262 The Death of the Earl :—St. Margaret's, Marlborough. 



Eodley was to have an extra £3 6s. 8fZ. in consideration of his 

 serving the cure at " Kenes " — a misprint, perhaps, for "Keniiet " — 

 in State Papers Domestic, K. Hen. VIII., xiv. (i.) 75. Judging 

 from the silence of the Wilts Institution Eegisters subsequent to 

 1445, when the prior of St. Margaret's had presented Andrew 

 Oxenford to Bishop Ayscough for admission to the cure, I conclude 

 that the canons after that date used generally to put in a priest 

 without presentation to the diocesan (from whose control they 

 were exempted), and for Kennet, perhaps, sent over one of their 

 own numl)er at pleasure, or at least treated it as a kind of perpetual 

 curacy or donative independent of the Bishop, as it remained until 

 modern times. The Whitefriars of Marlborough at the Carmelite 

 Priory had surrendered about May, 1538. Pulton Gilbertines 

 (then in this county) surrendered the same day as St. Margaret's, 

 16th January, 1539, three brethren signing the deed. About 

 October, 1539, the site of St. Margaret's, along with all the canons' 

 property in neighbouring parishes, was assigned by the Crown as 

 part of the dowry for Anne of Cleves. (Cal. S.P. Dam., Hen. VIIL, 

 xiv. (ii.), 432. It was soon afterwards granted in exchange to 

 Anthony Stringer. But by the time Leland made his visit (be- 

 tween 1540 and 1542) " one Master Daniell " dwelt there. [Zeland 

 vii. 85.] 



In the following notes I am largely indebted to the kindness of 

 Mr. Robert W. Merriman. 



Waylen, in his History of Marlborough {1854:, -p- 81) describes 

 the Priory of White Canons of Sempringham order dedicated to St. 

 Margaret, as " a flourishing community," deriving its temporalities 

 from nine parishes which he enumerates. " Among its early 

 benefactors the names of Philip Francis and Eichard Eyre, both of 

 Lockeridge, are recorded." 



Henry III. gave to this house [about 1236] all the land in "la 

 Barton," and from Edward III. [1334] the brethren obtained a 

 errant, entitled " Relaxatio de decimis fercidoruvi Regis, quoties Rex 

 venit Marlburiam, ex concessione Regis Henrici." Mr. Waylen 

 proceeds : — 



" Disdaining the shelter of the town walls, this establishment was seated 



