HOUSE OF AUSTIN NUNS
10. THE PRIORY OF HARROLD
The priory of Harrold was probably
founded between 1140 and 1150, (fn. 1) on land
which was then a part of the honour of
Huntingdon, and held by Sampson le Fort (fn. 2)
of the Scottish kings. The site of the priory
with the churches of St. Peter, Harrold, and
Brayfield (Northants) was originally granted
to Gervase, abbot of St. Nicholas of Arrouaise,
that he might send there some nuns of his
order (fn. 3) : they were at first governed by a prior,
with a few canons, (fn. 4) to protect or guide the
sisters 'according to the institutions of St.
Nicholas of Arrouaise.' (fn. 5) The priory has some
distinguished names amongst its earlier benefactors. Sampson le Fort's charter was
probably confirmed first by David I. of Scotland and his son Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, (fn. 6)
and certainly afterwards by Malcolm IV., (fn. 7)
William the Lion, (fn. 8) Simon, Earl of Northampton, (fn. 9) and Robert Bruce (fn. 10) ; while Baldwin des
Ardres, Count of Guisnes, granted to the nuns
the church of Stevington before 1153, (fn. 11) and
the name of Roger de Quincy, (fn. 12) constable of
Scotland, appears later. Before the year 1181
however the prior and canons had ceased to
exist, and the nuns were making efforts to
free themselves from immediate subjection to
the abbot of Arrouaise; and after appeals from
both parties to Pope Alexander III. the matter
was finally referred to the arbitration of St.
Hugh of Lincoln. Robert of Bedford, the
precentor of the cathedral, was sent to treat
with the abbot of Missenden, who was acting
as proctor to the abbot of Arrouaise; and the
result of his negotiations was that Gervase set
the nuns free for ever from subjection to the
parent abbey, and yielded to them the two
churches of Harrold and Brayfield, with all
the other gifts of Sampson le Fort, on condition that they paid half a mark yearly to
the abbot of Missenden. (fn. 13) Thenceforward
until the dissolution the convent was ruled by
a prioress, (fn. 14) having sometimes a warden or
master, (fn. 15) like other small houses of nuns, and
at one time a few lay brothers. (fn. 16) Of the
number of the nuns there is no indication
until the very end, when there were only six
at the outside. Nor is it easy to discover
whether in giving up their direct connection
with the abbey of Arrouaise, they ceased at
once to observe the Arrouasian rule and to
wear the habit of that order; or whether, as
seems more likely, the change was later. (fn. 17) At
the dissolution they were reckoned as ordinary
Austin canonesses. (fn. 18) The house has very little
history of any kind. The chartulary in the
British Museum, (fn. 19) which contains an abstract
of the charters in the possession of the priory
in the reign of Henry V., shows various
small grants of lands and tenements in Bedfordshire, and a few suits concerning churches. (fn. 20)
The latest item of importance is an account
of the impropriation of the church of Shakerstone in 1416. (fn. 21) Early in the thirteenth century the advowson of the priory was probably
held by Ralf Morin of Harrold and his son
John, (fn. 22) and in 1279 certainly by Sir John de
Grey. (fn. 23) The name of Sir Gerard Braybrook (fn. 24) occurs frequently in some later
charters. The last patron of all was Lord
Mordaunt of Turvey, one of whose ancestors
had witnessed a foundation charter of the
priory. The house was probably never very
rich, though no exact statement of its income can be made earlier than the dissolution.
During the time of Bishop Sutton, in
1298, a nun of Harrold was found guilty of
a breach of her vow of chastity; (fn. 25) and in
1311 Bishop Dalderby issued a commission
for the visitation and correction of this house
amongst others. (fn. 26) No account of this visitation is preserved, nor are any others recorded;
only in 1369 (fn. 27) Bishop Gynwell appointed
Dame Katherine of Tutbury (afterwards
prioress) to administer the revenues of the
priory during vacancy, and to reform excesses. It may be that during her term of
office the house was well governed, and had
a better reputation; but this is of course mere
conjecture. The name of this prioress and
her successor, Emma Drakelowe, are found in
many of the charters relating to tenements
and leases in the chartulary. Nothing further
is known of the state of the priory, internal or
external, until it was visited by Dr. Layton
in 1535, (fn. 28) with other houses in Bedfordshire.
If the accusations contained in his letter to
Cromwell were true, the priory had certainly
ceased to be in any real sense a religious
house. He declared that he found there a
prioress and four or five nuns, of whom one
had 'two fair children' and another 'one
child and no more'; and also describes how
Lord Mordaunt had induced the prioress and
her 'foolish young flock' to break open the
coffer containing the charters of the priory,
and to seal a writing in Latin of which they
did not understand a word, but were told it
was merely the lease of an impropriate benefice. 'All say they durst not say him nay,'
he adds; 'and the prioress saith plainly that
she would never consent thereto.'
In the case of Chicksand, which is charged
with similar misdoings in the same letter, the
very form and content of the accusation
challenge criticism at once. But if the charges
laid against Harrold are denied, it can only
be on the simple ground that Layton is a discredited witness. There is no actual evidence
for or against his statements. But unhappily
there is nothing at all improbable in the story
of Lord Mordaunt and the charters. The
patron of a house so small and so poor would
be in a position to take a very high hand with
the little convent, especially as one or two of
the nuns would very likely be members of
his own family. However this may be, the
house was certainly dissolved under the Act
of 1536, and a pension of £7 assigned to
the prioress, Elinor Warren. (fn. 29)
The priory was endowed by Sampson le
Fort with the churches of St. Peter, Harrold,
and Brayfield, Northants, with their appurtenances, and a few acres of land besides. (fn. 30)
The church of Stevington (fn. 31) was added soon
after, and that of Shakerstone (Leicester) in
the fifteenth century. (fn. 32) No statement can be
made as to the value of its lands in the thirteenth century, as it is not mentioned at all
in the Taxatio of Pope Nicholas, nor in the
Feudal Aids. The total income of the priory
in 1535 was £40 18s. 2d.; (fn. 33) the first valuation after the dissolution, in 1536, amounted
to £57 10s., including the four rectories
mentioned above, with small parcel of land,
rents and tenements in the counties of Bedford, Huntingdon and Buckingham. (fn. 34)
Prioresses of Harrold
Agnes (fn. 35) died 1245
Basile (fn. 36) de la Legh, elected 1245, occurs
1252
Juliane (fn. 37)
Amice, (fn. 38) occurs 1264 and 1268
Margery of Hereford, (fn. 39) resigned 1304
Cecily de Cantia, (fn. 40) elected 1304
Petronilla of Radwell, (fn. 41) elected 1335, resigned 1354
Christine Murdak, (fn. 42) elected 1354, resigned
1357
Maud de Tichemersh, (fn. 43) elected 1357, occurs 1364
Katherine of Tutbury, (fn. 44) elected 1369, occurs 1384
Emma Drakelowe, (fn. 45) occurs 1405 and 1413
Elizabeth Chiltern, (fn. 46) resigned 1470
Margaret Pycard, (fn. 47) elected 1470
Helen Crabbe, (fn. 48) died 1501
Eleanor Pygot, (fn. 49) elected 1501, died 1509
Agnes Gascoigne, (fn. 50) elected 1509
Elinor Warren, (fn. 51) surrendered 1536
The seal of the priory represented St.
Peter, standing, in mitre and chasuble, two
keys in the right hand and a crosier in the
left. The legend is very indistinct, only the
last two words being legible . . . PETRI
CATENAS. (fn. 52)