The Alien Benedictine Priory of Monk Sherborne, Hampshire from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Centuries
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Proc. Hampshire Field Club Archaeol. Soc. 55, 2000, 46-67 (Hampshire Studies 2000) THE ALIEN BENEDICTINE PRIORY OF MONK SHERBORNE, HAMPSHIRE FROM THE TWELFTH TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURIES By MOIRA GRANT ABSTRACT ish churches of All Saints, Monk Sherborne, and St Andrews, Sherborne St John. The chancel, The Priory Church, Pamber End, Hampshire, is all that crossing, tower, stair turret, and ruined south remains of the alien Benedictine priory of West or Monk nave wall are all that remain of the Benedictine Sherborne founded in the early twelfth century. At the priory of West or Monk Sherborne, founded in height of its prosperity at the end of the thirteenth century it the early twelfth century by Henry de Port as a was the second wealthiest alien priory in Hampshire and cell of St Vigor, Cerisy, in Normandy, and sup the Isle of Wight. Th is was partly due to charitable gifts by pressed in the fifteenth century (Vfktoria] Hfistory Henry HI to the priory that included timber from the of the] Cfounty ofj HfampshireJ, iv, 231). It was the nearby royal forest ofPamber, towards building works at largest of the alien priories in Hampshire. As well the priory in the mid-thirteenth century, "the king and his as being fully conventual, Monk Sherborne priory household were fairly frequent visitors to the priory and enjoyed a degree of independence from its parent had wine cellars here. Conversely, the fourteenth century house. The Bishops of Winchester accepted the saw a steady decline in the priory's fortunes, largely due to prior and convent of Monk Sherborne as patrons systematic Crown exploitationfor revenue during hostilities of the livings of Bramley and Church Oakley, and with France. However, Monk Sherborne priory survived the Bishops instituted later priors. However, the general suppression of alien priories in 1414 because it Monk Sherborne was regarded as an alien priory was fully conventual. After a period oj recovery in the first by the civil authorities (VHCH, ii, 226). There half of the fifteenth century, the priory was abruptly sup were ten alien priories in Hampshire and the Isle pressed in 1452, when the new owners, Eton College, of Wight: six of them Benedictine (Monk came into possession. The community was quickly evicted Sherborne, Hayling, Andover, Appuldurcombe and most of the priory's buildings were destroyed. Religious I.O.W., Carisbrooke I.O.W., and Ellingham); life was not re-established until 1475 when provision was one Cluniac (St Helen's I.O.W.); three Order of made for a resident chantry priest. Ownership of the priory Tiron (Andwell, Hamble and St Cross I.O.W.) was disputed between Queen's College, Oxford, and Eton (Knowles and Hadcock, 1971, 83-4, 98, 106). Of College in the later fifteenth century. Queen's College, Oxall the counties in England, Hampshire had the ford, is the present owner of the estate. largest number of alien priories, possibly due to the easy accessibility of the county to the Nor mans (VHCH, ii, 105). INTRODUCTION The Priory Church, Pamber End, is situated in THE FOUNDATION OF MONK the north of the parish of Monk Sherborne about SHERBORNE PRIORY five miles north of Basingstoke and west of the A340, which runs from Basingstoke to Tadley At Domesday, Hugh de Port held fifty-five man and Aldermaston. Not itself a parish church, it is ors or estates in Hampshire direcdy from the king, one of three churches in the united benefice of the and thirteen others from Odo, Bishop of Bayeux Sherbornes with Pamber, the others being the par and half-brother to King William. (Odo was im- GRANT: THE ALIEN BENEDICTINE PRIORY OF MONK SHERBORNE 47 prisoned in 1082 and Hugh de Port held all his erence by Henry de Port to his lord King Henry lands in Hampshire at Domesday). Hugh held in the charter suggests a date of 1100-1135. At Sherborne (St John) including a church direcdy present it is unfortunately not possible to be more from the king and (Monk) Sherborne from Odo. precise. No church is mentioned in Domesday as being In the third Monk Sherborne charter John de part of Hugh's holding in Monk Sherborne Port, Henry's son, confirmed to the monks of (Munby, 1982, 23.4, 23.57). Sherborne the gifts of Henry his father, and of At Hugh de Port's death his son Henry inher Adhewisa his mother (which was land in Great ited most of his father's holdings in Hampshire, Shefford, Berkshire). However, the church of including West and East Sherborne. Henry, a Newnham and lands in Newnham and baron of