1898 there was a drought and the priests of St. Monica’s were busy on supply work “here there and everywhere.”

In the Autumn of 1898 the Spettisbury ‘Schola’ sang at the requiem for Canon Debbaudt in Weymouth and for Canon Twohey in Axminster: they also sang at the opening of Canon Scoles Church in Tisbury. In December they sang at the Requiem for Mgr. John Grainger in Exmouth: he was a generous benefactor – his bequests to Bodmin, Spettisbury and Stroud Green “rescued the former two from their crippling debts.”

On Christmas Day 1898 St. Monica’s provided Mass for Langton Manor, Honiton, Exmouth, Poole and the Manor House at Blandford.

In January 1899 there was “a great deal of rain and wet weather.” The weather then improved with cold and sun out from morning to evening, fortunately for repairs to the roof were being undertaken, involving much expense.

In May 1899 the community at St. Monica’s was twenty-three strong. Wilfrid Regan, newly ordained, became the new Master of the Professed (the seventh in 14 years). Prior Allaria “introduced him to the community, enlarged on his duties and exhorted all the students to accept him gratefully.”

In August 1899 Fr, Philip Fletcher, founder of the Guild of Ransom, came to Spetisbury to preach and “much impressed the community by his zeal, poverty and knowledge.”

Also in August, Bishop Graham came for the ordinations of Reddin and Peters as deacons and Bovenizer, Mullins and Scully as priests (the last of the Marnhull alumni).

Drawing of the Church taken from the Catholic Standard

1899 Profession day (left to right) Vincent Scully,

Thomas Mullins, Edward Bovenizer

The High Altar at St. Monica’s Priory

The church ‘re-ordered’ for canonical and parochial observances was opened on Thursday 13^th October 1887 with solemn High Mass sung by Fr. Belton, with Fr. Meagre as deacon and Dom William Palmer as sub-deacon. Fr. Anthony was M.C.

The following autumn there was a Harvest Festival with a sermon by the Rev. Fr. Gilbert Higgins on the subject ‘Harvestery’. The normal Sunday evening service included the singing of Vespers but adapted to the peoples’ needs by the use of the vernacular.

In December 1887 there was a notice in the Blandford Express which suggests there must have been some controversy (or fear?) over the arrival of the canons in Spetisbury.

Back row (left to right) Regan, Bovenizer, ?, Cotter, ?, Mullins, ?, Scully, ?

Middle row McAdam, ?, McGuiness, Sellon, ?, Brighton, Hannigan

Front row ?, Bruno Peters, Prior Anthony Allaria, Bishop Graham,

Michael Reddin, Francis Jeffrey, ?

Abbot Felix Menchini also arrived and gave Tonsure & Minor orders to Francis Jeffrey, McGuiness, Brighton & Cotter after which he went to Bodmin to deal with the business of the house and to settle the differences which had arisen among the brethren. He remained in Bodmin until August the following year.

The daily timetable for the canons in 1887 was as follows:

Back row (left to right) Jeffrey, Mullins, McGuiness, ?, Brighton, ?, Bovenizer, Corr

Middle row ?, Sellon, ?, Peters, Reddin, Cotter, Bro. Clayton, McGregor, Scully

Front row McAdam, O’Leary, Prior Allaria, Regan, O’Connor, Hannigan

Prior Allaria had been trying to get voting rights for the Canons at St. Monica’s. A report in the East Dorset Chronicle noted:

Priests’ Claim for Votes Disallowed

On Wednesday the Revising Barrister, Mr. Christopher Rawlinson, held a Court at the Town Hall, Blandford, for the purpose of revising the lists of voters in Blandford and the district. Mr. Montagu Luff and Mr. M.J. Raymond appeared on behalf of the Conservative party, and Mr. J.J. Beer (Sherborne) represented the Liberal interest.

The Rev. A.Allaria claimed the Parliamentary franchise for the inmates of St. Monica’s Priory, Spetisbury. The claim was supported by the Liberal agent.

