A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



or Bedford Verd (perhaps a corruption of Fort). The archdeacon of Bedford, who ranked fifth 

 among the archdeacons of Lincoln diocese, also had his stall in Lincoln Cathedral. 



Hardly, however, had St. Paul's acquired new prebends to make up for those taken away by 

 Remigius than it was again despoiled for the benefit of the regular or Augiistinian canons. These 

 canons were a new order who lived under a rule which professed to be derived from St. Augustine 

 of Hippo, the author of the famous ' City of God,' and was intermediate between the monkish 

 rule of St. Benedict and the rule of the secular canons. They were less strict than the Bene- 

 dictines in that they were not supposed to be confined to a cloister, but might go out into the 

 world and hold livings ; but they were stricter than the canons secular in that they did not live in 

 separate houses or have separate prebends or estates, but lived in a cloister, slept in a common 

 dormitory, dined in a common hall, and lived a common life on common estates. They were the 

 fashionable order from the reign of Henry I to the reign of Henry III ; and at one time bade fair 

 to oust the secular clergy altogether. 



Thus all over England secular canons were displaced to make way for the Augustinians. As in 

 the days of Dunstan they had been displaced from Winchester and Worcester cathedrals to make way 

 for the Benedictines, so now at Waltham, at Christchurch, Hampshire, at St. Frideswide's (after- 

 wards Christ Church), Oxford, at Derby, at Leicester, at Carlisle, they were put out to make 

 room for the canons regular. 



In a general charter," summing up the results of many particular charters, the founder of 

 Newnham Priory, Simon of Beauchamp, gives his reasons for ousting the secular to make way for 

 the regular canons : 



Wise men, especially religious men, frequently dealing with me about the health of my soul and that 

 of my ancestors, among other health-giving counsels have exhorted and counselled me to convert the 

 prebends of St. Paul Bedford with all their belongings, which the canons called secular held of the 

 gift and grant of my predecessors, to a richer reverence of divine worship and the honour of pure 

 religion ; and assenting to their advice and exhortations, which I thought healthful, I have granted 

 all the prebends of the church with all their appurtenances and liberties to regular canons in pure 

 and perpetual alms free from all secular service. So with the assent of King Henry II, Pope 

 Alexander III, Thomas the martyr archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop Robert of Lincoln 



he had ordered that as the secular canons died off the regular canons should succeed to their places 

 and as God's servants possess them for ever. 



He then proceeds to confirm St. Paul's and twelve other neighbouring churches and tithes : 



And besides these, six virgates of land in Goldington which were part of the prebends of William, 

 Philip and Gilbert ; three hides in Harrold which were part of the prebends of Richard and Ralph ; 

 a hide in Ford, part of the prebend of Philip and Gilbert ; and half a hide in Renhall (Renhold), 

 part of the prebend of Archdeacon Nicholas. 



This deed was witnessed by ' William Earl of Essex his brother,' i.e. half-brother, a fact which 

 fixes it as after 1169 when William succeeded to the earldom, while unless the reference to 

 Thomas Becket as the martyr is an interpretation of the later scribe that reference shows that it 

 is later than 1 1 70. 



The confirmation charter of Henry II granted that the prebends of Bedford should ' on the 

 departure of the secular canons dwelling there pass to the use of the canons regular who are estab- 

 lished there by my consent on the petition of Simon Beauchamp and his mother Rohesia.' 



The actual foundation of Newnham was considerably earlier than the charter quoted. It has 

 been stated that this priory" was founded in 1 166 and William appointed the first prior in that year. 

 But William was not in fact the first prior. It seems to have been overlooked that the priory was 

 first founded not at Newnham but at Bedford itself, and the chartulary contains several records which 

 speak of the prior and canons of St. Paul's, Bedford. Thus the Countess Roys or Rohesia, Simon 

 Beauchamp's mother, whom Leland calls, but seemingly erroneously, the founder, granted " a virgate 

 in Colworth (Colworth Sharnbrook) *to the church of St. Paul's Bedford and the canons regular 

 there,' and another grant of half a virgate in Goldington is to the same effect. In 11 60 there was a 

 ' composition ^' between the convent of St. Mary's Church Merton and the convent of St. Paul's 

 Church Bedford ' about the tithes of Hunsdon (Hunesdune) witnessed by our archdeacon, Nicholas. 

 The priory indeed was colonized from Merton, as there is an elaborate further composition ^* be- 

 tween Priors William (of Merton) and Aucherius (of Bedford) which gives notice that ' we, the 

 canons of Merton church, exact no subjection or obedience from Bedford church, though it was by 

 our labour and care that, God's grace aiding, it took the beginning of religion and was promoted to 

 the condition of good life.' Another deed which is dated as early as 4 May 1160" settles a con- 



'» Harl. MS. 3656, fol. 18. " Cf. r.C.H. Beds, i, 377-81. " Harl. MS. 3656, fol. 23. 



" Ibid. fol. job. » Ibid. fol. 71. " Ibid. fol. 70*. 



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