OF SELBORNE 299 



1st. That the said prior and his successors, for the time being, 

 honeste exhibebunt of the fruits and profits of the priorship, "eidem 

 "esculenta et poculenta," while he remained in the Priory "sub 

 " consimili portione eorundem prout convenienter priori," for the 

 time being, ministrari contigerit ; and in like manner uni famulo, 

 whom he should chuse to wait on him, as to the servientibm of 

 the prior. 



Item. "Invenient seu exhibebunt eidem unam honestam 

 "cameram" in the Priory, "cum focalibus necessariis seu op- 

 "portunis ad eundem." 



Item. " We will, ordain, &c. to the said P. Berne, an annual 

 "pension of ten marks, from the revenue of the Priory, to be 

 "paid by the hands of the prior quarterly." 



The bishop decrees farther, that John Sharp, and his successors, 

 shall take an oath to observe this injunction, and that before their 

 installation. 



"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 

 priorship, 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 

 Selbome ; 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 Bronm Willis's Principals of Religious Houses 

 occur the names of eleven of the priors of Selbome, 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 1 262 ; 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 



