12. THE PRIORY OF MARMONT
In the early morning of 4 February 1188 St.
Gilbert, founder of the only English monastic
Order, died at Sempringham. (fn. 1) Among the great
number of persons whom he had influenced
during his long life was Maud, daughter and heir
of Richard de Dunwich and wife of Sir Ralph de
Hauvill who held Dunton, with Doughton and
Kettleston, in Norfolk by the serjeantry of keeping two of the king's falcons, (fn. 2) and had land in
Upwell in the Liberty of St. Etheldreda. (fn. 3) The
manor of the Bishops of Ely in Upwell extended
into Outwell in Norfolk and adjoined the de
Hauvill land which was also on both sides of the
river, the Cambridgeshire part being at once
within the Isle of Ely and in the Norwich deanery
of Fordham. (fn. 4)
On the night of the saint's death it is recorded
that Maud de Hauvill dreamt that she saw a great
company of angels bearing the souls of three of
the blessed to heaven, of whom one exceeded the
others in glory, and that he was Master Gilbert
of Sempringham. (fn. 5) It was not, however, until
nearly 15 years later that Ralph de Hauvill
founded on his land in Upwell a small priory or
chantry of three priests of the Gilbertine Order
for the souls of himself and his wife. The endowment, which was confirmed by King John on
9 May 1204, (fn. 6) consisted of all the lands of Ralph
and Maud on both sides of the water in Welles,
with all their buildings and franchises there,
together with the bodies of the founders. The
Order was to build a house for their three canons
at Ralph's expense, and their only service was to
be the payment of 5s. a year as rent, and the
reservation of Hauvill's right and that of his heirs
to pasture 60 head of cattle with the canons'
beasts. The king in confirming the gift stipulated
that the canons were to say mass daily in the
parish church—apparently they had no conventual chapel—for the soul of his mother, Eleanor
of Aquitaine.
With his lands in Upwell and Outwell de
Hauvil gave for the maintenance of the new
house the church of Dunton, with its chapel at
Doughton, and Kettleston Church in the diocese
of Norwich, with Haconby Church in that of
Lincoln, not far from Sempringham itself. Sir
Thomas Hauvill, his son and heir, is said to have
confirmed all his father's gifts and to have given
the canons four couple of swans, with permission
to pasture four mares and foals. (fn. 7) But the founder's
grant seems to have been only partially effective,
as there is no evidence that the canons ever had
Kettleston or Haconby Church. That of Dunton, however, is noted in 1291 as appropriated to
the priory and valued at £10, (fn. 8) the temporalities of
the priory at that time being £11 in Upwell (fn. 9) and
£4 10s. in Walsoken. (fn. 10) The canons do not appear
to have had the advowson of the vicarage at
Dunton. (fn. 11) By 1535 the value of Dunton rectory
had fallen to 50s. and the total income of the
priory was only £10 16s., of which £7 came from
their Cambridgeshire manor of Upwell. (fn. 12) At that
time, the commissioners note that Marmont is a
cell to the priory of Watton in Yorkshire, but that
as it has its own communal seal they have valued
it separately. (fn. 13) There is no other evidence of this
connexion; but the whole history of this little
house is involved in obscurity.
The commissioners appointed in 1536 to survey the religious houses were instructed, if there
were any Gilbertine houses in their county, 'to
order the governors to appear before the Chancellor of the Augmentations at Westminster to
learn the King's pleasure'. (fn. 14) Under Norfolk the
commissioners reported that 'the monastery of
Shuldeham and the Priory of Marmonde ben of
thordre of Gylberdynes, who hath lykewyse commandement by privy seale to appere before you
opon sight of the same', (fn. 15) but there is no known
record of any Gilbertine prior having so appeared.
On 14 October 1538 Roger, (fn. 16) Prior of Marmont, surrendered his house to Dr. Legh, with
William Cristall, his only canon. (fn. 17) There had
been no resistance from Gilbertine heads of houses
and all were pensioned, but the Prior of Marmont,
here styled Roger Walker, received, as was
natural for so small and poor a priory, the
smallest pension of all, only £2 13s. 4d., William
Cristall receiving 40s. (fn. 18)