250 ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 



" Lecta et facta sunt haec in quodam alto oratorio," belonging to the 

 bishop at Suthwaltham, May 25, 1478, in the presence of John Sharp, 

 who gave his assent, and then took the oath before witnesses, with the 

 other oaths before the chancellor, who decreed he should be inducted 

 and installed, as was done that same day. 



How John Sharp, alias Glastonbury, acquitted himself in his prior- 

 ship, and in what manner he made a vacancy, whether by resignation, 

 or death, or whether he was removed by the visitor, does not appear ; 

 we only find that some time in the year 1484 there was no prior, and 

 that the bishop nominated canon Ashford to fill the vacancy. 



LETTER XXIII. 



THIS Thomas Ashford was most undoubtedly the last prior of Sel- 

 borne ; and, therefore, here will be the proper place to say something 

 concerning a list of the priors, and to endeavour to improve that already 

 given by others. 



At the end of Bishop Tanner's " Notitia Monastica," the folio edition, 

 among Brown Willis's "Principals of Keligious Houses/' occur the 

 names of eleven of the priors of Selborne, with dates. But this list 

 is imperfect, and particularly at the beginning ; for though the priory 

 was founded in 1232, yet it commences with Nich. de Cantia, elected 

 in 1262, so that, for the first thirty years, no prior is mentioned ; yet 

 there must have been one or more. We were in hopes that the register 

 of Peter de Rupibus would have rectified this omission ; but, when 

 it was examined, no information of the sort was to be found. From 

 the year 1410 the list is much corrected and improved, and the reader 

 may depend on its being thenceforward very exact. 



A LIST OP THE PRIORS OP SELBORNE PRIORY, PROM BROWN WILLIS'S 

 "PRINCIPALS OP RELIGIOUS HOUSES," WITH ADDITIONS WITHIN [ ] 

 BY THE AUTHOR. 



[John . . . was prior, sine dat.]* 



Nich. de Cantia el 1262 



[Peter was prior in 1271] 



[Richard was prior in 1280] 



Will. Basing was prior in 1299 



Walter de Insula el. in 1324 



[Some difiiculties, and a devolution ; but the election 

 confirmed by Bishop Stratford.] 



John de Winton . 1339 



Thomas Weston 1377 



* See, in Letter XI. of these Antiquities, the reason why Prior John . . ., who 

 had transactions with the Knights Templars, is placed in the list before the 

 year 1262. 



