6. THE PRIORY OF BREWOOD (BLACK LADIES)
The priory of Benedictine nuns at Brewood,
dedicated to St. Mary but often known as Black
Ladies, lay some 2½ miles west of the village. (fn. 1) It
may have been founded by Roger de Clinton, Bishop
of Coventry and Lichfield (1129-48), who was
founder of the nunnery at Farewell, but there is no
positive evidence. The fact that the priory was
situated within the episcopal manor of Brewood (fn. 2)
suggests that one of the bishops may have been
concerned in the foundation. It was, however, in
existence by about the mid 12th century when
Ralph Bassett of Drayton gave the nuns half a
virgate from his demesne at Pattingham and another
half virgate at Hardwick nearby, with common of
pasture and woods and free of all secular services. (fn. 3)
The next known deed relating to the priory is an
agreement made about 1170 by the nuns of Brewood
and Blithbury (in Mavesyn Ridware) with William
de Ridware concerning land at Ridware which they
had through one Godfrey. This land the nuns
restored or granted to William for an annual rent
of 2s. and he confirmed to them meadowland which
they held already. (fn. 4) The chief interest of this deed
is its indication of the close relationship between the
priories of Brewood and Blithbury which apparently
ended in the absorption of Blithbury by Brewood by
the 14th century. (fn. 5) Another instance of the relationis the fact that Gailey (in Penkridge) granted to
Blithbury between 1158 and 1165 had passed to the
nuns of Brewood before 1189. (fn. 6)
Gailey, however, was seized by Henry II, and in
1200 King John granted the nuns the manor of
Broom (Worcs., formerly Staffs.) instead. As a result
in 1203 the prioress successfully claimed the
advowson of Broom against the parson of the
mother-church at Clent (Worcs., formerly Staffs.). (fn. 7)
In 1204 Brewood and Blithbury were among the
nunneries which received a gift of 2 marks each from
the king. (fn. 8) About the same time Sir William de Rudge
gave lands in Rudge (Salop.), formerly held by
Leovenad de Hetha, to the nuns for a palfrey and 3
marks and an annual rent of 12d. He also confirmed
their possession of two meadows 'under Whitehul'
given by his father and gave them pasture rights in
Rudge and Pattingham; for this the nuns had to make
a cash payment of 4 marks with an annual rent of
4d. and also surrender a virgate in Rudge 'which we
had given them previously'. (fn. 9) At some time between
1211 and 1216 the nuns exchanged the half virgate
in Pattingham given by Ralph Bassett for an assart
in Chillington owned by Ralph's widow Isabel de
Pattingham; the nuns paid Isabel 20s. for the
transaction. (fn. 10) About 1225 a mill at Chetton (Salop.)
was granted to the nuns by Sybil de Broc, lady of
the manor of Chetton. (fn. 11)
In response to a petition from the priory Pope
Gregory IX (1227-41) took it under his protection. (fn. 12)
He confirmed the community in all property which
they already held or might acquire in the future,
particularly the site of the house with its appurtenances; the newly tilled lands which they cultivated
themselves and the livestock which they reared were
to be tithe free. The Pope recognized the sisters'
right to elect their prioress, and the bishop was to
confer benediction on the nuns and ordination on
their chaplain. The bull granted such usual rights as
those of receiving outsiders for burial in the priory's
graveyard, admitting into the community free
women wishing to withdraw from the world (none
of whom was to leave after profession without the
permission of the prioress except to take stricter
vows), and of celebrating the divine offices during
time of national interdict.
During the reign of Henry III there were a
number of royal grants to the nuns of Brewood but
without any indication whether Black Ladies or
White Ladies was intended. The grants included
three acres of assart in Sherwood Forest in 1241 and
of oaks from Kinver Forest in 1256 and 1267. (fn. 13)
Black Ladies received a gift of 1 mark from the king
in 1241 in order that they might redeem their
chalice which was in pledge (fn. 14) — a sign of the poor
financial state of the priory. About 1260-70 the
nuns exchanged lands in the manor of Brewood
with the bishop in return for an inclosed plot of
wood and waste near their house, (fn. 15) and in 1267 the
king confirmed the charter of 1200. (fn. 16) In 1272 half a
virgate of land and 16d. rent in Horsebrook in
Brewood were granted to the priory by two of the
daughters and heirs of Sir Ralph de Coven and their
husbands. (fn. 17) But the nuns were still recognized as
poor in 1286 when they were convicted of the theft
some 10 years before of a stag. The animal had been
drowned in the priory fish-pond after escaping from
the royal huntsman in Gailey Hay, and the nuns
had then divided it with John Giffard of Chillington.
Whereas Giffard was imprisoned and fined, the
king pardoned the nuns because they were poor. (fn. 18)
By 1291 the priory's mill at Chetton was worth 16s. a
year. (fn. 19) In the same year the Pope granted an
indulgence of one year and 40 days to all who should
visit the priory on each of the four feasts of the
Virgin Mary and the anniversary of the dedication
of the church there; (fn. 20) the nuns would of course
benefit from the offerings made by such visitors. At
some time before 1318 the nuns had been involved
in a dispute with the Vicar of Brewood over tithes
of wool and lambs from flocks belonging to other
people and folded and pastured on the priory's lands
in Brewood parish. The vicar eventually gave the
tithes to the nuns as a favour but in 1318 they
decided to pay these tithes to the vicar. (fn. 21) The nuns
were assessed at 2s. for the subsidy of 1327, the
lowest assessment in Brewood, but for the subsidy of
1333 they were assessed at 3s., one of the higher
assessments in the area. (fn. 22) In 1394 the priory received
a gift of £100, made to secure prayers for Thomas
de Brinton, lord of Church Eaton (d. 1382), and his
ancestors. (fn. 23) This was probably the largest gift in the
history of the priory but also the last of any great
value.
