HOUSES OF CLUNIAC MONKS
12. THE PRIORY OF LITTLE HORKESLEY (fn. 1)
The priory of St. Peter, Horkesley, was
founded under Henry I by Robert son of
Godebold (fn. 2) and Beatrice his wife. They state
in their foundation charter (fn. 3) that they have
granted to the monks of Thetford all their
churches with everything pertaining to the
same, for King Henry and their lord Robert
(son of Sweyn), under the condition that the
prior and convent should send as many monks to
serve God in the church of St. Peter, Horkesley,
as the place could conveniently maintain.
Besides Horkesley they granted the church of
Wiston in Suffolk, the church of Asheldham
with sixty acres of land, half the church of
Boxted and all the tithes from their demesne in
Boxted. Beatrice granted the tithe from her
marriage portion and from the land which her
uncle Turold gave to her. The endowment
also included the tithes of Foulton and Fordham
and land in Reydon. The monks were to be
subject to the prior of Thetford, but beyond the
payment of half a mark of silver yearly nothing
was to be exacted from them.
This charter is still preserved in the Bodleian
Library, together with several other documents
relating to the early history of the house. (fn. 4) Its
possessions were confirmed by the heirs of the
founder, and by Richard and Gilbert, bishops of
London; and the appropriation of the church of
Wiston was confirmed by the bishop of Norwich
and Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury. William
the constable, of Withermarsh, granted to the
monks in frankalmoin land in Withermarsh,
Nayland, Shelley, Horkesley and Reydon; and
by his will left his body to be buried in the
chapel of St. Mary in their church. John de
Rookwode in 1379 granted lands in Wiston
which had descended to him from John de
Lacford to feoffees to grant by royal licence (fn. 5) to
the prior and convent to celebrate for the souls of
John de Lacford and others. Land and rent
were also acquired in Little Horkesley and
Wormingford in 1412. (fn. 6) In the middle of the
thirteenth century Fulk, bishop of London
(1242-1259), gave to Reginald, then prior, and
the monks the fruits of the church of Boxted,
except the vicarage and the collation to it, in
exchange for the church of Asheldham. (fn. 7)
The temporalities of the priory mentioned in
the Taxation of 1291 amount to the value of
£3 16s. 1½d. yearly; of which £1 12s. 10d.
came from Great Horkesley, and £1 12s. 7½d.
from Little Horkesley, with smaller sums from
Wiston, Hockley and Aldham. The spiritualities were more valuable, the church of Wiston
being worth £6, while portions of 13s. 4d. and
3s. 6d. were owned in the churches of Fordham
and Mose. The church of Boxted also belonged
to the priory, and in an extent (fn. 8) of 18 Edward II
it is mentioned as let at farm for £6 13s. 4d.
yearly.
It appears by extracts (fn. 9) from the court rolls of
the manor of Nayland that the prior and convent
in 1263 and 1316 proved that they did not hold
any tenement for which they owed suit at the
court of Nayland. Prior Henry was acquitted
in 1295 of the charge of taking with dogs and
shooting with arrows a hare at Great Horkesley.
In 1260 and again in 1290 the prior and monks
proved that they had had common of pasture in
the forest of 'Cesterwald' from the time of
Robert of Essex.
Horkesley, being a Cluniac house, was at first
regarded as alien and taken into the king's hands
with others; but in 1377 Thetford and its cells
were made denizen. (fn. 10)
In the account (fn. 11) of the visitation of the
English Cluniac houses in 1279, the priors of
Mont Didier and Lenton report that they were
at Horkesley on 14 September. There were
there four monks with a prior, leading good
lives. The prior had not long been appointed;
he found the house with a debt of 40 marks,
which he had increased to 100, but from the
surplus of the harvest he would be able to pay off
40 marks that year. In an enumeration (fn. 12) of the
Cluniac foundations in England (about 1450)
Horkesley is said to be immediately subject to
Thetford. According to some there should be
three monks there, and according to others two;
and divine service was celebrated without chant
except mass and vespers.
The authority of Thetford, however, seems to
have been rather slight at the end of the
fourteenth century. Edward III at the denunciation of John, prior of Thetford, ordered
Roger de Ware, his fellow monk, to be arrested
and delivered to him as a vagabond; but Roger
claimed that he had long been prior of Horkesley
and that the prior of Thetford had no jurisdiction
over him, and appealed to Rome and Canterbury.
The king accordingly in October, 1374,
ordered (fn. 13) the prior of Thetford to appear in
Chancery to show cause why the writ should not
be superseded, Sir Robert de Swynbourne (fn. 14) finding
security for the appearance of Roger. The
latter presumably was successful, for he occurs
later as prior of Horkesley.
The priory was suppressed by Wolsey in
accordance with his licences from the king and
pope; the actual dissolution being carried out by
his agent, John Alen, on 11 February, 1525. (fn. 15)
Its spiritualities were valued (fn. 16) at £11 6s. 8d, and
its temporalities at £16 1s. 3d. yearly, including (fn. 17) lands in Great and Little Horkesley,
Wormingford, Fordham, Ardleigh and Hockley
in Essex and Nayland, Stoke by Nayland,
Wiston, Bures, Reydon and Shelley in Suffolk.
By an inquisition (fn. 18) taken on 17 May, 1527, it
was found that there were at the priory at the
time of the suppression a prior and one other monk,
and that these had since been transferred to
other places. The priory was granted first to
Wolsey's college at Oxford and afterwards on
30 July, 1528, to his second college at Ipswich. (fn. 19)
Priors of Horkesley
Philip (fn. 20) , occurs circa 1230.
Robert, (fn. 21) occurs 1239.
Reginald, (fn. 22) occurs circa 1250.
Simon, (fn. 23) occurs 1260, 1263.
Henry, (fn. 24) occurs 1295.
Stephen de Larriens, occurs 1309, (fn. 25) 1310, (fn. 26)
1312. (fn. 27)
William de Boys, occurs 1343. (fn. 28)
Roger de Ware, occurs 1370, (fn. 29) 1374, (fn. 30)
1388. (fn. 31)
John Horkysley, resigned 1398. (fn. 32)
John Burgh, occurs 1439. (fn. 33)
John Stanground, resigned 1461. (fn. 34)
John Stanford, the last prior. (fn. 35)