the exchequer under Henry I, founded a Maplederwell are omitted. Although mentioned priory in West Sherborne in the early twelfth cen by Henry in his foundation charter, he did not tury as a dependency of the Benedictine abbey of confirm them. They belonged to the fee of one St Vigor, Cerisy, close to Bayeux and Port-en- Adam de Port, a kinsman, not to the fee of John, Bassin, the de Port family home in Normandy. Henry's son. A date of 1150-1170 has been as This foundation cannot be dated with any great signed to this charter, but a date nearer 1150 is precision, but the church was dedicated to the more likely, as a witness, Herbertus, rector of Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist (Binns, Sherborne, is only clericus here, and in charters 1989, 102). nos. 24 and 25, both dated to before 1162, he is The early charters relating to Monk Sherborne decanus (Salter, 1929, no.16). However, as Complete priory are in the possession of Queen's College, Peerage gives a date of 1168 (not 1170) for the Oxford, and are reproduced in Salter's Oxford death of John de Port (Cockayne, 1949, xi, 319) Charters. The first one is Henry de Port's founda the date of this charter could be revised. (The tion charter, undated but assigned a date of above Adam de Port confirmed to the monks of 1120-1130. (None of the witnesses appear in Cerisy the chapel of Newnham and the tithes of Domesday, neither do they appear in the carta of Newnham and Maplederwell between 1154 and 1166, hence the assigned date for the charter half 1172 (Salter, 1929, no. 21)). way between 1086 and 1166). In it, Henry In the fourth Monk Sherborne charter, Henry granted to God and St Vigor of Cerisy, for the sal Bishop of Winchester confirmed to the church of vation of the souls of his lord King Henry and his Sherborne the gifts within the diocese of Winches father William, and of himself, his father, mother, ter of Henry de Port as confirmed by his son John wife, children, friends and dependants, the whole de Port, about 1150-1170. The land at Great of Sherborne on the west side, its woods, church Shefford is not mentioned as it was in the diocese and all tithes, and everything else except for the of Salisbury (Salter, 1929, no. 18). However, de lands of Gervase Hwastehose and Crespt. Also tails of the twelfth-century archdeacons of the given were the meadow of Longbridge and the Bishops of Winchester have been revised, with mill next to the fishpond and the meadow of the Robert de Inglesham, archdeacon of Surrey, suc other Sherborne (Sherborne St John), and the ceeding in about 1154 (Franklin, 1993, lvii). As churches of Newnham, Bramley and Upton Grey Robert was a witness to this charter, the date of with tithes, and the tithes of Basing. Other lands this charter could also be revised. and tithes were listed. Henry had given these gifts This foundation by Henry de Port was primarily so that the abbot of St Vigor could establish a con for the establishment of a religious house for the vent of monks at Sherborne to serve God. Finally, spiritual wellbeing of the de Port family, friends he gave his own body to be buried there (Salter, and neighbours, and as a family burial place. The 1929, no. 14). The Complete Peerage (Cockayne,d e Port family was responsible for one other alien 1949, xi, 318) states that the contents of this char foundation in Hampshire. Early in the twelfth cen ter suggest that the charter itself is of a later date tury, Adam de Port of Maplederwell founded a than the actual foundation of the priory, but with small priory in Andwell, as a dependency of the out a fuller explanation this is not helpful. The ref Benedictine abbey of Tiron {VHCH, ii, 223). 48 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF other running south-west to north-east on the east. THE PRIORY (GS sheet 284, 1980). Water from these streams could have supplied the priory's needs. Food was either produced on the priory's estates or bought The choice of site for the priory from nearby markets. A local supply of building Davidson (1909, 7) suggests that the parish materials was also needed for the construction church of All Saints, Monk Sherborne (in the and maintenance of buildings within the precinct south of the parish) may have been the original (Aston, 1993, 22). Flint, chalk and clay were choice of family burial place of the de Port family. readily available nearby, as was timber. The remains of an eastern apse beyond the pres Such a good location is unlikely to have been ent chancel indicate that this church was once unexploited before the twelfth century. There is much larger. More recently, Hubbuck (pers. some evidence of previous occupation of the site.