In his evidence the claimant said that each priest occupied a separate apartment, and all contributed towards a common fund for the maintenance of the Priory. He, as Prior, had general control of the brethren, who worked as teachers during certain days of the week in various parts of the South of England. The rules of the Order provided for the expulsion of brethren if necessary, and he had power to put these rules in force. The owners of the Priory were trustees. The Revising Barrister refused to allow the claim, on the ground that there was insufficient evidence that the inmates were tenants of the Priory.

In November 1899 St. Monica’s gave up the service of the mission of Exmouth which they had served since the death of Mgr. John Grainger in December 1898. Grainger had made Bodmin, Spetisbury & Stroud Green his residuary legatees but probate went through the House of Lords, took several years and cost several thousands of pounds. The judgement in February 1904 was finally in their favour and the legacy had shrunk to £8000 but it was still sufficient to relieve both Bodmin and Spetisbury of their financial embarrassments. (The final entitlement under this bequest did not come to hand until 1938 – a sum of £1007.19.9.)

The canons obviously enjoyed living on the banks of the river Stour as is shown by the following photographs.

The students studied Theology, Philosophy, Humanities, Canon Law, Arithmetic, Algebra, Greek, Latin, Natural Sciences, Dogma, Chant and Liturgy. On Fridays at 12 noon in the library there were theses to be defended and argued against, in scholastic fashion, in public.

There were now 13 students at Spetisbury: there had been 14 but Richard O’Regan had his simple vows dispensed “on account of his ill health which rendered him unsuitable for religious life.” James Laird, a 32 year-old Scot, only two years professed, was Master of the Professed and responsible for their day to day supervision but Prior Allaria was responsible for their teaching in philosophy, theology and the spiritual life.

In October 1890 Menchini, the Visitor, made a canonical visitation of St. Monica’s and together with White, the Prior of Marnhull and Fr. Higgins, interviewed the eleven members in simple vows: these were in retreat to assess their situation and to decide whether or not they had a religious vocation. Four of the young men were dismissed as they were “lacking spirit and motive and so not called to religious life.” One had his solemn profession delayed for a year and was sent to Bodmin, but Isodor O’Leary made his solemn profession on 23^rd October and was then sent for higher studies at the International College in Rome.

In November there seemed to have been some disciplinary problems at the priory. Two of the students, who had been allowed to go home for a time as an experiment, were found guilty of “serious infringement against regular discipline.” In consequence, the Visitor ordered that they should be sent home again. Others guilty of less serious offences were subjected to 30 days of penance. Both the offenders were back at St. Monica’s by 20^th February 1891.

November must have been a very disheartening time for Prior Allaria. Another of his students, Norbert Jones, was ordered to Bodmin to replace Thomas Belton who had been “called to Rome to perfect himself in study and religious discipline” and so from a total of 14 students in May, there were now only four.

In May and June of 1891 there was an Extraordinary Visitation by Abbott Alphonsus Lalli, Visitor of the Roman Province with his socius Fr. Archangelo Lolli. Abbott Lalli was not fond of English weather. He had an abiding memory of “almost continual rain.” “Oh! the winter in England is horrible… longe, longe a me.” Nor was he enamoured of the Priory cuisine. “Meals are always without wine, no soup or milk, just a bit of half-cooked meat and a glass of beer, that is all.” During the two months, they carried out a very thorough inspection of the place and personnel of St. Monica’s, Spetisbury, St.Joseph’s, Marnhull and St. Mary’s, Bodmin. It was decided that Marnhull should be given up and sold, with the Juniorate being transferred to Bodmin, and that the Novitiate should be transferred from Bodmin to Spetisbury. Allaria was now not only Prior of Spetisbury but also made ‘quasi’ Visitor of the Province of England in the absence of a Visitor. (Menchini had been recalled to Rome). Higgins was to be Master of the Professed and parish priest for Spetisbury with Honiton and Laird was to be Master of Novices and Procurator.

Cuthbert McAdam, a student transferred from Bodmin to Spetisbury, was appointed infirmarian and suggested that the room above the library used as the infirmary should be “rendered more lightsome by the provision of more fenestration.”

