ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 355 



LETTER XXIII. 



THIS Thomas Ashford was most undoubtedly the last prior of 

 Selborne ; and, therefore, here will be the proper place to say 

 something concerning a list of the priors, and to endeavour to 

 improve that already given by others. 



At the end of Bishop Tanner's " Notitia Monastica," the folio 

 edition, among Brown Willis's " Principals of Religious Houses," 

 occur the names of eleven of the priors of Selborne, with dates. 

 But this list is imperfect, and particularly at the beginning ; for 

 though the priory was founded in 1232, yet it commences with 

 Nich. de Cantia, elected in 1262, so that, for the first thirty years, 

 no prior is mentioned ; yet there must have been one or more. 

 We were in hopes that the register of Peter de Rupibus would 

 have rectified this omission ; but, when it was examined, no in- 

 formation of the sort was to be found. From the year 1410 the list 

 is much corrected and improved, and the reader may depend on 

 its being thenceforward very exact. 



A LIST OF THE PRIORS OF SELBORNE PRIORY, FROM BROWN 

 WILLIS'S " PRINCIPALS OF RELIGIOUS HOUSES," WITH 

 ADDITIONS WITHIN [ ] BY THE AUTHOR 



[John . . . was prior, sine datJ\* 



Nich. de Cantia el. 1262 



[Peter- was prior in 1271] 



[Richard was prior in 1280] 



Will. Basing was prior in . , . . . . 1299 



Walter de Insula el. in 1324 



Some difficulties, and a devolution ; but the election 



confirmed by Bishop Stratford.] 



John de Winton 1339 



[Thomas Weston . . . . . . 1377 



* See, in Letter XL <Jf these Antiquities, the reason why Prior John 

 ansactions with the Knights Templars, is placed in the list before the yea 



, who had 

 ar 1262. 



