| Description | The monks of Christ Church had to carry out various duties essential to the running of the priory and its estates. These posts were called obedientaries, and a fairly comprehensive list of them is to be found in 'Archeaologia Cantiana' vol. xxxvii (1925) p129. Some of the more significant of these obedientaries, responsible for whole departments of the priory, had to account for their expenditure and revenue, and there are series of rolls surviving for such as the sacrist, almoner, and treasurer. Others, such as the feretarian or infirmarian, have left only the occasional account, and some, such as the precentor, have left none at all.
The six greater obedientaries - subprior, precentor, penitencer, sacrist, cellarer, and chamberlain - were appointed by the archbishop from three nominees submitted by the prior. The prior and chapter appointed the lesser obedientaries - treasurers (usually two), almoner, anniversarian, granger, and bartoner.
The bartoner was in charge of the barton or home-farm of the priory, situated to the north of Canterbury. It contained ploughland, managed by a serjeant, storehouses for oats and barley, a mill for grinding corn, and a hall for malting. The first two accounts are views of the bartoner and granger. Thereafter, the bartoner's accounts list receipts from estates by custody (East Kent, the Weald, the rest), and expenditure on barley, oats, and malt, and receipts and expenditure of cash. |