In July 1891 Fr. Scoles the parish priest of Yeovil and a commissioned architect surveyed the buildings with a view to making the place more conducive to the observance of regular discipline and to provide for the novices who were due to arrive from Bodmin.

In September Joseph O’Connor and Patrick Cleary were ordained priests at Spetisbury and in October two more students, Leo Holden and Charles Hannigan were sent to the International College in Rome. They were told that “on no account were they to stay in Genoa or even call in there, though they were not given the reason for this prohibition.” However, they arrived late having called in at Genoa!

By the end of 1891 with eight of his students gone and the “Professorium thus purged of all disruptive elements” Prior Allaria must have hoped that from now on things would improve. But there must still have been grumblers around because in February 1892 Allaria received a letter from the Abbott General Santini:

“I have had some letters from which I gather that ill-feeling towards you is creeping in. The complaints are listed under certain headings which I shall enumerate to you for your guidance so that, with your accustomed prudence, you will be able to repudiate them.

1. You have endorsed cheques and signed receipts with a forged signature, whether Belton’s or Menchini’s I don’t know.

2. You did not send a representative to Card. Manning’s funeral. On such occasions it’s good to fly the flag (rochet!). The same applied to young Lindsay’s funeral (DeerPark, Honiton); the family were worthy of some recognition from us.

3. It is noted that hospitality is not exercised much. It can be overdone, I know, but in some instances it is a duty to practice it.

4. There is a stingyness in responding to necessary demands. This is a mistake as nothing gives grumblers more reason to grumble than by being mean in response to their reasonable requests.

5. Sometimes it is good diplomacy to be a little extravagant, especially on feast days, e.g. providing chicken for dinner. Such considerate gestures tend to cheer people and render them more willing to undertake the more exacting duties of everyday life. If the young men have any aptitudes, say for music, organ or piano playing, or other musical instruments, or talents for art, craft or handiwork, these should be encouraged. I say this, because solitude and staying in a lot, as you do, can lead to melancholy or to the reverse, dissipation. In other words a bit of relaxation and change of occupation are required, otherwise young people get fed up with religious life. So infuse a bit of life into the Professorium and Novitiate. You can always restrain those who want too much of it.

6. You did not give out candles to the people on Candlemass. To have done so would not have incurred much expense and the few people present would have been no end pleased.

Finally I recommend you to be more pleasant and show yourself more concerned for others, even in little things which may mean so much to them. I well understand that this is not easy for you with your type of temperament, but all the same make the effort for the love of God and of the family entrusted to you. So there, my good man, that is what I wanted to say to you, and this is not by way of rebuke but simply to ward off unpleasantness for you from grumblers. Believe me sincerely and affectionately in Christ, L. Santin

Prior Allaria must have replied with some spirit and Santini wrote back “It was not because I believed blindly what others wrote about you but because I wanted you to know what had been said so that you could scotch any complaints and prevent them being repeated to younger members of the community. Complaints and murmurings in a community are always dangerous… you must rest assured that I have not lost confidence in you.”

In 1892 Sir William Pole, Bt., of Shute House, Devonshire, gave a portion of a pre-Reformation rood screen for the Lady chapel. It had been discovered on his estate in the demolition of an outhouse, which, it would seem, was at one time a chapel. He “presented this relic of the Old Faith in England to Spettisbury Priory, by the good offices of Mr. T. Geoghehan the kind station master at Seaton Junction.”

Though very old it was in good condition, being painted on strong, thick elm boards, and not without some artistic merit. Originally there were five panels, but one was missing. “ It represents the Saviour holding the orb in His left hand, and blessing with His right. At His right stands the Blessed Virgin, with the Holy Child in her arm; on the left are S. Catherine (or S. Margaret), and a holy bishop with Gothic chasuble and apparel.” “The timber and the colours are remarkably preserved. It is of undoubtable antiquity but uncertain date; being at least of Norman, though more probably Saxon origin. After the removal of such panels as were decayed, it was attached to the wall of the Lady Chapel”

In Kelly’s Directory it says of Spetisbury “There is a good church erected in 1830 attached to the Priory, open to the public. The ceremonies are carried out in all the full splendour of Catholic ritual. In the Lady Chapel is an ancient wood screen of four panels on which are painted figures representing Our Lady, Jesus Christ, a Saint and a Bishop."

