13. THE PRIORY OF BREAMORE
The priory of St. Michael's, Breamore,
was founded for Austin canons by Baldwin
de Redvers and his uncle Hugh towards the
end of the reign of Henry I. The confirmation charter of that king is cited in inspections,
and confirmations of Edward III., Henry IV.
and Henry VI. The charter of Henry I.
enumerates, as the original foundation, three
hides of land at Stanfit, the church of 'Sappeleja ' (? Stapeley) with a virgate of land and
6 acres of meadow in that town, the church
of Whitsbury with the tithes of the whole
manor, and lands at Breamore. To this the
king added pasturage for a hundred beasts of
the canons, and pannage for a hundred pigs
in the New Forest, together with as much
dead wood as they required for fuel.
All grants of churches, chapels, lands, tithes,
meadows, mills, fisheries, etc., that had been
made to the canons of Breamore were confirmed to their prior Robert by Bishop Henry
de Blois (1129-71). (fn. 1) The same bishop
confirmed to them the appropriation of the
neighbouring church of Rockburne, with the
assent of the patron Manasser Bisset, and of
the priest Crispin, to whom was assigned a
pension of two shillings. (fn. 2) Manasser Bisset
was also the donor of 22½ acres to the priory
of St. Michael. He placed in the priory an
additional canon, who was to specially serve
(in masses) him and his ancestors. (fn. 3)
In the reign of Henry II. a composition
was entered into between Prior Geoffrey
and the canons of Breamore and the lazar
house of Bradley, whereby it was covenanted
that the church of Rockburne, which was
near to Breamore Priory, should pertain to
the canons, but that they should pay therefrom a yearly sum of 100s. to the house of
Bradley. (fn. 4)
Among the ancient deeds of the Public
Record Office is a grant in frankalmoin by
Henry, son of Thomas son of Hugh de
Tarente Keynes, with the consent of Joan
his wife, to the canons of Breamore, of a
curtilage and lands in Pimperne, Dorset, with
pasture for fifty-two sheep, paying 3s. yearly
to the abbess and convent of Tarente. It is
an undated deed, but of the first half of the
thirteenth century. (fn. 5)
Towards the end of the reign of Henry
III. the priory church of Breamore required
re-roofing, and the king granted ten oaks
in the park of Melchet for the purpose,
and gave orders to this effect to Stephen
de Eddesworth, bailiff of Clarendon. The
canons however only obtained two oaks, and
in the reign of Edward I. petitioned the king
on the subject in 1278, when he was at Winchester. The king instructed Roger de Clifford, justice of the forest on this side Trent,
to make inquiries, and if it was so to cause the
prior and convent to have the remaining
oaks. (fn. 6)
There are three references to this priory
in the proceedings of Quo Warranto at the
beginning of the reign of Edward I. The
prior had made claim to wreck of the sea in
regard to his lands in Somerset. As however
neither the prior nor his proctor put in an
appearance for the hundred of Carhampton,
the claim went by default. A like course
of non-appearance, with a like result, happened
with regard to the prior's claim to have
gallows and assize of bread and ale at Langley.
Probably both these cases were too weak to
defend, and were encroachments made on the
royal prerogative in the troublous times of
Henry III. When the prior's claim to a virgate of land at Shirenewton (Newton Tony),
with its appurtenant rights, was called in
question at like proceedings for Wiltshire,
Prior Thomas appeared in person, and produced evidence showing that this right had
been conferred on the priory by Henry II. and
confirmed by John and Henry III., so that
the jury had no difficulty in returning a
verdict in his favour. (fn. 7)
On 27 February, 1286, licence was granted
for the alienation in mortmain by the prior
and convent of Breamore to Robert, Bishop
of Bath and Wells, of the advowsons of the
churches of Stanton Drew and Chelworth. (fn. 8)
At the taxation of 1291, the priory's temporalities in the archdeaconry of Winchester
(Breamore, etc.) were valued at £7 9s. 0d.;
in the archdeaconry of Bath (Portbury) at
£6; in the archdeaconry of Dorset (Pimperne) at £3 16s. 6d.; and in the archdeaconry of Sarum (Eblesborne and Corton)
£4 8s. 6d. There was also a pension of £1
payable to the priory from the rectory of
Stanton Drew, making the total annual value
£22 14s. 0d.
In September, 1294, the prior of Breamore,
in common with the great majority of the
heads of the religious houses, received protection for one year in favour of the persons and
goods of the priory, in consequence of the
convent having contributed according to the
taxation made for a tenth for the Holy Land. (fn. 9)
A like protection was granted in 1297 on
making fine before the chancellor. (fn. 10)
In March, 1301, grant was made in free
alms to the prior and convent of Breamore of
the advowson of the church of Brading, Isle
of Wight, in exchange for the priory remitting to the king 500 marks, wherein the king
was bound to them for corn, stock and other
things in diverse manors. This was done at
the request of Thomas, prior of Breamore,
Richard, prior of Christchurch, and Gilbert de
Knovill, who were the executors of the will
of Isabel de Fortibus, Countess of Albemarle,
and for the good of the soul of the said
countess and her ancestors whose bodies were
buried in the priory church of Breamore. (fn. 1)
The bishop sent letters early in 1310
announcing his intention to visit Breamore,
and eventually fixed on Saturday next after the
feast of the Annunciation as the day. (fn. 2) There
are no entries of decrees after this visitation.
