ALIEN HOUSES
37. PRIORY OF LINTON
In 1086 Count Alan of Brittany held Linton (fn. 1)
and an estate in Isleham. (fn. 2) According to the jurors
in the great inquest of 1279, the Abbot of St. Jacut
of the Isle in Brittany held in Great Isleham a
messuage with the chapel of St. Margaret and 100
acres of land 'by gift of an ancestor of Alan son
of Ferlant'; and also the tithes of the manors of
Isleham and of the demesnes of the Abbot of
Shrewsbury there. (fn. 3) The same abbot had the
church of Great Linton, with its endowment of
20 acres of land, by gift of a Count of Brittany; (fn. 4)
and there the abbot had eleven free tenants and
three bond. (fn. 5) The Isleham entry suggests a confused memory of Alan Fergant, (fn. 6) but whichever
of the counts gave the property to St. Jacut, the
gift was made before 1163, when Pope Alexander
III confirmed to the abbey the church of St.
Margaret of Isleham and the church of Linton. (fn. 7)
In 1291 the value of the property of the Prior of
Linton in Isleham was returned at £6 13s. 7½d., (fn. 8)
the rectory of Linton being then worth £20. (fn. 9)
These estates, being managed on behalf of the
abbey of St. Jacut by a resident monk, were known
as the Priory of Linton, or sometimes Isleham,
and were liable to be seized into the king's hands
during war with France, as for instance in 1324-5. (fn. 10) In 1337, at the opening of the Hundred
Years War, the Bretons were regarded as allies
and Linton was therefore not interfered with. (fn. 11)
Early in 1344, however, a writ was issued against
Roland, Prior of Linton, to pay to the king 10
marks of apport hitherto paid to the abbey of St.
Jacut, and 160 marks arrears. Bishop Montacute
replied that Roland had died 6 years before and
that John Lerawe, his fellow monk, had carried
off and alienated all his goods. (fn. 12) The exact position of affairs at this time is rather obscure. The
bishop had collated, by lapse, to the priory of
Linton on 17 March 1339 John de Berford, (fn. 13) and
in December of that year a return was made, that
John, Prior of Linton, is rector of Linton and
resides there, and the church is taxed at £20 and is
not worth more. (fn. 14) On 7 January 1341, however,
Richard Porty, Prior of Linton, had leave of
absence; (fn. 15) and on 21 May William Bourdet,
monk of St. Jacut, was admitted on the presentation of Abbot Eudes to the priory, void by the
resignation of 'John Porci'. (fn. 16) The priory and its
lands were committed to William Bourdet, with
William Talemache and Robert de Ketelstone,
chaplain, in December 1344, (fn. 17) and they were still
holding them in September 1348, when they were
ordered to pay their farm of 40 marks to William
Daubeney. (fn. 18) Bourdet seems to have died about
the end of 1354, as on 21 June 1355 Bishop Lisle
collated John Wittleseye, a monk of Thorney,
to the priory. (fn. 19) Early in 1357 Robert Renaut, a
monk of St. Jacut, appealed to the Pope stating
that his abbot had presented him to the priory of
Linton, vacant by the death of William Bourdet,
but that John Wittleseye had intruded himself
therein, (fn. 20) and on 25 May 1358 the papal commissary gave sentence in favour of Renaut. (fn. 21)
Nicholas Menfrey, monk of St. Jacut, was
admitted as prior in 1370, (fn. 22) and was granted
custody of the priory in 1377 at a farm of £20. (fn. 23)
He and John Daniel farmed it at £23 6s. 8d. in
1387 (fn. 24) and at £26 13s. 4d. in 1405. (fn. 25) No later
prior is recorded, and after the seizure into the
king's hands of the alien non-conventual priories (fn. 26)
custody of the priory of Linton was granted to
John Daniel and Nicholas Parys. (fn. 27) In February
1440 a grant was made to the Master and scholars
of Pembroke Hall of the reversion of the priory
estates on the conclusion of a lease for 10 years
which had been made in the previous July to
Henry Fylyngley and William Cotton. (fn. 28) The
college seems to have acquired this lease shortly
afterwards, (fn. 29) and in 1450 obtained the appropriation of the church or priory of Linton with its
endowments, which was confirmed by the Bishop
of Ely. (fn. 30)