RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



the Reformation to prevent them going out 

 of the cloister at all. 



Although the earlier history of this house 

 is so little known, we happen to possess some 

 interesting details of its latter days and of the 

 circumstances immediately preceding its dis- 

 solution. The last prioress, Margaret Ver- 

 non, appears to have been on friendly terms 

 with Thomas Cromwell, even while he was 

 still in the service of Cardinal Wolsey, and not 

 so well known to the religious of England 

 generally as he afterwards came to be. The 

 Study of this lady's character does not produce 

 a very pleasant impression. Her house was 

 doubtless in excellent order, and she showed 

 herself a good steward of its property : she 

 may quite well have been a kind and consider- 

 ate superior ; but she was very evidently a 

 scheming and worldly woman, with a keen 

 eye for her own advancement and no real love 

 for the little priory over which she ruled. As ' 

 early as 1529 we find her writing to Cromwell 

 about a vacancy in the priory of St. Helen's. 1 

 She had heard from ' Lewys, a goldsmith in 

 the town,' that the sub-prioress was likely to 

 secure the post ; if she herself still has any 

 chance, Cromwell may offer his master the 

 sum ' we were at a point for ' ; in any case 

 she begs him to let her know ' my lord's plea- 

 sure,' so that she may settle herself in quiet- 

 ness. Her intrigues were not successful at 

 this time, and she turned herself to arranging 

 the affairs of her own house. 3 But not very 

 long after she wrote to Cromwell again to 

 inquire when he would be in her neighbour- 

 hood, and when she would be likely to find 

 him in his own house, as she required his 

 counsel on several matters. 3 



In 1530 Bishop Longland visited Little 

 Marlow and found there five nuns besides the 

 prioress ; every one of them answered Omnia. 

 bene except Dame Katherine Picard, who 

 drew attention to the fact that there was 

 no sub-prioress. There were no injunctions 

 delivered. 4 



In 1535 the royal visitors arrived, and in 

 accordance with the injunction which for- 

 bade the profession of any under twenty-four 

 years of age, dismissed three of the nuns. 6 



1 L. and P. Henry VIII. iv. 5970. 



2 Her next letter begged a loan of 40 till Whit- 

 suntide, so as to enable her to buy a neighbouring 

 farm for the benefit of her house. Ibid. 5971. 



s Ibid. 5972. 



4 Visitations of Longland in the episcopal 

 registry. 



5 For the injunctions see Wilkins, Concilia, iii. 

 786. Margaret Vernon states that the nuns dis- 

 missed at this time were Dame Katherine (Picard) 

 and ' The young women that were last professed ' 



They do not seem to have found anything else 

 amiss. Dame Margaret however found these 

 proceedings ' not a little to her discomfort,' 

 and wrote to Cromwell again for advice. 6 

 The First Act of Suppression was passed very 

 soon after, and the local commissioners ' re- 

 ported of this house as in good estate, and out 

 of debt, mentioning at the same time that 

 there were only two nuns there, 8 who both 

 desired to enter other houses of religion, and 

 four servants attached to the monastery, two 

 men and two women. 



The surrender of the house was received 

 by William Cavendish on or before 23 Sep- 

 tember, 1536; in a letter of that date he 

 reports his discharge of the religious whom he 

 found there, adding that ' my lady took the 

 matter very like a wise woman,' and delivered 



(Cott. MS. Cleop. E. iv. f. 71 ; printed in Wright). 

 The record of this last profession at Little Marlow 

 is found in Line. Epis. Reg. Memo. Longland, 85 ; 

 it was in 1528, and there were three novices pro- 

 fessed. For some reason unknown, this memoran- 

 dum contains not merely a formal entry of the 

 act, which is usual enough, but the complete for- 

 mula of profession, in English, as follows. ' In the 

 name of God, Amen. I, Sister Constance, in the 

 presence of Almighty God and our blessed lady St. 

 Mary, patron of this monastery and all angels and 

 saints of heaven, and of you, reverend Father in 

 God, John bishop of Lincoln and ordinary of this 

 diocese, and in the presence of all this honourable 

 witness, vow offer and fully give myself to serve 

 Almighty God during my life natural in this mon- 

 astery of Little Marlow, dedicated in honour of 

 God and of our blessed lady St. Mary. And for 

 this intent and purpose I here renounce for ever and 

 utterly forsake the world, and property of 

 temporal substance and goods of the same and all 

 other worldly delights and pleasures, taking upon 

 me wilful poverty ; vowing also and promising ever 

 to live in pure chastity during my life : to change 

 my secular life into regular conversation and reli- 

 gious manners, promising and vowing due and 

 reverent obedience unto you, Reverend Father in 

 God, John bishop of Lincoln and your successors, 

 bishops ; and unto my lady and mother Dame 

 Margaret, now prioress of this monastery, and to 

 her successors, prioresses of the same. And utterly 

 from henceforth I forsake mine own proper will, 

 and not to follow the same but to follow the will 

 of my Superior in all lawful and canonical com- 

 mandments. And to observe this holy order and 

 religion according to the holy rule of St. Benedict 

 and all the laudable constitutions of this monastery 

 by the gracious assistance of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 In witness whereof I do put and sign with mine 

 own hand to this my profession." 

 Cott. MS. Cleop. E. iv. f. 71. 



7 Dugdale, Man. iv. 420, from Browne 

 Willis. 



8 One must have died since 1530, when there 

 were five beside the prioress. 



359 



