17. THE PRIORY (fn. 1) OF BLACKMORE
This priory, which was dedicated to St.
Laurence, appears to have been founded by some
of the Sanford family, probably towards the end of
the twelfth century. In an undated deed, (fn. 2) early
in the reign of Henry III, the canons recite that
the late Alan de Sanford, son of their patron,
Sir John de Sanford, had elected to be buried in
their church near his forefathers, and his uncle,
Sir Gilbert Basset, had made grants to them in
memory of him, in return for which they grant
to Gilbert and his heirs the right of presenting
one canon to the house, to be called the Basset
canon. The advowson of the priory afterwards
passed by the marriage of Alice de Sanford,
granddaughter of Sir John, to the De Veres,
earls of Oxford.
The churches of Tyburn in Middlesex, Great
Hormead in Hertfordshire, Blackmore and
Margaretting were appropriated (fn. 3) to the priory,
and vicarages ordained by William de Sancta
Maria, bishop of London (1199-1221). The
church of Willingale Spain was similarly appropriated (fn. 4) in the time of Fulk Basset, bishop
(1242-59); but in 1398 the rectory was
restored, a pension of 40s. being reserved to the
priory. In 1248 they were also in possession of
the chapel of Copford; of which the history is
that Alfred Gernon formerly gave 15 acres of
land to a chaplain to celebrate divine service
daily in the chapel, but as the chaplain found
the endowment insufficient he gave up the land
and went away, and Alfred then made an
agreement with the prior of Blackmore, the latter
providing a chaplain and Alfred granting 24 acres
of land for his support. (fn. 5)
In the Taxation of 1291 the temporalities of
the priory were valued at £21 17s. 7½d. yearly.
This included £5 11s. 7d. in Blackmore,
£3 1s. 8d. in Willingale Doe, £2 17s. in
Broomfield, £2 6s. 6d. in Little Laver,
£2 5s. 0½d. in Margaretting, £1 5s. in Great
Hormead, £1 1s. 4d. in Shellow and £1 in
Layston in Hertfordshire. The remainder of
the possessions lay in Shenfield, Willingale
Andrew, Bobbingworth, Norton, Roxwell, High
Laver, Ingatestone, Standon and Ongar, and
Brent Pelham in Hertfordshire. A few licences
to acquire property in mortmain are recorded on
the Patent Rolls.
Henry III on 23 September, 1232, granted (fn. 6)
to the canons a fair at their house on the vigil,
the day and the morrow of St. Laurence
(10 August). A dispute appears to have arisen
between the prior and Gilbert de Sanford about
the site; and an agreement was come to at
Easter, 1234, by which, in return for other
grants, the prior granted to Gilbert a moiety of
all benefits arising from the fair, and also that
the fair should be kept every year by their
common bailiffs in the accustomed place, and if
that should be insufficient, then when the fair
increased the residue of the fair should be on the
land of Gilbert in the nearest and most suitable
place. At Midsummer, 1240, a further agreement was made, as the prior complained that
Gilbert had not observed the fine. (fn. 7)
In November, 1309, episcopal injunctions
were issued to this priory as the result of a
visitation. The prior and canons were enjoined
to be regular in their attendance at all the offices
night and day, to cease from strife and contentions, not to wander outside the precincts, to
receive no money for the purchase of clothes or
necessaries, and not to assign any of the church
ornaments of their house to the churches appropriated to them. There were a few other
injunctions of the usual character. With regard
to the cure of the parish church of Blackmore,
it was insisted that a fit priest should be at once
presented to the bishop for saying mass and the
canonical hours and otherwise ministering to the
parishioners. This last order was neglected, and
on 14 February, 1310, the bishop peremptorily ordered compliance within ten days. On
6 April, 1310, Nicholas, the prior, and
Walter de Chelmsford, one of the canons,
appeared before the bishop in London and entered
into a covenant with five of the parishioners of
Blackmore to present a parish vicar under a
penalty of 40s. (fn. 8)
The priory was dissolved (fn. 9) on 10 February,
1525, by John Alen, agent of Cardinal Wolsey;
its spiritualities being valued (fn. 10) at £41 13s. 4d.,
and its temporalities at £43 11s. 3d. yearly.
By inquisitions (fn. 11) taken on 8 August and
20 November it was found that there were at
the priory at the time of the suppression a prior
and three canons, who were transferred to other
places; and that its possessions included the
manors of Blackmore, Margaretting, Willingale,
Bowells and Bromfeld. A detailed list of the
debts of the house, amounting in all to £27
19s. 10d., is preserved, (fn. 12) and part of an inventory
of the goods of the church. In this Our Lady's
aisle is said to be 40 ft. in length and St. Peter's
aisle 52 ft.
Exactly a year after the suppression the priory
was granted (fn. 13) by Wolsey to his college at Oxford,
and three years later it was transferred (fn. 14) to his
second foundation at Ipswich. By his forfeiture
it came into the king's hands, and on I January,
1532, it was granted to the abbot and convent
of Waltham. (fn. 15)
Priors of Blackmore
Richard, (fn. 16) occurs 1204.
Roger. (fn. 17)
William, (fn. 18) occurs 1234, 1240, 1244.
John, (fn. 19) occurs 1248, 1253, 1268.
Nicholas, (fn. 20) occurs 1310.
James, occurs 1351. (fn. 21)
Walter Bumsted, died 1385. (fn. 22)
Stephen atte Broke, elected 1385, (fn. 23) died
1406. (fn. 24)
John Dawdre, elected 1406. (fn. 25)
William, occurs 1437. (fn. 26)
John Canone, resigned 1445. (fn. 27)
William Manypeny, collated 1445. (fn. 28)
Thomas Wold, occurs 1453, (fn. 29) 1456. (fn. 30)
Robert, occurs 1458. (fn. 31)
John Webbe, resigned 1476. (fn. 32)
Thomas Basset, collated 1476. (fn. 33)
Thomas Colyns, died 1513 (fn. 34) .
Thomas Goodwyn, collated 1513, (fn. 35) the
last (fn. 36) prior.
The seal (fn. 37) of the priory (about the middle of
the thirteenth century) is a pointed oval of yellow
wax measuring about 2½ in. by 1½ in., with the
lower part broken, representing St. Laurence
under a canopy. Legend:
SIGILL . VENT . KEMORA.