16. THE PRIORY OF TRENTHAM
It has been alleged that St. Werburgh, daughter of
Wulfhere, King of Mercia, was founder and abbess
of a nunnery at Trentham. (fn. 1) This connexion with
the saint, however, rests on an identification which
is now rejected. (fn. 2) The later priory of Austin canons
was believed about 1251-2 to have originated 'in the
time of William Rufus, through Hugh, Earl of
Chester'. (fn. 3) If a religious house was founded at
Trentham in the 11th century, however, it was
evidently not properly established, for with one
important exception the 12th-century deeds of the
priory make no mention of a previous house. Any
foundation of Earl Hugh, moreover, would almost
certainly not have been intended as an Augustinian
monastery (fn. 4) since the Austin canons were barely
established in England in his time. (fn. 5) Nevertheless the
foundation charter of the priory speaks of 'the
restoration of an abbey of canons' (fn. 6) and supplies the
13th-century tradition with its only support. It is
just conceivable that the word abbathia, used in the
foundation charter, does not necessarily imply that
the house was presided over by an abbot, and it may
thus refer to a pre-Conquest minster, or house of
secular canons, at Trentham. (fn. 7)
The establishment of a permanent religious
house at Trentham was the work of Ranulph de
Gernon, Earl of Chester (d. 1153). In his foundation
charter (fn. 8) Earl Ranulph gave to God, St. Mary, and
All Saints 100s. worth of land in Staffordshire,
namely 'Trentham . . . and all those appurtenances
whence King Henry had 100s.' It has been claimed
that Earl Ranulph's charter was drawn up when he
was on his deathbed. (fn. 9) This is quite feasible. A
deathbed fulfilment of a longstanding but neglected
obligation is likely enough, and the charter certainly
belongs to the mid 12th century and was granted at
Gresley (Derb.) where Ranulph died.
On Ranulph's death in 1153 the earldom passed
to his six-year-old son, Hugh. Henry II then seems
to have obtained permanent possession of the manor
of Trentham and with it the patronage of the priory. (fn. 10)
Earl Ranulph's foundation charter was confirmed
by the king probably in mid January 1155 when the
earl's gift was more precisely defined as '100s. worth
of land of lay fee in the . . . vill of Trentham and in
its appurtenances, viz. Blurton and Cocknage.' (fn. 11) A
few days later the king regranted Trentham church
to the canons, (fn. 12) and by a writ of about the same date
he extended his protection to 'my canons of Trentham.' (fn. 13) In yet another charter (fn. 14) the king granted
the canons more property in Trentham: 'tofts for
cultivating and for building their barns'; all the
woodland in Trentham manor; and two marshes
(moras) to be reclaimed as meadows 'for the maintenance of the brethren and the hospitality of their
house.' The new foundation was also confirmed,
probably in 1155, by Bishop Durdent, who granted
the house immunity from synodal payments with the
other privileges which his predecessors had granted
to Rocester and other churches of the order. (fn. 15)
Like the other Augustinian houses in Staffordshire
Trentham never became wealthy and its early
acquisitions were not considerable. These are listed
in a privilege granted by the Pope in 1162 confirming the status and possessions of the priory. (fn. 16) What
was evidently the parish church of Trentham with
its dependencies was placed first among the priory's
possessions; these dependencies included Barlaston,
Betley, half of Balterley, and Newcastle-under-Lyme. The priory also held the 100s. worth of land
in the parish 'which Henry the King of the English
gave to the church at the institution of the order and
confirmed by his writing'; (fn. 17) the hermitage of the
well of Tunstall with the land that Walter the hermit
cultivated; (fn. 18) three carucates of land in Sutton (fn. 19)
given by Gundred, Countess of Warwick; a carucate
of land in Gaddesby (Leics.) of the Earl of Chester's
fee; (fn. 20) the church of Barkby (Leics.); a bovate of
land in 'Honus' (perhaps Hoon in Derbyshire);
and six bovates of land in Barkby given by Robert
le Poer. Not all these endowments, however, were
retained. The church of Barkby was also claimed by
Leicester Abbey, to which it was confirmed by the
king in the same year. (fn. 21) The land given by Robert
le Poer was evidently a gift to Barkby parish
