A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



John Stanwigg, 1 elected 1417 



Ralf Newport, 2 died 1456 



Thomas Gryber 3 (or Wolvercote), elected 



1456, resigned 1465 



John Holt, 4 elected 1465, resigned 1473 

 Eustace Bernard, 6 elected 1473, resigned 



1485 



Ranulf Bleese, 6 elected 1485 

 William Wittlesey, 7 died 1509 

 John Penkith, 8 elected 1509 

 Thomas Cockes," last prior, occurs 1524 



Only a fine fragment remains of the seal of 

 the priory attached to a charter dated I278. 10 



It is pointed oval and creamy white in colour, 

 and represents the Blessed Virgin seated on a 

 carved throne. In base under a trefoiled 

 arch with carved spandrils supported by a 

 central pillar, a woman kneels, holding up 

 some object. Legend defective : ...CD 

 RAVEN ES . . . 



The reverse is a smaller pointed oval counter- 

 seal of Prior Ralph representing the Blessed 

 Virgin, half length, under a trefoiled arch, 

 the Holy Child on her left knee. In base, 

 in a quadrilobe with arched spandrils, the 

 prior is kneeling in prayer. Legend : . . . 

 ADVLPH PRIORIS D'RAVE. . . . 



HOUSE OF AUSTIN NUNS 



14. THE ABBEY OF BURNHAM 



The abbey of St. Mary the Virgin at Burn- 

 ham was founded in 1266 for Austin canon- 

 esses by Richard, King of the Romans, who 

 endowed it with the surrounding lands and 

 the church of Burnham. 11 A complaint was 

 made ten years later that he had gone beyond 

 his rights in his desire to provide for the needs 

 of the nuns : that he had turned aside a water- 

 course through the village of Cippenham to 

 the monastery, had given them twenty acres 

 of wood from the common, and diverted a 

 pathway which used to lead from Burnham to 

 Dorney la ; but it is uncertain whether these 

 wrongs were proved. The endowment was 

 not a very large one, but on the analogy of 

 other houses it may have provided for about 

 twenty nuns at the beginning : at the dissolu- 

 tion however there were only ten. 



The first abbess, Margery of Aston, had 

 been sub-prioress of Goring. She was in- 

 stalled, and made her profession of ' subjec- 

 tion, reverence and obedience, under the rule 

 of St. Augustine ' to Bishop Gravesend on 

 the Feast of St. John Baptist, 1266, in the 

 presence of an honourable company, which 

 included the Archdeacon of Exeter, some 

 canons of Missenden, and the prioress of 

 Goring, her late superior. 13 



1 Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Repingdon, 466. 

 Ibid. Inst. Chadworth, 141. 

 s Pat. 4 Edw. IV. pt. ii., m. 3. 

 Pat. 12 Edw. IV. pt. i., m. 18. 

 Ibid. m. 5. 



Ibid. 2 Rich. III. pt. iti., m. ad. 

 Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Smith, 387d. 8 Ibid. 

 L. and P. Henry Fill. iv. 1137. 

 Harl. Chart. 44 H, 56. 

 " Dugdale, Man. vi. 546 ; Line. Epis. Reg. Rolls 

 of Gravesend. 



Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), i. 46. 



" Line. Epis. Reg. Rolls of Gravesend. 



Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, the son of the 

 founder, confirmed his father's charters, and 

 with the licence of the king granted to the 

 nuns the privilege of free election without 

 reference to himself or his heirs, so that his 

 ministers might not interfere with the abbey 

 lands in time of voidance. 1 * This charter was 

 sometimes infringed, but the right could be 

 proved by appeal to it. 18 



In 1330 the abbess was involved in an ex- 

 pensive suit with reference to a part of the 

 manor of Bulstrode which had been recently 

 leased to her by the king at a rent of 15 a 

 year. Geoffrey de Bulstrode disputed the 

 abbess's right, on the ground that the land 

 had been taken from him by Hugh le Despen- 

 ser, and made it impossible for her to pay her 

 farm : he broke into her houses, wrecked her 

 mill, cut down her hedges, corn and trees, and 

 sent cattle to feed on her pastures ; and he so 

 ill-treated her servants that she could not get 

 anyone to serve her in that place. 16 A com- 

 mission of oyer and terminer was granted to 

 examine the matter, and in the next year it 

 was clearly proved that Geoffrey had no rights 

 in the disputed lands, which were freshly 

 granted to the abbess in fee farm. 17 Her 

 losses however had been severe, and she was 

 compelled to ask a remittance of her rent for 

 two years, which was granted. 18 In 1335 she 

 was still in arrears, 18 in 1337 the king par- 

 doned her a debt of 57 6s. ^d. because of the 

 poverty of her house 20 ; and the following 

 year the collectors of wool were ordered to 

 cause the abbess and convent of Burnham to 



14 Pat. 29 Edw. I. m. 20. 



16 Close, 17 Edw. II. m. 6. 



Pat. 4 Edw. III. pt. i., m. 2gd. 



17 Close, 4 Edw. III. m. 39. 



18 Close, 5 Edw. III. m. 13. 



18 Pat. 9 Edw. III. pt. ii., m. 19. 

 * Pat. n Edw. III. pt. i., m. 1 1. 



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