4. THE PRIORY (fn. 1) OF HATFIELD REGIS OR BROADOAK.
A large number of original deeds and other
documents from Barrington Hall relating to this
priory are preserved at the British Museum. (fn. 2)
These have been partially calendared (fn. 3) by the
Historical Manuscripts Commission; and the
substance of the more important ones is given
by Mr. G. Alan Lowndes in an article (fn. 4) on the
history of the priory, to which the present
account is largely indebted.
The priory was dedicated to St. Mary and
was founded as a cell to the abbey of St. Melaine
at Rennes in Brittany, probably some time about
1135, by Aubrey de Vere the second, who died
in May, 1141. Aubrey de Vere the third,
count of Guisnes and afterwards first earl of
Oxford, confirmed the foundation by a charter (fn. 5)
to which he attached a knife instead of a seal,
the witnesses including his father and his
brothers-in-law Geoffrey de Mandeville and
Robert de Essex. King Stephen also granted a
charter. (fn. 6)
The founders granted to the priory the
churches of Hatfield and Great Canfield, a
moiety of the tithes of Sible Hedingham and
lands in Bumpstead Helion in Essex, and a
knight's fee at Babraham and tithes at Castle
Camps and Shudy Camps in Cambridgeshire.
Geoffrey Boterel granted a mark of silver
yearly from his land at Nettlested in Suffolk in
1139. (fn. 7) Geoffrey son of Ralph de Thunderley
granted a moiety of the church of Thunderley;
and Alexander son of Rivallon of Thunderley
granted the other moiety in 1143. (fn. 7) Richard
de Camville granted the church of Manuden in
1143; but there seems to have been a difficulty
about the title, for the bishop delayed the confirmation and Richard had to write to remonstrate with him. (fn. 7) Adelm de Burgate granted
tithes at Burgate in Suffolk. Robert de Cokefeld granted the church of Beaumont, (fn. 8) but it
appears to have passed afterwards from the possession of the priory to the de Veres. Land
in Nosterfield was granted (fn. 9) by Hugh, earl of
Oxford, in 1235. The church of Bumpstead
Helion was leased to the priory in 1246 by
the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, London,
at a rent of 34 marks yearly. Henry III
on 25 November, 1235, granted the manor of
Hatfield to William, then prior, at a rent of
£100 yearly as his predecessor Stephen had
held it. (fn. 10)
Henry I had granted tithes in Hatfield to the
canons of St. Botolph's, Colchester, and in consequence many disputes arose between the two
houses concerning their rights, until the pope
appointed the prior of Bermondsey and the
archdeacon of London to decide the matter.
These gave their award in 1194. (fn. 11) The monks
were to have all the small tithes in the town
known as the canons' tithes, paying to the canons
6s. yearly for them; except that the canons were
to have all tithes of geese, all tithes of sheaves
from the lands belonging to the canons of
Thremhall, and tithes of grain from certain lands,
including all lands in the king's demesne in
Hatfield that should afterwards be brought into
cultivation. Under Edward II the monks had
trouble in getting the tithes from the king's park
there until, after their petition (fn. 12) in Parliament, the
king on 14 August, 1326, gave orders (fn. 13) for payment to be made to them of all tithes of his stud
and of other beasts in the park, and of the herbage, pannage, milking and other profits from it.
Later, trouble arose again between the two
priories about the tithes; and it was only finally
settled by an agreement confirmed (fn. 14) by Bishop
Stokesley on 16 February, 1532, that the monks
should have all, paying to the canons £3 yearly
as compensation.
The temporalities of the priory mentioned in
the Taxation of 1291 amounted to the value of
£20 18s. 6d. yearly; of which £11 2s. 4d., or
more than half, came from Camps in Cambridgeshire. Hatfield itself contributed £2 19s. 6d.,
Helion Bumpstead £2. 9s. 1d., Manuden
£2 4s. 1d. and Nettlested, Cambridge, Farnham,
Haverhill, Horseheath, Matching, Sible Hedingham and Steeple Bumpstead the remainder.
