24. THE PRIORY (fn. 1) OF THREMHALL (fn. 2)
The Augustinian priory of St. James the
Apostle, Thremhall, was founded probably about
the middle of the twelfth century by Gilbert de
Mountfitchet, or possibly by Richard his son.
In an account of the Mountfitchet family Gilbert
is said shortly before his departure for the Holy
Land to have given Thremhall to a Scot called
Daniel to build a monastery on. A grant to the
canons by Richard is mentioned in a charter to
them by his son, Richard the younger. The
advowson appears always to have belonged to
the manor of Stansted Mountfitchet, descending finally to the De Veres, earls of Oxford, by
a settlement made in 1320. (fn. 3)
The temporalities of the priory were valued
in the Taxation of 1291 at £17 2s. 11d. yearly;
the chief amounts being £3 13s. 6d. in Tendring,
£3 10s. 4d. in Manuden, £2 14s. 1d. in Stansted,
£1 16s. 4d. in Takeley, £1 13s. 2d. in Farnham
and £1 in Hatfield Regis, with smaller sums in
Birchanger, Elsenham, Ongar and Hallingbury
in Essex, Thorley, Stortford and Brent Pelham
in Hertfordshire and in Cambridge. There
were also portions of £1 in the church of
Birchanger and 13s. 4d. in the church of Berden.
The advowson of the church of Stansted was
acquired in 1305 and the church appropriated
in 1342. (fn. 4)
In 1250 the prior and convent established &
chantry (fn. 5) in their church for Master Richard de
Wendover, canon of St. Paul's, London 5 in
return for which he gave them 40 marks to buy
land.
The net value of the priory is given in the
Valor as £60 18s. 7½d. yearly, the gross value
being £70 19s. 3½d. It was dissolved among the
smaller monasteries in 1536, the prior receiving
a pension (fn. 6) of £10. An inventory (fn. 7) of the goods
in the various chambers and buildings was taken
on 16 June, these being valued at £17 2s. 3d.,
besides cattle worth £8 10s. 4d. and corn worth
£14 16s. 8d. The debts due to the house
amounted to £11 0s. 11d, and those due by it
to £2 13s. 8d. There were 20 ounces of plate,
valued at £3 12s, 0d.
The priory was granted (fn. 8) on 21 July in tail
male to John Gary and Joyce Walsingham,
whom he was about to marry, with all its
possessions, including the manors of Thremhall,
Engeyneshall in Clacton and Beches in Pelham
Furneux, the whole being said to be of the clear
yearly value of £61.
Priors of Thermhall
Daniel. (fn. 9)
William, occurs 1202. (fn. 10)
Robert. (fn. 11)
John, occurs 1241, (fn. 12) 1250. (fn. 13)
John, occurs 1306. (fn. 14)
William de Shereford, died 1368. (fn. 15)
John de Takeley, elected 1368. (fn. 16)
Richard de Brangtre, resigned 1403. (fn. 17)
John Rokby, died 1438. (fn. 18)
Reginald Harneys, collated 1438, (fn. 19) died
1465. (fn. 20)
John Crowne, collated 1465, (fn. 21) died 1474. (fn. 22)
John Herbert, collated 1474, (fn. 23) resigned
1489. (fn. 24)
John Hasilton, collated 1489, (fn. 25) occurs
1492. (fn. 26)
Simon Sponer, occurs 1512, (fn. 27) the last
prior. (fn. 28)