RELIGIOUS HOUSES 
Richard of Stoughton,' elected 1348, 
died 1349 
Simon of Grantesden,? elected 1349, 
resigned 1350 
Adam of Leverington, elected 1350, 
resigned 1355 
John of Risley,? elected 1355, resigned 
1385 
William of Lidlington,* elected 1385 
William Chanewe,® elected 1444, re- 
signed 1465 
William Stoughton, elected 1465, died 
14 
Thomas Stoughton, elected 
signed 1481 
Robert of Potton, elected 1481, resigned 
1482 
John of Bosworth, elected 1482, died 1493 
1473, te- 
Gregory Norwich, elected 1493, resigned 
1510 
Nicholas Smith, elected 1510,1° resigned 
1531 
Richard Rogers,!* 
1531 
Robert Burre,'® elected 1531 
elected died 
1531, 
The seal of the priory, affixed to Harl. 
Ch. 83, A 28, is in excellent preservation, 
representing our Lady seated with the holy 
Child on her knee, a bishop with crosier on 
either side, and the prior crouching below. 
Legend: PRESULIS IN PRATO‘* FAMULOR DE 
VIRGINE NATO. Reverse: the Assumption, 
our Lady encircled by angels, a crown sus- 
pended above her head. Legend: s. ECCLIE 
ET CONVENTUS SCE MARIE DE BISSEMEDE. 
HOUSE OF AUSTIN NUNS 
10. THE PRIORY OF HARROLD 
The priory of Harrold was probably 
founded between 1140 and 1150,° on land 
which was then a part of the honour of 
Huntingdon, and held by Sampson le Fort’ 
of the Scottish kings. The site of the priory 
with the churches of St, Peter, Harrold, and 
Brayfield (Northants) was originally granted 
to Gervase, abbot of St. Nicholas of Arrouaise, 
that he might send there some nuns of his 
order® : they were at first governed by a prior, 
with a few canons,° to protect or guide the 
1 Linc. Epis. Reg., Inst. Gynwell, 375. 
2 Ibid. 362d. He is said in the chartulary to 
have resigned after a year and a day, and his 
successor in 29 Edward III., which corresponds 
with the next institution. 
3 Ibid. 393. He is said to have been prior 
twenty-eight years. 
4 Ibid. Inst. Buckingham, 344. 
5 Ibid. Inst. Alnwick, 184d. 
6 One confirmation charter of Malcolm IV. 
(1153-65) speaks of all the lands which they held 
in the time of his father and grandfather ; and the 
first charter of Sampson le Fort speaks of the assent 
and consent of Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, who 
died in 1148 (Lansd. MS. 391, ff. 4, 6). 
7 ‘Sampson Fortis ’ is the name on the charters ; 
but Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii. 329 speaks of ‘ Samp- 
son le Fort ’ as donor of the church of Harewold. 
8 The charters of Sampson le Fort and of Simon, 
Ear! of Northampton, were made direct to Gervase, 
‘ad sustentationem sororum suarum sanctimoni- 
alium super ecclesiam de Harewolde’ (Lansd. MS. 
391, #. 4, 5). 
® The prior and canons are mentioned in one 
charter of Malcolm IV. (Lansd, MS. 391, f. 6); 
sisters ‘according to the institutions of St. 
another has ‘sororibus et fratribus eas tuentibus 
secundum institutiones ecclesiz Sancti Nicholai 
de Arrowasia ’ (ibid. f. 5), and that of Simon, Earl 
of Northampton, has ‘sororum sanctimonialium 
et cum eis Deo servientium’; one of Sampson le 
Fort has only the sisters (ibid. f. 4), and another 
the ‘brothers and sisters’ (Dugdale, Mon. vi.). 
It seems fairly clear that the sisters were the first 
consideration, and that the brothers were only 
there for the sake of the sisters (as originally in the 
Gilbertine rule). It would be easier to speak with 
confidence if there were any other house of Arrou- 
asian nuns besides this with which to compare it; 
but though there were plenty of houses of Arrou- 
asian canons (Nutley, Bourne, St. Peter’s Dorchester, 
etc.), this appears to be the only house of nuns of 
this order in England. 
10 Linc. Epis. Reg., Inst. Smith, f. 458. For- 
merly prior of Huntingdon (Dugdale, Mon. vi. 280). 
L. and P. Hen. VIII. iv. 6047 (Convocation of 
1529). The five intervening names are given from 
the chartulary, reckoning the years backwards from 
Nicholas Smith, in the hope that the later entries 
are more correct; which at last leaves only twenty 
years for William Chanewe instead of twenty-five. 
In the original they stand thus: William Chanewe 
(or Chanu), twenty-five years ; William Stoughton, 
eight years; Thomas Stoughton, eight years ; 
Robert Potton, one year; John of Bosworth, 
eleven and a half years ; Gregory Norwich, seven- 
teen years. 
11 Linc. Epis. Reg., Inst. Longland, 249 (Char- 
tulary : ‘quondam prior de Broke et prior istius 
ecclesie qui obiit post secundam mensam prelationis 
suz A°D. 1531”). 
12 Thid. 246d. 
13 An allusion to the name Bissemede (Bishop’s 
mead), 
387 