In April 1893 Prior Allaria and Prior White set out for Genoa for the General Chapter which was to be held in May.

By May 1893 things were looking good with Allaria as Prior, Higgins as Master of the Professed, O’Connor as Master of Novices and Patrick Cleary as Socius to the Master of the professed. The Professorium had been “drastically purged of its disruptive elements” and there was a new batch of professed in simple vows as well as novices and postulants. All but one had been Marnhull boys and they were to make up the future solid core of the priests of the Province. There were seven professed, three novices, two lay brothers and two lay postulants. Three other professed were officially part of the community but were away studying in Rome. As Santini wrote to Allaria “You will now have a flourishing community for choir and observance in the house.”

On August 1^st 1892 the Abbot General Santini and his socius Archangelo Lolli arrived in Spetisbury on 1^st August 1893 for a Visitation. Santini had asked Allaria “I ask you kindly to be at the station and not to send anyone else so that we should not feel embarrassed by the language difficulty.” Neither Santini nor Lolli had much English.

At the time of the Abbott General Santini’s third Visitation to Spettisbury, absolutions were pronounced and the “Libere me” was sung at the cemetery. “Headed by cross and acolytes Ab. Santini was led outside the enclosure to the cemetery where between 1801 and 1866 forty one canonesses had been buried. Among their names was sounded a roll call of English recusants, Berington, Haydock, Stonor, Tuite, Witham and others. ‘Our old Dutch servant man’ was buried there 13^th December 1806; two children from the ‘School for Young ladies’, as was the sister of the Benedictine William Sharrock, Vicar Apostolic of the Western District 1780-1809. And among the six priests interned lies Fr. Ralph Southworth, 13^th July 1810”

The Visitors interviewed and interrogated every member of the community. Several decrees were published, among them that:

Books for the students who lack them to be purchased.

Library for the Professed’ own use to be provided.

Every first Thursday of the month to be a holiday and Games according to the Rule of the Professorium, allowed for.

Facilities for learning French to be offered those Professed who wished to learn it.

Lay brothers to give the “get out of bed” knock and to ring all the bells for the community offices.

Lay brothers to light the lamps in the house and church as well as the candles for the office.

Santini also consecrated the altar of St. Joseph in the Priory Church, embedding in the “sepulcro”, the relics of St. Columba and the Holy Innocents.

Rev. Fr. Alexander Scoles, the priest architect of Yeovil arrived to discuss with the Visitors his plans for the repairs and adaptations of the Priory buildings. He came again a month later with readjusted plans which met with Prior Allaria’s approval for “experience has proved that regular observance greatly depends on the form and shape of the building.” Fr. Whitehead later comments “a dubious principle but explains why religious houses, barracks, prisons and lunatic asylums traditionally had so much in common.”

In June 1894 Belton (who had been in Australia for three years for health reasons) came to Spetisbury to discuss the setting up of a London Mission. This had been agreed with Cardinal Vaughan and was eventually established at Stroud Green. It meant a lot of changes for St. Monica’s. That autumn Higgins left Spetisbury for Stroud Green, Aloyius Smith left to go to Rome for higher studies, McAdam left to go to Bodmin as Procurator and O’Connor left with all the novices to go to Bodmin as Novice master. On the other hand, Jones returned from Bodmin and Hannigan and Holden returned from Rome (Hannigan as the new master of the Professed)

The greatest loss was Higgins who had contributed a pastoral experience which was invaluable to the student community: as Vicar he supplied a pleasing character and was a voluble conversationalist to balance a rather taciturn and over serious superior. Unlike Prior Allaria he could relate comfortably with younger people.

However, St. Monica’s did receive the two newly ordained priests, Holden and Hannigan, and Norbert Jones, “an independent character and unpredictable genius, an enigma to both Santini and Allaria.”.

The boat was built by Francis Jeffrey and Bernard Cotter in about 1900 when they were both students at St. Monica’s.

