TAUNTON PRIORY. 11 



of Bishop Henry de ßlois, the successor of their founder, 

 the Society liad not, so far as our researches have enabled 

 US to discover, augmented or renovated their conventual 

 buUdings. With the year 1277 a movement was made in 

 this direction, which, as we shall remark during our pro- 

 gress, extended its Operations over more than half a 

 Century. There exists a letter of Walter Bronescomb, 

 Bishop of Exeter, dated at Clyst, on the 13th of !March in 

 that year, addressed to the Archdeacons of Exeter and 

 Totness, reminding tliem of the account to be given at the 

 last day, and of the duty of anticipating that period by the 

 Performance of good works, setting fortli that he had 

 authorised the Questors, the bearers of the letter, to solicit 

 the alms of the faithful in the diocese of Exeter for one 

 year, towards the erection of the Conventual Church of the 

 Priory of Taunton, and exhorting and urging them to aid 

 the coUectors to the utmost of their power both by word 

 and deed. The missive furnishes us with the additional 

 information that the good Canons had commenced their 

 church in a style of great magnificence. Although it is 

 probable that a considerable increase in their treasury was 

 the result of this appeal, the expensive natiire of the fabric 

 necessitated, as we have already observed, the employment 

 of a similar mode of collecting funds on several subsequent 

 occasions.* 



The Prior was affirmed to hold in villenage a mes- 

 suage and an acre of land with its appurtenances, in the 

 suburbs of Taunton, by the Jurors at the assize before the 

 Justices Itinerant held at Somerton, on the morrow of the 

 Festival of the Ascension, in the 8th of Edward I, which 

 is coincident with the 31st of May, 1280. 



* E Reg. Dom. Walt. Bronescomb, Exon. Ep., fol. 85b. 



