ALIEN HOUSES
15. THE PRIORY OF BECKFORD
In the reign of Henry I Rabellus, the
chamberlain of Normandy, gave the manor of
Beckford-with-Ashton to the monastery of
St. Barbe-en-Auge in Normandy, (fn. 1) which had
been founded as a house of Augustinian canons
in 1128. (fn. 2) A prior and one or two canons were
sent over to occupy the cell. (fn. 3) In 1247 the abbot
and convent of Cormeilles let the parish church
of Beckford with the chapel of Aston at a rent
of 60 marks to the prior and convent of
St. Barbe-en-Auge. (fn. 4) The arrangement was
recognized by Walter Cantilupe, bishop of
Worcester, in 1248. (fn. 5) Another agreement to
the same effect was concluded in 1267. (fn. 6) How
long it lasted is uncertain; (fn. 7) in 1339 the prior of
Beckford still paid procuration to the bishop for
the parish church. (fn. 8)
The prior and convent of St. Barbe-en-Auge
presented the prior of their choice to the bishop
of Worcester, and the custody of the priory was
committed to him as their proctor. (fn. 9) When the
alien priories were seized by Edward I,
Edward II, and Edward III, the prior seems
to have retained his possessions on payment
of a ferm to the exchequer. (fn. 10) In the reign of
Richard II, however, the custody was granted
first to one of the king's clerks in 1379 for a rent
of 100 marks a year, (fn. 11) and in 1383 for life to
a knight named Sir John Cheyne, (fn. 12) who was to
hold it without rendering anything as long as
the war lasted, and after peace was restored for
100 marks to the exchequer. It was a high
demand, for in 1374 the value of the priory was
only assessed at £40 a year. (fn. 13) At that time a
prior and one canon dwelt there. In 1389 the
prior and convent of St. Barbe-en-Auge confirmed the grant of the possessions of Beckford
Priory to Sir John Cheyne. (fn. 14) In 1399, when
Henry IV restored many of the alien priories which
were conventual, Sir John Cheyne urged that
the manor of Beckford was not a conventual
priory and had no spiritualities attached to it,
and thus succeeded in obtaining a confirmation
of the grant by Richard II in 1383. (fn. 15) Beckford
came under the Act of 1414 for the suppression
of the alien priories, and the manor was in the
possession of the crown until 1443, when
Henry VI granted it to his new foundation of
Eton College. (fn. 16) In 1462 Edward IV revoked
that grant, and added Beckford to the endowment of the collegiate church of Fotheringhay. (fn. 17)
Priors of Beckford (fn. 18)
Peter de Hayn, ob. 1298 (fn. 19)
William de Bony, 1298 (fn. 20)
Lawrence Gerard occurs 1345 (fn. 21)
Robert occurs 1374 (fn. 22)
Footnotes
| 1 |
Dugdale, Mon. vii, 1048. |
| 2 |
Ibid. 1112. |
| 3 |
Ibid. 1048. |
| 4 |
MS. Add. 18461, fol. 19 (B.M.). |
| 5 |
Ibid. fol. 22 v. |
| 6 |
Ibid. fol. 17 v. |
| 7 |
Cf. Newent, p. 106. |
| 8 |
Worc. Epis. Reg. Bransford, fol. 15d. No instance occurs in any of the bishops' registers of a
visitation of the priory. |
| 9 |
Worc. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Worc. Hist. Soc.), 505. |
| 10 |
Lawrence Gerard occurs prior of Beckford in
1345 (Cal. of Close, 19 Edw. III, pt. ii, m. 22d.)
when the alien priories were in the king's hands. |
| 11 |
Cal. of Pat. 2 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 16. |
| 12 |
Ibid. 7 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 26. |
| 13 |
Worc. Reg. Sede. Vac. (Worc. Hist. Soc.), 308.
In 1293 the manor with its goods and chattels
was valued at £126 6s. 10d. per annum. MS.
Donat. 6164, fol. 46 (B.M.). |
| 14 |
Cal. of Pat. 13 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 9. |
| 15 |
Ibid. I Hen. IV, pt. iii, m. 12. |
| 16 |
Dugdale, op. cit. vii, 1048. |
| 17 |
Ibid. |
| 18 |
Entries of the priors of Beckford, with one
exception, are not to be found in the registers of the
bishops of Worcester. This may be due to the fact
that the prior had no spiritualities. |
| 19 |
Worc. Epis. Reg. Giffard (Worc. Hist. Soc.), 505. |
| 20 |
Ibid. |
| 21 |
Cal. of Close, 19 Edw. III, pt. iii, m. 22 d. |
| 22 |
Worc. Reg. Sede. Vac. (Worc. Hist. Soc.), 308. |