RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



On 13 February, 1336, Bishop Orlton 

 visited Breamore Priory and preached in the 

 chapter house. As there was no subsequent 

 decree the presumption is that the bishop was 

 satisfied. 1 



In 1347 the church of Brading, Isle of 

 Wight, was transferred by Peter, prior of St. 

 Helen, to John de Wallup, prior of Breamore, 

 at the king's request. There are a variety of 

 deeds relative to this release at the Public 

 Record Office. 8 The transfer had originally 

 taken place in 1301, when permission was 

 granted to Breamore to appropriate the church, 3 

 and was confirmed in 1315, but there seems 

 to have been some dispute and uncertainty 

 about it. 



The priory, like most religious houses, had 

 a fraternity into which laitywere received 

 as associates. On the Saturday after the 

 Epiphany, 1348, John, the prior, and the 

 convent of Breamore, received John de Brom- 

 more, Gena his wife, and John their son, 

 into their brotherhood, to partake of all 

 benefits pertaining to their house. At the 

 same time the priory undertook to celebrate 

 their anniversaries with Placebo and Dirige, 

 and a mass for them, and for John and Agnes 

 the said John's parents, and would distribute 

 three shillings' worth of bread to a hundred 

 and forty-four poor people in Fordingbridge on 

 their anniversary. 4 



Shortly after this there must have been a 

 vacancy in the office of prior, for in 1356 

 there was a demise from Thomas, prior of 

 Breamore, and the convent, proprietors of the 

 church of Brading, to Walter Burgeys of the 

 parish of Godshill in the same island, of the 

 rectory of Brading with all its tithes. 5 



In January, 1376, Bishop Wykeham directed 

 John de Wormenhale, his official, and the 

 prior of Mottisfont, to hold a visitation at the 

 priory of Breamore in consequence of the 

 laxity alleged against them, but there is no 

 record of any decree. 6 During the vacancy 

 of the see in 1404, the priory was again 

 visited (November 3) by the commissary of 

 Archbishop Arundel. 7 



Dr. Hede, commissary of the prior of 

 Canterbury, in the vacancy of the see, visited 

 this priory on 24 March, 1501. The visita- 



1 Winton. Epis. Reg., Orlton, i. f. 50. 



2 Ancient Deeds, P.R.O., B. 533, 534, 535, 

 5 36, 5 39, 677. See also Percy Stone's Arch. Antiq. 

 of the Isle of Wight, i. 19, 98, 99. 



3 Pat. 8 Edw. II. pt. 2, m. 9. 



4 Ancient Deeds, P.R.O., B. 3593. 

 6 Ibid. B. 675. 



6 Winton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, iii. f. 1 36b. 



7 Cant. Archiep. Reg., Arundel, i. f. 503. 



tion was held in the Lady chapel, for the 

 chapter house was in a state of decay. John 

 Chandler, the prior, stated that when he 

 entered on his office the house was indebted 

 to the extent of 600 ; that he had paid this 

 off and had redeemed valuables and corrodies 

 that had been pledged- by his predecessor for 

 about 200 ; that the rents had increased to 

 the annual amount of 206 is. lod. ; that 

 divers valuables of the house were still in 

 pledge ; that by their old statute there were 

 three canons and five brothers in priests' 

 orders ; that the burdens of the house, 

 although the debts had been paid, amounted 

 this year to 102 ids. <)d. Richard London, 

 the sub-prior, stated that when the present 

 prior succeeded, the house was burdened to 

 the extent of joo or thereabouts, of which 

 the present prior had paid about i oo. Canon 

 William Ladoke stated that the prior had 

 redeemed two silver cups that had been 

 pledged by his predecessor to Sir Hugh 

 Conwey and paid to him for them 22. 

 Canons John Wynne, William Tary and 

 Richard More also testified to the burdens of 

 the house, and their reduction by the present 

 prior, but their statements are somewhat con- 

 tradictory. 8 



When Henry VIII. exacted a ' loan ' in 

 1522 from the spirituality for the king's 

 personal expenses in France for the recovery 

 of the Crown, the priory of Breamore paid the 

 very large sum of ^66 13*. 4^. 9 



In 1529 Prior William was summoned to 

 Convocation, and attended personally. 10 



The last prior of the house seems to have 

 been quite ready to pay court to the civil 

 power as the storms gathered round the 

 religious houses. He wrote on 8 August, 

 1533, to Cromwell, proffering his services, 

 and offering, if there was anything in their 

 poor house to pleasure Cromwell, to put it at 

 his service. 11 In June, 1535, Prior Finch wrote 

 again to Cromwell in a similar strain, proffer- 

 ing his service and that of his house, and 

 desiring a continuance of Cromwell's favour. 12 



In that year the Valor Ecclaiasticus was 

 taken, when the annual value of the priory 

 was returned at 200 $s. id., together with 

 two pounds of pepper. Alms and other 

 obligatory outgoings amounted to ,45 in., 

 so that the clear annual value, in addition to 

 the pepper, was only 154 14*. la^- This 

 brought the house well within the limit of 



8 SeJe Vacantc Register, Canterbury Priory. 



9 Letters and Papers, Hen. Vlll. iii. 2483." 



10 Ibid. iv. 6047. 



11 Ibid. vi. 957. 

 13 Ibid. viii. 840. 



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