Canons on the banks of the river at Spetisbury

The community also produced a Journal called the Palermian: the cover of the Yuletide 1899 edition is reproduced here. It shows, amongst other things, St. Monica, a drawing of the Priory and the crest of the CRL. The origin of the name ‘The Palermian’ is not known – an association with Sicily perhaps?

One of the articles ‘Around the Wickets’ (Appendix 38) was written by Dom Clement McGuiness and compiled from his diary of the cricket matches played through the year. The canons were obviously enthusiastic cricket players. They would divide themselves into two teams (not necessarily of eleven players) and between May and September played 14 games. The teams were:

It is not known exactly where these cricket matches were played but it must have been somewhere down by the river since on one occasion the chronicler notes of the Rev, P Corr “when the bowling became a little wild, he was not slow to avail himself of the opportunity, but punished the bowler by sending the ball spinning into the river or into the opposite field.”

About 1894 Back row (left to right) Sebastian Rota, ? Philip Corr, Gaudentius Holden, Wifred Regan, Laurence Donelan, Vincent Scully

Front row Thomas Mullins, Norbert Jones, Prior Anthony Allaria, Leo Holden, Edward Bovenizer

In February 1895 the Chronicle notes “Most of the community laid up with flu, few at office and other community exercises”

By Holy Week in 1895 St. Monica’s community consisted of the Prior Allaria, the two new priests from Rome, Fr. Jones, nine students and four lay brothers so the Holy Week liturgy could be celebrated in fine style. On Easter Sunday the Chronicle reports “At all the Services big crowds but especially in the evening when Rev. Norbert Jones preached.” It was also noted in the Chronicle on 13^th April that the community purchased a new cow for £10!

In 1895 Ernest Souberbielle, Esq., of The Gables, Spettisbury gave a belfry and three bells ‘Agatha, Maria and Louisa’ to the Priory. “This gentleman caused to be erected a belfrey in Bath stone at the west end of the church, near the public pavement, in which he placed three bells which bore the names of his deceased wife, Agatha Maria Louisa Souberbielle (née Clarke), daughter of Thomas Clarke and granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, both of United States fame. He further provided a very substantial bounty for the poor of the parish which was administered by the parish priest.”

The work was started on 1^st April and completed by 3^rd June. The blessing of the belfry and its three bells was recorded “At 5,30 pm all formed up after the cross and thurifer and processed to where the bells were erected and there Prior Allaria, assisted by Fr. Leo Holden and Fr. Charles Hannigan performed the ceremony. Psalm 50 was said, the bells sprinkled with holy water and incense and the prayer from the Ritual was said. The Angelus was recited and the Regina Coeli sung in solemn tone after which the procession went back to the church to the accompliment of the three bells ringing where solemn benediction was given.”

A constant problem for Allaria was trying to keep St. Monica’s in reasonable repair. He noted that “the repairs, alterations and restorations, plus the ravages of time” to Spetisbury House were a constant drain on financial resources. The plans and work suggested by Fr. Scoles in 1893 were mostly a cosmetic exercise to render the House more monastic. During the summer of 1894 and 1895 the lay brothers and the students did a lot of DIY decorating but in addition there was professional work carried out on the roof, water supply, kitchen and the boundary walls. There was flooding in Jan 1894 and storm damage in September 1895 which uprooted trees and killed 12 sheep and three cows (presumably including the £10 Good Friday one). The repairs bill was partly responsible for the debts which were a contributing factor to the abandonment of Santini’s dream of a St. Monica’s Abbey.

In September 1895 Bishop Graham came to St. Monica’s for the ordinations of Holden, Donelan and Corr as sub-deacons.

Cricket teams

Another article ‘On the Road’ (Appendix 39) written by Dom Bruno Peters shows that the canons were also keen walkers. During the year they had walked to Lytchett, Milton Abbas & Stickland, Badbury Rings & Wimborne, Winterborne Anderson & Winterborne Thompson, Compton Abbas, Iwerne Minster, Stourpaine, Durweston, Shroton and Witchampton.

