A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



to hold its estates. The jury stated that there 

 was in the priory a foreign monk, the late 

 prior, who had resigned through old age and 

 infirmities, but was allowed for meat and drink 

 as much as two monks, amounting to 1 2 I Js. <)d. 

 a year. He was also granted for fire and candle and 

 other necessaries and for a servant's allowance a 

 further sum of 2 6s. 8d. Two chaplains serv- 

 ing the church, with table and clothing, 8 ; 

 a clerk for the church, with food and clothing, 

 20s. ; the vicar (besides his vicarage dues), in 

 money and a quarter of wheat (worth 4*.) with 

 places for himself and chaplain at the prior's 

 table at twenty-four festivals in the year valued 

 at I2J., what is estimated to be worth i i6s. 

 a year ; a clerk serving the prior and his house, 

 including the value of table and a robe, 

 ^3 i6s. 8d. ; a steward and his clerk ^4, and 

 a Serjeant at arms 13*. \d. There were nine 

 secular persons in receipt of corrodies, worth 

 about 2 ly. \d. each. 23 Other servants in- 

 cluded a cook for the prior and guests, whose 

 board and wages came to 2 I Os . ; a baker with 

 servant, 5 14.5. ^d. ; a butler, 2 I0f. ; and a 

 servant who attended the prior on his business 

 on horseback, i y. \d. The yearly expenses 

 of hospitality were estimated at 10. A yearly 

 sum of ,27 I Of. was expended in the sustenta- 

 tion of the prior, his servants, horses, and other 

 necessaries, in addition to a sum of 16 for his 

 expenses in travelling to and from London and 

 other places on the priory's business. The 

 repairs of the chancel of Blyth Church with the 

 books, ornaments, &c., of the building of the 

 priory and its granges, and of Blyth Bridge (in 

 return for tolls), averaged jCij a year. 



The jury finally declared that the surplus 

 income of Blyth Priory after paying all the above- 

 cited and other small charges only amounted to 

 4.6s. 6^d. 23 It will be noted, too, that nothing 

 is entered in these accounts for the sustenance 

 of the monks ; they would be in the main sup- 

 ported from the farms of the estate. 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534 shows a reduc- 

 tion in the value of the priory ; it had been much 

 harassed during the various times that it was in 

 the hands of the Crown as an alien priory during 

 the wars with France. The gross annual income 

 was set down as 126 8s. 2\d. y and the clear 

 value as 113 DJ. 8^d. The total of the tem- 

 poralities in the county of Nottingham, from the 

 demesne lands and rents, lands and tenements at 

 Blyth, Elton, Barnby, Elkesley, and Styrrup 

 (Nottinghamshire), Beighton (Derbyshire), and 

 Firbeck and Billingley in Yorkshire, were valued at 

 65 145. 6%d. The rest of the income came 

 chiefly from the rectory of Blyth (47 1 7*.), 

 and from pensions from the Nottinghamshire 



" These corrodies were usually sustenance for life 

 granted to old persons who gave large gifts to the 

 convent or made over all of which they were possessed. 



"Add. MS. 6164, fol. 393-4. 



86 



churches of Marnham, Grassthorpe, Elton, and 

 Weston, from the Yorkshire churches of Bil- 

 lingley and Laughton in le Morthen, and from 

 the Lincolnshire priories of Thornham and 

 Elsham. Among the deductions was ^3 6s. 8d, 

 distributed in alms yearly in memory of the 

 founder. 24 



A composition was entered into before the 

 archbishop in 1287, between the Prior and con- 

 vent of Blyth and William the perpetual vicar 

 of Blyth concerning the tithes of a certain place 

 called Wetcroft in the township of Blyth, and 

 of two outlying members of the manor of Hod- 

 sock called Hillertrewong and Le Comynger, the 

 tithes of which three places were worth i6s. a 

 year, and also concerning a certain close called 

 Stubbing valued at 2s. a year, and a place called 

 Northewaye worth 241. a year. These tithes 

 had long been the subject of contentions, but for 

 the sake of peace it was agreed that the vicar 

 would waive all claim to them, on condition that 

 the vicar of Blyth and his successors, together 

 with his parochial chaplains for the time being, 

 were to have the right of taking their places, 

 suitably vested, in quire with the convent on 

 twenty-four solemn days of the year. The 

 vicar and his successors were also to receive from 

 the convent a quarter of rye at Michaelmas and 

 pasturage for four cows wherever the convent 

 cows might be pasturing. At the same time the 

 prior and convent gave their unanimous and 

 willing consent to the following ordination for 

 the vicarage the tithes of hay, lambs, and wool 

 in the township of Blyth, except in Northway ; 

 the oblations and blessed bread in the parish 

 church and chapel ; all incomings of the chapel- 

 ries of Bawtry and Austerfield, except the tithes 

 of grain and the mortuaries ; and the offerings at 

 marriages and purifications throughout the whole 

 parish. They excepted, however, from the 

 vicar's portion the offerings on the five principal 

 feasts, namely Easter, the Assumption, All 

 Saints, Christmas, and Purification, and the offer- 

 ing that might be made at the altars of the 

 monastery within the cloister on the days of the 

 saints in whose honour they were dedicated, and 

 the mass pence offered to the canons out of 

 devotion. 



It was further determined that the vicar was 

 to receive the bread called ' Maynport ' throughout 

 the whole parish, the wax cess and the offerings 

 made at the baptism of children, with their 

 chrysoms. Also the tithes of young pigs, goslings, 

 calves, dovecotes, orchards, and of corn and hay 

 in closes, save of the places already named. Also 

 tithes of markets and of flax and hemp and all 

 minute tithes. The vicar was to have the use 

 of the manse which had been customarily assigned 

 him. He was to serve the church of Blyth 

 personally, and to find and support another fit 

 assistant priest, as well as two other fit priests to 



14 Vakr Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 176, 177. 



