A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



bury for the visitation of the clergy, laity, and 

 religious foundations of the Lincoln diocese, came 

 to visit the priory of Canons Ashby. While 

 there he issued a certificate that the prioress and 

 convent of the neighbouring house of Catesby 

 rightfully possessed the parish churches of Catesby 

 and Ashby.^ Bishop Gray, 1431-6, made a 

 visitation of the house in the first half of the 

 fifteenth century. He afterwards issued the 

 formal injunctions usually enjoined on Austin 

 houses, but added in addition that the prior was 

 forbidden to consort with three women whose 

 names he gave out ; parents, brothers, and relatives 

 of the inmates living near at hand had caused grave 

 dissension. Thomas Walsingham was not to be 

 removed from the office of sub-prior without the 

 bishop's leave. - 



The acknowledegment of the king's supremacy 

 was signed on 13 August, 1534, by Richard 

 Randall, prior, Richard Colles, sub-prior, and ten 

 other canons.' Richard Randall resigned in 

 October of the same year, and the convent 

 petitioned for licence to elect. ^ Richard Colles, 

 the former sub-prior, is entered as prior in the 

 Valor of 1535, which gives the priory a clear 

 annual income of ;^I09 os. 4.^^.^ The house 

 was suppressed the following year among the 

 lesser monasteries.* The report of the commis- 

 sioner who visited in 1535 stated that the house 

 was ;^i6o in debt by the preferment of the late 

 prior, that the present head, though unlearned, 

 was disposed to do well, and had a learned and 

 religious sub-prior under him.' The house and 

 site were granted in 1537 to Sir Francis Bryan 

 for £jgo 31. 4.d., but licence to alienate the same 

 to John Cope was granted the following year.** 



When the house was spoiled the commis- 

 sioners made special mention of a suit of vest- 

 ments of cloth of silver, with fleur-de-lys and 

 angels worked on it, which was delivered to 

 Thomas Typlady, of London, embroiderer, in 

 discharge of a debt of the said priory for £2°-^ 



Priors of Canons Ashby 



William^" occurs during reign of Henry IL 

 Alexander ^^ occurs during reign of John 



1 Cal. Jnct. D. (P.R.O.) B. 3532. 



2 Line. Epis. Reg. Memo, of Gray, f. 198. The 

 date of this visitation is not given. 



3 L. and P. Hen. Fill. vii. 1 121 (23). 

 ■* Ibid. 1498 (20). 



6 Fa/or Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 337. 



6 L. and P. Hen. Vlll. x. 917. 7 Ibid. ix. 457. 



8 Ibid. xii. pt. ii. 1008 (10) ; xiii. pt. ii. 967 (47). 



^ Ibid. 457. The prior had ordered these vest- 

 ments, ' a cope and two tunicles,' from Typlady for 

 the sum of ;{^39. They were brought to Stourbridge 

 Fair and delivered to the monastery servantsjust before 

 the dissolution, and £zc) was still owing to Typlady 

 when the plunder was taken for the king. Gasquet, 

 Hen. Vlll. and the Monasteries, ii. 418-9. 



1" He occurs as a witness to a charter. Baker, Hist. 

 e/Norlhants. ii. 12. ^^ Ibid. 



Hugh^- occurs 12 14 



Griffin of Eketon ^' instituted 1226 



Geoffrey'* occurs 1236 and 1244 



Adam" occurs 1253 and 126 1 



Osberti« 



Elias of Chalcombe^' instituted 1272, died 

 1294 



Robert of Wardington'* instituted 1294, re- 

 signed 1 3 1 1 



Robert Lovel'^ instituted 131 1, died 131 9 



John of Dodford-" instituted 1319 



Robert of Gavecote*^ instituted 1320— I, re- 

 signed 1323 



Adam of Buckingham ^^ instituted 1323 



Walter de Neyrnuit^^ instituted 1329, died 



1344 

 Thomas of Higham''* instituted 1344, died 



1349 

 Robert of Ashby ^^ instituted 1341 



John Burton-* occurs 141 7 



William Coleworth^' occurs 1434 



John Nantwich^^ occurs 1441 



Thomas Boteler-^ occurs 1448 



Thomas Greenway'" occurs 1500 



Richard Randall'^ occurs 1534, resigned 1534 



Richard Colles'^ occurs 1535 



A pointed oval sulphur cast'' of the original 

 twelfth-century seal shows the Blessed Virgin 

 seated on a throne, with nimbus, the Holy Child 

 on her lap, in her right hand a sceptre fleur-de- 

 WzL 



Legend : sigillvm . sancte . marie . de . 



ESSEBI : 



An imperfect later fourteeth-century seal with 

 the Virgin seated and the Holy Child on her 

 knee is given in Dugdale.'* 



12 Ibid. 



1' He was precentor of Dunstable, and was appointed 

 on the resignation of O., late prior, with the consent 

 of Roger de Kanz, the patron. Line. Epis. Reg. Roll 

 of WeUs. 



i-* Cited by Baker from the chartulary of the priory. 

 Hist. ofNortkants. ii. 12. '3 ibid. is Ibid. 



17 Line. Epis. Reg. Roll of Gravesend. 



"* Ibid. Inst, of Sutton, f. 56. 



'8 Ibid. Inst, of Dalderby, f. I 2od. 



"0 Ibid. f. i37d. 



21 Baker,/////. ofNorthants, ii. 12. 



-- Line. Epis. Reg. Inst, of Burghersh, f. l68d. 



23 Anet. D. (P.R.O.) B. 121. 



2* Line. Epis. Reg. Inst, of Beek. f 6 id. 



25 Ibid. Inst, of Gynwell, f. I 79. 



2S Cited by Baker from the chartulary, Hist, of 

 Northants. ii. 13. 



27 Cited hy Baker from the diocesan register of 

 Gray, Hiit. ofNorthants. ii. 13. 



2S Baker, Hist. ofNorthants. ii. 13. 



29 Madox, Form. Anglic, dxei. 



30 Baker, Hist. ofNorthants. ii. 13. 



81 L. and P. Hen. Vlll. vii. 1121 (23). 



32 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 337. 



33 B.M. Ixix. 64. 34 Dugdale, Mon. vi. 442. 



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