A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE suits, and she had similar dealings with Newn- ham Priory 1 — all with reference to the ad- vowsons of churches. At another time there were difficulties with St. Alban's Abbey. 2 Matthew Paris 3 relates the story of the ab- bess of Elstow and the sword : how, at the time of the pulling down of St. Paul's church by Fawkes de Br£aut6, she took the sword out of the hand of the image of St. Paul in her own church, and declared that she would not restore it until he avenged himself upon the common enemy. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, in the year 1306, a rather interesting suit was begun between the abbess at that time, Clemence de Balliol, and the brethren of St. Leonard's Hospital. 4 The latter had been erecting new buildings on either side of the pathway which led from Elstow to Bedford, and obtained permission in consequence to close it, and make another which should pass round instead of through the hospital. This the abbess objected to, on the ground that the old way was more direct and convenient for her people. The two paths were carefully measured, and it was decided, against the abbess, that the new way was not appreciably longer than the old. But she was still dissatisfied, and the brethren seem to have been hindered from carrying out their plans for another two years, when they obtained letters patent from the king for the closing of the path. In 1337 Elizabeth Morteyn, who was then abbess, claimed the ' third penny ' from the town of Bedford, in virtue of an alleged grant from Malcolm (IV.), King of Scotland ; the case was carried before Parliament, and the burgesses were successful in proving that Malcolm never had any lordship in the town. 6 Six years earlier a previous abbess was sum- moned to show by what title she claimed view of frankpledge and 'judicialia' in Elstow, Wilshampstead, Maulden, and Kempston : she was obliged to confess that her administra- tion had been lax, and could only secure her « Had. MS. 3656, f. 70. a Harl. Ch. 43, A 44 (1231 ; a bull of Gre- gory IX. ; the dispute was about certain tithes, and the archdeacon of Bucks was ordered to settle it). 3 Matth. Paris, Chron. Maj. (Rolls Series), iii. 87. The abbess at this time was most probably Mabel. Fawkes de Breaute held 8 acres of land of the abbess of Elstow (Close, 8 Henry III.) 4 The whole story is set out by VVigram, Chron- icles of the Abbey of Elstow, 93-8, with an account of the measurements, from Chan. Inq. p.m. 34 Edw. I. 226, the final settlement being found in Pat. 2 Edw. II, p. 2, m. 13.
- Rolls of Pari. ii. 96.
rights by the payment of a fine. 8 It was only a short time after this that the parish church of Elstow, as well as the tithes of both rectories, were finally appropriated by the monastery, under the sanction of Bishop Bek ; and ' to avoid the inconvenience caused by the chanting of psalms in the nave of the monastery,' the chapel of St. Helen, which stood in the churchyard, was to serve in future as a parish church. 7 From this time forward little is known of the external his- tory of the house, except that it was much patronised by seculars, whom the bishops never could succeed in keeping out for any length of time. Not long before the dissolu- tion an attendant of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII., was professed there. 8 This house was constantly visited by the Bishops of Lincoln ; and the records of their injunctions from time to time show us some- thing of its internal history. The first notice of this kind is in a letter, dated 24 June 1270, from Bishop Gravesend to Walter Giffard, Archbishop of York. 9 A sister of the latter, Agatha Giffard, was prioress of Elstow at the time, and had been at fault (as had the abbess also) ' through connivance or remissness ' in some scandal that had lately occurred. What it was the bishop does not say ; only he re- marks ' from that hous*e more frequently than from any other false reports of disgraceful acts are brought to us ' ; and he is evidently putting the case as mildly as he can, so as not to offend the archbishop. In 1300 the nuns of Elstow, as well as many others, were enjoined to observe the statute De Claustura Monialium of Boniface VIII. 10 This statute was aimed no doubt at 6 Wigram, Chronicles of the Abbey of Elstow, 104 ; from Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.) 7 Cal. of Pap. Letters, iii. 196 ; and Line. Epis. Reg., Inst. Bek. 102 (1345). The chapel had been built by a certain Ivota ; and a chantry attached in 1 3 34 (Line. Epis. Reg., Inst. Burghersh, 273)- 8 Beds N. and Q., i. 197, from Nicholas, Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of fork, ' de- livered to Thabbesse of Elnestowe by thands of John Duffyn for the costes and charges of litle Anne Loveday at the making of her nonne there — £6 13/. d.' (Dated 3 August 1502) 9 Wigram, Chronicles of the Abbey of Elstow, 74, where the letter is given at length, from Hist. Papers and Letters from the Northern Registers (Rolls Series). Whatever the scandal was, it cost the prioress no serious loss of credit, for in 1 280-1 she was very nearly elected abbess (Wigram, Chronicles of the Abbey of Elstow, 79, where the letter of Bishop Oliver Sutton reporting on the election is given in full). 10 Line. Epis. Reg., Memo. Dalderby, 9, II. 354
