HOUSE OF CISTERCIAN NUNS
9. THE PRIORY OF WINTNEY
A small priory of Cistercian nuns, dedicated
to the Blessed Virgin and St. Mary Magdalene, was founded at Wintney in the twelfth
century. Occasionally its superiors were
termed abbesses. According to the obituary
of the convent calendar, Richard Holte and
Christine his wife, the daughter of Thomas
Cobreth, founded the house and Geoffrey Fitz
Peter the first church towards the end of the
twelfth century. Leland names Roger Cobreth and his son Thomas as the founders. (fn. 5)
Various members of the Cobreth family were
benefactors; and we find that Dame Diana
Cobreth had her heart buried before the high
altar.
In 1234 the temporary church or chapel
of wood was succeeded by a stone church,
which was dedicated on 4 October. (fn. 6) Richard
de Herriard was the founder of this church;
his obit was kept on April 6. Several other
members of that family, who took their name
from an adjacent parish, were also benefactors
of this convent.
Among the Cotton MSS. is a handsome
twelfth century volume in excellent preservation which belonged to the nuns of Wintney. (fn. 7)
Its chief contents is the rule of Benedictine
nuns set forth both in Latin and English in
parallel columns. At the end is a fine calendar, in which are entered the names of benefactors, prioresses and sisters of the convent according to their several obits. This obituary (fn. 20)
mentions six Bishops of Winchester, beginning
with Godfrey de Lucy (1189-1205); two
Bishops of Bath; six abbots of Reading, beginning with Elias (1200-13); two priors
of Southwick; and Adam, abbot of Waverley,
1216-29. There are a few entries of the
fifteenth century. Eleven prioresses of Wintney are named, but in no case is any year
given; they are in calendar order, Emma,
Sabina, Isilia, Clarice, Lucy, Julia, Alice,
Lucy II., Havisia, Cecily and Rose. The last
prioress commemorated in the obituary is
Alice de Dunmore, elected in 1301. There
is also mention of Maud de Quincy, who
founded the dorter.
In 1302 Bishop Pontoise visited the house, (fn. 1)
and in 1308 the official of the diocese, Peter
de Grunmill, issued a mandate to the convent
citing them to a visitation by Bishop Woodlock. (fn. 2) No injunctions followed the visitations of 1302 or 1308, so that the inference
may be fairly drawn that neither bishop found
any cause of complaint. Bishop Woodlock
held another visitation of Wintney in December, 1315, and in the following January
he sent a series of injunctions of the usual
kind as to stricter observance of their rule to
the convent as the result of the visit. (fn. 3) On
14 May, 1316, only a few weeks before his
death, Bishop Woodlock received a letter
from Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, as
to the reports that had reached him concerning the nuns of Wintney and the decay of
their house. The archbishop stated in his
letter that through negligence and bad administration the affairs of the house were reduced to such a state that it might altogether
collapse unless staying hands speedily intervened, inasmuch as the nuns, vowed to
abandon a secular life, were dispersing themselves in the world because no proper provision
was made for their food. The archbishop
urged his suffragan to take prompt action to
correct and reform these abuses, and to recall
the scattered flock. (fn. 4) Immediately on receipt
of the primate's letter, namely on 16 May,
the bishop issued a commission to Master
Gilbert de Middleton, canon of St. Paul's and
vicar-general of the diocese, associating with
him Master Andrew de Bruges, canon of
Chichester, who frequently acted as bishop's
official, and Master Stephen de Dene, rector
of Abbbtstone, to hold a visitation at Wintney,
with full power to correct and to amend
whatever was amiss. (fn. 5) Meanwhile Bishop
Woodlock died on 28 June, and commissions
of his appointment ceased to be valid. The
archbishop evidently thought the scandal of
the dispersion of the Cistercian nuns of Wintney a grave and urgent matter, and on 20
July, during the vacancy of the see, he issued
a commission to Andrew de Bruges and three
others with full powers to visit the nunnery
and to inquire, correct, reform and punish the
excesses of delinquents. (fn. 6) There is possibly
some degree of excuse to be found for the
deplorable condition of the Wintney convent
and the lack of food for the inmates, when it
is recollected that a most grievous famine
afflicted England in 1315 and continued for
three years.
This action seems to have led to a better
state of affairs, and, for the assistance of the
house, letters of protection for the goods and
crops of the prioress and nuns for one year
were granted on 6 February, 1321. (fn. 7)
In 1367 Bishop Wykeham licensed the
prioress of Wintney to receive Beatrice Paynell as a paying guest. (fn. 8) The licence, without
