13. THE PRIORY OF PRITTLEWELL. (fn. 1)
The earliest known mention of the monastery
of St. Mary, Prittlewell, is found in a confirmation (fn. 2) of the possessions of the priory of Lewes,
in Sussex, by Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury,
in 1121; where it is said to have been granted
to Lewes by Robert, son of Sweyn. Sweyn
appears as the holder of Prittlewell in Domesday (fn. 3) ;
and so its foundation can certainly be placed
between 1086 and 1121, and probably in the
latter half of this period after his death. It
appears later among the possessions confirmed to
Lewes by Stephen. (fn. 4) Robert's son, Henry of
Essex, probably added to the endowment of the
priory; for he is called the founder in a petition, (fn. 5)
probably of the fourteenth century, where the
prior, protesting against the demand from the
Exchequer of £100 yearly when the priory is
only worth £150 yearly and there are eighteen
monks to maintain, says that they do not send
any contribution abroad to the mother house of
Cluni, but spend all their revenues upon their
own house in England according to the form of
the charter which they had from their founder,
Henry of Essex.
The founder, Robert, by charter (fn. 6) granted to
the priory the church of Prittlewell with the
chapels of Sutton and Eastwood, and the tithes
of the hamlet of Milton, and ordered that the
prior should pay a mark of silver yearly on the
feast of St. Pancras to the prior of Lewes as
an acknowledgement of subjection. Thomas
Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, confirmed (fn. 7) to
the priory the above, and also the churches of
Rayleigh, Thundersley, the two Shoeburys,
Canewdon, (fn. 8) Wickford, (fn. 9) Stoke, Clavering and
Langley. Prittlewell was, for its size, unusually
rich in church spoils, for it held, appropriated at
various times, the churches of Canewdon, Clavering with Langley, Eastwood, (fn. 10) Prittlewell and
the two Shoeburys in Essex, and Stoke with the
chapel of Nayland in Suffolk, (fn. 11) and it also owned
the advowsons of the rectories of Great Horkesley,
East Mersea, Rayleigh, Rawreth, Thundersley
and Wickford, and portions in these and in the
churches of Hockley, North Benfleet, Bumpstead
Helion and Great Warley.
The temporalities of the priory mentioned in
the Taxation of 1291 were valued at £37 16s. 4½d.
yearly, of which £20 8s. 8d. came from Great
Shoebury, £6 19s. 2d. from Prittlewell, £3 3s. 6d.
from Clavering, £1 11s. 8d. from Hadleigh and
£1 2s. 6d. from Little Shoebury, with smaller
sums from Nevendon, Bowers Gifford, Paglesham,
Rayleigh, Hawkwell, Maldon, Great Stambridge,
Pitsea, Ramsden Bellhouse, Leigh, Stoke Nayland,
Shipbourne in Kent, and London. The greater
part of the income of the priory, however, came
from its spiritualities, the rectory of Stoke Nayland
alone being valued at £40.
In 1203 the prior and convent, in return for
a quitclaim of a moiety of the advowson of the
church of North Shoebury, granted to Reginald
de Cornhill and his heirs the presentation for ever
of one clerk to be a monk in their house. (fn. 12) Hamo
de Bocland was admitted as a monk in 1281 at
the presentation of Sir John de Rochford, (fn. 13) and in
1343 the prior and convent record the admission
of Henry de Southcherche, an illegitimate son of
Sir Peter de Southcherche, and his subsequent
apostasy. (fn. 14)
In the years 1299-1301 the prior was engaged on behalf of the king on the construction
of a new prison at Rayleigh and the repair of
houses at Eastwood and Nayland and a mill at
Rayleigh. (fn. 15)
Corrodies were claimed by the crown in the
priory; John Swetyng being sent there in 1343
to receive such maintenance as Peter Burgulon
had had. (fn. 16)
In 1359 the prior and convent had licence to
acquire land and rent in Prittlewell for the celebration of a memorial for the soul of William de
Dersham, servant of William de Bohun, earl of
Northampton. (fn. 17)
In the Cluniac visitation of England in 1276 (fn. 18)
John, prior of Wenlock, and Arnulph, constable
of the abbot of Cluni, report that they were at
Prittlewell on March 21. There were there
fifteen monks, and the house owed £100 sterling.
The priors of Mont Didier and Lenton visited
it on 17 September, 1279, (fn. 19) and found fourteen
monks leading good lives. The prior was rebuilding his church; the other buildings were in good
condition. The house had no other debt than
100 marks, for which it was responsible through
Miles, the present abbot of Vezelay, when he was
prior of Lewes; and its goods, though not abundant, were sufficient for it until the new harvest.
The prior was a person of good life and fame.
In 1305 (fn. 20) the visitors found that four monks were
lacking from the accustomed number, and the
prior of Lewes was ordered to make up the
deficiency unless prevented by some reasonable
cause. In case of his negligence the number
would be made up by the lord abbot.
In an enumeration (fn. 21) of the Cluniac houses in
England (about 1450) Prittlewell is said to be
subject to the priory of Lewes and in (the
jurisdiction of) the city of London. There
should be there fourteen monks. The only alms
distributed are the fragments collected in the
refectory and the prior's chamber. Four masses
are celebrated there and written down in the
table, and of these three are with and one without chant.
