RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



prior, precentor, cellarer, and four canons are 

 mentioned, and the first of the bishop's injunc- 

 tions ordered the immediate addition of three 

 more canons. They were further commanded 

 that the canons should keep silence and not fre- 

 quent the tavern outside the priory gate ; that 

 the prior should go over the accounts regularly, 

 should repair the buildings, and provide a literate 

 man to teach the younger canons ; also that he 

 should sell no corrodies, and should limit his 

 personal household to one chaplain, one squire, 

 one chamberer, one cook, one valet, and one 

 page of the kitchen, and be content with four 

 horses in his stables. The disorders implied in 

 these injunctions are set forth in detail in a 

 further visitation in January, 1442 by which 

 date two more canons had been admitted. It 

 was then found that the prior was acting in all 

 things without consulting the canons, whom he 

 kept ill-supplied with money and food ; he had 

 run the house into debt to the amount of nearly 

 jTyo, and had permitted dilapidations which 

 could not be repaired under 100. Also he 

 had sold, without consulting the chapter, timber, 

 millstones, building material, cattle, and other 

 things ; had granted corrodies and gifts to many 

 persons including Sir Roger Fiennes, Sir Thomas 

 Echingham, and John Devenish ; and had 

 alienated many books, amongst which are 

 mentioned ' a book called Apocalipsis ' and ' the 

 Chronicles of England.' In spite, however, of 

 his ' standing condemned of perjury and 

 disobedience ' Laurence does not seem to have 

 been deprived of his office, as he was still prior 

 in 1447. 



On the occasion of the next visitation, in 

 1478, Edward Marley was prior and there were 

 six canons, including a cellarer, but no subprior 

 or sacrist, for lack of whom the vestments and 

 ornaments of the church had fallen into great 

 decay. The whole moral tone of the convent 

 was very low ; silence was not kept, and even 

 the services were disturbed by talking, they did 

 not eat together in the refectory, but frequented 

 the tavern, and two at least of the canons were 

 incontinent. Three of them had at different 

 times left the convent without leave, one was 

 still wandering apostate and another was absent 

 for fifteen years, 'and afterwards returning 

 poisoned the whole convent with his strange and 

 evil arguments.' One of the canons petitioned 

 the bishop to send a certain worthy canon of 

 Tortington Ellis by name to be their sub- 

 prior, which he accordingly did. As the result 

 of another visitation in 1481, Edward Marley 

 resigned his office on the plea of old age and 

 infirmity. 



On 13 September, 1482, Ellis Parker the 

 sub-prior, with seven other canons and one novice 

 met to elect a successor to Edward Marley and 

 chose, almost unanimously, John West, who 

 after many protestations accepted the office. 



Three visitations were made during the prior- 

 ship of Thomas Holbeme ; at each the only 

 thing that was wrong was the ruinous condition 

 of the house ; in 1521 the officers were prior, 

 sub-prior, sacrist, precentor, and master of the 

 novices, four of these latter completing the 

 convent. In 1524 the numbers were eight 

 altogether, as one of the canons was acting as 

 vicar of Alfriston, but in 1527 there were 

 besides the five officers three brethren and two 

 novices, and at the time of its dissolution eight 

 priests and one novice. 107 



The gross value of the priory being only 

 191 19*. ifd. it was dissolved with the other 

 lesser houses in 1536; the prior, Thomas 

 Holbeme, receiving a pension of ^2O. 108 A 

 preliminary survey 109 mentions twenty-nine 

 servants eleven being labourers and eighteen 

 domestic ; values the movables at ^55 13*. 4^., 

 the bells and lead at ^30, debts owing to the 

 house .9 15*. 2d., against 26 us. id. owed 

 by them. A more detailed return no shows 203 

 ounces of silver and silver-gilt valued at 

 ^27 OJ. 4^., church ornaments including the 

 paving stones sold for 15 131. zd., five bells 

 weighing 40 cwt. worth 26 13*. 4^., and 

 other items yielding a total of ^162 Os. o^d. 

 Out of this the canons received for a quarter's 

 salary 13 13*. 4<, and of the king's great 

 charity their beds. The site and property of 

 the priory was granted to Cromwell. 111 



PRIORS OF MlCHELHAM 11 



Roger, first prior, occurs 1236"' 



Peter, c. 1239, occurs I25& 114 



Roger, occurs I26o, 115 1262 116 



William, occurs 1273 



Roger, occurs 1277 lu 90 118 



William de Shelvestrode, occurs c. 1322-34 



John de Worth, died c. 1350 119 



John Leem, occurs 1376-1415 



William London, occurs 1434, resigned 1438 



Laurence Wynchelse, elected 1438, occurs 



1447 

 Edward Marley, before 1458, resigned 1482 



John West, elected 1482, occurs 1509 

 Thomas Holbeme, occurs 1518, last prior 



107 Exch. K.R. Misc. Sf?-. 



108 Aug. Off. Misc. Book, 232. 



109 Exch. K.R. Misc. 



110 Suit. Arch. Coll. xliv, 56. 



111 Pat. 29 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 23. 

 m Hist. ofHailskam, ch. xv. 



w Feet of F. (Suss. Rec. Soc.), No. 313. 



114 Feet of F. Suss, file 20, No. 40. 



115 Ibid, file 22, No. 13. 

 "Ibid, file 23, No. i. 

 "'Ibid, file 29, No. 3. 



118 Cal. Robertsbrittge Chart. No. 280. 



119 Assize R. 941, m. 5 J. 



79 



