RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



There is also a fourteenth-century pointed 

 oval seal ad causas, of which there is a cast at 

 the British Museum,' which represents the Blessed 

 Virgin with crown, the Holy Child on the left 

 arm, standing on a shield of arms ; very imper- 

 fect. On the right the prior kneeling with 

 uplifted hands in prayer, on the left a tree. In 

 field above on the right a crescent and estoile of 

 six points. 



Legend defective : . . . oris . de . as . . . 

 CORVM .AD ... . 



13. THE PRIORY OF CHALCOMBE 



Hugh de Chacombe, lord of the manor of 

 Chalcombe, founded here a priory of Austin canons 

 in the reign of Henry II., dedicated to the honour 

 of SS. Peter and Paul. The foundation charter is 

 witnessed by Walkelin, abbot of St. James, 

 Northampton, and Alexander, prior of Canons 

 Ashby, both of the same order, among others.- 



There is no known register or chartulary of 

 this priory extant, but its original endowment 

 and subsequent benefactions are set forth in a 

 royal charter of confirmation in 1328.' The 

 first endowment consisted of the churches of 

 Chalcombe, Great Dalby or Chalcombe Dalby 

 (Leicestershire), Barford St. Michael (Oxford- 

 shire), Penn (Buckinghamshire), and half the 

 church of Rotherby (Leicestershire), together 

 with lands, etc., at Chalcombe, and in other 

 parishes where the priory held the advowson of 

 the church. Subsequent gifts were not con- 

 siderable, and consisted chiefly of lands and rents 

 in Oxfordshire. According to the Taxation of 

 1 291 the prior and convent at that time held 

 temporalities amounting to ^^48 i8j. 81^. within 

 the archdeaconries of Northampton, Oxford, and 

 Leicester, and a pension of £i\. from the church 

 of Boddington ; the church of Chalcombe was 

 valued at ;^io.* 



Little is known of the early history of this 

 foundation till the middle of the thirteenth 

 century. William of Colingham was elected 

 prior in 1 24 1, and admitted by the bishop.' 

 During the rule of his successor, Adam of 

 Appleby, Pope Martin IV. sent to collect cess 

 and other dues. In the list appended to his 

 letter to the archbishops and bishops authorizing 

 the collection appears the item obolus massahut. 

 due from the priory of SS. Peter and Paul of 

 Chalcombe.^ The convent was called on in 

 1 310 with other religious houses to assist the 



' B.M. kix. 65. 



2 Cited by Bridges {Hist, of Northants, i. 155), 

 from the Hatton muniments. 



^ Pat. 2 Edw. III. pt. 2, m. 36. 



* Pope Nici. Tax. (Rec. Com.), pp. 38, 43b, 55b, 

 67. 



5 Extracts from Reg. of Line. Harl. MS. 6950, 

 f. 112. 



« Ca/. of Papal L. \. 476. 



king with a loan of victuals for the Scotch 

 expedition.^ In 131 5 the brethren obtained a 

 licence from the crown at the instance of John 

 de Segrave permitting them to acquire in mort- 

 main lands and rents to the value of ten marks.* 

 In the same year the convent was charged with 

 a grave trespass. A commission was issued in 

 December, on the complaint of John de Port 

 and Agnes his wife, that Alexander, prior of 

 Chalcombe, Philip the cellarer, a canon, and 

 others had broken by night into their closes 

 and houses at Wormleighton in Warwickshire, 

 hunted and killed their rabbits, consumed with 

 cattle a great part of the corn in their granges, 

 as well as trampled down the remainder, done 

 much damage to pastures and meadows, carried 

 away their corn and chattels, seized their plough- 

 oxen, and refused to permit them to receive any 

 profits issuing out of land and tenements at Worm- 

 leighton, which they held by certain services.^ 

 The affair seems to have arisen through a dispute 

 as to the tenancy of the plaintiflFs, John and 

 Agnes, of lands pertaining to the prior}- in 

 Wormleighton.'^ The upshot cannot be stated 

 exactly, but Agnes appeared before the king at 

 Doncaster on 15 December, 1315, and subse- 

 quent occasions, and sought to replevy their 

 land at Wormleighton, taken into the king's 

 hand for their default before the justices of the 

 bench against Alexander, prior of Chalcombe,'' 

 so the canons appear to have won the case. 



On the death of Prior Alexander in 1326 an 

 inquisition was held to ascertain the rights of the 

 patron in regard to the election of superiors and 

 the custody of the priorj' during a vacancy, the 

 patron, Stephen de Segrave, being at that time 

 a minor and king's ward.'- It was found that 

 Hugh de Chacombe, founder of the priory, 

 formerly granted by his charter free election to 

 the canons, but with the assent of him and his 

 heirs ; that Amabilia de Segrave, heiress of the 

 said Hugh, granted that the canons, on the 

 voidance of the priory by death or cession, 

 should have free administration of all their 

 goods, saving a servant or a boy staying in the 

 priory during a voidance for the defence of the 

 priory and its goods ; that the sub-prior and 

 convent had had free election on the occasion 

 of each voidance from the time of the charter 

 without seeking a licence from the patrons of 

 the priory, and free administration of their goods 

 without any hindrance, save that a servant was 



7 Close, 3 Edw. II. m. jd. 



8 Pat. 8 Edw. II. pt. I, m. 3. 



' Ibid. 9 Edw. II. pt. I, m. 13, pt. 2, m. 26d. 



'" A virgate of land in that parish had been given 

 to the priory by Hodierna, widow of Richard Waleys, 

 as lady of the manor, half a virgate in the same 

 lordship, by Petronilla, her daughter, and four acres 

 by John Passelewe. Conf. Charter, Pat. 2 Edw. III. 

 pt. 2, m. 36. 



" Close, 9 Edw. II. m. 2 id. 17, iid. 



'- Inq. p.m. 19 Edw. II. No. 91. 



»33 



