A HISTORY OF SURREY 



vent of Lewes to the prior and convent of 

 Reigate of the advowson of the church of 

 Dorking and for the appropriation of the 

 church by the latter.' 



A considerable bequest of a messuage, 

 mill, and about 170 acres of land, meadow, 

 and wood in Burstow and Horley was made 

 to this priory in September 1334 to find two 

 of the canons to celebrate daily for the souls 

 of Alan de Warwick and Emma his wife and 

 all the feithful departed.* 



Prior Timberden died in 1337 ; in Sep- 

 tember of that year John atte Greth was 

 elected by his brother canons. This election 

 was at first vacated by the bishop on the plea 

 of uncanonical form, but John atte Greth 

 was eventually collated to the office by the 

 bishop as in the case of a lapse, he being held 

 to be suitable for the position.' The same 

 process was gone through in the following 

 election.* 



Licence was granted on 8 July 1345, at 

 the request of Queen Philippa, for the aliena- 

 tion in mortmain by John de Mickleham to 

 the prior and convent of Reigate of the 

 advowson of the church of Mickleham and for 

 its appropriation by the convent." On the 

 resignation of Prior Scoteney in 1367 the 

 sub-prior and canons invited Bishop Wykeham 

 to appoint a successor, and his choice fell on 

 John Kente, canon of Heringham Priory, 

 Sussex ; the formal licence of Richard Lord 

 Arundel, the patron of the priory having been 

 first obtained, the election was confirmed on 

 9 December.' 



On 14 October 1374, during the vacancy 

 on the death of Prior Kente, Bishop Wyke- 

 ham issued his mandate to the sub-prior and 

 convent forbidding them to allow parishioners 

 to attend mass and other offices in the con- 

 ventual church to the neglect of their parish 

 church under pain of excommunication. At 

 the same time a monition was issued to the 

 parishioners to frequent mass at their parish 

 church ; they were charged with going on 

 Sundays and festivals to an early mass at the 

 priory church, and before that was scarcely 

 over hurrying off to spend their rime in 

 drinking booths or in other profane and dis- 

 honourable occupations.' 



On 20 November 1374 Richard Warn- 

 ham, the prior elect, appeared before William 

 Lozynge, the bishop's chancellor, with 



» Pat. 8 Edw. III. pt. ii, m. 34. 



' Ibid. m. 24. 



> Winton. Epis. Reg., Orlton, i. f. 65. 



* Ibid.i. f. loib. 



» Pat. 19 Edw. III. pt. ii, m. 26. 



« \^'inton. Epis. Reg., Wykeham, i. f. 7. 



' Ibid. iii. f. 115b. 



brothers Roger atte Watere of Dorking, John 

 Mertsham and John Combe, canons of 

 Reigate, bringing a certificate of Warnham's 

 election. The chancellor declared the elec- 

 tion void through a defect in form, but, by 

 virtue of his power as bishop's commissary, 

 appointed Warnham prior in the room of 

 Kente deceased.* 



In July 1377 the bishop issued his com- 

 mission to the prior of Merton to hold a 

 visitation of Reigate Priory * ; but there is no 

 record of any injunctions following the visita- 

 tion. 



Prior Warnham died on 31 May 1395, 

 when the chapter's choice fell on John 

 Yakesley, with the assent of the Earl of 

 Arundel and Surrey as patron. The bishop 

 however once again found the election bad in 

 form and annulled it, but on 14 August ap- 

 pointed Yakesley prior on his own authority.'" 



Prior Yakesley resigned his office in June 

 1397. The proceedings at the deferred 

 election of his successor in this small priory 

 are set forth at length in the episcopal registers 

 and are worth citing. 



On Saturday, the morrow of the Exaltation 

 of the Holy Cross (15 September 1397), 

 being the day three months after the resigna- 

 tion of Yakesley, the sub-prior and brethren 

 met in the chapter-house, by virtue of a pre- 

 cept from Lord William Arundel, patron of 

 the house, in the presence of the scrutineers, 

 Robert de Spaldyng and Robert Bucke, 

 nominated by the king for that purpose, and 

 this is what then took place : The first to 

 enter the chapter-house was John Combe, 

 the sub-prior. He did not vote, but said, 

 ' Some of my brethren are men of good con- 

 dition and of judgment unimpeached,' and 

 went out. The next was John Lawrence, 

 and he voted for William Holm. The next 

 was John Tanrygge, and he voted for John 

 Combe. The next was William Holm, and 

 he voted for John Lawrence, and so did 

 Robert Bychet. Then the sub-prior came 

 back and said he should vote for the brother 

 who had the most votes, provided he was a 

 member of the house and of good conversa- 

 tion. This result was then announced and 

 written on three billets {ceduU), one of 

 which was sent to Sir William Arundel ; 

 another was retained by Robert Spaldynge, 

 and the third remained at the priory. 

 According to this John Lawrence was elected 

 with three votes, but the sub-prior and canons 

 agreed to petition the bishop to admit which 

 of the candidates he in his discretion thought 



« Ibid.i.f.5b. 

 " Ibid. i.f. 252. 



» Ibid. iii. f. 155b 



106 



