House Of Benedictine Nuns
1. THE PRIORY OF STRATFORD AT BOW (fn. 1)
The priory of St. Leonard, Stratford at Bow, first
mentioned in 1122, (fn. 2) was a house of Benedictine
nuns. (fn. 3) In the 16th century the nuns accepted a
tradition (fn. 4) that the house had been founded by a
Bishop of London, who was, according to Leland,
William, Bishop of London 1051-75. (fn. 5) Leland also
suggests that William Roscelin granted an estate in
Bromley to the nuns, (fn. 6) in which case Roscelin may
be regarded as co-founder of the house. It would
appear more probable that the founder of the priory
was Maurice, Bishop of London 1086-1107, or
Richard de Belmeis I (1108-27). No manor attributable to this house occurs in Domesday, but a
5-hide manor of Bromley is mentioned in the Middlesex Hidage post 1096. (fn. 7) Since the foundation almost
certainly included land nearby and since this
Bromley manor is not attributed specifically to any
other holder, it is a fair inference that it was the
nuns' manor. Comparison with the Domesday
Survey suggests that this manor included 2 hides
which in 1086 belonged to the Bishop of London's
manor of Stepney and three hides which were held
by Robert, son of Roscelin.
The priory stood near the banks of the Lea. The
chapel of St. Mary in the priory church served as
the parish church for the parish of St. Leonard,
Bromley, and its site is indicated today by a small
park lying about 200 yards south of Bow Bridge.
The priory lay to the south of the church. (fn. 8)
In 1535 the priory was worth £121 a year and had
possessions in Middlesex, London, Surrey, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent, and Hertfordshire. (fn. 9) In
Middlesex the nuns had the manor of Bromley, to
which part of East Smithfield belonged. This
property included at least two water-mills on the
Lea. (fn. 10) From the end of the 12th century the nuns
held the advowson of Islington church. (fn. 11) In London
the priory held various tenements, devised by
citizens, in Ivy Lane, (fn. 12) Candlewick Street, (fn. 13) the
parish of St. Antholin, (fn. 14) and the parish of St.
Benet Sherehog. (fn. 15) In Surrey the nuns held houses,
shops, and tenements in Southwark, devised in
1350 by a royal clerk to support a chaplain in the
chapel of St. Mary in the priory church, (fn. 16) and a
number of other small properties and rents. (fn. 17) In
Cambridgeshire they held the manor of Haslingfield, given to them by Christine de Sumeri and
her sons, and confirmed by King Stephen. (fn. 18) It was
held in free alms. (fn. 19) Property in Cambridge itself,
which had been acquired by St. Leonard's in the
14th century, (fn. 20) had been alienated before the Dissolution. In Essex the priory had lands and rents in
Great Oakley, Lambourne, Corringham, Ilford, (fn. 21)
and West Ham (acquired in the 13th century), (fn. 22)
a portion of the tithes of Wethersfield, (fn. 23) and the
rectories of Buttsbury, Berners Roding, and Norton
Mandeville, (fn. 24) the last by the gift, made before 1188,
of Galiena Dammartin and her son Bartholomew. (fn. 25)
In Kent the nuns had the tithes of the manor of
Fawnes, (fn. 26) probably in Crundale parish. In Hertfordshire the priory was said in 1535 to receive revenues
from East Reed and Braughing, but there is no other
record of possessions in these places. (fn. 27)
Apart from the two manors of Bromley and
Haslingfield the nuns' most valuable properties were
their four appropriated churches. (fn. 28) Between 1163
and 1183 they were involved in a controversy with
the Canons of St. Paul's about Islington church.
