ALIEN HOUSES
44. THE PRIORY OF AVEBURY
Avebury was one of two English cells of the
Benedictine Abbey of St. Georges de Boscherville
near Rouen (Seine Inférieure), the other one being
at Edith Weston in Rutland. (fn. 1) Lands at Avebury,
Winterbourne near Salisbury (perhaps Winterbourne Dauntsey), and Barbury in Wroughton,
with a rent in Catcomb, in Hilmarton, were
given to the Abbey by William de Tancarville
in 1114, (fn. 2) and a priory was established at Avebury
soon afterwards. A charter of Henry I gave the
French monks freedom from the shire and hundred courts and from hidage in their lands of
Avebury and Edith Weston and confirmed the
gifts of Tancarville and others. These privileges
were confirmed by Henry II and by Richard I in
1189 and 1198. (fn. 3) Jocelin de Bohun, Bishop of
Salisbury (1142-84), granted the monks a chapel
in their manor house (curia) at Avebury, where
divine service might be said, provided that nothing
was done to the prejudice of the parish church and
its tithes. For although the monks came to hold
a manor at Avebury, they never secured the advowson of the parish church, which belonged to
Cirencester Abbey. This situation led to a series
of disputes between the two abbeys about the
payment of tithes and the status of the monks'
chapel. The first recorded dispute was settled in
1253 through the arbitration of the Bishop of
Worcester. An elaborate scale of tithes, payable
in kind by the priory, was laid down, revealing
incidentally that the monks there might be expected to have as many as 750 sheep. In 1307 the
two abbeys agreed to an exchange of lands in Avebury, and two years later a further settlement of
tithes was necessary. Finally, in 1336 the abbey
of Cirencester challenged the French monks'
right to hold divine service in their manor. Arbitrators decided in favour of the priory, declaring,
however, that the rights of the parish church in
all other matters must be respected. As part of the
settlement further arrangements about tithes were
agreed, and the monks of St. Georges replaced
their prior. Perhaps a tactless prior had provoked
the challenge from Cirencester. (fn. 4)
He was not the first Prior of Avebury to get
into trouble, for in 1249 his predecessor was said
to be in Marlborough jail on a charge of murder. (fn. 5)
With him were Robert, his brother, and Ralph,
his nephew. Perhaps this explains why in 1254
the abbey of St. Georges had only one monk in
England. (fn. 6) Five years later this number had risen
to four, and it remained at three or four during
the few years for which there is evidence. (fn. 7) No
doubt the normal arrangement left two monks at
Avebury and two at Edith Weston. With other
alien priories Avebury was taken into the king's
hands in 1294, 1324, and several times thereafter.
According to an extent compiled on the first occasion the annual value of Avebury manor, with
its members of Catcomb, in Hilmarton, and Barbury, was £53 15s. 0½d., whilst the Winterbourne
holding was worth £5 15s. (fn. 8) In both 1294 and
1324 an exhaustive inventory of the goods and
chattels was made, (fn. 9) their total value being
£85 3s. 5d. in 1294 and £227 12s. in 1324. Most
of the increase was due to the growth in the numbers of livestock, especially sheep, which constituted the real wealth of the priory. In 1324 there
were about 600 of them, rather less than the
number suggested in 1253. Beside the farm stock
and store of grains there was a horse for the prior
and one for his socius. Indoors the brethren had a
missal, a breviary, furnishings for their chapel,
two beds, tables, and kitchen utensils. In 1324
they had also a chess set, the only luxury in their
simple and lonely life.
Except for a few months in 1341, when Richard
de Wath, a king's clerk, secured possession, (fn. 10) a
succession of priors managed to hold on to their
property until 1378, in spite of the wars. The
king attempted to exact from them an annual payment which rose from £24 in 1337 to £36 in
1377, when Avebury was committed to brother
Stephen Fosse, the last prior. (fn. 11) Fosse was one of
the many foreign monks who were expelled from
England in the following year. With him went
John Santell, also a monk of St. Georges, and
William Brisey and Thomas Durant, their servants. They were allowed to take with them
their horses and personal possessions, and 40s. for
expenses. (fn. 12) At this time a number of royal servants, the first of a long line of similar tenants,
had a grant of the priory. Besides maintaining it
they undertook to find a chaplain to perform
divine service, and to pay an annual rent of
£55 6s. 8d. (fn. 13) The fact that it was necessary to
provide a chaplain suggests that the priory had
won its battle with Cirencester, and come to provide for some of the spiritual needs of the parish.
In 1391 the Abbey of Boscherville sold Edith
Weston Priory, and had licence to sell Avebury
to Winchester College, (fn. 14) but nothing appears to
have come of this. In 1411 the reversion was
granted to Fotheringhay College, which held the
lands of Avebury until the Dissolution, when
they were valued at £98 5s. 2d. annually. (fn. 15)
Priors of Avebury
Richard Botayl, recalled 1336. (fn. 16)
Robert Menart, Maynard, appointed 1336, (fn. 17)
occurs 1342, 1345, and 1346. (fn. 17)
Walter Barre, occurs 1343. (fn. 18)
Hugh de Abifago, occurs 1350. (fn. 19)
John de la Haye, occurs 1350 and 1353. (fn. 20)
Robert de Verretot, occurs 1354. (fn. 21)
Stephen Fosse, occurs 1370 and 1377. (fn. 22)
45. THE PRIORY OF CHARLTON
Reynold de Paveley founded a Premonstratensian abbey at L'Isle Dieu, an island in the River
Andelle in the Vexin (Eure), about 1187, and
gave to it some small properties in England, of
which the most important was the manor of
Charlton by Upavon. (fn. 23) There is, however, but
little evidence for the existence of a cell of the
abbey at Charlton. The extent of alien priories
of 1294 describes the holdings of the prior, and the
inventory compiled at the same time shows that
he had a chalice, a missal, and a breviary, as well
as vestments and domestic utensils. (fn. 24) However, the
extent of 1324, whilst showing that the hall and
chamber were well furnished by the standards of
the time, calls brother William only the keeper
(custos) of Charlton. (fn. 25) The annual value was
£25 10s. 3½d. in 1294, and the movables were
worth £45 19s. 10d. in that year and £83 10s. 11d.
in 1324. There was a prior in 1323, for he had
a protection for one year then, (fn. 26) but the title is
hardly found again. The advowson of Charlton
was held by the neighbouring priory of Upavon,
but L'Isle Dieu had the rectory of Upchurch in
Kent, and during the 14th century the abbey developed the habit of appointing one of its own
canons to be Rector of Upchurch, and keeper of
Charlton manor. Such was brother Peter Hughes
(or Hugonis) in 1337-8, (fn. 27) and brother Richard
Beton in 1376-7. (fn. 28) In 1380 the abbey had licence
to alienate both the manor and the church of
Upchurch to the hospital of St. Katharine by the
Tower, (fn. 29) and Charlton's relations with L'Isle
Dieu ended, but as late as 1474 the manor had
still not found a regular tenant. (fn. 30)