William le Auvergnat, monk of Lewes, was
appointed prior in 1311. (fn. 22) He was accused of
incontinency in the city of London in 1314, and
the Cluniac visitors, not being able to get full
information, ordered the prior of Lewes to
inquire into the matter and punish him if guilty. (fn. 23)
The prior of Lewes decided to deprive him, and
in 1315 presented Guichard de Caro Loco (fn. 24) or
Cherlieu to the priory, but the latter was rejected
by the king as William was already in possession. (fn. 25)
William obtained protection from the king in
1315, (fn. 26) and again in 1316. (fn. 27) In February, 1316,
the priory was sequestrated by the king on
account of its poverty and Adam de Osgodeby
appointed to its custody. (fn. 28) James de Cusancia, (fn. 29)
monk of Lewes, was appointed prior in December,
1316, by the prior of Lewes and admitted by the
king, (fn. 30) and a keen fight raged between him and
William for the possession of the priory. Both
were summoned to appear before the council
in August, 1318, and William there renounced
his claim, (fn. 31) but nevertheless afterwards made
forcible entry into the priory. (fn. 32) He appealed to
the archbishop of Canterbury, and the prior of
Dunmow, to whom the case was committed,
decided in his favour. James then appealed to
the archbishop, and pending the appeal ejected
William and his party. (fn. 33) The judges of the
archbishop's court again decided in favour of
William; upon which James again appealed, first
to the archbishop and then to the pope. Pending
the appeal some monks of Lewes by order of the
prior came in force to the priory, wounded
William in the head while he was celebrating
mass at the high altar, and dragged him and three
of his monks off bound hand and foot to Lewes. (fn. 34)
The matter was finally settled by the death (fn. 35) of
William in 1321, probably from the wound, and
James occupied the priory. He resigned in
1334 (fn. 36) and appears later as prior of Thetford.
Prittlewell, being a Cluniac house, was considered alien, and so was frequently taken into
the king's hands in the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries. It was generally let to the priors at
farm, the rent paid in 1338 being £40 yearly. (fn. 37)
But in May, 1373, Lewes and its cells were
made denizen. (fn. 38)
Pope Boniface IX in 1400 granted indulgences
to all penitents visiting the church at certain
times and giving alms for its repair, and gave
licence for the prior and five other confessors
chosen by him to hear their confessions and
grant absolution. (fn. 39)
The net value of the priory is given in the
Valor as £155 11s. 2½d. yearly, the gross value
(according to Speed) being £194 14s. 3½d. It
was consequently dissolved in accordance with
the Act of Parliament of 1536, the prior receiving
a pension (fn. 40) of £20 yearly, and an inventory (fn. 41) of
the goods in the various chambers and buildings
was taken on 8 June. These were valued at
£110 18s. 0d., besides cattle worth £38 14s. 0d.
and corn worth £27 17s. 2d. There were
196¼ ounces of plate, valued at £37 11s. 2d.
The house was free from debt, and had £6
owing to it.
The site of the priory with the manor of
Prior's Hall in Prittlewell was granted on
28 May, 1537, to Sir Thomas Audeley, the
chancellor. (fn. 42)
The patronage of the priory passed to the
crown with 'the honour of Essex'; (fn. 43) and the
priors were appointed by the prior of Lewes and
admitted by the king after their fealty had been
taken. At each vacancy the escheator went to
the priory and took simple seisin of it in the
king's name and deputed a porter at the gate.
The king received nothing of the issues during
the vacancy, and the escheator and porter departed when the new prior brought the king's
letters of admission. (fn. 44) The priors are generally
said to be monks of Lewes, and were probably
almost always so.
Priors of Prittlewell
William, occurs 1203. (fn. 45)
Simon de Waltham, appointed 1241. (fn. 46)
Peter, occurs 1258. (fn. 47)
William de Verge, appointed 1261. (fn. 48)
William, occurs 1275. (fn. 49)
Nicholas de Cokefeld, appointed 1281, (fn. 50)
died 1290. (fn. 51)
Peter de Montellier, appointed 1290. (fn. 52)
John de Monte Martini. (fn. 53)
Henry de Fautrariis, appointed 1308. (fn. 54)
Giles de Seduno, appointed 1309. (fn. 55)
Thomas de Shelevestrode, appointed 1310. (fn. 56)
William le Auvergnat, appointed 1311. (fn. 57)
James de Cusancia, appointed 1316, (fn. 58) resigned
1334. (fn. 59)
John Chaluns, occurs 1342, (fn. 60) 1345. (fn. 61)
Francis de Baugiaco, appointed 1361, (fn. 62)
resigned 1362. (fn. 63)
John Saver, appointed 1363. (fn. 64)
Ralph Miouns, (fn. 65) occurs 1362, 1368.
Richard Ysewode, appointed 1376. (fn. 66)
James Wygepole, appointed 1385. (fn. 67)
James, occurs 1419, (fn. 68) 1423. (fn. 69)
Richard Lachemere, appointed 1428, (fn. 70) occurs 1447. (fn. 71)
Laurence Bristowe, occurs 1454. (fn. 72)
Hugh Suker, or Sugur, appointed 1468, (fn. 73)
died 1476. (fn. 74)
John, appointed 1476, (fn. 75) occurs 1494. (fn. 76)
John de Eston, occurs 1509, (fn. 77) 1513, (fn. 78) 1515. (fn. 79)
Thomas Norwiche, occurs 1525, (fn. 80) the last
prior. (fn. 81)
The seal (fn. 82) of the priory is a pointed oval,
2½ in. by 1½ in., representing the Assumption of
St. Mary in a canopied niche. At the sides in
four canopied niches are four angels. In the
base under a carved round-headed arch is a saint
lifting up the right hand in benediction and
holding a sword in the left. Legend:—
SIGILLŪ PRIORIS T CŌVĒTUS MONASTERII BdE
MARIE DE PRITWE. .