A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



or successors of the present patron.* On 25 

 July, 1331, the then lord of Daventry obtained 

 a licence to release to the convent in mortmain all 

 the right he and his heirs should have during the 

 voidance of the priory to any of the chattels or horses 

 of the Prior or cellarer, saving the right to place 

 someone at such a time at the gate of the monas- 

 tery to help the porter in the custody thereof. 

 At the same time the convent obtained the ac- 

 knowledgement of their right of free election for 

 the future without seeking the licence of the 

 patron or his heirs.^ Prior Peter de Horpole in 

 1337 successfully maintained the right of the 

 priory to the grinding of all the malt used for 

 brewing within the town of Daventry.' He 

 died in 1352, and a licence for the election of 

 his successor, John of Fawsley, was obtained from 

 Henry, duke of Lancaster,* to whom the manor 

 of Daventry had been conveyed in 1350.6 



Prior William de Grendon was appointed by 

 Bishop Bokyngham in 1388 to collect within 

 the diocese the moiety of the tenth granted by 

 the clergy of the province of Canterbury to the 

 crown. He and his co-collector, the prior of Bul- 

 lington, met with so much opposition from certain 

 ecclesiastics that they had to be reinforced by a 

 royal writ of aid.^ During the rule of the said 

 William a dispute arose between the priory and 

 the townspeople which was settled in March, 

 1 39 1, by an agreement given in the chartulary of 

 Daventry : — 



' This composicion following is translate out 

 of Frenche, and it is for the fredome and liberties 

 for cariage thorowe the church yerde of Daventre 

 and sealed with the Duke of Lancastre seal. 



' This endentur made betwen the prioure and 

 convent of Daventre persones of the parishe 

 churche sett withinne the same priorie and bytwen 

 the good fFolkes of the same towne parishoners 

 of the seid parishe churche witnessethe that 

 where certen debates and discencions have been 

 bytwen them by cause that ye sayd parisshoners 

 hav done to ryng theire belles within the sayde 

 churche on dayes so yerly a five ye houre of 

 rysyng of ye sayde priour and convent so offten 

 and in such maner that ye sayd priour and con- 

 vent thereof haue ben diseased and distourbed 

 of their rest and ye lasse disposed to do dj^yne 

 service the day foloyng consyderyng theire rysing 

 at mydnyght matens for to say as their order 

 requireth and also by cause that ye sayde priour 

 and convent afore saide have made chace and re- 

 chace with their cartes and other cariages within 

 and through the churche yerde of ye sayde church 

 claymyng to have a wey for their ease wych 



1 Cott. MS. Claud. D. xii. f. 10. 



2 Pat. 5 Edw. III. pt. 2, m. 26. 



3 Ibid. 2 Edw. III. pt. I, m. 38d. 



■* Line. Epis. Reg. Inst, of Gynwell, f. 149. 

 6 He died seised of it in 1 361. Inq. p.m. 35 

 Edw. III. No. 122. 



s Pat. I I Ric. II. pt. 2, m. II. 



thyng suffred byscmeth to ye sayde parishons to 

 be to theym dyshoneste and grevaunce by cause 

 that ther ancestres and fFriends have tiier ben 

 buried. The parties aforesayde for gode reste 

 off that on partie and of ye other and for eschew- 

 yng such debates and discencions to be in tyme 

 commyng ben accorded in ye presence of ye 

 ryght myghty prynce John Duke of Guyene and 

 of Lancastre in maner that here foloweth. That 

 ys to say that ye sayde parisshons schale do ryng 

 afore masse within ye sayde church ye dayes in 

 ye mornyng on conuenbull peele and ryngyng 

 with on belle and at ye benacion of ye sacrament 

 of ye same masse thre knyllynges oonly afore ye 

 rysing of ye sayde priour and convent aforesaide 

 and also that ye sayde priour and convent for 

 them and for ther tenanntes schall have a wey 

 at their ease in maner as ther have hadde of 

 auncient tyme for to chace and rechace their 

 cariages after as their busines schall require with- 

 in ye sayde churche yerde withowte distourbing 

 dj'vyne service to be don within ye forsayde 

 parish churche and ther schall be a gate open ye 

 sayde churchyerde to be schette and with tweyn 

 lockes and keyes locke of ye whych keyes won 

 of them schall rest in ye warde and kepyng of 

 ye sayde priour and convent and that ther key 

 in ye kepyng of ye sayde parisshioners, in wyt- 

 nesse of wych thyng aforesayde the sayde duke to 

 ye partes of thes indentures hathe do put hye 

 sseale given att Kenyllworth the xviijth day of 

 Marche the yere of ye reign of owre tres doughted 

 lorde Kyng Richard the Seconde affter ye con- 

 quest the xiijth.' 7 



Prior John Ashby, who succeeded in 1408, 

 obtained a pension on his resignation in 1420, 

 together with the use of a chamber called ' le 

 Oryall,' a silver cup, three silver spoons, etc* 

 Thomas Knight, who was elected prior in 1444, 

 was consecrated bishop of St. Asaph on 1 4 February 

 1450— I ; he was allowed to hold the priory in 

 commendam. The diocesan issued injunctions in 

 December, 1459, ordering him to produce the 

 bull enabling him to hold both bishopric and 

 priory up to Easter 1461 ; he was ordered not to 



7 Cott. MSS. Claud. D. xii. f. 3. 



* Line. Epis. Reg. Memo, of Fleming, f. 212. 

 Prior John of Staverton on his resignation in 1 28 1 

 had a liberal allowance made him which was con- 

 firmed by the bishop. He was to continue to occupy 

 his usual chambers under the dormitory, with the 

 solar, cellar and ehapel adjoining, with a monk to 

 continually dwell with him and assist him, to have a 

 double monk's eorrody with pittances, and £^ of 

 silver yearly ; he should provide himself and his two 

 servants with clothing and boots, but the monk should 

 have his clothing from the monastery (Ibid. Roll of 

 Sutton), His successor, William of Lemyngton, re- 

 signed in 1288, and a pension of 10/. a year was 

 assigned him out of lands held by the vicar of West 

 Haddon, together with a pension of ^^4 10/. a year 

 paid out of Cold Ashby by the monks of PipewelL 

 Cott. MS. Claud. D. xii. f. 10. 



112 



