It remains for me to publicly record my thanks to those who have assisted me in the preparation of this volume.
In regard to the list of the ancient religious houses, which it is to be hoped may be found of use to the student of monastic archæology, I have to acknowledge the kind help of the Rev. Dr. Cox, the general editor of the series; of Mr. W. H. St. John Hope; of Mr. R. C. Fowler, of the Public Record Office; of the Rev. R. M. Serjeantson; and of the Rev. H. J. D. Astley. My readers are also indebted to Mr. St. John Hope and to Mr. H. Brakspear for permission to reproduce three plans giving the typical arrangement of different religious houses; and lastly, my thanks are due to Dom H. N. Birt for various suggestions, and for his careful reading of the proofs for me.
By the advice of the editor of this series, the present list of the principal manuscripts and books used in this volume to describe the life of an English mediæval monastery is here printed, in place of giving multitudinous references at the foot of every page. In the case of the MSS. full transcripts have been made of most of them, in order that all the available evidence bearing on the subject might be fully considered.
_Consuetudinarium Monasterii B. Marie, Ebor._ St. John's Coll., Cambridge, MS. D. 27.
_Consuetudinarium Abbatiæ S. Petri Westmonasteriensis_ (Abbot Ware's). (4th part only, much burnt.) Cott. MS. Otho c. xi.
_Constitutiones pro monasterio de Abingdon._ Harl. MSS. 209, ff. 11-12, 85-87.
_Ordinale S. Edmundi de Burgo._ MS. Harl. 2,977.
_Ordinale ecclesiæ S. Augustini Cantuariensis: de disciplina Monachorum_, etc. Cott. MS. Vitellius D. xvi.
_Consuetudines quædam Abbatiæ S. Edmundi Buriensis._ (Stated in a Papal letter in the Marini transcripts). Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 15,358, f. 439 _seqq._
_Traditiones patrum O.S.B._ in _Liber albus_ of Edmundsbury. Harl. MS. 1005.
_Consuetudines quædam Abbatiæ de Reading._ MS. Cott. Vesp. E. v. f. 37 _seqq._
_Memoriale qualiter in monasterio conversare debemus._ Harl. MS. 5,431, f. 114 d.
_Officium Senescall. aule Hospitum ecclesie Cantuariensis faciendæ._ MS. Cott. Galba E. v. f. 26 d _seqq._
_Consuetudines Cantuarienses._ Arund. MS. 68, f. 55 _seqq._
_Traditio Generalis Capituli super mores et observantias monachorum Ordinis S. Benedicti._ Cott. MS. Faustina C. xii. f. 181.