37. THE PRIORY OF HAMBLE
The priory of St. Andrew, Hamble, was a
cell of the great Benedictine abbey of Tiron,
near Chartres, which was founded in 1109.
Tanner is wrong in describing Tiron as a
Cistercian abbey. The priory of Hamble
was placed on the rise or point of land at the
junction of the Hamble river with Southampton Water, and was hence usually termed
' Hamble-en-le-rys' or ' Hamblerice,' now
Hamble-le-Rice. William Giffard, Bishop
of Winchester, 1100-28, was the founder.
The original charter is not extant, but there
is a confirmation of Giffard's grant of Hamble
to the monks of St. Andrew among the
Winchester College muniments. (fn. 9) That
charter, from the witnesses, cannot be later
than 1140.
A bull of Pope Innocent II., of the year
1132, addressed to his dear son William,
abbot of Tiron, confirming to him several
English endowments, specifies the church of
St. Andrew in England (ecclesiam Sancti
Andree de Anglia) with its appurtenances,
which other charters prove to be that of the
priory of St. Andrew at Hamble. An
undated charter, but apparently about 1135,
is from Emma, wife of Roger Alis, notifying
her gift to the monks of Tiron dwelling at
St. Andrew's, Hamble, of the lands and meadows that she held at 'Auditon.' The charter
recites that she made this gift in chapter of
the monks of St. Andrew and placed it on
the altar in the presence of Prior Geoffrey.
About 1142, Ascelina, wife of Guimond, gave
to God and the monks of Tiron at St. Andrew's, in the presence of her brothers who
were dwelling there, the house and land pertaining to it, which had been given her by
her brother Roaudus, who was then a monk.
In 1147 Pope Eugene III. confirmed to the
abbot and convent of Tiron, inter alia, the
church of Hamble, which was again confirmed about 1175 by Pope Alexander III.
On 23 August, 1179, an elaborate papal
confirmation of all the benefactions and privileges of the abbey of Tiron enumerates the
priory of St. Andrew in England. (fn. 1)
Among the Winchester College muniments
is a charter of Henry II. confirming the rights
of the monks of Tiron to a yearly pension of
fifteen marks for their shoes (calceamenta),
which had been granted them by Henry I.,
and another charter of the same king, exempting the monks of Hamble from toll, passage
and pontage, etc., throughout England and
Normandy.
Another interesting Hamble evidence preserved at Winchester is a lease by Prior Beaumont, in the year 1320, to John Poussant de
tous les seruises corvus et coustumes of Hamble
Manor. Raoul dit l'Ermite, prior of Andwell, was at that time proctor-general of the
abbey of Tiron, and was a party to the
lease. (fn. 2)
When Edward I. seized Hamble Priory in
1294, it was found that the prior held a house
and garden and dovecot, valued at 4s. a year;
79 acres of land, 13s. 2d.; 8 acres of
meadow, 5s. 4d.; pannage over 4 acres of
wood, 18d.; and wood necessary for house
repairs and fences. There were also four
free tenants holding 21 acres of land, paying
a rental of 6s.; twenty-seven customary
tenants holding 4 acres of land and paying
28s. 4d., whose labour was worth nothing,
propter capcwnem cibarum, and sixteen cottars,
who paid 12d. a year. A pension of bread
and of beer from St. Swithun's, Winchester,
was valued at 58s. a year; the tithes of Worldham, 40s.; and land and meadow at Hunteborn at 22s. The total annual value of the
priory was reckoned at £18 14s. 8d. (fn. 3)
Several of the religious connected with the
three alien houses of Hampshire pertaining to
the abbey of Tiron were accused in 1313 of
conspiring to destroy charters. A commission
of oyer and terminer was issued on the complaint of Master Robert le Wayte of Chiriton,
that Alan, prior of Hamble; Ralph, prior of St.
