By the Rev. J. E. Jackson, F.8.A. 269 



dress, in which, at their death, they were shrouded. There were 

 twenty-seven houses of the Order in England ; generally filled with 

 foreigners rather than with Englishmen. 



Now, as William de Warren and his wife had taken a liking to 

 the parent house at Clugni, so did Humphrey de Bohun and his 

 wife Maud of Salisbury, to the same system at St. Pancras, Lewes ; 

 and, being in their turn also resolved to be founders, in or about 

 the year 1125 they gave to the house at Lewes the land (ali-eady 

 mentioned), at Bishopstrow, called the Buries ; on condition that 

 if, by and by, they should found a Priory, and should convey to the 

 House at Lewes the further gift of the manor and tithes of Farley 

 in Wilts, and should further allow the Prior of Lewes to place some 

 of his monks at Farley, then those monks so established here in a 

 house of their own, should enjoy wholly and to themselves, the 

 profits and tithes of the lands so given.^ 



The third Bohun (as just stated) completed and further endowed 

 this Priory, both by lands of his own, and by obtaining contribu- 

 tions of the same kind both from greater folks on whom he depended 

 and from smaller folks who depended upon him. He was Steward in 

 the Household of King Henry I., the times being yet peaceful; but 

 when they were no longer peaceful (as very soon came to pass after 

 King Henry's death), he very properly joined that side to which he 

 was officially attached ; and when Henry's daughter, Maud, the Em- 

 press — now, by her second marriage, Countess of A.njou — landed in 

 England, Bohun declared for her. It was in this part of the country, 

 and especially in Wiltshire, that many of the early fights between 

 Matilda and Stephen took place ; one reason being that her natural 

 brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester, an influential nobleman near the 

 Severn, had built Bristol Castle, and rendered it impregnable. Seve- 

 ral other castles in the West were under his influence, and were 

 garrisoned on the side of the Empress. There is a very interesting 

 fragment of history, called "The Acts of Stephen," written byacon- 

 '•mporury but anonymous author, which gives a detailed account 

 (not found in any other work), of the military proceedings in this 

 iioiglibourhood, amongst which a very important part is performed 



' Duf^dale'H IJaronago. — " Bohiiu." 



