COLLEGE
23. THE COLLEGE OF NORTHILL
The parish church of Northill was made
collegiate by the executors of Sir John
Trailly and his son Reynold (fn. 1) in 1405 (fn. 2) ;
the rectors of the church were from that time
forward masters of the college. The endowment was intended to maintain four fellows
besides the master, and two choristers (fn. 3) ; and
this increase of the staff of clergy must have
been a real benefit to the parish, which consisted of no less than seven hamlets at considerable distances from the parish church and
also from one another. (fn. 4)
The royal commissioners sent to report on
the condition of the chantries, colleges and
hospitals in 1546 suggested that the college
might well be turned into an almshouse, if
that were the king's pleasure (fn. 5) ; and in 1548
reported that it was thought one priest alone
would not be able to serve the cure. (fn. 6) It does
not seem that any notice was taken of either
of these suggestions.
In 1428 (fn. 7) the master of the College held
two-thirds of a knight's fee in Tempsford,
jointly with Robert Scot, of the barony of
Eaton. The Valor Ecclesiasticus assigns to the
college an income of £61 5s. clear (fn. 8) ; the
Chantry Certificate states it at £56 3s. 7d.,
of which £22 10s. formed the stipend of
the master. (fn. 9)
The first master was John Warden (fn. 10) ; the
last was Thomas Grene. (fn. 11)
Footnotes
| 1 |
Chant. Cert. (Beds), 1. |
| 2 |
Tanner, Not. Mon., gives the date 6 Henry IV.,
and says that Sir Gerard Braybrook was one of
the executors. Sir John Trailly died 1401, and
his son in 1402. An inscription in memory of
the first master, John Warden, and containing
these two dates, was in the chancel of Northill
church in 1582 (Beds N. and Q. i. 67, from MS.
notes of Francis Thynne, Lancaster Herald). |
| 3 |
Chant. Cert. (Beds), 1. The master was to
have his board, the pay of one servant, and finding
for two horses; the fellows their board; the
choristers board, lodging and clothing. |
| 4 |
Ibid. |
| 5 |
Ibid. |
| 6 |
Ibid. 1. |
| 7 |
Feud. Aids, i. 57. |
| 8 |
Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 196. |
| 9 |
Chant. Cert. (Beds), 1. |
| 10 |
Beds N. and Q. i. 67. |
| 11 |
Chant. Cert. (Beds), 1. |