The matter was finally settled and in the presence
of Bishop Gilbert Foliot it was agreed that the nuns
were to hold the church from the canons for the
annual payment of a mark, and were to find a suitable clerk to serve it. (fn. 29) No vicarage was established
in any of the Essex churches as long as the priory
held them, (fn. 30) but one was established in Islington at
some time between 1259 and 1347. (fn. 31)
An undated charter of Stephen, first recorded in
an inspeximus of 1366, is the earliest statement of
liberties enjoyed by the priory. It is, however, a
statement in general terms, for it merely confirmed
the priory's tenure in Haslingfield of all the liberties
which Christine de Sumeri had there, whatever they
may have been. (fn. 32) Liberties confirmed to the priory
by Henry II included quittance of the shire, the
hundred, and assizes, as well as the amercements of
its own men in whatever court they were imposed
and their chattels if they suffered as felons; the
confirmation was produced in an inspeximus of
1318. (fn. 33) The last was successfully maintained in 1229
when the chattels of one of the priory's Bromley
men were delivered to the prioress in virtue of the
charters of Henry II and Richard I. (fn. 34) All these
liberties were confirmed in 1189, 1198, 1247, 1318,
1366, 1390, 1408, and 1414. (fn. 35)
In 1293-4 quo warranto proceedings were taken
to determine the priory's right to conduct its own
assizes of bread and ale and its own view of frankpledge and its right to a pillory in Bromley. The
prioress denied that the priory had a pillory but
defended its other privileges by producing charters
granted by Richard I and Henry III. (fn. 36) Five years
later quo warranto proceedings were taken to test the
priory's right to sac and soc, tol and team, infangentheof, and similar conventional privileges, together with view of frankpledge and to the chattels
of felons and amercements of its own men. The
evidence showed that all these liberties, except
view of frankpledge, had been confirmed by Henry
III, and a local jury swore that the priory had
enjoyed view of frankpledge from time immemorial. (fn. 37)
In 1347 the priory was able to prove that the manor
of Haslingfield was held in free alms, and therefore
was exempt from the aid levied in that year. (fn. 38)
The dowries of the nuns who entered it and gifts
from the citizens of London also increased the
wealth of the convent. In 1282 Archbishop Pecham,
who was trying to secure the admission of a particular
postulant, promised that the convent would acquire
numerous friends and rich benefactors through her. (fn. 39)
There is, however, no specific information about
the dowries of Stratford nuns. The priory occurs
frequently in the wills of the citizens of London (fn. 40)
and in those of local people. (fn. 41) Some of the bequests
were made with a request that prayers be said for
the donor or his family. (fn. 42) Sometimes the bequests
were made not to the convent but to individual
nuns; (fn. 43) in 1433 Alice Seyntpoull left a gift to
Idonea Appelby, a nun there, (fn. 44) and in 1477 John
Gayton, 'Steward of the House and Church of Saint
Leonard called the Nunnery', left a small pension
to his daughter Elizabeth, (fn. 45) who later became the
prioress. In 1392 the widow of a draper left 20
marks to a relative-possibly a daughter-living
at St. Leonard's, on condition that she became a
nun. (fn. 46) London priests also remembered the convent
in their wills. (fn. 47) It was probably by means of such
bequests that some city properties were burdened
with rents to the nuns such as those reserved for
them in 1273, when some tenements in the parish
of St. Stephen, Walbrook changed hands. (fn. 48)
The priory received occasional gifts from the king.
Small money grants from Henry II are recorded
in the pipe rolls. (fn. 49) In the 13th century the nuns
had gifts of wood from the forest in Essex; (fn. 50) a grant
of this kind, made in 1267, gave timber for use in the
building operations on the priory church. (fn. 51)
The nuns had to make a number of annual payments out of these endowments. The annual mark
for Islington church continued to be paid to St.