which, according to the Benedictine rule, no
visitor even on payment could be entertained,
describes Beatrice as a woman devoted to God
and honourable, and sister to Sir John Foxley,
a neighbour, a friend, and favourably inclined
to the prioress, at whose special request the
permission was granted. The licence, dated
20 December, was to permit Beatrice's residence at Wintney until the next feast of St.
John Baptist. Sir John Foxley lived at
Bramshill, about four miles from the priory;
he was the son of Thomas Foxley, constable
of Windsor Castle, under whose directions
Wykeham had been in his earlier days. Both
father and son were among the bishop's most
intimate friends, and he was doubtless glad of
the opportunity of serving Sir John's sister. (fn. 9)
Bishop Wykeham licensed John Lydezorde,
rector of Elvetham (a parish adjoining the
priory) in April, 1380, as confessor to the
prioress and nuns. (fn. 10)
In 1398 the prior of Christchurch was appointed to collect throughout the diocese the
second moiety of the tenth voted by convocation, with the sole exemption of the priory
of Wintney. (fn. 11) A like exemption was made
in favour of this priory when another moiety
of a tenth was being collected in January,
1404. It is there stated that Wintney was
exonerated from the payment because it is a
house of poor nuns heavily encumbered. It
is also stated that the appropriation of the
church of Herriard by the priory in Bishop
Orlton's time was permitted for a like reason. (fn. 12)
In April, 1404, the bishop commissioned
John Elmere, one of his two recently appointed coadjutors, and Robert Ketone, his
chancellor, to visit the priory. (fn. 13)
On 16 October, 1420, an inventory was
taken of the goods pertaining to the frater in
consequence of the death of Alice Preston,
who was in charge of the hall. The goods
were—two worn tapestry hangings for the
wall at the back of the high table; two choice
seat cushions; fifteen table napkins; four
tablecloths of Paris work; two linen tablecloths; ten hand towels; a worn basin at the
lavatory; a pewter salt-cellar; and two latten
and one pewter candlesticks. (fn. 1)
Wintney was visited on 3 April, 1501, by
Dr. Hede, commissary of the prior of Canterbury. Anne Thomas, the prioress, stated that
the income of the house was £50, that on
entering into office the house was in debt
20 marks, 15 of which had been paid; Joan
Swayne, sacrist, testified that in the time of
the former prioress a certain blank form (fn. 2) of
charter under the common seal was given to
the vicar of Herriard without the knowledge
of the sisters. (fn. 3)
On 7 April, 1534, Henry, Marquis of
Exeter, wrote to Cromwell, understanding
that the election of the prioress of Wintney
was in his hands, begging that he would give
it to his wife's kinswoman; she was well able
to execute the office, and would fully content
the king in all his wishes. (fn. 4)
The first commissioners appointed by the
king to survey the religious houses of Hants
were far too favourable and apparently honest
in their views to give any satisfaction to the
intending spoilers. On 23 May, 1536, Sir
James Worsley and John Poulet, George
Poulet and William Berners reported that
they had visited the priory of Wintney, 'a
hedde house of nuns, order of Cisteaux.'
They estimated its annual value at £52 5s. 8d.
and found there ten nuns, 'by reporte of
good conversation, which trooly desieren to
contynue in the same religion.' The other
inmates were two priests, a waiting servant,
thirteen hinds, nine woman servants, and two
'corediers' with their two servants. The
church and mansion were in good repair save
the tiling, but the kitchen and brewhouse
were in great decay. The lead and bells
were worth £28 1s. 4d. the plate and jewels,
£35 0s. 10d.; the ornaments, £52 11s. 6d.;
stuff, £13 0s. 6d.; grain of all kinds, £16
19s. 8d.; stocks and stores, £114 4s. 6d.; and
woods, £42 13s. 10d. There was also the
sum of £72 16s. owing to the house. (fn. 5)
On 24 September, 1536, Cromwell's amenable tools and commissioners, Dr. Legh and
John Ap-Rice, were at Wintney, and wrote
to their master from the priory. (fn. 6) The actual
surrender took place on 22 July, 1536. (fn. 7)
In August, 1536, Sir William Poulet,
comptroller of the king's household and
brother of two of the commissioners of May,
1536, obtained a grant of the site and lands
of the monastery lately held by Elizabeth
Martyn as prioress of Wintney. (fn. 8)
In May, 1538, the king granted to Richard
Hill and Elizabeth his wife the house and
site of the dissolved priory of Wintney, with
the church, steeple and churchyard of the
same, the manor and rectory of Hartley
Wintney and all lands pertaining of the annual value of £26 14s. 9d., at an annual
rental of 53s. 6d. (fn. 9)
An undated letter of Richard Poulet, of
the year 1538, to Mr. Hill, sergeant of the
king's cellar, ordered him, in the name of the
king's commissioners, to cease to deface any
of the buildings of the late priory of Wintney
besides those which the king had given him,
which were only the cloister and the dorter. (fn. 10)
Prioresses of Wintney
Lucy, 1225
Cecily, 1294
Lucy II., 1294-
Alice de Dunmore, (fn. 11) 1301
Christiane, died 1329
Alice Westcott, (fn. 12) 1329-36
Camina de Mareys, (fn. 13) 1336
Emma de Wynterburn, (fn. 14) 1349
Alice Fyshill, resigned 1414
Joan Bunbury, (fn. 15) 1414
Eleanor Squerell, 1452
Alice Somerset, (fn. 16) 1452-60
Petronilla Pigeon, (fn. 17) 1460
Anne Thomas, (fn. 18) 1497
Elizabeth Martyn, about 1536 (fn. 19)
In addition to the above names we have in
the obituary of the priory the following who
are entered as having been prioresses, but
without date or order: Sabina, Isilia, Clarissa,
Julia, Cecily, Hawisia and Rose.