7. THE PRIORY OF REIGATE
The small priory of Reigate was founded
for Austin canons (fn. 1) at the beginning of the
thirteenth century by William de Warren,
Earl of Surrey, and Isabel his wife. It was
dedicated to the honour of the Blessed Virgin
and the Holy Cross. The founder died in
1240. The chief of its temporalities were the
priory manor of Reigate and the manor of
Southwick in Sussex, together with various
tenements and rents in the parishes of Reigate, Horley, and Burstow. (fn. 2) The taxation of
1291 gave the annual value of the temporalities of this priory as £9 5s. 8d., of which
6s. 8d. came from Felthorpe in Norfolk.
William Sebem and Ralph Hosier, two
London citizens and benefactors of the order,
took upon them the religious habit under
Prior Adam about 1298. (fn. 3)
R. de Froyle resigned his office of prior
after a long rule on 15 March 1309. He
was allowed an annual pension and a chamber
in the house, which grant was however resisted by his successor until the necessary
episcopal pressure had been applied. (fn. 4)
An order was made by the king on the
treasurer and barons of the exchequer in June
1310 acquitting the master (called prior in
the privy seal) and brethren of the hospital of
the Holy Cross of Reigate of 55 marks that
had been demanded of them in part payment
of a debt of 100 marks, in which they were
bound to the late Adam de Stratton as
sureties of William de Radeweld. (fn. 5) From
the title of the hospital here given, as well as
in one or two early evidences, it seems
obvious that part of the original scheme of
this small priory was the maintaining of the
poor and sick by brethren of the Austin rule.
Confirmation was made in mortmain in
October 1328 of divers grants to the prior
and canons of Holy Cross, Reigate, namely
a messuage and land at Reigate, by the Earl
of Surrey; a quit claim of 3s. yearly rent in
Nutfield, by Sir Ralph de Cobham; and a
water mill at Wonham with a pond and
water course in East Belchworth, and 26s. 8d.
yearly rent there by Roger de London of
Reigate. (fn. 6)
Licence was granted in 1334 for the
alienation in mortmain by the prior and convent of Lewes to the prior and convent of
Reigate of the advowson of the church of
Dorking and for the appropriation of the
church by the latter. (fn. 7)
A considerable bequest of a messuage,
mill, and about 170 acres of land, meadow,
and wood in Burstow and Horley was made
to this priory in September 1334 to find two
of the canons to celebrate daily for the souls
of Alan de Warwick and Emma his wife and
all the faithful departed. (fn. 8)
Prior Timberden died in 1337; in September of that year John atte Greth was
elected by his brother canons. This election
was at first vacated by the bishop on the plea
of uncanonical form, but John atte Greth
was eventually collated to the office by the
bishop as in the case of a lapse, he being held
to be suitable for the position. (fn. 9) The same
process was gone through in the following
election. (fn. 10)
Licence was granted on 8 July 1345, at
the request of Queen Philippa, for the alienation in mortmain by John de Mickleham to
the prior and convent of Reigate of the
advowson of the church of Mickleham and for
its appropriation by the convent. (fn. 11) On the
resignation of Prior Scoteney in 1367 the
sub-prior and canons invited Bishop Wykeham
to appoint a successor, and his choice fell on
John Kente, canon of Heringham Priory,
Sussex; the formal licence of Richard Lord
Arundel, the patron of the priory having been
first obtained, the election was confirmed on
9 December. (fn. 12)
On 14 October 1374, during the vacancy
on the death of Prior Kente, Bishop Wykeham issued his mandate to the sub-prior and
convent forbidding them to allow parishioners
to attend mass and other offices in the conventual church to the neglect of their parish
church under pain of excommunication. At
the same time a monition was issued to the
parishioners to frequent mass at their parish
church; they were charged with going on
Sundays and festivals to an early mass at the
priory church, and before that was scarcely
over hurrying off to spend their time in
drinking booths or in other profane and dishonourable occupations. (fn. 13)
On 20 November 1374 Richard Warnham, the prior elect, appeared before William
Lozynge, the bishop's chancellor, with
brothers Roger atte Watere of Dorking, John
Mertsham and John Combe, canons of
Reigate, bringing a certificate of Warnham's
election. The chancellor declared the election void through a defect in form, but, by
virtue of his power as bishop's commissary,
appointed Warnham prior in the room of
Kente deceased. (fn. 14)
In July 1377 the bishop issued his commission to the prior of Merton to hold a
visitation of Reigate Priory (fn. 15) ; but there is no
record of any injunctions following the visitation.
