Earl Roger's action had ensured that Halesowen Abbey, throughout its existence, was in an exclave of the historic county of Shropshire enclosed by the boundaries of Staffordshire to the north and Worcestershire on the other three sides. The royal administration seems to have been caught between ceremony and practicality in dealing with it, sometimes working through the Sheriff of Staffordshire or other notable royal servants, like Brian de Lisle. If this was confusing in relation to the manor, the residents of the wider parish of Halesowen, who looked to the abbey as their church, could be greatly inconvenienced, as it crossed the boundary of the enclave and included settlements that were undoubtedly in Worcestershire. In 1341 there were complaints that some were in danger of being taxed twice because they had been assessed by officials for both Shropshire and Worcestershire.Calendar of Close Rolls, 1341—3, p. 105. Also confusingly, the abbey, manor and parish were all within the bounds of the Diocese of Worcester but the abbey itself was not subject to it, as Premonstratensian abbeys were independent of the local ordinary. The parish church and the dependent chapels, however, were subject to the bishop.
