15. THE PRIORY OF BICESTER
Although there is no chartulary of the Austin
priory of Bicester, yet more than fifty of the
original charters are preserved at the British
Museum and the Record Office, of which
Bishop Kennett has printed the most important.
Among them is what appears to be the foundation charter, in which Gilbert Basset grants to
John, prior of Bicester, various messuages and
crofts in Bicester (no doubt for the monastic
buildings), land also in the open fields, the church
of Bicester with the chapel of Stratton Audley, and
the churches of Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire,
Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, and Ardington, Berkshire. (fn. 1) The convent had the same patron saint
as the parish church, which immediately adjoined, namely St. Edburga; and from it must
have obtained her bones, which in later days
were shown in the conventual church. The
date of the foundation is between 1182 and
1185; Gilbert Basset had succeeded his father
Thomas in 1180, and himself had no children
except one daughter. It is stated, and no doubt
correctly, that the number of inmates was to be
a prior and eleven canons. (fn. 2)
Of the churches given by the founder,
Bicester was appropriated before 1220; and
Little Missenden about 1267. (fn. 3) In 1220-8
Bicester agreed to be content with a portion of
the tithes of Compton; (fn. 4) and the church of
Ardington had been appropriated before 1425. (fn. 5)
The canons also had the church of Newton
Purcell, granted them about 1200 by Ralf
Purcell, (fn. 6) but it was so poor that it could have
been of no advantage to them. Their temporal
possessions lay in the parishes around Bicester,
and were almost without exception given by
relations of the founder. (fn. 7) One peculiar possession
may be mentioned, namely a knight's fee at
Betterton, Berkshire, but without land or rent.
The only value of this was that when the holder
of the property died (in this case the prior of
Poughley), Bicester received the due relief of
£5 for the knight's fee. (fn. 8) At the Taxation of
1291 the income was over £80, and early in
the next century the priory, having obtained
leave to acquire lands in mortmain to the value
of £10 a year, obtained property at Letcombe
Bassett, Berkshire. (fn. 9)
About the condition of the monastery in early
times we only know that Robert, prior in
1212, must have been a man of importance, for
we find that he was chosen more than once as a
judge-delegate. In March, 1292, the high altar
in the conventual church of Bicester was consecrated, (fn. 10) and twelve years later there must have
been building operations, as an indulgence was
granted to all those who should contribute to the
fabric. (fn. 11) When the bishop visited the priory in
1300, there seems to have been a complaint of
the severity of the prior; (fn. 12) but it may have
been necessary, for in 1306 two canons fled,
'having proved themselves irreligious all our
time' as the bishop says. (fn. 13)
At the visitation of Bishop Alnwick in 1445, (fn. 14)
the inmates were the prior, seven canons, and
two or more boys not yet professed. The income of the house was stated to be £140; but
the jewels were pawned and the allowance of
the canons for clothing had not been paid.
There does not seem to have been much amiss,
for the complaints answer each other, one complaining that discipline is lax and silence not
duly observed; while the younger members complain of the strictness with which they were
made to study, and not allowed exercise.
At the visitation of 1520, (fn. 15) the house consisted
of the prior and eight canons, two of whom lived
outside the monastery, serving the cures of
Bicester and Stratton Audley; the bishop, however, ordered that they should reside in the
monastery, unless a grant could be produced
authorizing the arrangement. The income was
stated to be £210. The bishop ordered that
the younger canons should be instructed in
grammar and in the rule of St. Augustine, about
which they were somewhat ignorant, and named
one of the elder canons as teacher.
