18. THE PRIORY OF ST. BOTOLPH, COLCHESTER
The early history of the priory (fn. 1) of St. Julian
and St. Botolph, Colchester, the first of the
Augustinian houses in England, is told (fn. 2) in the
register of Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate. A
Kentishman called Norman studied under Anselm
in France, and on his return to England came to
Colchester and joined certain priests congregated
in the church of St. Botolph. These while he
was there unanimously resolved to join a religious
order; and Ainulf, their head, asked his advice
on the matter. Norman suggested the Augustinian order, then unknown in England, and
recommended that two of their number should
be sent abroad to learn the rule. Ainulf and his
fellows approved of this and sent him to Anselm,
then archbishop of Canterbury, who gave him a
letter of recommendation to the abbot of Mont
St. Elois. Norman accordingly crossed the sea,
taking with him a companion, carefully learned
the rule in all its details, first at Chartres and
afterwards at Beauvais, and returned to teach it
at Colchester. In 1108, with the permission of
Prior Ainulf, he left Colchester to become the first
prior of Holy Trinity.
It thus appears that the Augustinian settlement
at St. Botolph's was not a new foundation, but a
voluntary transformation of a secular into a
religious establishment, somewhat resembling the
forced change at Waltham in 1177. The date
of this can be placed within narrow limits.
William II granted to the canons a charter of
protection, and consequently it must have been
before his death in 1100; but, on the other
hand, it was later than the consecration of
Anselm in 1093. The church was both
parochial and conventual until the dissolution.
Pope Paschal II in August, 1116, granted
to the canons a bull (fn. 3) conferring great privileges,
which can hardly, however, have had much
effect. As they were the first of the order in
England, they were always to be held first in
dignity, and to have authority over all houses
which were to be ruled by the form of their life
and institutions. The church of Holy Trinity,
London, commended to them by Queen Maud,
was to be obedient to them. They were to be
free from the jurisdiction of any person, secular
or ecclesiastical; and on the death of Ainulf
or any of his successors a new head was to be
elected by the majority of the brethren and
presented to the bishop of London for consecration with special powers; or, if this could not be
done, to anyone else. The claim of Colchester
to authority over Holy Trinity was disputed by
the latter house, and after a suit before arbitrators
appointed by Pope Honorius III the matter was
referred by the parties to the bishop of London,
who decided (fn. 4) in 1223 that Holy Trinity should
be free from visitation.
Henry I granted to the canons the tithes of
his demesne at Hatfield. This led later to disputes with the priory of Hatfield Regis, until an
agreement was come to in 1194. (fn. 5) The same
king also granted to them a third of the mill called
'Midelmeln,' under the castle of Colchester, (fn. 6)
and confirmed the grants made by Hugh FitzStephen, under the condition that they should
supply him when on any expedition into Wales
with a horse worth 5s., a sack and a pike; and
by other charters he confirmed the grants made
by Count Eustace of Boulogne and others, and
granted liberties. Stephen and Henry II also
granted charters of confirmation. Richard I on
4 December, 1189, granted a long charter, in
which he extended the list of liberties and confirmed their possessions in detail, these including
the churches of Gamlingay (Cambridgeshire),
Layer de la Hay and Mark's Tey. These and
other charters were confirmed by Henry IV in
1400, (fn. 7) and by Henry VI in 1427. (fn. 8)
The temporalities of the priory were valued
in the Taxation of 1291 at £42 16s. 5½d. yearly,
the principal items being £18 1s. 10d. in Colchester, £6 2s. 6d. in Layer de la Hay, £5 6s. 8d.
in Gamlingay, £3 in Colne Engaine and
£2 17s. 4d. in Ardleigh; and it also owned
spiritualities worth £10 15s. 4d. in Hatfield
Regis, Witham, Boxted and Frating in Essex,
and Reydon in Suffolk. The church of St. Peter,
Colchester, was appropriated to the priory in
1318, (fn. 9) and that of Chigwell in 1440; and the
advowsons of the rectories of All Saints, St. James,
St. Martin and Mile End, Colchester, and Frating belonged to it. The church of Gamlingay,
which has already been mentioned, was surrendered (fn. 10) in 1415 to Merton College, Oxford.
The stock of the priory at Colchester at
Michaelmas, 1295, was valued (fn. 11) for the taxation
of a seventh granted to Edward I, and was found
to consist of 4 quarters of rye, 12 quarters of
barley, 8 quarters of oats, 4 plough cattle, 4 oxen,
a bull, 6 cows, 32 sheep and 7 lambs, worth
altogether £10 12s. 6d. A similar valuation (fn. 12)
taken five years later amounted to £6 19s. 8d.
In return for benefactions by Master Simon de
Eylondia, Prior Simon and the convent bound
themselves in 1281 (fn. 13) to maintain for ever an
additional canon, to be nominated by him and
his assigns, to celebrate divine service daily at
the altar of St. Thomas in their church for his
soul and the souls of Robert and Cecily his
parents. This agreement was confirmed by the
bishop and by the dean and chapter of St. Paul's.
