THE RELIGIOUS HOUSES OF 

 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



INTRODUCTION 



The Religious Houses of Buckingshamshire, though fairly numer- 

 ous, were for the most part small and insignificant : only three of 

 them indeed fell outside the range of the first 'Act of Suppression 

 in 1534. Not one of them was built before the Conquest, nor is 

 record preserved of any religious foundation at all in the county before 

 the end of the eleventh century. The Cluniac priory of Tickford 

 was probably the earliest, and that was not in existence before the 

 compilation of the Domesday Survey. The next in order of foundation 

 seems to have been the abbey of Missenden, which followed the 

 Arrouasian form of the Augustinian rule ; its earliest charter is 

 dated 1133. Nutley Abbey, of the same order, was probably founded 

 about the same time, the Cistercian abbey of Biddlesden in '1147, 

 five small Benedictine priories at LufEeld, Bradwell, Ankerwick, 

 Ivinghoe and Little Marlow and the Premonstratensian abbey of 

 Lavendon in the course of the twelfth century. As many as six Reli- 

 gious Houses of different orders were founded during the thirteenth 

 century in this county: Medmenham (Cistercian) in 1204; Snelshall 

 (Benedictine) about 1219; Chetwode (Augustinian) in 1245; Raven- 

 stone (Augustinian) in 1255 ; Burnham (Augustinian nuns) in 1266 ; 

 and Ashridge (Bonhommes) as late as 1283. There were no friars in 

 the county till the Earl of Ormond established a house of Minorites at 

 Aylesbury in 1387. A Commandery of Knights Hospitallers was 

 founded at Hogshaw some time during the reign of Henry II. and 

 there was a small Preceptory of Knights Templars at Bulstrode. Two 

 alien priories at Wing and Newton Longville make up a total of twenty- 

 one Religious Houses in all. Besides these there were at least twelve 

 hospitals, all dating from the twelfth or early thirteenth centuries : 

 two at Buckingham, two at Aylesbury, two at Newport Pagnel, three 

 at High Wycombe, and three more at Ludgershall, Stony Stratford, and 

 Wendover. Doubtless there were others besides of which no record 

 has yet been found : it seems probable that all large towns had one or 

 two, during the thirteenth century at any rate. 



The chief interest of the Buckinghamshire houses lies in the 

 contribution which they make towards the study of the smaller monas- 



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