3. PRIORY OF SNAITH
The church of St. Lawrence, Snaith, (fn. 1) about
the beginning of the episcopate of Gerard, (fn. 2) the
Archbishop of York, was granted by him to the
Abbot and convent of Selby. (fn. 3) Afterwards Snaith
became a small Benedictine cell under the jurisdiction of Selby. (fn. 4) 'On 14 May 1310 the sentence of William Greenfield, Archbishop of York,
was pronounced upon the appropriation of the
church of Snaith . . . to the Abbot and convent
of Selby, and it shall be lawful for them at their
will and pleasure to place and remove two of their
monks in the church of Snaith, to be continually
resident; and by a secular priest (by them to be
substituted and displaced) to hear the confessions
of the parishioners, and to administer baptism to
children, and so perpetually to serve, without any
ordination of a vicar.' (fn. 5)
Before this ordination the church of Snaith
had been a source of considerable revenue to
Selby, being valued in 1292 at no less a yearly
sum than £153 6s. 8d. (fn. 6)
A quarrel arose in 1393 between the abbot
and the Duke of Lancaster concerning the church
and manor of Snaith. It was attempted to
include them in the liberty of the duchy. But
the abbot maintained his privileges, and on
8 October 1393 issued a decree from the
chapter-house affirming the rights of the abbey. (fn. 7)
Shortly after this, complaints were made because the abbot had not caused a vicarage to be
ordained, but had simply had a stipendiary
chaplain. The whole matter concerning the
services and rights of Snaith, and the reciprocal
relations of the abbey and its cell, were then
settled by a decree, dated 14 March 1409, issued
by Richard Pittes, the archbishop's chancellor.
The settlement affirmed the complete jurisdiction
of the abbey over the priory, Snaith being declared
to be ' canonically united to the abbot and convent,' (fn. 8) and the decree was confirmed by the Dean
and Chapter of York on 30 March 1409.
Although the cell of Snaith consisted only of
two monks, one of them was styled prior, and on
12 October 1535 an order was issued from the
manor court at Snaith ' that the prior, sub-monk,
and all the priests of the church of Snaith, shall
not go forth from their own houses, or the house
in which they table together, after 8 o'clock after
noon in winter, and 10 o'clock after noon in
summer, on pain of forfeiting to our Lord the
King 6s. 8d, for each offence.' (fn. 9)
When Selby surrendered on 6 December
1539,10 Snaith, the dependent cell, naturally went
with it, and in the list of abbey pensions occurs:
'Jacobo Laye nuper priori de Sneath
£6 0s. 0d.' (fn. 11)
Sir William Babthorpe and his fellow-commissioners on 23 May 1540 gave the valuation
of the ' sell or parsonage of Snaythe,' over and
above the stipends of two parish priests and one
chantry priest, as £12 2s. per annum.
Priors
John Selby, occurs 1439 (fn. 12)
James Laye, occurs 1539, 'last Prior' (fn. 13)