On 11 December, 1327, Bishop Stratford
forwarded to the prior and convent his visitation decree. The orders were arranged under
ten heads: (1) That all the canons and
obedientiaries should attend the day and night
hours and the great mass, and four canons the
solemnly sung mass of our Lady. (2) That
the door into the nave of the church be kept
firmly and securely closed; and that the door
into the quire be kept open until the beginning of the mass of our Lady, and after the
end of the high mass, until the beginning of
vespers, and from the end of vespers until the
beginning of the said mass of our Lady, day
by day; that the door from the cloister to the
prior's hall be kept diligently by the cellarer;
and that the sacrist or cellarer be held responsible to the chapter for the due warding of
all the cloister doors. (3) That silence be
observed at the customary times and places,
and that no conversation be held with any
women, secular or religious, save in honest
places, from a reasonable cause, with the
sanction of the prior or sub-prior, and in the
presence of a brother canon. (4) That no
canons of the house, save the obedientiaries
(office holders), depart out of the monastery
precincts without the express sanction of the
prior or sub-prior. (5) That the chantry in
the manor house of Hugh Courtenay be
served by a secular priest at the charge of the
priory; and that at the times of pilgrimage or
devotion of the faithful at the chapel of St.
Thomas near their house, one of the older
canons or a trustworthy secular be appointed
to collect their oblations. (6) That the prior
or sub-prior should daily visit the farmery to
see that there is suitable food for the infirm and
to superintend the distribution of alms to the
poor; and that the laudable custom of assigning to the poor the goods of a deceased canon
for his soul's sake be maintained; and that
there be one breviator
(fn. 3) in the house, according to custom. (7) That the beds of the
canons in the dorter be arranged so that they
can be openly seen, and that all curtains or
other impediments be removed and destroyed;
also that the orologium
(fn. 4) and lavatory be repaired according to the bishop's injunction.
(8) That the common seal be kept under three
keys, one in the custody of the prior, another
of the sub-prior, and the third of one of the
canons chosen by the chapter, and that it
be not used save in the chapter house and
with the consent of the chapter. (9) That
there be two treasurers, namely the sub-prior
and one appointed by the chapter, to have all
dealings with the bailiffs and other servants of
the priory, and to present an annual account.
(10) That the novices should serve in the
frater, and that proper novice masters should
be appointed for their instruction. (fn. 5)
In June, 1332, the priory received a visit
from Robert de Kelleseye, one of the king's
clerks, bearing a letter to the prior inviting a
subsidy towards the expenses of the marriage
of Eleanor, the king's sister, with Reginald,
Count of Guelders. (fn. 6) The canons granted
the sum of 60s., and in the following year
they received an acknowledgment, together
with a pledge that the subsidy should not be
construed into a precedent for them or their
successors. (fn. 7)
The prior and convent seem at this period
to have been good sheep farmers. In November, 1339, they received letters patent promising to pay, at the Purification and Easter,
£28 5s. 5d. for five sacks and thirty-eight
cloves of the better wool at 100s. the sack,
taken by Robert de Popham and his fellows as
collectors of the customs for Hampshire. (fn. 8)
On 13 February, 1336, Bishop Orlton
visited Breamore Priory and preached in the
chapter house. As there was no subsequent
decree the presumption is that the bishop was
satisfied. (fn. 1)
In 1347 the church of Brading, Isle of
Wight, was transferred by Peter, prior of St.
Helen, to John de Wallup, prior of Breamore,
at the king's request. There are a variety of
deeds relative to this release at the Public
Record Office. (fn. 2) The transfer had originally
taken place in 1301, when permission was
granted to Breamore to appropriate the church, (fn. 3)
and was confirmed in 1315, but there seems
to have been some dispute and uncertainty
about it.
