WITHAM CHARTERHOUSE

England's first Carthusian foundation, situated near Frome, Somerset, founded c. 1178 by henry ii as part of his expiation for the death of St. Thomas becket. Two priors, daunted by foreign conditions and insufficient resources, returned to the motherhouse, the Grande Chartreuse. From 1180 St. Hugh of Avalon was prior. The house prospered in temporal and spiritual matters so that it became known for its fervor and attracted several monks and canons to join it, among whom was Adam of Dryburgh (see adam scotus), who wrote there his De quadripertito exercitio cellae on carthusian spirituality. In 1186 St. hugh became bishop of Lincoln but retained jurisdiction over Witham, where he returned for a month's retreat each year until his death in 1200, when the permanent buildings were almost complete.

Never large nor rich, Witham continued in its chosen obscurity, founding Hinton nearby in 1227. Its income came from cattle and sheep. It was involved in litigation with Maiden Bradley and the king's foresters in the 13th century, and it was exempted by its poverty from contributing to papal subsidies. In the 15th century the number of laybrothers, here as elsewhere, diminished. The library was increased notably by 68 books given by John blackman, some of which survive in Lambeth palace library.

Witham accepted the royal supremacy in 1535 and was suppressed in 1539, with an income of £215 15s. The laybrothers' church, built by St. Hugh but very much altered since, suvives as Witham parish church, but there is no trace of monastic buildings.

Bibliography: adam of eynsham, Magna vita Sancti Hugonis, ed. d. l. douie and h. farmer, 2 v. (London 1961–62). e. m. thompson, A History of the Somerset Carthusians (London 1895); The Carthusian Order in England (New York 1930). a. wilmart, "Maître Adam chanoine Prémontré devenu chartreux à Witham," Analecta Praemonstratensia 9 (Tongerloo-Saint-Norbert, Belgium 1933) 209–232. d. knowles, The Monastic Order in England, 943–1216 (2d ed. Cambridge, England 1962) 375–391. m. j. hamilton, Adam of Dryburgh: The Six Christmas Sermons (Doctoral diss. microfilm; CUA 1964).

[h. farmer]