church, (fn. 22) and it too was lost by Trentham. The
priory eventually had to be content with a pension
of £5 13s. 4d. out of Barkby church. (fn. 23)
Some of the priory's subsequent endowments
were gifts of the founder's heirs or of officials or
tenants of the earls of Chester. Half of the church of
Belchford (Lincs.) was given by the founder's son
Hugh, Earl of Chester (d. 1181), while the mill and
fishing rights of Belchford were given by the
founder's grandson Ranulph, Earl of Chester
(d. 1232). (fn. 24) By the early 13th century the priory
had also acquired Wall Grange (in Leek), probably
from one of the earls of Chester. (fn. 25) Philip de Orreby,
Justiciar of Chester from about 1209 to 1229, (fn. 26) gave
the priory a boat on the River Dee at Chester which
he had himself received as a gift from Earl Ranulph
(d. 1232); (fn. 27) in effect this amounted to the right to
fish the river. (fn. 28) The advowsons of the Lincolnshire
churches of Donington and Stenigot and of St. Paul
in the Bail, Lincoln, belonged to the priory by the
earlier 13th century. The advowson of Donington
had probably been given by one of the earls of
Chester, while that of Stenigot may have been
acquired from the Wake family who held Stenigot
of the earls. The priory also acquired pensions from
these churches: £5 a year from Donington in 1217;
10s. a year from Stenigot by 1219; and 6s. 8d. a year
from St. Paul in the Bail by at least 1291. (fn. 29)
Other early endowments, both spiritual and
temporal, were acquired from less important landowners. Probably soon after 1162 the church of
Trusley (Derb.) was granted to Trentham, possibly
by Robert de Beausay, lord of the manor of Trusley. (fn. 30)
In the time of Bishop Richard Peche (1161-82) the
church of Sutton-on-the-Hill (Derb.) was given to
the priory by Ralph de Boscherville. (fn. 31) At some time
before 1291 Trentham also acquired an annual
pension of £2 from Trusley church and another of
£1 from Dalbury church (Derb.). (fn. 32) Some of the
temporal estates acquired from lesser landowners
in the late 12th or early 13th centuries were situated
far from Trentham and were relinquished by the
mid 13th century. About 1196 Adam de Stocton
and his wife Maud gave the priory 200 acres and 13
virgates of land in Fenny Compton (Warws.);
shortly afterwards, however, this estate was granted
in fee to Richard Peche, lord of Wormleighton
(Warws.), for an annual rent of 20s. (fn. 33) Land in
Frisby (in Galby, Leics.) granted to Trentham by
William, the chaplain of Quenby (Leics.), was
acquired from the priory in 1255 by St. John's
Hospital, Leicester, (fn. 34) while land in Bradbourne
(Derb.) given by Jordan de Tok was granted in fee
about 1250 to Henry of Tideswell for an annual rent
of 20s. (fn. 35)
Most of the substantial temporal estates accumulated by the priory were in fact situated fairly near
to Trentham. More property in Blurton, where some
of the priory's original endowment lay, was acquired
during the 13th century, (fn. 36) and in Hanchurch (in
Trentham) the priory secured property which
included pasture land and the mill. (fn. 37) Various grants
of arable, meadow, and services in Longton were
made to the priory throughout the 13th century by
the Bevill family, lords of the manor of Longton; (fn. 38)
in 1291 the priory's property there was valued at
£1 6s. 8d. a year, (fn. 39) and at the dissolution it comprised two farms and certain small rents. (fn. 40) Geoffrey
Griffin gave the priory considerable property in
Elkstone (in Alstonefield) about 1215. (fn. 41) In 1253 and
1272, however, the prior was sued for the manor of
Over Elkstone, and on the second occasion judgement was given against him. The prior then called
on Geoffrey Griffin's heir, another Geoffrey, to
warrant his father's gift. Geoffrey pleaded that
the gift had been made while the donor was of
unsound mind, but a jury decided against this plea
and awarded the prior compensation out of his
estate at Clayton. (fn. 42) Litigation, however, dragged on
into the next century, (fn. 43) and at least some of the
priory's property at Clayton was granted away to
St. Thomas's Priory near Stafford. This was, however, recovered by Trentham in the late 13th
century, (fn. 44) and in 1337 some at least of the property
in Elkstone which had been in dispute was granted
to the priory. (fn. 45) In 1535 Trentham held property in
all these places, and two of its more important
