2. THE PRIORY OF MORVILLE
Morville church was originally a Saxon minster
served by eight canons. After 1071 Roger, Earl of
Shrewsbury, granted some of the prebends to his
chaplains but between 1083 and 1086 he granted
the whole church, with the reversion of the prebends,
to Shrewsbury Abbey. (fn. 1) A new parish church was
built and dedicated in 1118. (fn. 2) In or shortly after 1138,
when the abbot applied for permission to appropriate the church, the Bishop of Hereford gave his
approval on condition that the monks undertook
responsibility for the service of the church and the
provision of hospitality. (fn. 3) The chancel was enlarged
in the later 12th century to provide for the needs of
the monks. (fn. 4) The revenues from the extensive parish
included, c. 1138, pensions from dependent chapels
at Astley Abbots, Oldbury, and Tasley. The chapel
at Astley Abbots, consecrated shortly afterwards,
was appropriated c. 1219 to improve the hospitality
of the priory. (fn. 5) The chapel of Aston Eyre, built and
endowed by the lay lord of that manor at about the
same time as Astley Abbots, was appropriated in the
later 12th century. (fn. 6)
Morville was never more than a cell of Shrewsbury; the priors were dative and all revenues were
the property of the abbey, though an occasional
small rent might be specially allocated by a donor to
the lighting or other needs of Morville church. (fn. 7)
The house was able to provide lodging for the
Bishop of Hereford, on his journeys round the
diocese, at his own expense. (fn. 8) Numbers may never
have been more than two or three; in 1372 the
'prior of Morville' seems to have been living alone,
as the abbot's representative, collecting tithes and
other dues and appointing dependent chaplains. (fn. 9)
There was certainly only one monk, styled prior, at
Morville in 1518 and 1521. (fn. 10) When Richard
Marshall, Abbot of Shrewsbury, resigned in 1529
he was given the revenues of the priory to provide
£30 of his pension of £40. (fn. 11) He was living there as
prior at the Dissolution, when he was granted the
priory for life. (fn. 12) In 1545, when the reversion was
granted to John Dudley, Viscount Lisle, (fn. 13) its
income was put at £30 0s. 9d. and its expenses,
including salaries of the chaplains of Morville and
Aston Eyre, were £13 9s. 10¼d. (fn. 14) The cell or grange
itself was 'in a state of utter ruin' and the prior, who
survived until 1558, seems to have lived elsewhere;
by 1546 the site was occupied by Roger Smyth. (fn. 15)
A tradition that fragments of the cell are incorporated in Morville Hall appears to be unfounded,
although 12th-century stones have been re-used in
its walls. (fn. 16)
Priors Of Morville
John, occurs 1220. (fn. 17)
John Wallensis, occurs 1253. (fn. 18)
John Perle, occurs 1353. (fn. 19)
Walter, occurs 1364. (fn. 20)
William Ball, occurs 1450. (fn. 21)
John Coly, occurs c. 1480. (fn. 22)
William Gough, occurs 1518, 1521. (fn. 23)
Richard Broughton, occurs before 1529. (fn. 24)
Richard Marshall alias Baker, appointed 1529,
surrendered 1540. (fn. 25)
No common seal.