Bishop Northburgh held a visitation of the
priory, probably in 1323. (fn. 24) The injunctions reveal
some financial confusion and general laxity. The
bishop forbade simoniacal payments by women
wishing to join the community, though free-will
offerings were allowed; because of the poverty of
the house numbers were to be kept at their existing
level. He also forbade the granting of corrodies,
liveries, and pensions without his licence and
ordered the prioress and others holding office to
present accounts before the whole house or the
senior members. Anabel de Hervill, the cellaress,
and Robert de Herst, the keeper of the temporalities,
were to be removed from office. A rent received
annually by one of the nuns was in future to be used
for the whole house. The prioress was ordered to eat
in the refectory and sleep in the dormitory, and a
damsel of the prioress was to be removed from the
house. No secular persons were to be allowed to
reside in the priory, and the nuns were forbidden to
converse with either secular persons or regulars.
Nuns not holding office were not to go outside the
cloister without leave — Emma of Bromsgrove was
mentioned in particular. A Franciscan was appointed
to hear the confessions of the prioress and nuns.
In 1442 and 1452 the bishop appointed a new
prioress of Black Ladies, the right having come to
him as a result of long vacancies. (fn. 25) At the next
vacancy in 1485 the bishop again made the appointment, this time in response to an appeal from the
subprioress that he should do so. (fn. 26) A visitation of
1521 shows a community of four. All was found in
good order, although one of the nuns commented
that small girls slept with the sisters in the dormitory.
The prioress stated that the annual income of the
house was £20 13s. 4d. and that there were no
debts. (fn. 27)
In 1535 the priory had lands and rents in Brewood parish, including Chillington and Horsebrook,
and in Bradley; in Broom and Kidderminster
(Worcs.); and in Albrighton, Dawley, and Tong
(Salop.). (fn. 28) The total value was given as £11 1s. 6d.,
but the list was certainly incomplete. A rental of
1537 (fn. 29) and the Minister's Account of 1539-40 (fn. 30)
mention a number of additional places — Blithbury,
Shredicote (in Bradley), Stretton, and Hampton
Lovett and Hunnington, in Halesowen (both in
Worcs.). Apart from the demesne lands near the
priory, the most valuable estate was Blithbury,
worth £3 12s. in 1537. The total net income from
the estates was then £17 2s. 11d.
Brewood was accordingly dissolved with the lesser
monasteries, the prioress surrendering it to Dr.
Thomas Legh on 16 October 1538. (fn. 31) She was given
a reward of £2 and a pension of £3 6s. 8d. while
each of the other three nuns of the priory received
half those amounts. The eight servants of the priory,
including the chaplain, received rewards amounting
to £3 18s. 2d., of which £1 10s. went to the chaplain. (fn. 32) The site and precinct of the priory, with the
church, churchyard, a water-mill within the site,
and certain pastures in Brewood, valued in all at
£7 9s. 1d. a year, were sold in 1539 to Thomas
Giffard of Stretton (in Penkridge) for £134 1s. 8d.
'Mr. Littleton', presumably Edward Littleton of
Pillaton (in Penkridge), had also been attempting
to secure the property. (fn. 33) The goods and chattels of
the dissolved priory, valued at £7 6s. 1d., included
the somewhat meagre furnishings of church, vestry,
chapter-house, hall, parlour, chief chamber, bailiff's
chamber, buttery, kitchen, larder, brewhouse,
'yelyng' house, cheese-loft, and 'kylhouse'. There
were three bells in the tower of the church, and the
plate consisted of a silver chalice and three silver
spoons. The inventory also mentions a little grain,
one horse, one wain, and one dung cart. (fn. 34) No part
of the priory buildings has survived. (fn. 35)
Prioresses
Isabel, occurs at some time during the period
1258-95. (fn. 36)
Mabel, occurs 1272. (fn. 37)
Emma, occurs 1301. (fn. 38)
Alice de Swynnerton, occurs 1324, resigned 1332. (fn. 39)
Helewis of Leicester, elected 1332, occurs 1373. (fn. 40)
Parnel, occurs 1395 and 1412. (fn. 41)
Margaret Chilterne, appointed 1442, resigned by
1452. (fn. 42)
Elizabeth Botery, appointed 1452, died 1485. (fn. 43)
Margaret Cawardyn, appointed 1485. (fn. 44)
Isabel Lawnder, occurs 1521, surrendered the
priory 1538. (fn. 45)
The priory seal in use in the 14th century was a
pointed oval, and showed the Virgin seated with the
Child and holding a branch of palm in her left hand. (fn. 46)
Only the fragment of an impression is now known to
survive. Legend:
SIGILLUM CONVENTUS SANCTE MARIE NIGRARUM
DOMINARUM
A seal in use in 1538 is a pointed oval, 2¼ by 1¼ in.,
and shows the Virgin seated under a canopy with
the Child on her left arm and holding a fleur-de-lys
sceptre in her right hand. (fn. 47) Legend, black letter:
[S]IGILLUM COMMUNE NIGRARUM MONIALIUM
DE BRE. . .