VALE CHURCH AND PRIORY. 2/U 



dinners at the Prior's expense. In future these dinners are 

 to be restricted to the Bailiff and his clerk, with one other 

 attendant. In 1238, Henry de Trubleville, Lord of the 

 Islands, reinstates the Abbey in possession of the Priory 

 and its belongings. In future, except in time of war, the 

 monks of the Vale may export their corn whither they 

 please. In 1249, Brother Henry, a Canon of Blanchelande, 

 was by special grace collated to the Rectory of the Yale 

 Church, which no secular priest cared to accept. Apparently 

 the monks of St. Michael did not at this time undertake the 

 service of the parish church. In 1286, Gilbert de Poliers 

 gave all his possessions to the Abbey of Mont St. Michel, 

 and his personal service to the Prior of the Vale, on con- 

 dition of his having board and lodging in the Priory and 

 £4 tournois for his clothing. In 1307, Jean de la Porte was 

 Prior, and in 1314 he became Abbot of the famous Abbey. 

 He was a great builder — valde profuit in cedificando — and 

 Guernsey may have had help from him in Church archi- 

 tecture, but he does not seem to have added to the Vale 

 Church. In 1312, Guillaume Le Feivre was Prior, and was 

 succeeded by Reginald Pastey, who had a lawsuit with the 

 parishioners of the Vale, the Castel, St. Saviour's, St. 

 Peter-in-the-Wood and Torteval, concerning certain tithes. 

 Judgment was given against the prior. While the suit was 

 in progress, one Alan Le Prevost laid a charge against the 

 Prior, whose servants had broken into Alan's house, beaten 

 and severely wounded him. In a petition of this date, about 

 1325, we find reference made to a procession round the 

 Moustier de St. Michel du Valle, ausy que ex et leurs ancestres 

 out fay avant ces houres. In 1368, the Treasurer of the 

 Vale Church alleged that the Prior was bound to pay 

 one-third of the cost of repairs, lights, books and vestments 

 in the Parish Church. Prior De Carteret redeemed this 

 liability by assigning a rente of 3 quarters of wheat to the 

 Treasurer. At this time the Prior was in the habit of 

 meeting the parishioners every year to hear the Treasurer's 

 accounts read. 



From the Extente of Edward III. we learn that the 

 Abbot of Mont St. Michel owned 60^ bouvees of land in 

 the Clos du Valle and 11^ on the fief of Noirmont, outside 

 the Clos, besides 12 bouvees on the Caruee de Rosel. At 

 that time 4 vergees made an acre, and 5 acres a bouvee, 

 so that the Abbey owned in all 1,680 vergees of land in 

 Guernsey. In 1318, the revenue of the Priory was 706 

 livres, probably livres tournois. We may calculate the value 