temporal estates were those at Clayton Griffith and
Elkstone. (fn. 46)
The canons were careful to protect their parochial
rights from which the major part of their income
was drawn, (fn. 47) but as time went on local landowners
sought to build new chapels. Barlaston, part of the
parish of Trentham, (fn. 48) evidently had its own chapel
in the patronage of the lord of Barlaston by the early
13th century. About 1225 John fitz Philip, lord of
Barlaston, granted the advowson of this chapel to
the canons on condition that they maintained a
resident chaplain at Barlaston to celebrate divine
service there, to bury 'those dying within the parish
of the same chapel', and to baptize 'the children of
the parishioners there.' John granted them at the
same time sufficient pasture in Barlaston for eight
oxen, ten cows, and two bulls. (fn. 49) In 1229 Geoffrey
Griffin, clerk, was allowed to set up a chantry in his
chapel at Clayton, but his chaplain was to swear not
to retain offerings belonging to Trentham parish
church and compensation was to be provided for
any loss incurred by Trentham. (fn. 50) In 1282 Adam de
Chetwynd was given permission to erect a chapel
with a bell-tower at Hartwell near Barlaston; the
priest there was to take a yearly oath not to defraud
the mother-church of Trentham of any tithes or
offerings. (fn. 51) The canons were not, however, always
successful in protecting their rights. They possessed
chapels at Newcastle and Whitmore by the later
12th century and had granted some right in them to
Robert de Costentin. A dispute arose between
Robert and the priory. As part of the settlement made
between 1175 and 1182 the chapel of Whitmore
was granted for life to Robert's proctor, Vivian,
Rector of Stoke. (fn. 52) During the course of the next
century both chapels finally became dependent on
the church of Stoke. (fn. 53)
By the middle of the 13th century the priory, if
not wealthy, was at least one of the richer houses of
the order in Staffordshire. For the aid of 1235-6
Trentham Priory, like the wealthier house at Stone,
was assessed at 2 marks, (fn. 54) while the other two
Augustinian houses for which assessments survive
were rated at only 10s. (fn. 55) For the aid of 1242-3
Trentham was assessed at 40s. — once again the
same assessment as a wealthier house, Ranton. (fn. 56)
To some extent at least this comparative prosperity
seems to have owed something to the agrarian
activity of the priory. In the later 12th century the
canons were probably improving the land in the
immediate neighbourhood of their house, and in
1200-1 they owed the Crown one mark for permission to enclose their woodland. (fn. 57) In 1242 the
canons acquired from Hulton Abbey the right to
take new land into cultivation and to make assarts
at Normacot (in Stone). (fn. 58) Like Hulton, Trentham
was engaged in sheep-farming by the mid 13th
century: an agreement was made between the two
houses in 1246 whereby Trentham granted to
Hulton common of pasture for 400 sheep in Blurton
and Cocknage in return for a similar concession in
Normacot. (fn. 59) Both houses appear in a Florentine list
of about 1315 as exporters of wool. (fn. 60) The value of
the priory's estates was also increased by privileges
granted or allowed to the canons by the Crown. In
1251 they were granted free warren in the demesne
lands of their manors of Trentham, Wall, and Elkstone; (fn. 61) this right was upheld by the priory during
the quo warranto proceedings of 1293. The canons'
right to hold two courts a year at Trentham for the
pleas of the sheriff's tourn and their rights of
gallows and waif there were also upheld by a jury. (fn. 62)
According to the Taxatio of 1291 the priory's income amounted to £42 6s. 9d.; of this £30 3s. 4d. was
derived from spiritual possessions and £12 3s. 5d.
from temporal property. The spiritual possessions
consisted of the appropriated church of Trentham
(£13 6s. 8d.) and pensions from the churches
of Barkby, Donington, Belchford, Trusley, Dalbury,
Stenigot, St. Paul in the Bail, Lincoln, and Cold
Overton (Leics.). The only temporal possessions
of the priory listed in the Taxatio are those in
Leicestershire and North Staffordshire. (fn. 63) Within
ten years of the compiling of the Taxatio the priory's
resources had been augmented by the appropriation
of the church of Sutton-on-the-Hill. (fn. 64)
The priory obtained two licences to acquire
property in mortmain in the earlier 14th century.
