12. THE PRIORY OF CANONS ASHBY
A priory of Austin canons dedicated to the
honour of the Blessed Virgin was founded here in
the reign of Henry II. by Stephen de Leye, lord of
the manor. He bestowed on the new foundation
the church of Ashby with four virgates of land,
together with a fish pond and mill, 'Rudemede,'
the enclosure of 'Segeho,' 26 acres in Ashby
field, and houses and crofts as far as the principal
gate, half the church of Podington in Bedfordshire, and all the tithes of his court. By another
deed he gave for the soul of his father half a hide
of land near the church of Ashby, in confirmation of which he laid his sword upon the altar
of the parish church, calling on all the parish to
witness the donation, and by a third deed he
gave all the church of Podington and 7s. from
the mill of 'Snelston' (Bedfordshire). (fn. 1)
Various further benefactions were added to
the endowment by the family of the founder,
the most important of these being the church of
Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, by Hugh his eldest son,
and the dovecot of Podington and other grants
by Anna, widow of Bartholomew de Leye, son
of Hugh, for the maintenance of a lamp to burn
perpetually in the chapel of St. Bartholomew
where their bodies rested. (fn. 2) Bartholomew de
Leye himself by an early thirteenth-century will
left his body to be buried in the church of
St. Mary, Canons Ashby, and bequeathed to the
canons his piebald horse and his tawny horse to
be used in their horse mill. (fn. 3) From the Pateshull
family they acquired lands at Bolnhurst, and the
church of Puttenham, Hertfordshire, from the
Wale family. (fn. 4) Nicholas, archdeacon of Huntingdon, 1155-1184, at the presentation of Richard son of Galo instituted the prior and canons of
Ashby as parson of the church of Puttenham in
the presence of Richard, parson of the same
church; the said Richard was to pay 12d. yearly
to the canons in the name of the said canons. (fn. 5)
This is an early instance of a quasi-appropriation. By an undated charter of warranty Robert
son of Ralph de Everdon granted to the prior
and canons the mill of Cotes in perpetuity according to the tenor of a charter of his father. (fn. 6)
In 1282 Elias the prior of Ashby entered into
an agreement with Beatrice, prioress of Sewardsley, Thomas Wale, lord of Eydon, Sir
Henry, rector of the same, and other free tenants,
to the effect that the prior and prioress should
enjoy common pasture in the east field of Eydon
in fallow time, and Thomas Wale and his free
tenants the same in the west field. (fn. 7) In the year
1285 William St. John released certain lands in
Plumpton and Blackwell to Prior Elias and his
convent on condition that they should celebrate
the anniversaries of himself and his wife. (fn. 8)
Bishop Dalderby in 1309 sanctioned the
appropriation of the church of Moreton Pinkney
of their advowson to the priory, a royal licence
for the same having been obtained the previous
year, (fn. 9) on the ground that the house was situated
next to the highway used by clerks and others
going to Oxford to study, as well as by noblemen, so that there was a heavy demand on the
hospitality of the canons. (fn. 10) The diocesan a few
years previously, in 1304, granted an indulgence
to further the building and repair of the fabric
and bell tower of their church. (fn. 11) The dispute
between Prior Adam of Canons Ashby and Roger
de Mussynden relative to the advowson of the
church of Culworth was settled in 1325 by an
arrangement whereby Roger was to have the
presentation on the present occasion, but all
future presentations should be in the hands of
the prior. (fn. 12) The appropriation of the church of
Culworth to the priory was sanctioned by the
diocesan in 1342. (fn. 13)
The Norwich Taxation of 1254 gave the
annual value of the spiritualities of the priory,
including the churches of Canons Ashby, Culworth, and Moreton Pinkney, at £37 6s. 8d.,
and the temporalities, situated in Ashby, Plumpton, and Litchborough, at £17 16s. 4½d. (fn. 14) In
1329, when Walter de Neyrnuit was appointed
prior, an inventory was drawn up of the goods
in the houses and at the manors belonging to the
canons at Adstone, Moreton Pinkney, and Podington. Details are given of the three granges
at Ashby, including eight horses with four carts,
and nine ploughs with twenty-six oxen, of the
