346 .ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 



LETTER XX. 



PRIOR MORTON dying in 1401, two canons, by themselves, 

 proceeded to election, and chose a prior ; but two more (one 

 of them Berne) complaining of not being summoned, objected to 

 the proceedings as informal ; till at last the matter was .com- 

 promised that the bishop should again, for that turn, nominate 

 as he had before. But the circumstances of this election will be 

 best explained by the following extract : 



REG. WAYNFLETE, torn. II.,, pars i ma ., fol. 7. 



Memorandum. A.D. 1471, August 22. 



William Wyndesor, a canon-regular of the priory of Selborne, 

 having been elected prior on the death of brother John, appeared 

 in person before the bishop in his chapel at South Waltham He 

 was attended on this occasion by Thomas London and John 

 Bromesgrove, canons, who had elected him. Peter Berne and 

 William Stratfeld, canons, also presented themselves at the same 

 time, complaining that in this business they had been overlooked, 

 and not summoned ; and that therefore the validity of the election 

 might with reason be called in question, and quarrels and dissen- 

 sions might probably arise between the newly chosen prior and the 

 parties thus neglected. 



After some altercation and dispute they all came to an agreement 

 with the new prior, that what had been done should be rejected and 

 annulled ; and that they would again, for this turn, transfer to the 

 bishop their power to elect, order, and provide them another prior, 

 whom they promised unanimously to admit. 



The bishop accepted of this offer before witnesses ; and on 

 September 27th, in an inner chamber near the chapel above- 

 mentioned, after full deliberation, chose brother Thomas Fairwise, 

 vicar of Somborne, a canon-regular of St. Augustine in the priory 

 of Bruscough, in the diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, to be prior 

 of Selborne. The form is nearly as above in the last election. 

 The canons are again enumerated ; W. Wyndesor, sub-prior, P. 