Paul's until the Dissolution, and the canons also
received a number of other payments. Synodals and
procurations had to be paid annually for the churches
held by the nuns, and there were small payments to
other religious houses. (fn. 52) In 1371 the nuns acquired
the farm of two parts of the tithes of Buttsbury from
the priory of Tutbury (Staffs.). They were to pay
13s. 4d. every year at Easter, and 40s., as well as all
the arrears, in case of default. (fn. 53) One payment expected
from St. Leonard's was felt to be exceptionally
heavy. In 1339 the prioress complained that she was
forced to pay a disproportionate sum for the upkeep
of a wall along the Thames known as 'le priouressewal' in respect of some land she held in West
Ham Marsh. This land, acquired in the 13th century, had been under water for several years, yet
the prioress had often been distrained to pay whilst
other landowners, whose holdings in the area were
more profitable, were not assessed. The prioress
brought her grievances before the commissioners of
walls and ditches, who decided that all who held
land in the marsh should share the burdens and that
St. Leonard's should not be taxed disproportionately. (fn. 54)
So small a religious house was not likely to play
an important part in the political or ecclesiastical
history of the kingdom. In the 14th century, however, Stratford for a time became fashionable. The
convent appears to have been the residence of
Elizabeth of Hainault, and at her death in 1375 she
seems to have been on terms of intimacy with the
Stratford nuns. (fn. 55) She directed that she should be
buried in the chapel of St. Mary in the priory
church and it has been concluded that she lived in
the convent. (fn. 56) It was presumably to visit her aunt
that Elizabeth of Ulster, wife of Prince Lionel, went
to Stratford in 1356; her infant daughter Philippa
seems to have stayed at the nunnery. (fn. 57) Elizabeth of
Hainault made bequests to a nun called Argentyn (fn. 58)
who was also mentioned as one of the nuns in
1380-1; (fn. 59) she occurs twice in Elizabeth's will. If,
as has been suggested, (fn. 60) Argentyn was the model in
part for 'madame Eglentyne' in the Canterbury
Tales, (fn. 61) she must have been a woman of a certain
gentility and fashion.
Although in the 14th century the priory acquired
prestige from the visits of members of the royal
family, (fn. 62) this must have been a severe strain on a
house that was far from wealthy. In 1282 the
prioress called attention to the poverty of the convent. (fn. 63) As a house which claimed to be small and
poor, Stratford was often exempted from taxation.
In 1235 and again in 1237 part of the money owed
by the nuns for the tax on movables was remitted. (fn. 64)
When a second tax was raised in 1237, the commissioners were ordered, pending investigations, to take
nothing from Stratford; (fn. 65) later, all that was owed
by the priory on that occasion was remitted. (fn. 66) In
1359 the nuns were excused payments for their
lands in Bromley which had been flooded by the
Lea. (fn. 67) This seems to have been regarded as an
important precedent, since the pardon was exemplified by Richard II in 1380. (fn. 68) In 1409 it was conceded that the nuns should be excused all payments
for their lands in Bromley for the fifteenth and all
payments for a fifteenth less than £28. (fn. 69) In 1354 an
indulgence was granted to those who visited the
priory (fn. 70) and in 1411 another was granted to all who
visited it and gave alms for the fabric and for the
support of the community. (fn. 71)
In 1282 the prioress had a dispute with Archbishop Pecham. The archbishop ordered her to
admit as a nun the daughter of one of the citizens
of London. The prioress refused, saying that the
girl was too young and that the convent had its
full complement of nuns and could not afford any
more. Pecham dismissed these excuses as frivolous,
reminded the prioress that she owed him obedience
as her metropolitan, and threatened to excommunicate her. (fn. 72) She then turned for help to the
Bishop of London, stating, in addition to her other
objections, that the girl was deformed. Replying to
a letter on the subject from the bishop, Pecham
alleged that the greater part of the convent was on
his side, and that only the prioress was making
difficulties. He added that he wished that not only
the Stratford nuns, about whom there were so many
scandals, but all other worldly nuns were deformed,
so that they might lead no one into sin. (fn. 73)
Although the Bishop of London was the diocesan
as well as the patron of the nunnery, (fn. 74) little is known
of its relations with him. Bishop Gilbert Foliot
presided when the nuns made their agreement with
the Canons of St. Paul's about Islington church. (fn. 75)
In 1282, as has been seen, Bishop Richard Gravesend
