A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



one, and in 1402, when one of the brethren, 

 John Bourne, in the fervour of his religious zeal 

 had himself enclosed as an anchorite in a cell of 

 the convent he found the inconvenience of the 

 place and the penury of the house so trying that 

 he obtained papal licence to move to some more 

 suitable place, taking with him his clothes, books, 

 and other belongings. 8 



Of the inner history of this priory we can say 

 but little. Its prior in 1314 was one of the 

 eight English priors removed from office and de- 

 clared incapable of immediate re-election by the 

 general chapter of that year. 9 When the bishop 

 of Dover visited Arundel in July, I538, 10 he 

 found the friars too poor to pay even a part of 

 his expenses, but he recorded that the three 

 brethren were ' in good name and favour.' Al- 

 though there were only three friars here in July, 

 1538, when the house was surrendered in 

 October of the same year, there were four besides 

 the prior. 11 



PRIORS OF ARUNDEL. 



John de Grensted, occurs I33O 12 



John Bailly, occurs 1414" 



John Colwyll, surrendered I538. 14 



23. HOUSE OF DOMINICAN FRIARS, 

 CHICHESTER 16 



The Black Friars settled at Chichester some 

 time after 1253, f r tne }' are not mentioned with 

 the other Sussex friaries in St. Richard's will, 

 and before 1283. In this latter year their prior, 

 William, was accused of having celebrated mass 

 at Steyning, although Archbishop Peckham had 

 laid the church under an interdict. 16 Apparently 

 at this time they had only temporary buildings, 

 as, in 1284, Edmund earl of Cornwall remitted 

 them the rent due for their place in the city and 

 licensed them to obtain further plots of land ad- 

 joining, to enclose the whole and to erect an 

 oratory with other offices. 17 Next year, in July, 

 1285, the court was at Chichester, and Queen 

 Eleanor bought a strip of land 104 ft. long by 

 44 ft. broad adjoining the friars' grounds and 

 gave it to them. 18 The same queen in 1286 

 made a further grant of land in East Street. 19 

 In 1289 they obtained leave to enclose their 



* Cat. Papal Let. iv, 352 ; v, 470. 



* Suts. Arch. Coll. xxviii, 87. 



10 L. and P. Hen. Vlll, xiii (i), 1456. 



Ibid, xiii(z), 579. 



" Suss. Arch. Coll. xii, 28. 



13 Cant. Archiepis. Reg. Chicheley, 275. 



14 L. and P. Hen. nil, xiii (2), 579. 

 14 Suss. Arch. Coll. xxix, 39-45. 



16 Reg. Efiit. Peckham (Rolls Ser.), ii, 620. 



17 Pat. 4 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 24. 

 19 Pat. 1 3 Edw. I, m. 8. 

 "Pat. 1 8 Edw. I, m. 1 6 



enlarged lands with a wall, blocking up two streets 

 but making another on their own ground from 

 St. Andrew's church in the Pallant southwards 

 to the city wall. 20 As their premises were still 

 too cramped Edward II in 1310 licensed them 

 to acquire further land, 21 and the property thus 

 obtained was released from suit at the king's 

 courts by Richard II in I38o. 22 



When Edward I was at Chichester in 1297, 

 he sent the friars 345. for three days' food, which, 

 as 4^. was the recognized allowance for one day, 

 shows that there were then thirty-four friars 

 resident; but a similar gift in 1324 of js. for 

 one day's food shows that the number had 

 fallen to twenty-one. 23 



Bequests to this friary, which was under the 

 patronage of St. Vincent, 24 are numerous in the 

 wills of local testators. John Wode, who died 

 in 1479, left to the Friars Preachers a noble 



under the condition that the prior shall not disgrace 

 my brother for that trespass which he with many 

 others did in dragging a thief out of the said prior's 

 church against his will, as the prior says. 84 



The bishop of Dover reported favourably of 

 the friars of Chichester in July, I538, 26 and in 

 October returned here and received the surrender, 

 which is signed by the prior and six brethren. 27 

 The house was poor, and when their debts had 

 been paid and their 80 oz. of plate redeemed 

 from pledge, there was not enough to pay the 

 visitor's costs. 28 



PRIORS OF CHICHESTER 



William, occurs I283 29 

 Richard Win, occurs I364 30 

 John Brown, occurs I383 31 

 John Anteny, surrendered I538. 32 



24. HOUSE OF DOMINICAN FRIARS, 

 WINCHELSEA 33 



Although when the new town of Winchelsea 

 was founded it had been stipulated that no other 

 religious house than that of the Grey Friars 

 should be erected within it, Edward II in 1318 

 granted a vacant plot of 1 2 acres on the southern 



10 Pat. 17 Edw. I, m. 1 1. 



" Pat. 4 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 24. 



m Pat. 4 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 43. 



* Suss. Arch. Coll. xxix, 41. 



14 Obit. R. (Surtees Soc.), 38. 



14 P.C.C. Logge, fol. 1 1 ib. 



" L. and P. Hen. Vlll, xiii (i), 1456. 



" Ibid, xiii (2), 563. 



" Ibid. ; Suss. Arch. Coll. xxix, 44. 



" Reg. Epist. Peckham (Rolls Ser.), ii, 620. 



^ Cat. Papal Let. iv, 46. 



" Cant. Archiepis. Reg. Courtenay, fol. 203. 



" L. and P. Hen. Vlll, xiii (2), 563. 



38 Suss. Arch. Coll. xxviii, 91-6. 



94 