Master Simon afterwards granted additional rents
and tenements, from which he assigned half a
mark for the vesture of the canon, 3s. for the
pittance of the convent, and 2s. 6d. for the
maintenance of thirty poor men on his anniversary, and the remainder for the maintenance of
the altar. In 1296 he assigned the nomination
of the canon to the abbot of Colchester. A fresh
agreement, with the necessary alterations and in
greater detail, was afterwards drawn up by Prior
John de Colum, and ordered to be read yearly in
chapter by the prior, sub-prior and sacrist. The
prior and convent undertook (fn. 14) in 1406 to find a
canon to celebrate divine service daily in the
chapel of St. Katharine, within the conventual
church, for the soul of William Colchester, abbot
of Westminster, after his death, and the souls of
his father and mother; and also to celebrate his
anniversary with chant and solemn tolling of bells
in the conventual church and the parish church
of St. Nicholas, Colchester. They were to pay
6d. weekly to the canon, and distribute 26s. 8d.
on the day of the anniversary between the rector
of St. Nicholas, the ministers and officers of the
two churches, the poor and the prisoners in the
castle of Colchester, and keep the tombs of the
abbot's parents in repair. In any case of failure
to keep this agreement, they were to pay to the
abbot or his successors a rent of £10, leviable
on their manors of Layer de la Hay, Peldon and
Abberton.
In the middle of the fourteenth century a
serious riot took place between the priory and
St. John's Abbey. The abbot and convent complained to the pope that prior John, with John
Noreys and Thomas de Gipwico, two of his
canons, and several laymen attacked one of the
monks with sword and dagger and blockaded
them in the abbey, and also instigated a third
canon and some laymen to enter the abbey and
injure the abbot and convent. Pope Urban V
on 1 July, 1363, ordered (fn. 15) the archbishop of
Canterbury, if the facts were as stated, to publicly
excommunicate the offenders. It seems probable
that this riot arose out of disputes about the
church of St. Peter and other matters in Colchester and Layer de la Hay, which were
amicably settled (fn. 16) in the next year.
In 1380 the prior and canons complained to
the king that several people pretending to be
their attorneys and proctors had collected money
by means of forged letters in their name, and the
king gave orders (fn. 17) for the offenders to be arrested
and sent to Newgate gaol, and the forged letters
delivered to the archbishop of Canterbury.
Pope Martin V on 20 February, 1421,
granted relaxation of penance to penitents who
on the feast of St. Denis should visit and give
alms for the conservation and repair of the
priory, which was founded and sufficiently endowed for a prior and twelve canons, but had
been impoverished. (fn. 18)
Prior John Depyng was made abbot of
St. Osyth's in 1434, and with the consent of the
convent he took with him goods of considerable
value belonging to the priory. These he never
returned, and after his death the priory brought a
suit (fn. 19) in Chancery for their recovery, though it
seems very doubtful whether they were successful.
Early in 1534 the prior and seven canons,
Robert Bawde, Richard Parker, William Shyrwyn,
John Garrard, John Gyppys, Robert Rand and
William Patche, took the oath of fealty under
the Act of Succession. (fn. 20)
The priory was returned in the Valor as being
worth £113 12s. 8d. yearly, and was consequently dissolved in accordance with the Act of
1536. On 26 May in that year it was granted (fn. 21)
with all its possessions, including the manors of
Blindknights, Canwikes and Dilbridge, to Sir
Thomas Audeley. The whole, with a rent of
10 marks out of the manor of Blindknights,
formerly paid by the prior to the priory of
Woodbridge, in Suffolk, was stated to be of the
yearly value of £134 3s. 4d., and was to be
held at a rent of £13 8s. 4d. yearly. Audeley
had licence (fn. 22) on 12 September, 1540, to grant
the site of the priory to John Golder and
Anastasia his wife.
Priors of St. Botolph's, Colchester
Ainulf or Eynulph, the first (fn. 23) prior, occurs
1116. (fn. 23)
John, occurs 1145. (fn. 24)
Henry, (fn. 25) occurs 1205, 1206.
Robert, (fn. 26) occurs 1222.
Hasculph, (fn. 27) occurs 1224, 1235, 2240.
John, occurs 1246, (fn. 28) 1259. (fn. 29)
Simon, (fn. 30) occurs 1281.
Richard, occurs 1290, (fn. 31) 1295. (fn. 32)
John de Colum. (fn. 33)
Richard le Brom, occurs 1323. (fn. 34)
John, occurs 1326, (fn. 35) 1338. (fn. 36)
Thomas Sakkot, (fn. 37) died 1361.
John, occurs 1363, (fn. 38) 1364. (fn. 39)
John Neylond, occurs 1374, (fn. 40) 1384, (fn. 41) resigned 1391. (fn. 42)
John Okham, elected 1391, (fn. 43) resigned
1393. (fn. 44)
William Westbrome, elected 1393, (fn. 45) occurs
1412. (fn. 40)
William Colchester, occurs 1416. (fn. 40)
John Depyng, occurs 1424, (fn. 46) resigned
1434. (fn. 47)
John, occurs 1437. (fn. 48)
Thomas Colman, occurs 1450. (fn. 49)
John Wardhous, occurs 1457. (fn. 40)
John Flyngaunt, occurs 1462. (fn. 40)
John Stampe, occurs 1497. (fn. 41)
William, occurs 1514. (fn. 40)
William Gooche, died 1527. (fn. 50)
Thomas Turner, elected 1527, (fn. 51) the last
prior. (fn. 52)
The seal (fn. 53) of the priory (1298) is a pointed
oval of yellow brown wax, 2½ in. by 1¾ in.,
representing Christ seated blessing two figures,
one on the right a bishop (St. Julian), and the
other on the left an abbot (St. Botolph).
Legend:—
SIGILL' ECCLESIE SANCTI . . . LFI DE COLECESTR'