244 ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 



John Morton also appeared, and proclamation was made ; and no one 

 appearing against him, the commissary pronounced all absentees con- 

 tumacious, and precluded them from objecting at any other time ; and, 

 at the instance of John Morton and the proctor, confirmed the election 

 by his decree, and directed his mandate to the rector of Hedley and the 

 vicar of Newton Valence to install him in the usual form. 



Thus, for the first time, was a person, a stranger to the convent of 

 Selborne, and never canon of that monastery, elected prior ; though the 

 style of the petitions in former elections used to run thus, 

 "Vos - - - - rogamus quatinus eligendum ex nobis unum confratrem 

 de gremio nostro, licentiam vestram nobis concedere dignemini." 



LETTEE XX. 



PRIOR MORTON dying in 1401, two canons, by themselves, proceeded 

 to election, and chose a prior ; but two more (one of them Berne) com- 

 plaining of not being summoned, objected to the proceedings as 

 informal; till at last the matter was compromised that the bishop 

 should again, for that turn, nominate as he had before. But the 

 circumstances of this election will be best explained by the following 

 extract : 



REG. WAYNFLETE, torn. II., pars i ma ., fol. 7. 

 Memorandum. A.D. 1471. August 22. 



William Wyndesor, a canon-regular of the priory of Selburne, having 

 been elected prior on the death of brother John, appeared in person 

 before the bishop in his chapel at South Waltham. He was attended 

 on this occasion by Thomas London and John Bromesgrove, canons, 

 who had elected him. Peter Berne and William Stratfield, canons, 

 also presented themselves at the same time, complaining that in this 

 business they had been overlooked, and not summoned ; and that 

 therefore the validity of the election might with reason be called in 

 question, and quarrels and dissensions might probably arise between 

 the newly chosen prior and the parties thus neglected. 



After some altercation and dispute they all came to an agreement 

 with the new prior, that what had been done should be rejected and 

 annulled ; and that they would again, for this turn, transfer to the 

 bishop their power to elect, order, and provide them another prior, 

 whom they promised unanimously to admit. 



The bishop accepted of this offer before witnesses ; and on September 

 27th, in an inner chamber near the chapel abovementioned, after full 

 deliberation, chose brother Thomas Fairwise, vicar of Somborne, a 

 canon-regular of Saint Augustine in the priory of Bruscough, in the 

 diocese of Coventry and Litchfield, to be prior of Selborne. The form 

 is nearly as above in the last election. The canons are again enume- 

 rated ; W. Wyndesor, sub-prior, P. Berne, T. London, W. Stratfeld, 

 J. Bromesgrove, who had formed the chapter, and had requested and 

 obtained license to elect, but had unanimously conferred their power 



