ALIEN HOUSES
60. THE PRIORY OF ARUNDEL
Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury,
not long after he had obtained the earldom of
Sussex, gave certain lands and advowsons to the
abbey of Séez, with a vacant site in Arundel to
erect a priory, which was done in 1102 when
Gratian, a monk of Séez, became first prior.
The priory continued here for some seventy
years, but in 1177 the then earl of Arundel
removed the English secular canons from the
church of St. Nicholas at Arundel, and introduced in their place this small priory of four or
five monks, which continued a cell to St. Martin
of Séez. (fn. 1) Of its history very little is known.
Its endowment eventually included the advowsons of the parish churches of Arundel, Yapton,
Rustington, Billingshurst, Kirdford, Cocking, and
half Littlehampton, as well as the manor of
Yapton and lands and rents in other West
Sussex parishes, but of individual benefactors and
their grants there is no record. The church of
Cocking was also claimed by the monks of Séez
in 1200 as belonging to the prebend of Arundel,
given them by Earl Roger. (fn. 2) In 1291 the temporalities of the priory were valued at £14 10s. 6d.,
with an additional £5 in pensions arising from
various tithes. (fn. 3)
In 1340 the prior of St. Nicholas obtained
royal licence to acquire lands to the value of
60s., (fn. 4) and at the same time the earl of Arundel
had leave to grant to the same prior a plot of
land in Arundel 40 ft. long by 36 ft. broad, with
an oratory built thereon in honour of St. Mary. (fn. 5)
Apparently the monks found that this oratory
was a source of expense and not of income, as
three years later the earl obtained a fresh licence
to grant to them 30 acres in Arundel that they
should celebrate service daily in honour of Christ
and the Blessed Virgin in the chapel newly
founded at the north gate of the town, (fn. 6) which
was presumably the same as the oratory above
mentioned.
Practically nothing is known of the inner
history of this small monastery, the most interesting fact being an arrangement made in 1269, by
which the priory granted Master William de
Wedon, in return for various gifts, board and
lodging, and a room in the priory in which he
might conduct a school. (fn. 7)
As an alien house Arundel Priory was frequently seized into the king's hands during the
wars with France, the prior, as a rule, being
allowed to farm it of the king. When Edward I
took it into his hands it was valued at £54 3s. 11½d.
and was committed to the prior, Denis, for an
annual payment of £35, but as this only left
£19 3s. 11½d. for the support of the prior and
five monks he obtained a deduction of £8.
When, however, Edward III seized the priory
in 1337 he again raised the farm to £35, and it
was not until 1340 that, out of favour to the
earl of Arundel, he lowered it again to £27, and
also ordered the prior to be credited with the
£24 extra farm which he had paid during the
last three years. (fn. 8)
The farm exacted at the beginning of
Richard II's reign was 20 marks, and at this
time the patronage of the priory was in the
king's hands, by descent from his father, (fn. 9) who
had no doubt obtained it through Queen Isabella,
to whom it was granted by Robert de Morley,
heir of Robert de Montalt, in 1335. (fn. 10)
When Richard earl of Arundel died in 1376
he left 1,000 marks for the founding of a
chantry within the castle of Arundel; but his
son, considering the vicissitudes to which a castle
is exposed, and that a chantry in a castle was
likely not to be permanent, and seeing also that
owing to the long war with France the alien
monks had all, with the exception of the prior,
abandoned the priory of St. Nicholas, so that
service was no longer performed there, decided to
found the chantry in the church. He accordingly obtained the king's leave in 1379 for messengers to go to Séez and treat with the abbot
for the suppression of their cell of Arundel. (fn. 11)
The sanction of the abbot, the pope, (fn. 12) and King
Richard having been obtained, and the earl
having undertaken to pay the 20 marks farm due
to the crown so long as the war with France should
last, the priory was dissolved in 1380 and replaced by the college of the Holy Trinity, (fn. 13)
whose history has been traced above.
Priors of Arundel
Gratian, appointed 1102 (fn. 14)
Walter, occurs 1200 (fn. 15)
Warner, occurs 1241 (fn. 16)
Gervase, occurs c. 1255 (fn. 17)
Denis, occurs 1269 (fn. 18) -1303 (fn. 19)
Michael de Nauchal, occurs 1351, (fn. 20) 1354 (fn. 21)
John Messier, occurs 1364 (fn. 22)
John Mercer, occurs 1377 (fn. 23)