A HISTORY OF SURREY 



obsequies for the founders' souls should be 

 observed yearly, placebo et dirige on I O Febru- 

 ary, and a mass of requiem on the morrow ; 

 that if through pestilence or other cause the 

 number of canons should become so reduced 

 that one of them could not celebrate this 

 weekly mass, that then the duty should be 

 assigned to some secular priest ; that if a 

 secular chaplain could not be found, that then 

 the prior on the day of default should distri- 

 bute to the poor at the gate of the monastery 

 T^d. to pray for the souls of the founders ; 

 that every prior of Newark immediately after 

 episcopal confirmation should swear on the 

 Gospels in chapter to maintain this chantry ; 

 that the ordinance of the chantry should be 

 read in chapter each Advent and Lent ; that 

 on the anniversary the prior should receive 

 i^d. and each canon "jd. from the rents as a 

 pittance ; that if the chantry mass was ever 

 omitted, without lawful impediment, that 25. 

 should be forfeited for each omission to the 

 Bishop of Winchester, who was to use such 

 fine in alms ; that each successive prior, 

 within six days of his confirmation and in- 

 stallation, was to make every canon take an 

 oath in chapter to see to the observance of 

 this foundation, under pain of ecclesiastical 

 censure ; that if the prior should not take the 

 oath within three days, or neglect to impose 

 it on the canons within six days, that he 

 should forfeit 2s. for every day of default to 

 the bishop, and that if the bishop or his 

 official, or the guardian of the see when 

 vacant should at any visitation detect any dis- 

 order contrary to the tenor of this ordinance, 

 the prior and sub-prior should have liberty to 

 be heard thereon, with an opportunity of 

 purgation by the oath of six trustworthy 

 persons.* 



On 19 January 1387, Bishop Wykeham 

 appointed a commission for the visitation of 

 Newark Priory ; and on 7 February a mandate 

 was issued for the citation of various persons 

 to answer charges arising out of this visita- 

 tion." 



The eventual result of this visitation seems 

 to have been the cession of Alexander Culmes- 

 ton, the prior, on the ground of infirmity, 

 and the acceptance of his resignation by 

 Robert, prior of Merton, xmder commission 

 of the bishop, on 25 October 1387. At the 

 same time John Chesterton, canon of Newark, 

 was removed from the priory, by the bishop's 

 orders, on account of various scandalous ex- 

 cesses, and placed in custody within the priory 

 of Merton.^ 



' U'inton. Epis. Reg., U ykeham, iii. ff. 191-3. 

 ' Ibid. iii. f. 226b. 'a Ibid. iii. f. 182. 



An annuity of twenty marks was granted 

 by Henry V. to Thomas (Pyrie), the prior, and 

 the convent of St. Mary and St. Thomas the 

 Martyr, of Newark near Guildford ; this was 

 confirmed in 1423 by Henry VI. At the 

 same time Henry V. sanctioned the transfer- 

 ence by the priory of Newark to the abbey 

 of Chertsey of the manor of West Bedfont 

 and certain lands in Middlesex,* which con- 

 cession was also confirmed by his successor. 



Dr. Hede, as commissary for the prior of 

 Canterbury, visited Newark Priory on 25 

 April 1 501, during the vacancy of the sees 

 of both Canterbury and Winchester. A 

 certificate was exhibited by Canon Christopher 

 Bold to the effect that Lawrence Harryson 

 the prior was absent on a pilgrimage to St. 

 James (of Compostello). The canons were 

 then severally examined. William Baxter, 

 sub-prior, testified to the good and spiritual 

 condition of the house ; when asked as to its 

 temporal estate he said he could not reply, as 

 the present prior did not render the accounts 

 of the priory ; the seal was left under four 

 keys in the respective custody of the prior, 

 sub-prior and two of the senior canons. 

 Christopher Bold, George Swift, William 

 Hurton, William Morton, Peter Muschamp, 

 and Nicholas Broddoke had no complaints, 

 but knew nothing of the financial position of 

 the house. William Lanley and William 

 Horrow were content to testify omne bene, and 

 John Johnson said that the annual rents of 

 assize amounted to 300 marks and that the 

 house was not in debt.^ 



John Grave, who had been instituted to the 

 vicarage of Send in 1533, resigned that 

 benefice in 1534 and was appointed prior. 

 He was prior at the time of the Falor of 

 15355 when the clear annual value of the 

 house was declared at ^^258 iii. n^^. 



Richard Lipscombe was appointed prior 

 just before the surrender of the house in 

 1538. Prior Richard received a pension of 

 ;^40, seven of the canons /< bs. 8d., and one 



An inventory was taken by Dr. Legh on 

 15 January 1539, when the following plate 

 was despatched to the master of the jewels in 

 London. 



Fyrste a basyne and ewer, iii standinge masers, 

 ii saltes with one cover, xxii spones, a knife the 

 hafte of the same covered with sylver plate, iii 

 chalices, a cross enamelled, ii small belles, a paxe, 



' Pat. Rot. I Hen.VI. pt. iii, m. 24 ; et 5, m. 20, 

 cal. 



" Canterbury, Sede Vacante Register. 



« L. and P. Hen. Fill. xiii. (2), 1196 ; xiv. (i), 

 1355- 



104 



