ALIEN HOUSES
49. THE PRIORY OF COGGES
The alien priory of Cogges, near Witney,
attached to the Benedictine abbey of Fécamp,
was founded by Manasses Arsic in 1103. The
original deed (fn. 1) gives the history thus; on
3 November, 1103, the charter which Manasses
Arsic had previously granted to the church of Fécamp was renewed by him at Cogges in the presence of William, the third abbot, (fn. 2) his monks
and servants; and there and then he gave them
his house of Cogges to build a priory (ecclesiam):
he gave them the church of Cogges, and two
carucates of land; at Fringford (Oxon) the
church, two carucates and two mills; two-thirds
of the tithe of his demesne at Somerton (Oxon),
Nutstead, Maplescombe, Farningham, Tunstall,
Sheppey, and Combe (all in Kent), at Swindon
(Wiltshire), Cassington and Wilcote (Oxon); all
he had in Tew (Oxon); two-thirds of the tithe
of the demesne in Newington, Barton, Fritwell,
and Ledwell (Oxon), and of Toft, Owersby,
and Fillingham in Lincolnshire. (fn. 3) Four years
later Manasses and his wife, being present at
Fécamp, granted also the church of Somerton;
and King Henry confirmed the whole at Stamford, 5 July, 1110. It may be that Manasses
was following the example of the foundation
made by Robert d'Oilly at Oxford some thirty
years earlier: the same patron saint, St. George,
was chosen, (fn. 4) and the method of endowment was
the same, namely, by giving two-thirds of the
tithe of the demesne of the manors he held.
The fee of Arsic came into his hands about ten
years before this foundation, but as some of the
manors, Balscott (Oxon) and Ramesham for instance, did not contribute tithes to Cogges, we
may conclude that they had already been granted
out to knights.
With this beginning Cogges might have become a great house, but it seems as if this was
the only gift that was made to it. Moreover
these portions of tithe in distant counties, as
they could not be collected in kind by the prior,
were granted away for small annual sums, and
produced but little. Thus St. Frideswide's, Oxford, paid 2s. for the tithe at Fritwell; (fn. 5) Oseney
10s. for the tithe of Barton Odonis; (fn. 6) Jordan
de Ros had the tithes of Farningham at 2s. a
year for life; (fn. 7) and those of Maplescombe were
held by the rector for 2s. (fn. 8) In 1294 there was
also a pension of 10s. a year from Eynsham
Abbey, (fn. 9) no doubt for the tithes of Cassington.
Also the possessions of the priory seem to have
been gradually alienated. In 1233 the law courts
decided that the advowson of Fringford did not
belong to the priory; (fn. 10) the church of Somerton
also was lost; and in 1291 the income was only
£16, derived from rents in Fringford and Tew,
and from the church of Cogges, with a pension
from the church of Fringford.
In 1294 Cogges with other alien houses was
taken for a time into the hands of the king, and
on many subsequent occasions. In 1338 the
king allowed the prior to hold it at a rent of
£10, but in compassion of the poverty of himself and his house, and for the glory of God and
St. George the Martyr, granted that he should be
quit of that rent. (fn. 11) In the reign of Henry V
the priory was seized by the king and was given
to Eton College (fn. 12) in 1441.
Priors of Cogges (fn. 13)
Samson, c. 1160 (fn. 14)
Michael, occurs 1195 (fn. 15) and 1202 (fn. 16) and 1205 (fn. 17)
Roger, occurs 1221, (fn. 18) resigned 1226
Hugh, appointed 1226, (fn. 19) resigned 1227
John de London, appointed 1227 (fn. 20)
Elerius, appointed 1238 (fn. 21)
Gervasius, appointed 1248 (fn. 22)
William de Esmerville, appointed 1251 (fn. 23)
Hugh, resigned 1262 (fn. 24)
William Barbeyn, appointed 1262, (fn. 25) resigned
1277
Hugh, appointed 1277 (fn. 26)
Stephen de Alba Malla, resigned 1291 (fn. 27)
Mathew de Ponte, appointed 1291, (fn. 28) resigned
1299
Roger Hardy appointed 1299, (fn. 29) resigned
1302
Vigor, appointed 1302, (fn. 30) resigned 1303
William de Limpeville, appointed 1303, (fn. 31) died
1333
Ralph le Frison, appointed 1333, (fn. 32) resigned
1341
Walter de Stauren, appointed 1341 (fn. 33)
William Hamon, the king's surgeon, occurs
1347, (fn. 34) and in 1367 (fn. 35)
Thomas Tynny, appointed 1377 (fn. 36)
Nicholas Goyn, appointed 1380 (fn. 37)
Richard de Byannay, appointed 1402 (fn. 38)