Prior Warnham died on 31 May 1395,
when the chapter's choice fell on John
Yakesley, with the assent of the Earl of
Arundel and Surrey as patron. The bishop
however once again found the election bad in
form and annulled it, but on 14 August appointed Yakesley prior on his own authority. (fn. 16)
Prior Yakesley resigned his office in June
1397. The proceedings at the deferred
election of his successor in this small priory
are set forth at length in the episcopal registers
and are worth citing.
On Saturday, the morrow of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross (15 September 1397),
being the day three months after the resignation of Yakesley, the sub-prior and brethren
met in the chapter-house, by virtue of a precept from Lord William Arundel, patron of
the house, in the presence of the scrutineers,
Robert de Spaldyng and Robert Bucke,
nominated by the king for that purpose, and
this is what then took place: The first to
enter the chapter-house was John Combe,
the sub-prior. He did not vote, but said,
'Some of my brethren are men of good condition and of judgment unimpeached,' and
went out. The next was John Lawrence,
and he voted for William Holm. The next
was John Tanrygge, and he voted for John
Combe. The next was William Holm, and
he voted for John Lawrence, and so did
Robert Bychet. Then the sub-prior came
back and said he should vote for the brother
who had the most votes, provided he was a
member of the house and of good conversation. This result was then announced and
written on three billets (cedulæ), one of
which was sent to Sir William Arundel;
another was retained by Robert Spaldynge,
and the third remained at the priory.
According to this John Lawrence was elected
with three votes, but the sub-prior and canons
agreed to petition the bishop to admit which
of the candidates he in his discretion thought
best. The result was that the bishop annulled the election of Lawrence, and on 5
November appointed the sub-prior, John
Combe. (fn. 17)
Prior Combe died in 1415. The Winchester institutions are unfortunately missing
from 1415 to 1447. In 1449 the priory
was vacant, for on 27 September Bishop
Waynflete appointed Henry Swetenham, a
canon of Norton in Cheshire, to act as temporary administrator. (fn. 18) The appointment of
the priors of this house was, so far as there is
evidence, either by lapse or deputation, left to
the bishop.
In 1512 the priory was vacant and the
numbers of the brethren reduced, for which
reasons the bishop collated to the vicarage of
Dorking, which was in their gift. (fn. 19)
The clear annual value of the priory in
1535 was £68 16s. 7d. In that year there
were three canons in residence in addition to
the prior. The monastery was suppressed
on the feast of St. Anne, 26 July 1536, (fn. 20)
John Lymden, the prior, obtaining a pension of £10. (fn. 21) The three canons possibly at
once obtained benefices; at all events they
received no pensions.
Priors of Reigate
Adam, (fn. 22) circa 1298
R. de Froyle, (fn. 23) resigned 1309
Walter de Timberden, elected 1309, (fn. 24) died
1337
John atte Greth, collated 1337, (fn. 25) resigned
1341
John de Pyrie, collated 1341, (fn. 26) 1349
Robert de Scoteny, elected 1349, resigned
1367
John Kente, collated 1367, (fn. 27) died 1374
Richard Warnham, collated 1374, (fn. 28) died
1395
John Yakesley, collated 1395, (fn. 29) resigned
1397
John Combe, collated 1397, (fn. 30) died 1415
John Hervest, resigned 1452
Henry Swetenham, collated 1453, (fn. 31) resigned
1459
John Morton, collated 1460, resigned
1468
John de Aspley, collated 1468 (fn. 32)
Alexander Shott, circa 1496
William Major, occurs 1517, resigned
1530
John Lymden, elected 1530, (fn. 33) surrendered
1536