They had also driven to visit the Larmer Tree, Bournemouth & Parkstone, where “a refreshing sea bathe was enjoyed”, Lulworth, where “several improved the opportunity to take a dive in the deep blue” and Christchurch Priory Church.

Back row (left to right) Gaudentius Holden, Laurence Donelan, C.P. (Passionist)

Front Row (left to right) C.P. Bishop Graham, Philip Corr

Towards the end of the year 1895 the community started to provide Mass once a week for the little colony of Catholics in Corfe Mullen. This was a “House Mass” not a chapel function.

In May 1896 Allaria became Visitor of the English Province: he had been acting Visitor for the last 5 years. He fulfilled the post with unassuming dignity and constant fidelity for the next nine years.

In June 1896 Mass was once more celebrated in Blandford. The Prior of St. Monica’s said Mass in the Manor House, Blandford St Mary. This was the home of Mrs Mary Blundell, the widow of Francis Blundell, a member of the family of Catholic squires of Little Crosby, Lancashire. Mrs. Blundell, under her pen-name M. E. Francis, was a very popular author, likened in her own day to Mrs. Gaskell. She wrote over thirty books; many are novels or collections of short stories, often in a pastoral setting, often with a young heroine and often with a romance plot.

On October 1^st 1896 Bishop Graham assisted by Prior Allaria and Father Charles Hannigan said Mass in the Manor House and also administered Confirmation. The fathers of the Priory continued to say a Sunday Mass in the Manor House until 1906.

Canons at play

Between February and April 1900 the Priory Church was restored; the whole building was renovated, the sanctuary decorated and the pillars refurbished from top to bottom. The cost was met by the subscriptions of pious persons, especially Mrs. Mary Blundell, widow of Francis Blundell, Esq., and Edward Souberbielle, Esq.

In September 1900 Rev Thomas Belton returned to Spetisbury for a visit. On the 25^th “with permission of the Superior he took the professed out for the day. And after supper, in the refectory, he held them spell-bound with the story of his experiences in the bush.”

About 1900 (left to right) Clement McGuiness, Michael Reddin,

Bruno Peters, Bernard Cotter, Charles Brighton

1901 opened under a pall of snow. In February the whole country was in mourning for the death of Queen Victoria and on the day of her funeral there was the “tolling of the bell” Agatha from the belfry. By the end of March the weather had turned wet and windy and there were floods in the valley. The annual flu epidemic struck “such as had not happened for several years and many of us were laid up.”

In August 1901 the Abbot General Santini with his socius Rev. Belton arrived at Spetisbury for his fifth Visitation. “With much joy his confreres and children in Christ welcomed to their home the Rt. Rev. Ab.General, as a welcome guest and true Father, with kiss of peace.” There followed a week of interrogations of all the members with Thomas Belton acting as interpreter as required. After the accustomed exhortations to regular observance, the keeping of the rubrics at Mass & Office, the avoidance of murmurings, etc., they departed for a Visitation of Bodmin.

Regan, Reddin and Peters were transferred to Bodmin, Peters as Novice Master, a post he was to hold for nine years. Vincent Scully became the Master of Professed at Spetisbury: he filled this post “with devotion and distinction for 26 years”

On 11^th February the Belgian lay postulant Brother Auguste Volchrych made off with the Procurator’s cash box while the community was at Office. After midday the Prior caught up with him on the train.

An indication of the state of the house is given in May when Fr. Philip Corr was leaving for Bodmin. “The brethren bid dieu to Fr. Corr on his leaving for Bodmin, A large portion of the ceiling at the main entrance fell down just as Bro. Thomas was passing.”

