74. THE PRIORY OF STOKE BY
CLARE
Earl Alfric, son of Withgar, who lived in the
reigns of Canute, Hardecanute, and Edward the
Confessor, founded the church or chapel of
St. John Baptist in the castle of Clare, and
therein placed seven secular canons. This
church, with all its endowments, was given by
Gilbert de Clare, in 1090, to the Benedictine
monastery of Bec in Normandy, of which it
became a cell, and thus remained until the year
1124, when Gilbert's son Richard removed the
foundation to Stoke, where it eventually reverted
to a collegiate establishment. (fn. 1)
The fourteenth-century chartulary (fn. 2) opens with
confirmation charters of Henry II, Richard I,
John, and Henry III, including a grant of a
Thursday market at Stoke, and a yearly fair of
three days at the feast of St. John Baptist. The
various charters of Gilbert, earl of Clare, the
founder, and of his son and grandson, are set
forth, whereby the monks, in addition to lands,
mills, fishing, and pasturing rights, held the
advowsons of the churches of St. John and
St. Paul, Clare, and the churches of Cavenham,
Foxhall, Hunston and Bures, Crimplesham,
Gazeley, Winham, Birfield, Ash, and Woching. (fn. 3)
The ordination of the vicarage of Gazeley, at
the time when the church was appropriated to
the priory, is duly set forth under date of 12 July,
1286. (fn. 4)
An undated letter of Roger, earl of Clare,
solemnly presents to the house certain relics (not
specified) which he entrusts to the monks, both
cleric and lay, to be by them carefully preserved
with the greatest reverence. (fn. 5)
The confirmation charters of the Bishops of
Norwich and London and the Archbishop of
Canterbury, from 1090 to the end of the reign
of Henry III, cover several folios. (fn. 6) These are
followed by several papal confirmations, and by
an indulgence from Pope Innocent exempting
them from any provision of benefices. (fn. 7)
Amid a very large number of grants of land,
rents, &c., mostly of small value, occur the gifts
of the church of Bradley by Richard the son
of Simon, of the church of Little Bradley by
Albrinus son of Ercald, of the church of Little
Bunstead by William de Helium, of the church
of Bunstead by Robert de Helium, and of the
church of Stamborne by Robert de Grenville,
with various confirmations. (fn. 8) The taxation roll
of 1291 shows that the priory at that time held,
in addition to churches, temporalities in seventeen Suffolk parishes of the annual value of
£30 14s. 7½d.; it had also considerable lands
and rents in Essex, and a small amount in
Norfolk, yielding a total income of £53 13s. 3d.
In 1305 a quit-claim was executed in favour
of this priory of the advowson of the church of
Little Barton by Mildenhall. (fn. 9)
Prior John Huditot died in 1391; whereupon
Robert bishop of London and William prior of
Okeburne, authorized by Pope Boniface IX to
act for the abbot of Bec in the case of dependent
English houses, presented Richard de Cotesford,
an English monk of that house, to the Bishop of
Norwich, to be prior, with the assent of the
king as patron, by reason of the minority of the
son and heir of the Earl of March. (fn. 10)
Richard II, in 1379, made a grant during
pleasure, to his uncle, Thomas de Woodstock,
earl of Buckingham, of £60 a year from the
farm of this alien priory during the wars, to help
to maintain his rank as an earl, (fn. 11) and among
grants made from the alien priories' estates to
the crown in June, 1395, towards the king's
expenses in the war with France, was the year's
issues and profits of the priory of Stoke by Clare
of the value of £60. (fn. 12) In the following month,
however, the friends of this priory managed to
secure from the crown a charter of denization,
but only on condition of the very heavy fine
of 1,000 marks being paid to the abbot of
Westminster, to be expended solely on the new
works of St. Peter's Church. This sum was to
be paid at the rate of 200 marks a year until
discharged. The grant of denization stated that
Richard de Cotesford, the then prior, was of
English birth, and provided that the convent of
monks was henceforth to be exclusively drawn
from those of English birth, and that no tribute
of any kind whatever was to be paid to any
foreign abbey. (fn. 13)
The independent position secured for this
priory had but a brief existence; twenty years
later the priory was dissolved in favour of a
college. (fn. 14)
Priors of Stoke By Clare
Nicholas, (fn. 15) occurs 1174
John de Havelen, (fn. 16) temp. Hen. II
Hugh, (fn. 17) occurs 1198, 1202
Richard, (fn. 18) occurs 1222
John, (fn. 19) occurs 1247, &c.
Henry de Oxna, (fn. 20) appointed 1325
Peter de Valle, (fn. 21) appointed 1367
John de Huditot, (fn. 22) died 1391
Richard de Cotesford, (fn. 23) appointed 1391
William de Sancto Vedasto, (fn. 24) appointed 1395
William George, (fn. 25) appointed 1396
William Esterpenny, (fn. 26) appointed 1396