48. THE PRIORY OF WEEDON BECK
The celebrated abbey of St. Mary of BecHellouin, in the diocese of Rouen, was founded
in 1034 by Hellouin or Herlewin, who became
its first abbot. He had for his disciples two of
the great ecclesiastics of the eleventh century,
intimately associated with the church of England,
Lanfranc and St. Anselm (the second abbot), both
in turn archbishops of Canterbury. Roger de
Thebovill gave a moiety of the manor of Weedon
to the abbey of Bec, a gift which was confirmed
amongst many others by a charter of Henry II. (fn. 1)
Before, however, the end of this reign, the whole
of Weedon was acquired by the abbot and monks
of Bec-Hellouin, and hence became distinguished
as Weedon-Beck, though sometimes known as
Weedon-le-Street from its situation on the Watling Street road. It was certified in the hydarium
temp. Henry II. that the monks held four hides
at Weedon, of the fee of Leicester, including both
Domesday manors. (fn. 2)
In 1203 the abbey of Bec was charged at the
Exchequer for a fine of one hundred marks for
holding forty-eight acres of new assarts and two
acres of old assarts in the manor of Weedon and
for a royal charter exempting their Weedon
tenants from attendance at the swainmote or
forest court for ever; the chief justiciar found,
however, that the heavy fine of £66 13s. 4d.
had been already paid by the monks to Hugh de
Nevill, from whom it was due to the Exchequer. (fn. 3)
These privileges were confirmed by Henry III.
in 1227, and again in 1253 with the addition of
free warren. (fn. 4) In 1276 the abbot of Bec sustained his right to have gallows at Weedon, as
well as free warren and court-leet. (fn. 5)
The abbey of Bec had large possessions in
England, and its chief cell or priory was that of
Okeburn, Wilts. (fn. 6) Apparently for the better
management of their manor and small priory at
Weedon, the monks of Bec assigned their Northamptonshire property towards the end of the
thirteenth century to the rule of Okeburn (Ogbourne) Priory. The Valor of 1291 states that
the prior of Okeburn held at Wendon or Weedon
lands, rents, pannage, and court profits to the
annual value of £16 2s. 8d., and crops, flocks, and
herds to the annual value of £2 10s. 10d. (fn. 7)
In 1302 John de Brochull of Weedon was
found by a jury to be a villein of the abbot of
Bec, and taxable at pleasure; but being contumacious, William Grafton, steward of the abbot,
took him and set him in the stocks. (fn. 8) In 1329
the abbot, at a 'quo warranto' inquiry at Weedon,
held on the Saturday after Ascension Day, satisfied the jury, through the attorney, Richard Blount,
that he had every conceivable right and privilege
in all his demesne lands at Weedon. (fn. 9) Express
mention is here made of the prior of Weedon, so
it is clear that the ecclesiastical establishment of
the monks at Weedon Beck was not a mere
grange.
The priors of Okeburn (Ogbourne) appear in
the Lincoln episcopal registers as patrons of
the vicarage of Weedon Beck in the fourteenth
century. At the general suppression of the
alien priories in 1414, Weedon, with the other
English possessions of the abbey of Bec, escheated
to the crown. The advowson of the church was
soon afterwards granted to the provost and fellows
of the royal free chapel of St. George at Windsor,
who presented to the vicarage of Weedon in
1421. In 1437 the king granted a life interest
in the manor of Weedon Beck to Henry, earl of
Stafford. (fn. 10) He was slain at the battle of Northampton in 1460, and Weedon was soon afterwards granted for life to Thomas Seyntleger for
his services. (fn. 11) In February, 1462, the same manor,
described as parcel of the alien priory of Okeburn,
was granted by the owner to William Beaufitz
for ten years. (fn. 12) The reversion of the manor was
granted to the provost and fellows of Eton College by Henry VI. and confirmed by Edward IV. (fn. 13)
There are no remains of the priory or grange
of the monks of Bec; there is not even a tradition as to its site. Bridges, writing about 1720,
states that the privileges and annuities of the
monastic tenants were traditionally remembered.
'A furlong in the commonfield is yet called gallow-furlong, and the stump of the gallows is
visible not far from the high road.' (fn. 14)
The Valor of 1535 estimated the annual value
to Eton College of the manor and appurtenances
of Weedon Beck at the considerable sum of £40. (fn. 15)
49. THE PRIORY OF WEEDON PINKNEY or WEEDON LOIS
The Benedictine abbey of St. Lucien in
the diocese of Beauvais, Oise, France, was
originally founded in the sixth century. A priory,
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, as a cell of the
French abbey, was established at Weedon Pinkney
by Ghilo de Pinkney in the reign of Henry I.
The Pinkneys were lords of this and several adjacent manors. The grandson of the founder,
named Gilbert, and his great-grandson Henry, confirmed and increased the original endowments,
which consisted of certain lands in Weedon, a
mill with adjacent meadows, and tithes of all the
demesne lands of the family wherever situated,
together with the advowson of the parish church.
This endowment was slightly increased by Robert
de Pinkney, son of Henry, but with his gift the
whole emoluments of the priory came to an end. (fn. 16)
Little is recorded of this alien house beyond entries
in the diocesan registers recording the presentation
of priors by the abbey of St. Lucien and their
admission by the bishop of Lincoln; these, however, are of a somewhat varied nature owing to
the vexed question of the right form of presentation to the ordinary on the part of alien houses.
