A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE it would be interesting to know what was the matter in dispute, as there was usually so much goodwill between the various houses of Austin canons in this county. A year later ' a brother was received back, who had become an apostate through discontent and was now repentant. At the visitation of Bishop Grey 2 (1431-6) the discipline of the house was still good ; all that the bishop enjoined was that the sub-prior should do the work of the prior, now grown old and feeble. 2 Later, when Cardinal Wolsey undertook to reform the whole Augustinian order, it seems that Newnham was still amongst the more satis- factory houses. At the great general chapter summoned at Reading in June 15 18 (the first after the lapse of more than a century) the prior of Newnham was chosen as one of the definitors, and made visitor for two coun- ties. 3 The prior, John Ashwell, with fourteen canons and two lay brothers, signed an acknowledgment of the royal supremacy in 1535.* It is probable that these seventeen were but a small proportion of the original number. 5 Nothing is known of the circum- stances of the surrender of the house, except that it was made by a prior who had not been long in office, 6 and took place on 2 January 1 Line. Epis. Reg., Memo. Buckingham, 348. 2 Ibid. Memo. Grey, 199. At this visitation it was enjoined that on every Saturday the warden of the church of St. Paul's, Bedford, should give all the fruits of the church to the bursar of the monastery, to be used for the clothing of the canons and other necessities. 3 Cott. MS. Vesp. D i. ft. 64, 70. General chapters were held at Newnham in 1292 {Ann. Mon. [Rolls Series], iii. 390) and in 1340 ; priors of Newnham were definitors in 1340 and 1365 (Cott. MS. Vesp. D i. ft. 46b, 56).
- Rymer, Foedera, vi. (2), 200, and 7th Report
of the Deputy Keeper of the Records. » There is nothing in the documents relating to the priory to show the number of canons at any time before the end ; but the income in the thirteenth century, on the analogy of other houses, would have supported thirty or forty. 6 John Burne signed the surrender. In 1524 the prior of Newnham was ordered to take the fealty of Agnes Gascoigne, the newly-elected abbess of Elstow (I. and P. Hen. VIII. iv. 487). In 1536 the prior of Newnham (unnamed) was accused of having fraudulently denied all know- ledge of a box of money deposited with him by the chancellor of Lincoln some time before. A certain priest and servants of the chancellor (who had just died) declared that they consigned the money to the prior, and gave the contents of the box in detail (ibid. xi. 1407). The results of the inquiry are not stated. 1 540-1.' A pension of £60 was granted to the prior, John Burne, and pensions of other sums to fifteen canons besides. The original endowment of the priory by Simon de Beauchamp comprised the tithes of fourteen churches — St. Paul's Bedford, Ren- hold, Ravensden, Great Barford, Willington, Cardington, Southill, 8 Hatley, Wootton, Stags- den, Lower Gravenhurst, Aspley, Salford, Goldington ; portions of land in many places which had belonged to the old canons ; the tithes of all his markets, assarts and woods ; the castle mill and another with some lands and water attached ; the free use of all waters belonging to the castle, as far as Fenlake, for fishing, navigation and breeding swans ; and the right to pasture a certain number of cattle with his own free of cost. These gifts are rehearsed with much detail and some additions in the Great Charter of William de Beau- champ. At the time of the Taxatio the in- come of the priory appears as £164 ioj. Sd., 9 of which £<)2 6s. 8d. is made up of spiritu- alities. The largest items amongst the tem- poralities are lands, etc., at Goldington, Salpho, Stotfold and Sharnbrook ; 10 and these are found in the Feudal Aids as portions of knights' fees. In 1302 the prior of Newnham held half a knight's fee in Sharnbrook, several fractions in Goldington, and half a knight's fee in Salpho. 11 In 1 316 half a fee in Goldington, a quarter in Salpho, one seventh in Bidden- ham, one quarter in Southill. 12 In 1346 half a fee in Cotes and half a fee in Sharnbrook. 13 In 1428 the same as in 1346 with the addi- tion of half a knight's fee in Salpho, and a quarter in Blunham and Moggerhanger. 14 A comparison of the Valor and the Taxatio shows however that the property of the priory was almost the same in extent at both dates, varying very little in the course of history. It was all within the county of Bedford. Not one of the churches of the original endow- I Ibid. XV. II. 8 Of Southill only two- thirds ; the remaining third was not granted till l255(Ca/. of Pap. Letters, i. 314)- Turvey appears in the charters of Simon and Wil- liam de Beauchamp (Had. MS. 3656, ff. 8, 14b), but it never could have belonged to Newnham. » The church of Gravenhurst is not included, as it does not appear in the Taxatio ; possibly other items are missing. 10 These places are all named in the foundation charters, but the largest item there is three hides in Cardington. » Feud. Aids,i. 11, 15, 16. 12 Ibid. 17, 18, 19. » Ibid. 28, 29. " Ibid. 39, 42, 45.