sheepcote, the mill worked by four horses, of
which three were old, and of the carpenter's shop
near the granary, the smithy, the bakehouse, the
brewhouse, the cellar, the furnace kitchen, and
the great kitchen. (fn. 15)
There is little information as to the internal
condition of this house. Bishop Burghersh in
1322 sent a mandate to the prior for the readmission of a canon who had left the monastery,
but now sought leave to return as a penitent. (fn. 16)
On 21 March, 1389, Walter Gibbes, clerk,
commissary-general of the archbishop of Canterbury for the visitation of the clergy, laity, and
religious foundations of the Lincoln diocese, came
to visit the priory of Canons Ashby. While
there he issued a certificate that the prioress and
convent of the neighbouring house of Catesby
rightfully possessed the parish churches of Catesby
and Ashby. (fn. 17) Bishop Gray, 1431-6, made a
visitation of the house in the first half of the
fifteenth century. He afterwards issued the
formal injunctions usually enjoined on Austin
houses, but added in addition that the prior was
forbidden to consort with three women whose
names he gave out; parents, brothers, and relatives
of the inmates living near at hand had caused grave
dissension. Thomas Walsingham was not to be
removed from the office of sub-prior without the
bishop's leave. (fn. 18)
The acknowledgement of the king's supremacy
was signed on 13 August, 1534, by Richard
Randall, prior, Richard Colles, sub-prior, and ten
other canons. (fn. 19) Richard Randall resigned in
October of the same year, and the convent
petitioned for licence to elect. (fn. 20) Richard Colles,
the former sub-prior, is entered as prior in the
Valor of 1535, which gives the priory a clear
annual income of £109 0s. 4¾d. (fn. 21) The house
was suppressed the following year among the
lesser monasteries. (fn. 22) The report of the commissioner who visited in 1535 stated that the house
was £160 in debt by the preferment of the late
prior, that the present head, though unlearned,
was disposed to do well, and had a learned and
religious sub-prior under him. (fn. 23) The house and
site were granted in 1537 to Sir Francis Bryan
for £790 3s. 4d., but licence to alienate the same
to John Cope was granted the following year. (fn. 24)
When the house was spoiled the commissioners made special mention of a suit of vestments of cloth of silver, with fleur-de-lys and
angels worked on it, which was delivered to
Thomas Typlady, of London, embroiderer, in
discharge of a debt of the said priory for £30. (fn. 25)
Priors of Canons Ashby
William (fn. 26) occurs during reign of Henry II.
Alexander (fn. 27) occurs during reign of John
Hugh (fn. 28) occurs 1214
Griffin of Eketon (fn. 29) instituted 1226
Geoffrey (fn. 30) occurs 1236 and 1244
Adam (fn. 31) occurs 1253 and 1261
Osbert (fn. 32)
Elias of Chalcombe (fn. 33) instituted 1272, died
1294
Robert of Wardington (fn. 34) instituted 1294, resigned 1311
Robert Lovel (fn. 35) instituted 1311, died 1319
John of Dodford (fn. 36) instituted 1319
Robert of Gavecote (fn. 37) instituted 1320-1, resigned 1323
Adam of Buckingham (fn. 38) instituted 1323
Walter de Neyrnuit (fn. 39) instituted 1329, died
1344
Thomas of Higham (fn. 40) instituted 1344, died
1349
Robert of Ashby (fn. 41) instituted 1341
John Burton (fn. 42) occurs 1417
William Coleworth (fn. 43) occurs 1434
John Nantwich (fn. 44) occurs 1441
Thomas Boteler (fn. 45) occurs 1448
Thomas Greenway (fn. 46) occurs 1500
Richard Randall (fn. 47) occurs 1534, resigned 1534
Richard Colles (fn. 48) occurs 1535
A pointed oval sulphur cast (fn. 49) of the original
twelfth-century seal shows the Blessed Virgin
seated on a throne, with nimbus, the Holy Child
on her lap, in her right hand a sceptre fleur-de-lizé.
Legend : SIGILLVM . SANCTE . MARIE . DE .
ESSEBI:
An imperfect later fourteeth-century seal with
the Virgin seated and the Holy Child on her
knee is given in Dugdale. (fn. 50)
There is also a fourteenth-century pointed
oval seal ad causas, of which there is a cast at
the British Museum, (fn. 51) which represents the Blessed
Virgin with crown, the Holy Child on the left
arm, standing on a shield of arms; very imperfect. On the right the prior kneeling with
uplifted hands in prayer, on the left a tree. In
field above on the right a crescent and estoile of
six points.
Legend defective : . . . ORIS . DE . AS . . .
CORVM . AD . . . .