A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



were their chief means of support, having 

 being burned and consumed by the French. 1 



In July, 1343) the bishop granted absolu- 

 tion to certain canons of this house, Richard 

 de Cittesthorn, Henry Dene and Richard 

 Botiller, who had been guilty of violence. 3 



By the return of knights' fees made in* 1346 

 it is recorded that the prior of Southwick had 

 two parts of a fee in Ellisfield. 3 



The University of Oxford, in 1366, peti- 

 tioned the pope on behalf of Thomas Cranlegh, 

 bachelor of canon law, for a benefice to be 

 reserved for him by the prior and convent of 

 Southwick. The prayer was granted by 

 Urban V., as well as a subsequent one of the 

 same year, for an augmentation of the value 

 of the benefice in the gift of the priory of 

 Southwick to twenty-five marks, with cure of 

 souls, and ten without. 4 



At an inquisition held at Southwick before 

 Thomas de Weston, the escheator of the 

 county, on 4 May, 1381, on the death of 

 Prior Richard Bromdene, the jury declared 

 that the prior, on the day of his death, held, 

 in Southwick, 10 of rents, 193 acres of land 

 of the annual value of 321. id. at zd. the 

 acre, 41 acres of pasture of the annual value 

 of 3;. id. at id. the acre, and 22 acres of 

 meadow, Js. 4^., at \d. the acre ; that the 

 woods and underwoods, the dovecote and 

 water mill were of no value ; that the perqui- 

 sites of courts, with two views of frank-pledge, 

 averaged 31. ^d. ; customary payments averaged 

 6s. 8d. Particulars were also given of the 

 various other Hampshire manors pertaining to 

 the priory. Similar inquisitions are recorded 

 as held for the possessions of the priory in 

 Wilts, Sussex and Oxon. The vacancy 

 lasted thirty days, namely from 28 April to 

 27 May, and the sum due to the Crown for 

 that period was 12 "]s. 6d. The entries 

 conclude with a copy of the restoration of the 

 temporalities by the king to Prior Nowell. 5 



Bishop Wykeham took much interest in 

 this house and founded therein a chantry for 

 the souls of John and Sibil, his parents. On 

 22 August, 1383, Thomas Gervays and 

 Thomas le Warenner, two canons of South- 

 wick, were sworn before the bishop to duly 

 maintain this chantry." Solemn oaths for the 

 maintenance of this chantry were also renewed 

 by the canons in 1386 and in 1394. 



Another chantry was founded here in 



1 Pat. 16 Edw. III. pt. 3, m. 2. 



3 Winton. Epis. Reg., Orlton, i. f. izlb. 



3 feudal Aids, ii. 330. 



* Cal. of Papal Petitions, i. 516, 521. 

 5 Add. MS. 32,280, f. 506. 



Winton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, iii. f. 2O2b. 



March, 1385. Sir Bernard Brocas of Roche 

 Court, near Fareham, a great friend of the 

 bishop and his chief parker, granted to Prior 

 Nowell and the convent of Southwick 5 

 acres of land and 3 acres of meadow at South- 

 wick, together with the manors of Hoo and 

 Havington (with certain exceptions) in free 

 alms, on condition of finding a chaplain to 

 say a daily mass at the altar of Sts. Katharine 

 and Mary Magdalen, on the north side of 

 the chancel of the priory church, for King 

 Richard and Sir Bernard Brocas and Katharine 

 his wife, as long as they should live, and after- 

 wards for their souls, also for the souls of 

 Edward III., and of Mary, Sir Bernard's 

 deceased wife, and his brother, sisters and 

 benefactors and all the faithful departed. The 

 priory was also bound to other works of piety : 

 the prior and his successors were to pay one 

 penny to the canon who should say mass ; 

 1005. for celebrating the obit of Sir Bernard 

 and his wife on the eve of the Annunciation, 

 with Placebo and Dirige, and the tolling 

 of the bells, and again on the eve of St. 

 Michael the Archangel, and the feast of St. 

 Mary Magdalen ; and 6s. 8d. for distribution 

 amongst the brethren on each of those three 

 days. The prior and convent bound them- 

 selves to the bishop and to Sir Bernard, in 

 the penalty of 10, to perform the conditions, 

 and that they should be read aloud every 

 year on those three days at the meeting of the 

 chapter. 7 



In the like month and year, Prior Nowell 

 was appointed by the Crown to supervise the 

 works which the king had ordered to be 

 executed at Porch ester Castle by Robert 

 Bardolf, the constable thereof, and to control 

 all the sums expended. 8 In October of the 

 same year the bishop issued his mandate to 

 Prior Nowell forbidding the sale of corrodies. 9 



The bishop visited Southwick priory on 6 

 May, 1397, and had no complaints to record. 10 

 After Bishop Wykeham's death, the priory 

 was again visited on 25 October, 1404, by 

 the commissary of Archbishop Arundel, but 

 he found nothing to correct. 11 



In May, 1465, inspection and confirmation 

 was granted by Edward IV., to Philip the 

 prior and the convent of Southwick of all 

 their 'royal charters from 3 John to 15 

 Richard II." 



On 7 November, 1494, the house was 



7 Ibid. f. 213 ; Pat. 8 Rich. II. pt. I, m. 36. 



8 Pat. 8 Rich. II. pt. 2, m. 19. 



9 Winton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, f. 22ob. 



10 Ibid. iii. f. 2923. 



11 Cant. Archiep. Reg., Arundel, i. f. 502. 

 13 Pat. 5. Edw. IV. pt. 3, m. 21. 



1 66 