The rule of heads of this dependent cell was in
most cases short, and terminable by the superiors
of the parent house. In 1265 Matthew Pressour
resigned within a year of his appointment, (fn. 17) an
inquiry was held by the dean of Brackley into his
administration, and he was found to have brought
the priory into debt. On the resignation through
illness of Walter Glayne in 1286 Thomas de
Compendio was presented by the parent house;
the form of presentation, however, was not found
correct, and he was admitted to the custody of
the priory only as a simple monk till another had
been procured; (fn. 18) he held the office for a year,
when Thomas de Sancto Marcello was appointed;
the bishop in this instance refused to admit the
newly-appointed prior until he had received the
resignation of Thomas de Compendio. (fn. 19) In 1291
we read that Hugh de Patay was appointed (revoking the previous presentation of Thomas de
Marcello) on the resignation of Prior Thomas. (fn. 20)
Thus it is not surprising to find some confusion occasionally arising as to the head of the
priory. In 1293 Hugh de Tyenloy appeared
with letters of presentation to the bishop, but
found that Hugh de Tilloy had been already
admitted. (fn. 21) It is recorded of Hugh de Tyenloy
that he was eventually instituted by Bishop Sutton
on the promise that he would keep residence, but
that he speedily left for foreign parts. (fn. 22) He was
succeeded by Peter de Ayion in 1302, (fn. 23) who was
summoned to resign in 1315 and Thomas de
Neufville appointed to succeed him; (fn. 24) nevertheless,
Peter contrived to evade the order of his superior,
and retained his post till the year 1322, when he
was called on to resign under pain of ecclesiastical
censure. (fn. 25)
The insignificance of its endowment and the
long continuance of the war with France made
this priory of so little value to the monks of St.
Lucien that they sought and obtained licence in
1378 to assign it to the Cistercian abbey of Biddlesden, at a yearly rent of £8 to the king so long
as the war should last. On 6 May, 1386,
Richard II. presented William West to the living
of Pinkney, as the priory was at that time in the
king's hands owing to the war with France. (fn. 26)
Although a licence was obtained for the conveyance of the priory to Biddlesden in 1378, the
transfer was not legally executed until fourteen
years later. By deed dated 30 May, 1392, the
abbot and convent of St. Lucien conveyed to the
abbot and convent of Biddlesden at perpetual farm
the priory of Weedon Pinkney with all spiritual
and temporal possessions and rights, to hold on
either of the two following conditions at their
choice—(1) That whenever England and France
should be at peace they should pay to the abbot
of St. Lucien £8 as a yearly pension for ever on
the feast of St. John Baptist in the church of
St. Mary, Calais, and should also pay £66 13s. 4d.
at the Nativity of St. John Baptist next ensuing
in the church of St. Donatian at Bruges, and a
further sum of £33 6s. 8d. on the feast of St.
Peter ad Vincula, 1393; or (2) they should hold
the priory free of any pension, provided they
would be ready to pay £200 in two instalments,
to be completed on the last-named feast. Thomas
Ludlowe, prior of Weedon, was a witness to the
deed. (fn. 27)
The purchasers adopted the first of the two
alternatives, but the total acquisition did not remain long in their hands, and in 1440 they had
to surrender the manor of Weedon to the warden
and scholars of All Souls, Oxford, to whom it had
been granted, inter alia, by the crown for royal
chantry purposes. (fn. 28) The abbey still retained the
rectory and advowson of the vicarage with certain
rents. The Valor of 1535 shows that the college
of All Souls held the manor of Weedon of the
annual value of £19, from which 6s. 8d. was
deducted for their steward, and 5s. for their bailiff;
at the same time Biddlesden Abbey received yearly
rents from Weedon Pinkney to the value of
£1 1s 9d. and £13 6s. 8d. from the rectory.
Even the site of this priory was unknown as
far back as the time of Bridges. Another name
for the priory and parish was Weedon Lois, Loys
or Lees, from its association with the abbey of
St. Lucien, the apostle of Beauvais. His shrine
was the great attraction of the abbey, and some
of the relics appear to have been brought by the
monks to Northamptonshire and deposited in the
parish church of Weedon Pinkney. When a
vicarage was ordained early in the thirteenth
century, the vicar was assigned a fourth part of
the altarage, but special exemption was made of
the offerings to the relics in the church of Weedon,
which went to the priory. (fn. 29) Belcher, writing in
1614, says: 'In this church was the memorial of
St. Loys (fn. 30) kept, whither did many resort for the
cure of their horses; where there was a house at
the east end thereof, plucked down within a few
years, which was called St. Loys house.' (fn. 31)
Priors of Weedon Pinkney
Odo (fn. 32)
Adam (fn. 33)
Philip (fn. 34)
Nicholas, (fn. 35) occurs 1232
Matthew Charite, (fn. 36) resigned 1264-5
Matthew Pressour, (fn. 37) appointed 1265, resigned
1265
Matthew, (fn. 38) appointed 1265
Walte Glayne, (fn. 39) resigned 1286
Thomas de Compendio, (fn. 40) appointed 1286, resigned 1287
Thomas de Sancto Marcello (fn. 41) appointed 1287,
appointment revoked 1291
Hugh de Patay, (fn. 42) appointed 1291, resigned
1293
Hugh de Tilloy, (fn. 43) appointed 1293
Hugh de Tyenloy, (fn. 44) appointed 1293, resigned
1302
Peter de Ayion, (fn. 45) appointed 1302, resigned
1322
Thomas de Neufville, (fn. 46) appointed 1315, and in
1322
Robert de Calceyn, (fn. 47) appointed 1330
William de Meiaco, (fn. 48) appointed 1342
Robert de Neufville, (fn. 49) appointed 1360
John Malengiene, (fn. 50) appointed 1365
Ralph de Ponte, (fn. 51) appointed 1368
Thomas Ludlowe, (fn. 52) occurs 1392