HOUSE OF BENEDICTINE NUNS
1. THE PRIORY OF LANGLEY
Langley Nunnery was founded by William
Pantulf and his wife Burgia, about the middle
of the 12th century. (fn. 1) William Pantulf endowed the priory with the Leicestershire
churches of Somerby (fn. 2) and Little Dalby, (fn. 3) and
with lands at Somerby, Little Dalby, Langley,
and Tonge. Burgia gave lands at Kettleby, and
tithes at Tonge and Wilson. (fn. 4) The priory also
received, before 1205, (fn. 5) gifts from other donors of
property at Diseworth, Prestwold, Somerby,
Burrough, Long Whatton, and Nottingham. (fn. 6)
Before 1220 the nuns had acquired the advowson
of Diseworth (Leics.), which was appropriated
with the consent of Bishop Hugh de Welles. (fn. 7)
During the 13th century Langley received further
numerous gifts of land at Diseworth. (fn. 8) In 1291
the priory's temporalities in Leicestershire and
Nottinghamshire were assessed at £20. 0s. 9d. (fn. 9)
The claim of Langley's mother house, (fn. 10) Farewell Priory, to exercise a measure of control over
Langley led to disputes between the two nunneries. By an agreement concluded in the early
13th century it was provided that the Prioress of
Farewell should have the right to participate in
the election of prioresses at Langley, while in return the nuns of Farewell renounced their other
claims on Langley. (fn. 11) The quarrel was subsequently resumed, but in 1248 peace was again
established by an arrangement under which
Langley agreed to pay the sum of 4 marks to Farewell. (fn. 12) Farewell seems to have been a Benedictine
house, (fn. 13) but in the 12th century, at least, the
nuns of Langley claimed that their lands were
exempt from tithe in accordance with the privileges of the Cistercian Order. As Langley lay
within the parish of Breedon, these claims led to
disputes between the nuns and the canons of
Breedon Priory, to which Breedon parish church
was appropriated. (fn. 14) A document of Pope
Alexander III specifically refers to the nuns as
Cistercian, and although the nuns' claim to belong
to that Order was disputed by the Prior of Breedon,
papal judges delegate decided in favour of
Langley. (fn. 15) The nuns, however, were unable to
maintain their claim to the exemption of their
possessions from tithe. A later decision by judges
delegate provided that the nuns were to pay tithes
to Breedon Priory for a carucate of land held and
cultivated by them within Breedon parish, though
some of their other possessions in the parish were
to be free from tithes. (fn. 16) An agreement of 1229
between Langley and Breedon Priory laid down
that the nuns should give to Breedon a toft, an
acre of land, and 7 marks in money, in return for
the exemption from tithe of all the lands they
held in Breedon parish. (fn. 17) In the late 13th century
it was agreed that the nuns were to pay 2s. yearly
to the canons in composition for tithes from their
lands in the parish, and for some other matters,
and in 1429 another agreement provided that the
nuns should similarly pay 4s. 6d. a year. (fn. 18) It
therefore seems that the nuns were forced to
abandon their claims to Cistercian privileges in
connexion with tithe exemption. In the later
Middle Ages Langley is mentioned as a Benedictine house. (fn. 19)
Nothing is known of the internal affairs of the
house before the 14th century. When Bishop
Gynewell visited Langley about 1354 he found
the house in good order, and occupied by twelve
nuns, but the priory's lands were then barren for
lack of cultivation, probably owing to the pestilence. (fn. 20) In 1440 the priory was visited by Bishop
Alnwick. (fn. 21) There were then eight nuns in the,
house, including the prioress. The priory's
revenues had been greatly reduced and it was £50
in debt, so that the convent only supplied the nuns
with food and drink, with nothing for their raiment, and not even fuel was provided for them.
The nuns maintained separate households in pairs,
but ate in the frater daily. A lay boarder, Lady
Audely, was the cause of some disturbance, and
secular women or girls slept in the nuns' dorter.
