11. PRIORY OF COCKERHAM
This cell of the abbey of St. Mary in the
Meadows (de Pratis) at Leicester, served by
Austin Canons, was established in 1207 or 1208.
William de Lancaster I on his marriage to
Gundreda daughter of Roger, earl of Warwick,
cousin of Robert, earl of Leicester, founder of
the abbey (1143), had given the canons between
1153 and 1156 his manor of Cockerham, itschurch with the dependent chapel of Ellel, and
the hamlets of Great and Little Crimbles. (fn. 205)
Henry II in the latter year confirmed the gift, to
which William before 1160 added a grant of
common of pasture throughout his fee in Lonsdale and Amounderness. (fn. 206) His son William de
Lancaster II (died 1184) dispossessed the abbey and
founded the hospital (afterwards abbey) of Cockersand on part of the manor. The Leicester
canons obtained judgement in the court of John,
count of Mortain, when lord of the honour of
Lancaster, between 1189 and 1194, against
William's widow Heloise and her second husband Hugh de Morvill, who thereupon confirmed the original gift, as did also Count John. (fn. 207)
This was followed by an agreement between the
two houses by which the site of Cockersand was
cut out of the manor and parish of Cockerham,
Leicester Abbey conveying it in free alms to the
hospital. (fn. 208) Further litigation between the abbey
and William de Lancaster's daughter and heiress,
Heloise and her husband Gilbert son of Roger
Fitz Reinfred ended (13 May, 1207} in a final
concord; Heloise and Gilbert renounced all
claim on Cockerham and Crimbles, in consideration whereof Abbot Paul and the convent undertook to place three of their canons in the church,
which had hitherto been served by a chaplain, on
whose death the number of canons was to be
raised to four. (fn. 209) A prior of Cockerham is
mentioned in 1208. (fn. 210)
The new cell never became conventual. Its
canons remained under the authority of the
abbot, its prior or warden was no doubt removable
at his pleasure and acted merely as agent of the
chief house, which by the middle of the fourteenth century put an end to its existence. The
introduction first of a stipendiary and then
(between 1281 and 1290) of a perpetual vicar
paved the way for the withdrawal of most of the
canons. (fn. 211) Christiana de Lindsay, wife of
Euguerrand de Guisnes, lord of Coucy, in confirming (1320) the grant of her ancestor William
de Lancaster to the abbey, stipulated for their
retention, (fn. 212) but after her death, some fourteen
years later, the abbey abandoned all pretence of
observing the undertaking of 1207. In 1366
and again in 1372 its title to Cockerham manor
was questioned on this ground by royal officers,
but the courts decided in its favour because the
original gift imposed no conditions. (fn. 213) The
final concord was apparently ignored. But
Christiana's great-great-granddaughter Philippa
de Coucy, widow of Robert de Vere, earl of
Oxford and duke of Ireland, formally renounced
any claim derivable from its non-observance, and
this waiver was confirmed by Henry IV and
Henry VI. (fn. 214)
The Lancashire estate of Leicester Abbey
was still managed by a warden (custos, gardianus),
probably always a canon of Leicester. (fn. 215) In
1477, however, it was leased to one John
Calvert at a rent of £83 6s. 8d., (fn. 216) and was
apparently still farmed for that sum in 1535. (fn. 217)
The original, gift of William de Lancaster I
comprised two plough-lands, (fn. 218) to which some
small parcels were subsequently added. The
gross value of the property (including the rectory)
in 1477 was estimated to be £99 10s. 9d. without reckoning perquisites of courts and some
other ' commodities of the manor.' (fn. 219) In 1400
an extent which included these gave a total income of £117 7s. 8d. (fn. 220) The pestilence of
1349 is said to have about halved the return
from the rectory tithes of Cockerham. (fn. 221)
Priors or Wardens of Cockerham
A [ ], (fn. 222) occurs 1208
Henry, (fn. 223) occurs circa 1250