The first, granted in 1312, allowed the alienation
to the priory of two half-virgates of land, one in
Trentham and one near Leek; the second, dated
1336, allowed acquisitions worth £10 a year. (fn. 65) It
was in respect of the second licence that the canons
were permitted to acquire extensive lands in Elkstone
in 1337 and some in Trentham early in the following
year. (fn. 66) In 1330 the priory was granted various
rents and villein tenements with their holders in
Hanchurch. (fn. 67)
In the late 13th century the earls of Lancaster
claimed the patronage of the priory as an appurtenance of their manor of Newcastle-under-Lyme. (fn. 68)
Their claim was, however, resisted by the Crown.
In the earlier 14th century the priory suffered
considerably from the active prosecution of these
claims by both parties to the dispute. In 1322
the recently elected prior was in trouble with the
king for having done fealty after his election to
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who during the vacancy
had compelled the subprior and convent to obey him
as patron. The prior was fined 40 marks. This large
fine, however, was remitted, and the prior performed his fealty to the king. (fn. 69) In 1327 a jury
investigated the matter and declared cautiously that
the priory, like the manor of Newcastle-underLyme, had belonged to Henry III, who had given
the manor to his son Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. The
jury, however, professed to know nothing about the
priory 'except that the late king had one voidance'
and Thomas of Lancaster another. (fn. 70)
The trouble caused by the matter was evidently
not merely theoretical. In October 1343 it was stated
that Prior Dilhorne was on the point of death and that
local men had seized the opportunity to occupy the
priory and its manors and granges and to collect its
rents, cut down its trees, and carry away its goods
and chattels. These events were evidently no new
experience for the canons, as it was alleged that
similar depredations had taken place during earlier
vacancies in the priorate. In view of the state of
affairs the escheator was ordered to take charge of
the house and its possessions. Soon afterwards an
inquest found that the constable of Newcastleunder-Lyme and three others had taken possession
of the priory in the name of the Earl of Lancaster,
against the will of the canons and in defiance of the
escheator, who had been present. On this occasion,
however, they had not taken away any goods except
some victuals. (fn. 71) In April 1344 the priory was given
royal protection during pleasure. It was then said
to be greatly impoverished as a result of the injuries
done to it. Ralph, Lord Stafford, and a royal clerk
were given the custody of the house and its possessions 'to order the same for the profit and advantage
of the priory'. (fn. 72) The Crown retained the patronage,
and, as one consequence of this, the canons continued to be burdened with the maintenance of old
soldiers and servants retired from the royal service. (fn. 73)
In 1407 the bishop sanctioned the appropriation
of the church of Trusley. The canons were to
provide for the proper conduct of divine service
there by a suitable secular chaplain or one of their
own number as the prior desired. (fn. 74) It was perhaps in
connexion with this appropriation that the canons
agreed to make an annual payment of 2 marks to the
bishop. (fn. 75) Nevertheless the appropriation was not
effective, and the priory eventually lost both the
patronage of the church and the pension from its
revenues. (fn. 76) An unusual grant by the Pope in 1453
perhaps temporarily augmented the resources of
the canons. One of their number, John Hawkin, a
nephew of Thomas Bourchier, Bishop of Ely, was
permitted to hold for life any benefice with cure
normally held by secular clerks and to resign it
simply or in exchange as often as he pleased. (fn. 77) In the
later 15th century the priory seems to have acquired
more property in Clayton, (fn. 78) and in 1503 and 1527
it received royal permission to acquire several
estates in North Staffordshire. (fn. 79)
The community was never large. It numbered 8
in 1307, 7 in 1377, and 8 in 1381. (fn. 80) In 1518 there
was a community of 5 which on the instructions of
the visitor had been raised to 7 by 1521. Although
the community was small there seems normally to
have been a subprior. (fn. 81) In 1518 the prior himself
was acting as sacrist and kitchener; by 1521, however, a separate sacrist had been appointed. (fn. 82) Early16th-century visitations (fn. 83) show that the house was
in good order, and Prior Stringer was much praised
by his canons. In 1518 the prior gave the income as
£100 over and above the issues of the demesne lands.