Cross in the Isle of Wight; Brother Robert de
Andwell and Master Ralph de Mailings, with
others, broke three charters and a deed of
covenant at Andwell and Hamble. (fn. 4)
In 1331 a difference arose between the
prior of Hamble and the parishioners as to the
repairing the ruinous bell tower of the (parish)
church. The bishop appointed John de Erdesope to act as his commissioner in inquiring
into and settling the dispute. (fn. 5)
In May, 1334, Nicholas, abbot of Tiron,
had letters nominating Richard de Beaumont, prior of Hamble, and another his attorneys in England. (fn. 6)
Hamble affords an instance of the peculiar
use to which the incomes of alien priories
were occasionally put. In 1352 Edward III.
granted an annuity of ten marks to Agnes
Pore, nurse to his daughter Margaret, to be
paid yearly from the farm of the priory of
Hamble as long as the war with France
lasted, and when it was ended, by the exchequer. During the peace of 1360-8 Hamble was relieved of the pension, but at the
latter date, on the renewal of the war, the
priory had again to pay the ten marks. On
the accession of Richard II. this grant to
Agnes Pore and its payment by Hamble was
re-affirmed. (fn. 7)
The priory was vacant in 1375, and as the
abbot of Tiron neglected to present, the appointment lapsed to the bishop. Wykeham
collated William de Foxele, or Foxle, a monk
of Chertsey, to the priory on 10 August of
that year. (fn. 8) It has been suggested that the
new prior was possibly of the family of
Thomas Foxley of Bramshill, the constable
of Windsor Castle, under whom Wykeham
served in early life.
Before the youthful Richard had been a
month on the throne, a French expedition
harassed the English coast, and in August,
1377, did sad havoc in the Isle of Wight and
on much of the seaboard of the mainland.
The priory of Hamble, notwithstanding its
dependency on a French abbey, suffered much
from the burning and plunder of its possessions. Its grievous condition was brought
to the knowledge of the council, with the
result that the priory and its possessions
were ratified by privy seal to William Foxle,
the prior, and he was exempted during the
war from payment of any farm rent and
pardoned all arrears, to the intent that the
rents and profits should be spent on repairs. (fn. 9)
Prior William Foxle died on 31 May,
1386, and in the following August the king
granted the priory for their lives, without any
rent, during the continuance of the war, to
Sir Bernard Brocas, knight, and Tydeman the
monk. (fn. 10)
In 1391 the abbot of Tiron presented two
clerks, John Beck and John Kent, to the
bishop, and he admitted Beck to the priory
on 20 February.
The priory was however purchased by
Bishop Wykeham later in the same year from
the abbey of Tiron, to assist in the foundation of Winchester College. Particulars as to
its value have been given under Andwell.
Soon after Hamble came into the hands of
Winchester College, namely in 1401-2, the
large sum of £17 7s. 1d. was spent on the
church, chiefly in providing it with a new
roof. The manor was also furnished with
a new dovecot. In 1410-1 the bell tower
of the church was either entirely rebuilt, or
underwent very considerable repairs. In the
following year three new bells were provided
for this tower; they were cast by Richard
Brasier of Wickham, who was paid 40s. in
addition to the three old bells. (fn. 1)
In 1404 the French, though a nominal
truce existed, were making descents on our
shores. The college, mindful of the severe
losses of Hamble Priory from that cause in
1377, equipped a party of men and sent them
down to their newly-acquired possessions at
Hamble, but the expected foreigners did not
land. The entry in the college balance sheet
for that year includes a sum of £6 9s. under
the heading, Custus pro defensione patrie. (fn. 2)
In 1411 one Nicholas Diford, a copyholder of Meonstoke, came to the audit with
100 oysters in payment of his quit rent.
These doubtless came from Hamble, which
was formerly in high repute for its oysters.
The prior of Hamble used to render 20,000
oysters at mid-Lent to the monks of St.
Swithun as an acknowledgment for an annual
corrody of six gowns, six pairs of shoes, six pairs
of boots, together with twenty-one loaves and
forty-two flagons of ale weekly, which he and
his brethren received from that monastery.
After the property became vested in Winchester College, the corrody, valued at £10 yearly,
was made the endowment of Wykeham's
chantry in the cathedral church. (fn. 3)
Mr. Kirby is probably right in surmising
that this early corrody is an indication that
the monks of Hamble numbered six at the
time of its foundation. If that was the case,
the amount works out at half a loaf and one
flagon daily for each monk. The weekly
delivery of this food at Hamble must have
been a serious charge on the Winchester
house, though Bishop Lucy gave them the
advantage of water carriage all the way by
making the river Itchen navigable to Southampton.
Priors Of Hamble
Geoffrey, 1135
Alan, 1313
Richard de Florie
John de Estrepaniacho, (fn. 4) 1318-22
Richard de Beaumont, (fn. 5) 1322-45
James Pasquier, 1345
William de Monastery's (fn. 6)
William de Foxele, (fn. 7) 1375-86
John Beck, 1391