The priory, like most religious houses, had
a fraternity into which laitywere received
as associates. On the Saturday after the
Epiphany, 1348, John, the prior, and the
convent of Breamore, received John de Brommore, Gena his wife, and John their son,
into their brotherhood, to partake of all
benefits pertaining to their house. At the
same time the priory undertook to celebrate
their anniversaries with Placebo and Dirige,
and a mass for them, and for John and Agnes
the said John's parents, and would distribute
three shillings' worth of bread to a hundred
and forty-four poor people in Fordingbridge on
their anniversary. (fn. 4)
Shortly after this there must have been a
vacancy in the office of prior, for in 1356
there was a demise from Thomas, prior of
Breamore, and the convent, proprietors of the
church of Brading, to Walter Burgeys of the
parish of Godshill in the same island, of the
rectory of Brading with all its tithes. (fn. 5)
In January, 1376, Bishop Wykeham directed
John de Wormenhale, his official, and the
prior of Mottisfont, to hold a visitation at the
priory of Breamore in consequence of the
laxity alleged against them, but there is no
record of any decree. (fn. 6) During the vacancy
of the see in 1404, the priory was again
visited (November 3) by the commissary of
Archbishop Arundel. (fn. 7)
Dr. Hede, commissary of the prior of
Canterbury, in the vacancy of the see, visited
this priory on 24 March, 1501. The visitation was held in the Lady chapel, for the
chapter house was in a state of decay. John
Chandler, the prior, stated that when he
entered on his office the house was indebted
to the extent of £600; that he had paid this
off and had redeemed valuables and corrodies
that had been pledged by his predecessor for
about £200; that the rents had increased to
the annual amount of £206 1s. 10d.; that
divers valuables of the house were still in
pledge; that by their old statute there were
three canons and five brothers in priests'
orders; that the burdens of the house,
although the debts had been paid, amounted
this year to £102 10s. 9d. Richard London,
the sub-prior, stated that when the present
prior succeeded, the house was burdened to
the extent of £700 or thereabouts, of which
the present prior had paid about £100. Canon
William Ladoke stated that the prior had
redeemed two silver cups that had been
pledged by his predecessor to Sir Hugh
Conwey and paid to him for them £22.
Canons John Wynne, William Tary and
Richard More also testified to the burdens of
the house, and their reduction by the present
prior, but their statements are somewhat contradictory. (fn. 8)
When Henry VIII. exacted a 'loan' in
1522 from the spirituality for the king's
personal-expenses in France for the recovery
of the Crown, the priory of Breamore paid the
very large sum of £66 13s. 4d. (fn. 9)
In 1529 Prior William was summoned to
Convocation, and attended personally. (fn. 10)
The last prior of the house seems to have
been quite ready to pay court to the civil
power as the storms gathered round the
religious houses. He wrote on 8 August,
1533, to Cromwell, proffering his services,
and offering, if there was anything in their
poor house to pleasure Cromwell, to put it at
his service. (fn. 11) In June, 1535, Prior Finch wrote
again to Cromwell in a similar strain, proffering his service and that of his house, and
desiring a continuance of Cromwell's favour. (fn. 12)
In that year the Valor Eccksiasticus was
taken, when the annual value of the priory
was returned at £200 5s. 1½d., together with
two pounds of pepper. Alms and other
obligatory outgoings amounted to £45 11s.,
so that the clear annual value, in addition to
the pepper, was only £154 14s. 1½d. This
brought the house well within the limit of
the first series of dissolutions, and it was surrendered on 10 July, 1536. (fn. 1)
The site of the priory was granted in
November of that year to Henry, Marquis of
Exeter, and Gertrude his wife, together with
all its possessions. The grant particularizes
these as the manors of 'Bulborne Haywode'
(Breamore), 'Robstead' and Langley, Hants;
Wilton, and ' Corton with Ostum St. George,'
Wilts; Canford and Pimperne, Dorset;
Portbury, Somerset; and Northcote, Devon;
with all lands in those places and in ' Bernes,'
South Charford, Hardley, Creech, Fordingbridge, Gorley and Ibsley, Hants; Ebbesborne and 'Gysardston,' Wilts; and the
rectories and chapels of Breamore, Rockburne,
Whitsbury and Brading, Hants. The marquis was also to receive as much fuel as he
required out of the New Forest, and all other
rights that had been enjoyed by the prior. A
rental was reserved to the Crown of £16
15s. 7d. (fn. 2)
The sycophancy of Prior Finch met with
its reward. On 26 June, 1536, he was
assigned a pension of £18, (fn. 3) and in March,
1538, he was appointed to the suffragan
bishopric of Taunton. (fn. 4) He was consecrated
in the Lady Chapel, Blackfriars, by the
Bishops of Rochester, Colchester and St.
Asaph on 7 April; (fn. 5) he died in 1559.
Priors of Breamore
Robert, (fn. 6) about 1129
Geoffrey, (fn. 7) time of Hen. II.
S., (fn. 8) about 1244
Thomas de Pimperne, (fn. 9) 1286, 1301
Thomas Dounton, (fn. 10) elected 1308
William le Eyr, resigned 1327
James de Wyttenham, 1327, (fn. 11) 1339 (fn. 12) (?)
John de Wallup, 1342, (fn. 13) 1352 (fn. 14)
Thomas, about 1356 (fn. 15)
John de Tyneham alias Sussebury, (fn. 16)
1361-90
John Berard, 1390-1431
John London, (fn. 17) 1431
Thomas Hunspill, (fn. 18) 1435-67
Robert Stokys, (fn. 19) 1467-90
John Herries, (fn. 20) 1490
John Chandler, elected before 1501,
resigned in 1508
William Hollyngborne, (fn. 21) 1508-about
1511
William Finch, 1511-36