interceded on their behalf with the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The only occasion recorded of the
bishop being present at the clothing and profession
of new nuns was in 1397, when Bishop Braybrooke
celebrated High Mass in the priory church and
received the profession of six novices. (fn. 76) Only in the
16th century is there any information about the
bishop's part in the election of prioresses. The
bishop's vicar presided at the election in 1520 and
the bishop subsequently confirmed the new prioress. (fn. 77) In 1528 Prioress Eleanor Sterkey resigned her
office into the hands of Bishop Tunstal. The nuns,
perhaps under pressure, decided to settle the election of the new prioress by way of simple compromise, and to this end submitted their rights to
the bishop, who appointed Sybil Kirke, formerly
Prioress of Kilburn. (fn. 78) It is possible that this action
and appointment was connected with some attempt
to reform the nunnery, for a party gathered round
Eleanor Sterkey, who was still living in the convent
after her resignation. A petition to the king was
followed in 1533 by a second petition, this time to
Cromwell, asking for the removal of the 'supposed
prioress' and claiming that Sybil Kirke made up
the shortness of meat and drink with a fresh supply
of threatening words; the old lady 'who is the rightful prioress' was like to die for want of sustenance. (fn. 79)
It is possible that this was a somewhat exaggerated
picture of an attempt by the new prioress to enforce
the Rule. The new prioress was supported by
Bishop Stokesley, whose chancellor confirmed her
in office and encouraged her to be firm. (fn. 80) The outcome of these disturbances is not known, but for
some years after the Dissolution Sybil Kirke continued to receive the pension due to the head of the
house. (fn. 81)
In 1354 there were 30 nuns in the priory (fn. 82) but
the poll tax of 1380-1 gives the names of only 14
nuns, including the prioress and sub-prioress. (fn. 83)
There were eight professed nuns and one novice at
the election of the prioress in 1520, (fn. 84) and ten professed nuns at the election in 1528. (fn. 85)
As a small house, with an income of less than
£200, St. Leonard's was among those foundations
suppressed in 1536. In 1537, after the dispersal of
the nuns, the site of the priory was granted to
William Rolte, together with most of its property
except some of the London city tenements, which
were granted to Sir Ralph Sadler. (fn. 86) Rolte did not
hold the lands for long, and by 1540 the whole
property had passed to Sadler. (fn. 87) In 1541 his tenure
was confirmed by the king, and the original grant
to William Rolte was cancelled. (fn. 88)
There are no means of determining the plan of
the convent. The royal grant of 1537 mentions the
house and site of the priory, and the church, 'steeple',
and churchyard. (fn. 89) The 'steeple' disappeared, but
the eastern limb of the church continued to be used
for worship. The description by Lysons (fn. 90) and prints
of the early 19th century (fn. 91) give little idea of the
appearance of this part of the church in the Middle
Ages. In 1805 the church was a small rectangular
building, lighted by an haphazard collection of
windows of indeterminate dates; the medieval floor
appears to have been considerably lower than the
ground level of 1805, (fn. 92) and the east window had
been replaced c. 1700 by a primitive apse for the
communion table. Inside there were signs that there
had been a south aisle, but the most striking feature
was the Norman choir arch, with dog-tooth ornament, at the west end. The arch had been blocked up
and everything to the west of it had disappeared by
1805. The building as Lysons saw it survived until
1842, although in a dilapidated condition. In 1842-3
a new church in the neo-Norman style was erected
on the site. (fn. 93) This was destroyed in the Second
World War.
Prioresses of Stratford
Lucy, occurs c. 1264-c. 1284 (fn. 94)
Isabel Blunt, occurs 1341 (fn. 95)
Maud, occurs 1371 (fn. 96)
Mary Suharde, occurs 1375, 1396, 1397 (fn. 97)
Alice Burford, occurs 1412, and before 1425 (fn. 98)
Anne Graciane, died 1436 (fn. 99)
Margaret Holbeche, occurs 1436 (fn. 1)
Katherine Washburne, occurs 1477 (fn. 2)
Elizabeth Gayton, occurs 1509-10; died 1520 (fn. 3)
Helen Hyllard, elected 1520; died 1522 (fn. 4)
Eleanor Sterkey, elected 1522; resigned 1528 (fn. 5)
Sybil Kirke, elected 1528 (fn. 6)
The common seal of the priory, as used in Prioress
Lucy's time (occurs 1264-84), is a pointed oval,
2½ by 1½ in., and shows a bishop (? St. Leonard)
standing beneath a canopy, his right hand raised
in blessing, his left holding a crozier. (fn. 7) Legend,
lombardic:
SIGILLUM SANCT[I L]EONARDI . . .
An oval seal of a later date, 1¼ by 1 in., depicts
the Virgin on right with the Child on her right arm
with a figure (? a nun) in prayer on her left facing
right. (fn. 8) Legend defaced.