A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



obit of the founder, in keeping the buildings in 

 good condition, in maintaining the pavements of 

 the town, and in distributing alms to the poor. 

 The sum of 40^^. was also to be assigned yearly 

 to the chaplains for the repair and renewal of the 

 books and ornaments of the chapel.' 



Bishop Chadworth confirmed the foundation 

 of this college in 1457. In 1 5 10 John Godrich, 

 rector of Middleton Cheney, obtained papal dis- 

 pensation to hold a chaplaincy with his rectory, 

 a rule having been expressly laid down by the 



founder that the chaplains should hold no other 

 benefice beyond the space of one month.' 



The Valor of 1535 gives the clear annual 

 value of ' Towceter CoUeg ' as ^i() 6s. 8d., of 

 which sum ;^I2 was assigned to ' Willin 

 Reynolde p'sedens,' and £j 6s. Sd. to 'John 

 Stevenson secundar.'* 



The college, part of which still remains, stood 

 to the north-west of the church. 



The further history of the Sponne Grammar 

 School is dealt with elsewhere. 



ALIEN HOUSES 



47. THE PRIORY OF EVERDON 



Soon after the Norman occupation the manor 

 of Everdon was bestowed on the abbey of 

 St. Mary of Bernay (Eure, Normandy) in the 

 diocese of Lisieux, which had been founded about 

 1025 by Judith, wife of Richard, fourth duke of 

 Normandy. Henry II., by charter of 1 156-7, 

 granted to the monks there serving God all 

 that they had held in the time of King Henry 

 his grandfather.^ This included, amongst the 

 English possessions, the manor of Everdon.' 

 The same charter names the manor of Greeting 

 (Gratingis), Suffolk, first in the short list of 

 English possessions. Tanner says that Everdon 

 was sometimes considered a distinct alien priory, 

 but at other times reckoned as parcel of Greeting, 

 which was the chief English cell of the Bene- 

 dictine abbey of Bernay.'' 



In the reign of Henry II. the monks of 

 Bernay held 2^ hides and 2 small virgates at 

 Everdon.^ According to the Testa de Nevill, 

 the abbot of Bernay possessed about the year 

 1250 4 hides in Everdon, which were held 

 (saving 10 virgates) by him as lord of the 

 manor ; but the abbey did suit twice a year 

 in the hundred court of Fawsley and rendered 

 4.S. annually to the king.' 



At the time of the Quo Warranto pro- 

 ceedings in 1329 the abbot claimed a view of 

 frankpledge, or right to hold a court leet, in 

 return for the yearly payment of 4.S. to the 

 crown. He also claimed waifs on the manor, 

 but the jury found that the abbots of Bernay had 

 never possessed liberty of waif at Everdon, 

 although the abbot had seized a brood-mare 

 worth 3J. under that pretence. They also 

 found that he had punished offenders against 

 the assize of bread and beer by fining them 



1 Sponne, Evidences, cited by Baker, Hist, of 

 Northants, ii. 334. 



2 Round, Cal. Doc. France, i. 137. 



* ' Ebredona.' This manor is conjectured to be 

 that of Eversden, Cambs, in the index to the calendar, 

 but there is no doubt that it is the Northants manor. 



* Tanner, Notitia (ed. 1787), Northants, xv. 

 ^ Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xxii. f. 94. 



6 Testa de Net: (Rec. Com.), 37. 



I mark instead of imposing the legal corporal 

 punishment of tumbril and pillory. For these' 

 offences the court leet was taken into the king's 

 hands, but it was restored to the abbey on pay- 

 ment of a fine of half a mark.' 



The advowson of the rectory of Everdon was 

 in the hands of the abbey of Bernay. The 

 Lincoln episcopal registers give a long series of 

 institutions to this rectory, from 12 1 8 down- 

 wards, on the presentation of the proctor of the 

 abbot of Bernay. In March, 1347, the king 

 presented, as the temporalities of the abbey were 

 in his hands owing to the war with France. In 

 1367 a rector was instituted on the presentation 

 of Roger Faber, prior of Everdon, who had been 

 a monk of Bernay, but in 1404 the advowson 

 was again in royal hands on the renewal of the 

 war. 



When the revenues of the alien priories were 

 seized in the time of Henry V. the small priory 

 of Everdon ceased to exist and was retained by 

 the crown until its site and possessions were 

 given by Henry VI. to his newly founded college 

 of Eton in 1440.'" This gift was confirmed by 

 Edward IV. in 1462." 



The Valor of 1535 estimates the annual value 

 of the rents, etc., of Everdon to the college of 

 Eton at ;^i 5 1 35.1- 



When Bridges wrote, about 1720, he said: 

 'The remains of the priory, which bear many 

 marks of antiquity, are still to be seen in the 

 lordship house which belongs to the college of 

 Eton. In a close adjoining are the appearances 

 and hollows of ponds.' " The priory stood at 

 the east end of the village, but this ' lordship 

 house ' has long since disappeared. 



48. THE PRIORY OF WEEDON BEGK 



The celebrated abbey of St. Mary of Bec- 

 Hellouin, in the diocese of Rouen, was founded 



'' Bridges, Hist, of Northants, i. 277. 



^ Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii. 334. 



9 Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 533. 

 1" Pat. 19 Hen. VI. pt. 3, m. 20. 

 11 Ibid. I Edw. IV. pt. 3, 24. 

 1* Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 217. 

 13 Bridges, Hist, of Northants, i. 58. 



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