In 1902 there was much discussion about the admission of lay brothers first to the Novitiate and then to the Profession of Annual Vows. Having shown rational concern for the lay brother candidates, St. Monica’s Chapter then proceeded to show a like concern for clerical candidates. At the time there was no Alumnate and it was decided that there was a duty to examine all postulants for the canonical habit and all novices, to find out before they were actually received, whether or not they had the intellectual and moral endowments necessary for those destined to the sacred ministry. The Chapter approved:

Examination Subjects for Candidates to the Novitiate

1. English Grammar & Composition
2. Ordinary Elementary School Maths
3. Latin Grammar & Ability to translate any Lesson of a Saint’s Life from the Breviary

Examination Subjects for Candidates for Simple Profession

1. English Paper
2. French Paper
3. Latin Paper

Having been concerned about the academic abilities of it’s clerical candidates, St. Monica’s now showed concern for the financial practicalities and in Sep 1902 it was decided that no clerical postulant would be accepted unless £20 was available from the Chapter’s Funds or £25 from the postulant’s own funds. The sum was to be paid annually till his solemn profession.

In June 1902 the Pope dispensed the Catholics in England from the Fast and Abstinence in view of the celebrations of the coronation of Edward VII.

In 1902 Langton Manor, the home of the Gilpins, served from St. Monica’s since 1898, was closed down because the family moved to Newmarket. However, at about the same time, the order agreed to serve the Sisters of the Immaculate Virgin in Swanage.

The Swanage Mission owed its foundation to the initiative of layfolk. In 1872 Mr. Butt, a Catholic policeman, put his house at the disposal of a Jesuit from Lulworth for use of an occasional Sunday. When the Passionates settled in Wareham, Swanage was put in their charge until they left Dorset in 1901. In early 1902 a French community of nuns, expelled from France by the anti-clerical laws, took over a house in Swanage. They brought with them an old French priest who did duty as their chaplain but was not able to serve the people for Sunday mass. Spetisbury not only took over the Mission but, despite its own precarious financial situation, also promised to buy a site for a church and for the accommodation of a priest or priests. They found some land on the Mowlem estate and were promised £500 towards the purchase by a Miss Frances Ellis, a convert who lived in Hayle, North Cornwall. They hoped that the Grainger Bequest would pay for the rest but it was a long time coming. As Fr. Gilbert Higgins wrote “they are very slow in winding up the estate. Lawyers’s pace is like that of our slowest railway line.” In fact it was not until July 1903 that the deeds for the purchase of the land were finally signed.

In the same year Fr. Thomas Mullins was appointed to the unenviable post of chaplain to Miss Ellis in Hayle. He was not happy there and wrote begging to be released from it. It was, as Scully wrote later “a position fit only for a bookworm or an invalid.”

The architect, Canon Alexander Scoles, was already drawing plans for the new church at Swanage even before the land was purchased. It was hoped to mortgage the land in order to pay for the building of the church, but the tenders for the work were very high. Scoles was “horrified when I opened them. I was prepared for £1500 at the highest…. I never saw such prices of stonework, more than double of anything I have ever seen.”

In 1903 there were celebrations at the Priory on the election and coronation of the Pope. “News of his election was not received at the Priory till Wednesday when they celebrated by ringing the bells at noon and 6pm and hoisting the Papal flag. On the Sunday of his coronation High Mass was celebrated with many non catholics attending. The Priory was decorated with flags. On the Monday it was illuminated, the centre being surrounded by lamps representing the papal Tiara and on the church wall the words Pius X appeared in different colours”

Among the 15 members of the ‘gentry’ living in Spetisbury who were noted in the Kelly’s Directory of 1903 were seven members of the community of St. Monica’s.

Oratory at Manor House, Blandford St. Mary

In August 1896 the Abbot General Santini made his Fourth Visitation of England. He spent seven days at Spetisbury interviewing all members of the community. Before he left his decrees were read publicly by Prior Allaria.

1. All clothing, save that which is necessary for the immediate use of each individual, must be kept in the wardrobe.

2. The Wardrober is obliged to satisfy with promptitude the reasonable requests of each and every member of the community.

3. In the Professorium the perfect observance of the Rules sanctioned by the use of many years must be put into practice. The Professorium itself should be always closed; no one is allowed to go outside without permission of Fr. Master or his locum tenens. Silence must be rigorously observed and, in a word, everything should be in conformity with the Rules. Whilst at walk the professed must always keep together and on no account separate one from the other. All should return at the hour prescribed by the ‘Order of the Day.’