There is also a short record of a visitation in
1530. Complaint was made that the number
of canons was diminished through the sweating
sickness, that whereas there used to be ten
canons besides the prior, there were now only
eight inmates, of whom two were novices. A
novice asserted that one of the canons had
counselled him to renounce the habit; that
in consequence he had fled, but afterwards
repented and returned; the canon denied that
he gave such counsel. (fn. 16) When Dr. Tregonwell
visited Bicester in 1535 he reported that the prior
looked well after his house and his brethren and
all were in good order except one, who being
punished for incontinence had run away and was
still apostate. (fn. 17)
In 1526 the income was £173 gross, £113
net; in 1534, the acknowledgement of the
royal supremacy was signed by nine inmates; (fn. 18)
and in 1535 the number (including no doubt
novices) was twelve. The income was returned
at £176 gross, £146 net. The house was
suppressed in 1536, but the deed of surrender is
not extant; (fn. 19) the prior received a pension
of £24. (fn. 20)
Priors of Bicester
John, occurs 1182 (fn. 21)
R[obert], occurs 1212 and 1217 (fn. 22)
William, occurs 1227 and 1236 (fn. 23)
Robert, died 1240 (fn. 24)
Hervey, elected 1240, (fn. 24) occurs 1254 (fn. 25)
Reginald, occurs 1261, (fn. 26) resigned 1269
Walter de Quenton, elected 1269, (fn. 27) occurs
1281 (fn. 28)
William de Thornberg, elected 1289 or 1290, (fn. 29) resigned 1300
Roger de Cotesford, elected 1300, (fn. 30) died 1331
Robert de Curtlington, elected 1331, (fn. 31) resigned
1348
Roger Warde, appointed 1348, (fn. 32) died 1349
Nicholas de Shobyngdon, elected June, 1349, (fn. 32)
died same year
Peter de Grete, elected 1350, (fn. 32) resigned 1354
Robert Blaket, elected 1354, (fn. 33) died 1383
Robert de Islep, elected 1383 (fn. 34)
Geoffrey Chamburlayn, occurs 1392 (fn. 35)
Richard Parentyn, elected 1397, (fn. 36) died 1434
John Wantyng, elected 1434, (fn. 37) resigned 1454
Edmund Wycombe, appointed 1454, (fn. 38) died
between 1460 and 1467 (fn. 39)
Robert Lawton, occurs 1460-7, and 1475 (fn. 40)
Richard Hynbest, occurs 1481, (fn. 41) died 1483
John Tooker, admitted 1483 (fn. 42)
Thomas Banbury, elected 1485, (fn. 43) resigned
1499
Richard Petyrton, elected 1499 (fn. 44) resigned
1503
William Dadington, elected 1503, (fn. 45) died 1510
John Coventre, elected 1510, (fn. 46) died 1524
Robert Brice, appointed 1524, (fn. 47) resigned 1528
William Brown, appointed 1528, (fn. 48) surrendered
1536
An early thirteenth-century seal is pointed
oval; a conventional design of interlaced stems
and leaves. (fn. 49) Legend:—
[+ SI]GILLVM CAPITVLI ECCLESIE DE
BERNECESTR[IA]
A later seal of this priory is a pointed oval;
in two canopied niches, on the left the Virgin,
with crown, holding on the left arm the Child,
in the right hand a sceptre; on the right
St. Edburga the queen, with crown, holding in
the right hand a cup, in the left hand a book.
In base, between two sprigs of foliage, a shield of
arms; Barry nebuly (or vair?) (fn. 50) Legend:—
S' . CO MUNE: PRIORIS: ET CONVENT':
PRIORATUS: DE: BURENCESTRE
A fourteenth-century seal doubtfully attributed to this house in the British Museum
Catalogue is a pointed oval; the Virgin crowned,
in a carved niche with triple-arched canopy,
suckling the Child, between two angels, kneeling, and swinging censers aloft. In base under
a trefoiled arch a bishop with mitre, kneeling to
the right before an altar on which is a chalice.
On the left a hand of blessing and vested arm
issuing. The arch is inscribed: SAL . . . . .
DE . . . . (fn. 51) Legend:—
VIRGO: TVVM: NATVM: LACTANS: FAC:
ME: SIBI: GRATE