Besides the Essex churches already mentioned
the priory also owned spiritualities amounting to
£31 11s. 8d. yearly in Sible Hedingham, Ugley,
Ditton, Silverley, Great Wratting, Burgate,
Little Wilbraham, Weston, Great Abington,
Great Camps and Hildersham. Licence was
granted on 18 September, 1320, for the appropriation of the church of Silverley; (fn. 15) and on
25 May, 1329, for the appropriation of the
church of Great Abington. (fn. 16)
The patronage of the priory always belonged
to the de Veres, earls of Oxford. After a time
trouble arose with the abbot of St. Melaine, who
claimed the right of appointing the prior, and
this came to a head in 1235. The earl sent an
outsider to be received as prior, and the bishop
refused to hear the monks' objections and excommunicated them for saying that the abbot had
the right of appointment. The abbot prayed
that the sentence might be relaxed, and when
the bishop refused to do so, on the ground that
the earl had sent armed men to guard the priory,
appealed to the pope. The bishop and earl, in
contempt of the appeal, put into the priory
William, a monk of Colchester, and then the
convent made a second appeal to the pope. The
bishop excommunicated them and all who held
communion with them; and the said monk
carried off everything, removing the treasure and
books. At the request of an archdeacon he gave
the convent what was necessary, but ordered his
ministers to serve them not like monks but like
swineherds, forbade the cooks to give them fire
or water, made the lay brothers and servers
swear not to give them anything, and closed the
dormitory and offices, so that they had to return
to Rennes. This is, of course, only the French
version of the incident, which is interesting as an
example of the assertion of practical independence
by an English house. Pope Gregory IX on
17 April, 1236, ordered (fn. 17) commissioners to hear the
matter; but it was not settled until 11 November, 1254, when Fulk, bishop of London, made
an award (fn. 18) with the agreement of the parties.
At each vacancy of the priory the monks, after
asking the assent of the patron, should have free
power to elect a prior, who should then be presented to the patron and by him to the bishop
for confirmation. The prior should, however,
give notice of the death of his predecessor to the
abbot and convent of Rennes.
The conventual church was built, or rebuilt,
in the first part of the fourteenth century,
mostly at the expense of Robert Taper of
Hatfield, who was a very large benefactor to the
priory. In 1317 he made an agreement to pay
£30 to Thomas Page, carpenter of Newport, for
the construction of twenty-eight stalls to complete the choir, with a proper entrance at the
west end and everything to match six stalls which
had lately been made. Page was to prepare the
stalls at his own house and bring them to be
carved and polished at the church, and while he
was working there he was to receive food and
drink from the monastery. The money was to
be paid to him in instalments as required, and the
work was to be completed by Easter, 1319.
Taper had licence (fn. 19) on 12 May, 1323, to grant
lands and rent in Hatfield, Castle Camps and
Shudy Camps to the prior and convent, that they
should find a chaplain to celebrate divine service daily in their church for his soul; but on
20 September, 1325, he released them from this
obligation, as they had undertaken that during
his lifetime a special prayer should be said daily
at mass for the soul of Millicent, his late wife,
and afterwards for the souls of both, and that
their anniversaries should be duly kept.
As early as 1329 an extraordinary and probably unique incident (fn. 20) occurred in connexion
with these benefactions. Although Roger de
Crishale, the late prior, William de Sabrichford,
sub-prior, and others of the seniors of the monastery had related that Robert Taper had erected
the greater part of the fabric of the church at his
own expense, and done much else for the monastery, some of the brethren hesitated to believe
them; and so, wishing to be assured, John de
Hatfield, then sub-prior, called some together to
meet Robert in the choir on 8 July. The latter
stated, in answer to inquiries from the sub-prior,
that he had caused the chapel of the Cross with
the fabric of the new oratory adjoining to be
erected at his own expense except for the workmen's bench, part of the carriage and a heap of
stones collected in the church. He had caused
the chapel of St. Mary with the fabric of the new
oratory adjoining to be constructed at his own
expense except for part of the carriage and the
bench; and his wife had caused the ceiling to be
painted at her expense. The glass and ironwork
of the new presbytery were made at his expense
except for a window which John de la Lee had
glazed. The great south window with its glass
and ironwork was made at his expense; and also
the great window at the west end, for the construction of which he had handed £20 to
William, then sub-prior. He had had the great
bell made, and it cost him £20 and half a mark.
He had found a mason for the construction of
the dormitory at his own expense, except for the
bench, and done much else which he could not
tell in detail. He had repaired the old wooden
structure of the old presbytery with its covering
of lead. He had appropriated the tenement of
Philip Bussh to the monastery at his own expense,
and it had cost him in all 190 marks; and he had
repaired the manor at Nosterfeld, and afterwards
given 20 marks yearly to the monastery. He
had given his own tenement in Hatfield to the
monastery a little while before, as they could see
with their own eyes. He had redeemed a debt
of 27 marks on the monastery to Nicholas de
Storteford. All these things he offered to swear
to at the high altar. Taper appears to have
forgiven the ingratitude and scepticism of the
monks, for on 4 May, 1331, he granted to them
a shop in Hatfield.
The prior and convent on 18 September, 1327,
granted participation in all the benefits conferred
by their church to Roger de Wautham, canon of
St. Paul's, London, who had given precious
vessels for the use of themselves and of the parish
church.