4. The regular Observance should be made the object of special attention by all the members of the Community and in particular the rule of silence, which may with reason be called the soul of religious life. All are earnestly begged to attend with exactitude to the common acts prescribed by the ‘Order of the Day.’ Should anyone be prevented from doing so, the Rules exact in that case, that the Superior be informed thereof.

5. Smoking is forbidden both in & out of the house and especially in the Professorium. Those who for good reason may have obtained permission to smoke must do so in private and in such a way as to avoid giving occasion to others of imagining that they also, stand equally in need of the same alleviation.

On 29^th September 1896 Bishop Graham came to St. Monica’s to celebrate an Ordination Mass which was “solemnly sung by the rest of the community.” George McGregor and Wilfrid Regan were made sub-deacons and Gaudentius Holden and Philip Corr, deacons.

Back Row (left to right) Wilfred Regan, George McGregor

Front Row (left to right) Philip Corr, Bishop Graham, Gaudentius Holden

A month later McGregor and Rota left Spetisbury, the former for Rome for higher studies; the latter for Gubbio. Like Holden and Hannigan before them, they were forbidden to call in at Genoa!

In December 1896 Isodore O’Leary replaced Hannigan as Master of the Professed. Hannigan had proved “too weak and easy-going” according to Santini. O’Leary had been a brilliant student but was not as brilliant as a communicator as became apparent when he took over. Santini wrote “he is too wrapted up in himself as well as too easy-going.” So McAdam took over from O’Leary, becoming the sixth Professed master in eleven years.

At the end of 1896 a note in the chronicle says “At the time of the recent Visitation some had complained of the pestiferous odour from the stagnant flood water which the drains had been unable to cope with.” And in 1897 St. Monica’s addressed itself to the matter of this health hazard. Suspicion had grown that the frequent sicknesses in the community were, in part, due to the “insalubriousness of the house and the locality.” The Prior consulted Dr. Humphrys at Blandford.

Financial difficulties were still a problem at St. Monica’s. In May 1904 Prior McAdam wrote “I cannot too strongly urge the necessity of some step being taken, as soon as possible, to relieve the house of its Creditors, otherwise we shall have constant troubles with the tradespeople.”

Meanwhile, plans were going ahead for the building of the church at Swanage. “Fr. Joseph O’Connor came back from a trip to Dublin with money, vestments and promises of a chalice for Swanage.” And “The organ from Stroud Green is on its way to Swanage to be stored by the builders till the gallery is ready.” It appears that plans for a church were not the only thing on the agenda. Scoles had planned not only for a parish church but also for a conventual one “I have made the sanctuary one bay larger for your choir.” Prior McAdam had in mind to build, in due course, a canonry to accommodate a small community: he asked Allaria to explain to the Abbot General that the land at Swanage was large enough for a canonry and a garden. When the Swanage Light Railway proposed a plan which would encroach on the property, among the objections put forward by McAdam and O’Connor were “It is highly desirable that our proposed Presbytery for a Community, a great deal of whose time will be devoted to study and research, should be in a quiet neighbourhood, and the continual noise and rattle of the trains will greatly depreciate, if not destroy, the value of the property for this purpose.”

In 1904 one of the Professed students, Dom Basil Landreth, aged 28 years, died and was buried in the cemetery. Basil had been born in 1875 in Southport, Lancashire into a non-catholic family who had all converted later. He had entered Marnhull in August 1890 and in March 1903 taken his simple vows. In May 1904 he had a heart problem and at the end July 1904 caught typhoid fever. He died on 30th September 1904 in Spetisbury and was buried in the cemetery.

The drinking water was analysed and proved to be pure and wholesome. There remained, however, the inconveniences attached to so large a house, the problems of heating in cold weather and that of ventilation in humidity and the basic problem of the drains. In the face of the poverty of the house no immediate remedial work could be carried out. In June 1897 “work commenced, on the advice of experts, on introducing a form of heating into the Priory.” In December 1897 “Some of the community were unwell on account of the humidity.” And in March 1898 “work commenced on the restoration of part of the Priory with a view to letting it.”

Iron Cross commemorating Basil Landreth

(discovered in a garden in Spetisbury in 2004)

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