He was then rendering no accounts but began to do
so by order of the visitor.
The gross income of the house in 1535 was £122
3s. 2d. (fn. 84) Temporal possessions produced £83 19s. 10d.,
the manor of Trentham accounting for £39 6s. 6d.
and property in Clayton Griffith, Blurton, and Hanchurch for just under £20. Net income from temporalities amounted to £75 14s.; the deductions
included fees of £1 and £2 respectively to the chief
steward, William Chetwynd, and the receiver,
Laurence Bradwall, and a corrody of £2 a year still
paid to a royal nominee. Spiritual endowments
produced £38 3s. 4d., (fn. 85) but various payments
reduced this to £31 9s. 9d. The priory property as
listed in 1537 after it had passed to the Crown consisted of Trentham manor, Wall Grange, and lands
and rents in Blurton, Cocknage, Hanchurch,
Newstead (in Trentham), Longton, Chorlton (in
Eccleshall), Clayton Griffith, Whitmore, Meaford
(in Stone), Newcastle, Seabridge (in Stoke), Elkstone, Fenny Compton, Bradbourne, and Gaddesby;
the appropriated churches of Trentham, Barlaston,
and Sutton-on-the-Hill; and a pension from Barkby
church. These estates were then valued at £156 7s.
10d. gross. (fn. 86)
Curiously little is known of the last days of the
priory. It was one of the lesser monasteries whose
suppression was ordered under the Act of 1536, (fn. 87)
and it was evidently dissolved in 1537. The prior
was granted a pension of £16. (fn. 88) The site was leased
out by the Crown in November 1537 and sold to
Charles, Duke of Suffolk, in 1538. He sold it soon
afterwards to Sir Thomas Pope, who in 1540 sold it
to James Leveson of Wolverhampton. (fn. 89) The
medieval buildings have disappeared, but the parish
church, which was largely rebuilt in 1844, incorporates remains of the conventual church. (fn. 90)
Priors
John, occurs 1155 (fn. 91) and at some time between
1161 and 1176, (fn. 92) may have died at some time
between 1193 and 1195. (fn. 93)
Samson, prior probably about 1200. (fn. 94)
Alan, occurs in or after 1203. (fn. 95)
Richard, occurs at some time after 1233 and in
1234. (fn. 96)
Roger, occurs 1242, 1255, and 1267. (fn. 97)
Richard, occurs about 1272. (fn. 98)
John de Conyngston, occurs 1277, resigned 1297. (fn. 99)
Richard de Lavynden, elected 1297, occurs 1305. (fn. 100)
Richard of Dilhorne, occurs 1319, died 1343. (fn. 101)
Richard de Whatton, elected 1343, died 1352. (fn. 102)
Nicholas of Mucklestone, elected 1352, resigned
1402. (fn. 103)
Thomas of Trentham, elected 1402, resigned 1421. (fn. 104)
John Clyfton, elected August 1421, resigned by
November 1421. (fn. 105)
Thomas Madeley, elected 1421, died late 1441 or
January 1442. (fn. 106)
William Rossynton, elected 1442, died 1445. (fn. 107)
Stephen Brown, elected 1445, occurs 1478. (fn. 108)
Alexander Greyhorse, elected 1481, died 1486. (fn. 109)
Thomas Williams, elected late 1486 or January
1487, died 1499. (fn. 110)
Robert Stringer, occurs 1501, died by March
1530. (fn. 111)
Thomas Bradwall, elected 1530, prior at the
dissolution. (fn. 112)
A seal in use in 1280 and 1526 is a pointed oval,
3¼ by 17/8 in., depicting the Virgin enthroned and
crowned, her head surrounded by a nimbus. (fn. 113)
Legend, lombardic:
SIGILLUM ... C ... MARIE [DE] TRENTAHAM
The 1280 impression carries also the impression of
a smaller counterseal of which only part has survived. Pointed oval, it depicts the Virgin with the
Child on her left arm. The fragment of legend,
lombardic, apparently reads:
AVE GEN ... RIUM
Another, in use in 1369, is a pointed oval, about
1¾ by 11/8 in., depicting the Virgin crowned and
seated with the Child in a carved and canopied
Gothic niche; in the base under an arch is a canon
kneeling. The fragment of legend appears to be
lombardic. (fn. 114)