A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



right hand raised in benediction, with the legend 

 Sigillum Gaufridl Dei gracia Ebor. Archiepi. ; the 

 tenor of this was that Archbishop Geoffrey see- 

 ing the controversy between Leonia de Raines, 

 Reginald de Annesley, and Hugh, rector of 

 Kirkby in Ashfield, concerning the church of 

 Annesley, it was appeased in his presence by all 

 of them giving up their respective rights to the 

 canons of Felley, and he hereby confirmed it to 

 them for their own proper uses. The letters 

 apostolical of Celestine III were also produced 

 with the leaden bull attached by a silken string. 6 



Possibly other sealed charters and grants were 

 at the same time produced, but these are the 

 only ones solemnly recorded, with the nature of 

 their seals fully described ; the reason being that 

 they all four related to possible disputes that 

 might arise with regard to the church of Annes- 

 ley. It was this fear that brought about the 

 display of the ancient writings before the diocesan 

 official, as is clear from the fact that Sir John de 

 Annesley, Lord of Annesley, Thomas, rector of 

 Kirkby in Ashfield, and William de Manthorp, 

 a priest of Lincoln diocese, were summoned to 

 St. Mary's, Nottingham, as those ' whom the 

 matter chiefly concerned,' to show cause, if they 

 had any, of canonical impediment ; but none 

 of them appeared. 



The following are among the more important 

 of the early grants to this house which appear in 

 the chartulary : 



Ivo de Heriz gave to William de Lovetot, 

 Prior of Felley, and to his convent, 20 acres of 

 land in Ogston and Brackenfield, co. Derby 

 (temp. Henry II). 6 At a somewhat later date, 

 John de Heriz, for the health of his soul and 

 that of Sarah his wife, gave 18 bovates of land 

 at Tibshelf, Derbyshire, to sustain two canons 

 daily celebrating in the church of Felley for ever. 7 



Another early grant was that made by Serlo 

 de-Plesley, lord of Ashover, who died about 

 1203. Serlo confirmed to the canons of Felley 

 4 bovates of land at ' Ulneseys,' and also gave 

 them 1 6 acres of the land of Geoffrey the Hunter, 

 together with pasture for 100 sheep and for 10 

 cows and a bull. Serlo states that he had already 

 been permitted to enter into fraternity with the 

 canons, and desired to be buried with them. 8 



An important 13th-century Nottinghamshire 

 grant to the priory is that by Geoffrey Barry of 

 lands at Whiteborough, in Teversal parish, on 

 behalf of himself, Alice his wife, and their 

 ancestors and successors for daily mass at the altar 

 of St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, within 

 the priory church.' This undated charter could 

 not have been earlier than 1248, the year of 

 St. Edmund's canonization. 



4 Add. MS. 36872, fbl. 33, &c. An English tran- 

 script of this long document is given in Thoroton, 

 Notts, ii, 271-3. 



6 Ibid. fol. 90. ' Ibid. fol. 85. 



Ibid. fol. 95. * Ibid. fol. 1 1 3-14. 



In the year 1260 the subjection of the priory 

 of Felley to that of Worksop, which involved an 

 annual tribute of los. to the older house, as well 

 as a variety of technical submissions such as the 

 consent of Worksop to the election of a prior by 

 the canons of Felley, came to an end. John, the 

 Prior of Worksop, in March of that year, with 

 the assent and advice of Archbishop Geoffrey, 

 sealed in the chapter-house of Worksop an agree- 

 ment by which, on the part of his convent, he 

 released to Prior Henry of Felley and his suc- 

 cessors all claim to recognition and obedience of 

 any kind, in consideration of Felley covenanting 

 to pay to Worksop a yearly rental of 2OJ. There 

 had been much litigation for some time past 

 between the two houses, and this covenant of 

 peace was evidently considered one of moment. 

 The witnesses included the Archbishop of York, 

 the Abbots of Ruffbrd and Welbeck, the Priors 

 of St. Oswald (i.e. Nostell), Thurgarton, New- 

 stead, and Shelford, and Richard de Sutton, 

 canon of Southwell. 10 



In 1268 Geoffrey de Langley, for the souls 

 of himself and of his children, and of his two 

 wives, Christina and Matilda, gave to God, 

 St. Mary, and Sir Ralph, Prior of Felley, and the 

 canons there, all that he had in Ashover (Derby- 

 shire), namely ' Peynstonhurst ' and 'William- 

 feld,' on condition that his name and the names 

 of his wives and ancestors and successors were 

 daily recited in the mass for benefactors, also 

 that his obit was to be kept like that of a prior, 

 and that on that day thirteen poor people should 

 be fed, each receiving a white loaf, a gallon of 

 the better beer, and half a dish of meat. He 

 also enjoined that another mass should be cele- 

 brated on the obit of his wife Matilda (which 

 was kept on the day of the Translation of 

 St. Benedict), and that on that day five poor peo- 

 ple were to be fed after a like fashion. 11 



In 1279 Sir Geoffrey de Dethick assigned lands 

 to Thomas, Prior of Felley, on condition of the 

 priory maintaining a chaplain to celebrate daily 

 in the chapel of Dethick, Derbyshire, for himself 

 and all his ancestors and progenitors. 13 One of 

 the witnesses to this charter was Simon, rector 

 of Ashover. 13 By an undated letter of Arch- 

 bishop Giffard to the Prior and Convent of Felley, 

 apparently about 1266, instructions were given, 

 couched in most devout scriptural phraseology, 

 for the readmission of Robert Barry, an apostate 

 brother. 14 



In 1276 the process of election of a Prior of 

 Felley, after the deposition of Ralph de Pleasley, 

 is set forth in Giffard's register at some length in 

 a letter asking for his confirmation. Episcopal 

 licence to elect was read in the chapter-house on 

 IO July. On the morrow, after solemn cele- 



10 Ibid. fol. I3o*-i. " Ibid. fol. 91. 

 " Cox, Ch. ofDerb. \, 462-3. 



11 Add. MS. 36872, fol. 126". 



14 York Epis. Reg. Giffard, fol. 86. 



no 



