35. THE ALIEN PRIORY OF STRATFIELD SAYE
Although the church and greater part of the
parish of Stratfield Saye are in Hampshire, the site
of the small alien priory was just over the county
border in Berkshire.
Nicholas de Stoteville gave the church of
Stratfield Saye, with a small hermitage dedicated
to St. Leonard within the parish, to his newlyfounded abbey of Vallemont, in Normandy,
about the year 1170. (fn. 8) Two or more monks of
the abbey lived here to look after their property,
and established a small priory.
In 1294, when difficulties arose as to the alien
priories owing to the wars with France, Edward I
had the whole of their property and goods valued
throughout England. The prior of Stratfield Saye
at that time held a messuage with dovecote
within the precincts of the priory manor, worth
6s. 8d. a year; he held also one hundred acres of
arable land, worth 25s. a year, at 3d. an acre;
seven acres of meadow worth 8s. 9d. an acre, at
15d. an acre; and six acres of underwood, worth
18d.; total, 41s. 11d. There were seven free
tenants holding two virgates at a rent of 35s. 9d.
The prior also drew a pension from the church
of Stratfield Saye of 71s. 8d., making the total
annual value £7 9s. 4d. (fn. 9)
At the same time the stock of the priory was
thus valued: three plough horses and six foals,
33s. 6d.; a team of eight plough oxen, 48s.;
another inferior team, 40s.; five cows in poor
condition, 20s.; nine calves, 4s. 6a.; a bull, 4s.;
four bullocks, 12s.; three heifers, 9s.; twentysix two-year-old sheep, 18s. 4d.; nine lambs, 3s.;
two boars, 3s.; three sows, 4s.; fifteen pigs, 15s.;
and eight little pigs, 2s.; total, £11 11s. 4d.
The kitchen utensils were valued at 23s. 5d.,
and the value of the sown crops at 54s, giving a
full total of £15 8s. 9d. (fn. 10)
We find from the Patent Rolls of Edward III
that the priory evidently occupied the site, and
perhaps used the actual buildings of the old
hermitage. In March, 1332, William Valaran,
who is styled 'prior of the hermitage of Stratfield
Say' and proctor-general in England for the
Abbey of St. Mary's, Vallemont, had licence to
sell wood to the value of £10 out of the wood
belonging to the abbey at Wydemore, in Pamber
Forest, to find funds for the repair of the
hermitage. (fn. 11)
On 25 April, 1341, the king granted the
hermitage of St. Leonard, Stratfield Saye, to John
le Fevre, of Connellan, of the order of St. Benedict, the priorship being in his gift owing to the
king's assumption of the lands of all alien religious
persons throughout England. (fn. 12)
In June, 1342, restitution was made to
Brother Ralph, monk of Vallemont, warden of
the hermitage of Stratfield Saye, of the hermitage
and its lands lately taken into the king's hands,
owing to the war with France; because it had
been found by inquisitions taken by the sheriffs
of Berkshire and Hampshire that the same was
charged with a chantry of two monks, and with
divers other alms and works of piety, for which
it had an endowment of £5 8s. 5d., and if the
priory was retained in the king's hands these
could not be maintained. (fn. 13)
On 3 March, 1345, the mayor and bailiffs of
Dover were directed to permit Brother Ralph,
prior of Stratfield Saye and monk of the abbey of
Vallemont, who was about to set out to parts
beyond the sea by the king's licence, to cross
from that port, and to allow him reasonable
expenses so far as a gold noble; but he was to
make no apport or tribute to a foreign abbey
contrary to the statute. (fn. 14)
Edward III in 1399 permitted the abbot and
convent of Vallemont to grant the hermitage of
Stratfield Saye and its lands, valued at £30 a year,
to Thomas Colle and his heirs. (fn. 15)
In 1461 Edward IV granted the old priory
estates of Stratfield Saye to Eton College. (fn. 16)