No serious faults were revealed, though some of
the nuns dressed in a way rather unsuitable for
religious. It is, however, obvious that the priory
was very poor. Its rents were said to be worth only
£20 annually, although besides this revenue some
lands were evidently being cultivated on behalf of
the nuns. (fn. 22)
An inventory of 1485 gives a list of the books,
vestments, and fittings in the priory church. It
shows that the priory's relics then included a piece
of the Holy Cross. (fn. 23) In 1518 the priory was
visited by the bishop's commissary. Some minor
faults on the part of several nuns were noted, and
the prioress was warned to render account to her
sisters yearly, but there were no serious abuses. (fn. 24)
In 1535 the priory's clear yearly income was
assessed at £29. 7s. 4½d. Its possessions at that
date included the appropriated rectories of Dalby
and Somerby. (fn. 25) The appropriated rectory of
Diseworth probably also remained in the possession of the priory until the Dissolution. (fn. 26) It was
reported in June 1536 that the priory, which
was dedicated to God and to the Blessed Virgin,
contained six nuns besides the prioress, who was
very old and impotent. All the nuns desired to
continue in religion, and all were virtuous, though
one was over 80 and another was feeble-minded.
There was a priest attached to the nunnery, and
the lay servants consisted of ten men and four
women. The priory was small and old but in good
repair. (fn. 27) Langley was presumably dissolved with
the other small religious houses in 1536, (fn. 28) though
there is no record of the exact circumstances of its
suppression. (fn. 29) The First Minister's Account
shows a total gross revenue of £47. 4s. 2½d., and
a net revenue of £42. 10s. 8½d. (fn. 30)
Prioresses of Langley
Rose, occurs 1229. (fn. 31)
Burgia, elected 1229-30. (fn. 32)
Isabel of Leicester, elected 1236-7, (fn. 33) occurs
1265. (fn. 34)
Juliane of Winchester, appointed 1269. (fn. 35)
Alice of Tatyrsal, occurs 1275, (fn. 36) died 12756. (fn. 37)
Margaret of Leicester, elected 1276, (fn. 38) occurs
1278-9. (fn. 39)
Christine of Winchester, occurs 1284, (fn. 40) resigned 1294-5. (fn. 41)
Amice de Burgh, confirmed 1295, (fn. 42) died
1302. (fn. 43)
Alice Giffard, elected 1302. (fn. 44)
Elizabeth of Caldwell, elected 1306, (fn. 45) occurs
to 1332. (fn. 46)
Joan of Outheby, occurs from 1333 (fn. 47) to
1336. (fn. 48)
Matanye, (fn. 49) occurs 1350. (fn. 50)
Maud, (fn. 49) occurs 1355. (fn. 51)
Margaret de Sulveye, (fn. 49) occurs 1355 to 1374. (fn. 52)
Margaret Salhowe, occurs 1430. (fn. 53)
Margaret Pole, occurs 1441, (fn. 54) resigned
1447-8. (fn. 55)
Margaret Bellairs, elected 1447-8, (fn. 56) resigned
1485. (fn. 57)
Anne Shafton, elected 1485. (fn. 58)
Dulcia Bothe, occurs from 1507 (fn. 59) to 1535. (fn. 60)
A 12th-century seal (fn. 61) of the priory, a pointed
oval measuring 1⅞ by 1⅛ in., shows the Virgin
Mary seated on a throne, holding the Child on her
lap. The legend runs:
SIGILLUM SANCTE MARIE DE LANGELEIA
A 13th-century seal of the same shape, (fn. 62) 1¼ by
¾ in., shows the seated figure of the Virgin with
the Child on her lap, and bears the legend:
AVE MARIA GRACIA [ ?] PL . . .
A larger seal (fn. 63) of the same shape, measuring
2⅛ by 1¾ in. and belonging to the 15th century,
shows the same design, but with the addition of
the kneeling figure of a nun in the base of the seal.
The legend is:
SIGILL' PRIORISSE ET C. . . . BEATE MARIE DE
LANGLEY