RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Denis Vanceyo, 1 1349 

 William Bernand, 2 about 1369 

 Inguerand de Duino, 3 1375-97 

 Walter Marshall, 1397 

 William Trenchefan, 4 1397 



41. THE PRIORY OF ELLINGHAM 



An alien priory was founded at Ellingham, 

 as a cell to the Benedictine Abbey of St. 

 Sauveur-le-Vicomte, in the diocese of Cou- 

 tances, by William de Solariis in the year 

 1 1 60. The charter specifies the church of 

 St. Mary of Ellingham with all its appur- 

 tenances, together with 43 acres of land and 

 2O of meadow in that vill, and 3 acres near 

 the church on which to build. 5 A charter of 

 Henry II. notifies that the endowment of 

 William de Solariis at Ellingham was under 

 his care and protection. 6 



A charter of Walter de St. Quintin, circa 

 1170, granted to the Abbey of St. Sauveur, 

 for the honour of God and the Blessed Virgin, 

 and for his weal and that of his friends, his 

 chapel at Rockford (a mile to the east of 

 Ellingham) and all his demesne in his fee of 

 Rockford ; the chapel to be subject to the 

 church of Saint Mary and All Saints of 

 Ellingham, as daughter to mother, and to 

 receive from it the service of masses three 

 days a week at the hands of the chaplain of 

 Ellingham, or of a monk (of the priory). The 

 chartulary of St. Sauveur also records two other 

 small bequests of land to the priory of Elling- 

 ham of about the same date, 7 and two others, 

 at Fordingbridge and Chardford, occur in the 

 charters at Eton. 



In 1292 Bishop Pontoise assumed the 

 custody of the priory in consequence of the 

 prior having departed across the sea without 

 a licence ; 8 but on 13 July, 1292, the bishop 

 instituted to the priory, on the death of 

 Michael the last prior, Thomas dit le Petit, 

 presented by the abbot of St. Sauveur. In 



1 Winton. Epis. Reg., Edingdon, i. ff. 30, 58. 



* Ibid. Wykeham, iii. f. iya. 



3 Wykebanfs Registers (Hants Record Society), 

 i. 63-66. 



* Ibid. f. 260. 



5 Round's Cat. of Documents in France, i. 348. 

 The foundation charter is recited in Winton. Epis. 

 Reg., Pontoise, f. lozb. It differs somewhat 

 from the above and is of the year 1 163 ; the acres 

 of land are increased from 43 to 72, and the 

 church is described as the church of All Saints with 

 the chapel of St. Mary. This latter charter is 

 still preserved at Eton, together with its confirma- 

 tion by Richard, Bishop of Winchester. 

 Ibid. i. 349- ' Ibid - L 35 1- 



8 Winton. Epis. Reg., Pontoise, f. n. 



1298 Thomas de Bere, acting for the Bishop 

 of Winchester, made an award in favour of 

 William Cancelot, then prior, who claimed 

 to present to the church of Ellingham. 



Of the next two priors there is apparently 

 no record of their institution, but in Septem- 

 ber, 1305, the official of the Bishop of Bath 

 and Wells made an award in favour of 

 Geoffrey, prior of Ellingham, who claimed 

 half a mark yearly from John, rector of 

 Babington, Somerset, of which the church 

 had been given to St. Sauveur by William 

 Fitz John of Harptree, temp. Henry II. 9 On 

 10 April, 1311, Bishop Woodlock granted 

 Prior Geoffrey leave of absence 10 until i 

 August; and on 5 September, 1318, Bishop 

 Sandale granted leave of absence to John le 

 Vyonn, prior of Ellingham, to visit his abbey, 

 from that date until the next feast of St. Peter 

 ad Vincula (i August). He was enjoined, 

 after this eleven months' absence, to return 

 without further delay. 11 A second leave of 

 absence to cross the seas was granted to Prior 

 John by Bishop Strafford on 19 October, 

 1327. His death occurred whilst he was 

 abroad, and the priory was sequestrated by the 

 bishop on 19 January, I328. 12 



When Edward I. seized Ellingham priory 

 in 1294, in consequence of the war, it was 

 found that the prior held a messuage and i o 

 acres of land worth by the year 10*. 3^., that 

 there were thirteen tenants holding 23 acres 

 of land and io acres of meadow, paying a 

 rental of 415. jd., a pound of pepper, and a 

 pound of cinnamon worth 8^., and that the 

 church was worth ,12 a year. 



On 17 March, 1328, Richard Pelleue, a 

 monk of St. Sauveur, was instituted by Bishop 

 Stratford, on his abbot's presentation. Pro- 

 tection was granted in July, 1337, to various 

 aliens to secure the goods in their custody, 

 among whom was Prior Pelleue. 13 



The references to Ellingham Priory on the 

 Patent or Close Rolls are very few. In May, 

 1385, the king, by reason of the alien priory 

 being in the hands of the Crown through the 

 war with France, presented William Olyver, 

 keeper of the neighbouring hospital of St. 

 John's, Fordingbridge, to the vicarage of 

 Ellingham. 14 



At an inquisition held at Ringwood on 10 



8 His charter of donation is now among the 

 Ellingham deeds at Eton. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. 

 ix. App. I. p. 350. 



10 Winton. Epis. Reg., Woodlock, f. 163. 



11 Ibid. Sandale, f. 3ob. 



12 Ibid. Stratford, ff. 32b, 340. 



13 Pat. ii Edw. III. pt. 2, m. 13. 



14 Ibid. 9 Rich. II. pt. 2, m. 15 and m. 8. 



229 



