A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



HOUSES OF AUSTIN CANONS 



10. ROYSTON PRIORY 



The priory of St. John Baptist and St. 

 Thomas the Martyr of Royston seems to have 

 originated in a chapel built by Eustace de 

 Merk in his fee of Newsells for three chaplains ; 

 this was enlarged or rebuilt at his request by 

 his nephew Ralph de Rochester, who placed 

 there seven canons regular, and gave them in 

 frankalmoign the site, the green before the 

 door and wall of the close, 140 acres of arable 

 land near the precinct and pasture for 120 

 sheep in his manor.* The hcence granted by 

 Walter Abbot of St. John Baptist, Colchester 

 (c. 1164-79),* ^° ^^^ poor brothers at Rose's 

 Cross to build a chapel and consecrate a ceme- 

 tery in the parish of Barkway ^ probably relates 

 to Eustace's house.^' The date of Rochester's 

 foundation is fixed as earlier than April 1 1 84 

 by the bull of Pope Lucius III,* then directed 

 to Simon the prior and the canons, taking under 

 the protection of St. Peter the church of St. 

 John Baptist and St. Thomas the Martyr * at 

 Rose's Cross, and ordering the rule of St. 

 Augustine to be observed there inviolably. 

 They might receive as brothers any clerks or 

 laymen who were free and without ties ; those 

 who made profession there must not depart 

 except to enter a stricter order ; the election of 

 the prior was to be free ; during a general 

 interdict divine service might be celebrated 

 there with closed doors ; there was to be free 

 burial there saving the rights of other churches ; 

 the convent could present to the parish churclies 

 which belonged to them priests who should 

 answer to them for the issues ; sentence of 



* Harl. MS. 7041, fol. 7. The charter of 

 Richard I (see below) gives Eustace alone as founder, 

 but the Prior of Royston in 1277-8 associated 

 Ralph with him (Assize R. 323, m. 46). 



' The dates of the early Abbots of Colchester are 

 only approximate {F.C.H. Essex, ii, loi). 



' Cart. Mart. S. Johan. Bapt. de Colecestria (Rox- 

 burghe Club), 513. The document must concern 

 the priory, which was in the parish of Barkway (Inq. 

 a.q.d. file 3, no. 31), while the two hospitals were 

 not. For Rose's Cross see Royston, F.C.H. Herts, iii, 



253- 



'" It must be owned, however, that the mention 

 of a prior seems to point rather to Ralph's foundation. 



* Cott. MS. Aug. ii, no. 124. If the house was 

 dedicated from the first to St. Thomas the Martyr, 

 as was said in 1277—8 (Assize R. 323, m. 46), it was 

 founded after 1 1 70. Its foundation was at any rate 

 not before 1 163, for Ralph's charter was addressed to 

 Gilbert Bishop of London, I 163-89. 



* The first saint was possibly chosen as patron out 

 of compliment to Colchester Abbey. In early times 

 the house was generally called the priory of St. Thomas 

 the Martyr. 



excommunication, suspension or interdict was 

 not to be pubhshed against them or their church 

 without reasonable cause ; and interference 

 with them and their property was forbidden. 

 The pope also confirmed to them their posses- 

 sions, among which were specified the churches 

 of Coddenham (co. Suffolk) and Chesterton 

 (co. Huntingdon) with certain small tithes and 

 land given by Eustace de Merk, the grant of 

 Ralph de Rochester, and land worth 20j., the 

 gift of Ralph Walensis. 



From the charter of Richard I to the priory 

 in November 1 1 89* it appears that Eustace de 

 Mark's endowment included also the church of 

 Owersby ' (co. Lincoln) and land in ' Lagefare,' 

 * HacHnges,' Owersby and Thornton, and that 

 the canons had acquired from other donors 

 small pieces of land in ' Ruyt,' possibly Reed, 

 and Barley (co. Herts.), Melbourn, Bassing- 

 bourn and Kneesworth (co. Camb.), ' Halse- 

 wic,' probably Alswick in Layston, and 

 ' Wanhnton,' perhaps Wallington. The king 

 confirmed these to the convent and granted 

 them a fair at Royston throughout the 

 week of Pentecost and a weekly market 

 according to the custom of the canons of 

 Dunstable ; he gave them sac and soc, tol and 

 team, infangthef and utfangthef and murder ; 

 freedom for them and their men and tenants 

 from all scot and geld, aids, hidage, danegeld, 

 shires and hundreds, wardpenny and burgh- 

 penny, works of castles ; and acquittance of 

 all toll in fairs and markets and crossing of 

 bridges throughout the kingdom ; the canons 

 were to have the chattels of thieves and all 

 forfeitures which occurred in their lands or 

 those of their men, and they were not to be 

 impleaded as to their property except before 

 the king and his chief justice. The charter 

 was confirmed in February 1272' and several 

 times afterwards,* and the important privileges 

 it conferred were claimed by the prior and 

 allowed in 1277." 



Improvements were being made to the house 

 in December 1225, for the king then gave the 

 prior leave to inclose the road beneath the west 



' Cart. Antiq. R. 6, printed in Dugdale, Mon. vi, 

 405, no. i. 



' All three churches were confirmed to them by 

 a papal bull dated 29 July, second year of Pope 

 Celestine, apparently Pope Celestine III, and if so 

 in 1 192 (Cott. MS. Aug. ii, no. 130). 



* Cal. Chart. R. 1 257-1 300, p. 180. 



» In 1344 (Chart. R. 18 Edw. Ill, m. 2, no. 7), 

 1378 {Cal. Pat. 1377-81, p. 181), 1400 (ibid. 

 I399-I40i,p. 98), 1413 (ibid. 1413-16, p. 136), 

 1427 (ibid. 1422-9, p. 427). 



10 Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 283, 412. 



436 