An important ordinance was made in March,
1338, by Prior John of Colchester and the convent. (fn. 21) It was stated that the monastery had
long been so burdened that the monks had to go
begging among their friends for clothing and
other necessaries. But as the gifts to the monastery had lately increased, so that this could be
remedied, the number of monks was to be increased by two, so that there should be always at
least fourteen with the prior. The church of
Silverley was committed to the chamberlain of
the monastery for the provision of clothing and
other necessaries, which he was to supply to the
value of 20s. yearly to each professed monk in
the priesthood, and 10s. yearly to each other
monk; and from the residue payments were to
be made to the sub-prior, precentor, almoner
refectorer, infirmarer, cellarer and sacrist. Certain tithes and offerings were also assigned to
these three last officers. A special mass was to
be said daily by the last professed monk for the
soul of John de Hothum, late bishop of Ely,
who had appropriated the church of Great
Abington to the monastery, and for the good of
the present prior, who with great care had procured many benefits to the monastery, and for
his soul after death. The anniversaries of the
bishop and prior were to be solemnly celebrated,
and food distributed to the poor on them; and
the obits of dead priors were to be kept, and
masses said for them. This ordinance was to be
read in chapter once every year.
After this time there is very little further acquisition of property recorded. Several mentions
of the priory are found in the court rolls of the
manor, principally in cases of debt and trespass,
and the names of priors given. On 21 July,
1378, a commission (fn. 22) of oyer and terminer was
granted by the king, on complaint (fn. 23) by the prior
that the vicar of Hatfield and numerous other
persons had attacked the priory and thrown down
a great part of the cloister and walls, and ejected
the monks.
On Sunday after the Purification, 1434, the
convent granted participation in the benefits of
their church to John Derham, late prior, who had
given £20 to the priory to be used as a reserve
fund, and to his parents Richard and Isabel. (fn. 24)
The oath of supremacy was taken (fn. 25) on 8 July,
1534, by Richard, prior, Robert Thornton, subprior, James Booland, John Sylvirley, William
Wryghtt, Thomas Pake, William Whetmon,
Thomas Rose, John Albon and Thomas
Amphabell.
The net value of the priory is given in the
Valor as £122 13s. 2½d. yearly; the gross value
being £157 3s. 2½d.; and it was consequently
dissolved in accordance with the Act of 1536. It
appears (fn. 26) that there were at that time only four
monks besides the prior, their names being given
as Robert Hastynges, James Nicholson, William
Wryght and William Wade. These are no
doubt identical with those of the same Christian
names in the list above, and it seems probable
that the other five had been released by the
visitors. There were twenty servants, of whom
nine were waiting servants. The debts of the
house amounted to £167 16s. 0d., while it had
£4 10s. 0d. owing to it. The six bells belonging to it were valued at £40, and the lead at
£66 13s. 4d., the church and cloister being completely and the dorter only half leaded. Rewards
were given to the prior, monks, organ-player,
servants, etc., the prior receiving 26s. 8d. and
each monk 20s.; and a pension (fn. 27) of £16 yearly
was given to the prior. An inventory (fn. 28) was taken
on 19 June of the goods in the various chambers
and buildings, these being valued at £42 3s. 1d.,
besides cattle worth £7 5s. 8d., and corn worth
£16 16s. 8d. There were 56 ounces of plate,
valued at £10 5s. 8d.
The possessions of the priory were dispersed
after the dissolution, the site and some tenements
in Hatfield being granted (fn. 29) in fee to Thomas
Noke, of Hatfield, on 22 June, 1540, for £234,
at a rent of 26s. yearly.
Priors Of Hatfield Regis
William, occurs 1143. (fn. 31)
Eudo.
Richard. (fn. 32)
Hervey. (fn. 33)
Alexander de Colchester.
Stephen, occurs 1231, (fn. 34) 1235. (fn. 35)
William de Hereford. (fn. 36)
Thomas de Herlestone, occurs 1275. (fn. 37)
Michael, occurs 1278. (fn. 38)
Roger de Cristehall, occurs circa 1310.
John of Colchester, occurs 1338, (fn. 39) died
1344. (fn. 40)
Alexander de Berdefeld, elected 1344, (fn. 41) resigned 1369. (fn. 42)
Thomas de Bradelay, elected 1369, (fn. 43) died
1380 (fn. 44)
John Haverhull, appointed 1380, (fn. 45) died
1395. (fn. 46)
William Gulle, elected 1395, (fn. 47) occurs 1415. (fn. 48)
Richard Latheby, occurs 1416, 1420.
John Lydgate, elected 1423, (fn. 49) occurs 1425. (fn. 50)
John Derham, occurs1430, (fn. 51) resigned 1434. (fn. 52)
Edmund Canefeld, elected 1434, (fn. 53) resigned
1440. (fn. 54)
Andrew Mey, elected 1440, (fn. 55) occurs 1457.
William Brondon, occurs 1471, died 1489. (fn. 56)
John Bedwell, elected 1489. (fn. 57)
Richard Haver, occurs 1502, resigned
1518. (fn. 58)
John Assheley, elected 1518, (fn. 59) died 1528. (fn. 60)
Edmund Sudbury, elected 1528. (fn. 61)
Richard Stondon, the last prior, 1536. (fn. 62)