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RELIGIOUS HOUSES infrequently obliged to be absent from England for periods of varying length ; thus William, prior of St. Faith's, nominated two attorneys to act for him for two years, in April, 1303, and obtained simple protection for a like period during his absence.' In 1307 the same prior again obtained protection for two years,^ and protection was granted, in 1344, to Prior Pontius de Cerveria, going beyond the seas for causes concerning him, and for his men, horses and harness, with reasonable expenses in gold ; pro- vided he make no payment of tribute, nor carry with him gold or silver plate, or jewels.' On I December, 1307, a commission was appointed in connexion with an outrage on the priory of St. Faith. It was alleged that Robert de Barwe, Hubert le Warner, with twenty-five others, in the time of the late king, forcibly entered the priory, consumed the victuals and other goods, and guarded the gates of the priory for four months, so that the prior could not enter nor the monks within get out ; that they carried off his palfrey worth 10 marks ; killed in his wood seven swine worth 40;. ; threw a monk from off a horse on the king's high road, carried him off to Horsford, spoiled him of his habit and shoes, and imprisoned him ; further, that they entered the prior's market at the town of Hor- sham, collected the toll, pickage, and other dues there, took away from his servants their goods and wares, seized twelve cart-horses worth 30 marks, which were to carry his corn in the autumn, and impounded them for four weeks, whereby most of the corn being left in the fields was trampled under foot by cattle, and the monks had to carry on their backs the small residue that escaped ; threw from off a horse his servant appointed for the gathering in of the corn, and carried off the horse ; felled his trees, broke his ditches and closes, drove off his cattle, and entered and hunted in his warren, and carried away his hares.* Edward III granted the custody of the alien priory of St. Faith, when it was taken into the hands of the crown, to the prior on condition of his paying ^loo a year; but in 1337 he re- mitted for that year half the amount.' In 1338 the prior, on the petition of the cardinals of St. Praxed and St. Mary's in Aquiro, was par- doned the payment of ;^8o out of the ;^ioo yearly so long as the priory remained in the king's hands.^ In 1345 the king appointed Sir John DufFord, knt., patron of Horsham Priory, to collect all farms, rents, tithes, pensions, etc., due to the priory, now committed to the custody of the ' Pat. 31 Edw. I, m. 28. » Ibid. I Edw. II, pt. i, m. 6. ' Ibid. 18 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 30. ' Ibid. I Edw. II, pt. i, m. J J. ' Close, 2 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 15 ; pt. ii, m. 37. « Pat. 12 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 38. prior, at farm, as the king was informed that many of these were in arrear, and unless they are got in, the prior would be unable to answer for his rent.' In 1372 Pope Gregory wrote to the bishop of Norwich commending to him four monks, the bearers of the letter, of the monastery of Conches, whom Abbot Draymond was sending to live in the priory of Horsham.' Thomas de Berthelet, appointed in 1389, was the first prior elected by the monks of Horsham, and in December, 1390, a crown grant was made, at the request of the king's uncle, the Duke of Lancaster, and of the king's brother, the Earl of Huntingdon, of denization to the Bene- dictine priory of Horsham, wholly discharging them from all fines and impositions as aliens. No prior was to be placed over them but a true Englishman, and on all points they were to be as free as the prior and monks of Thetford, on Condition that they paid the king 2 marks a year, as they formerly did to the abbey of Conches, and that they prayed for the king and queen and for the good estate of the realm. In their peti- tion begging to be thus naturalized, the monks stated that their priory was almost ruined, divine service nearly abandoned, and where there used to be a prior and twelve monks to celebrate three masses daily, and to give every poor beggar a loaf and two herrings (in addition to other charities), they had at present but a prior and eight monks who could hardly subsist, because they had to pay ^50 yearly to the exchequer as- long as the war with France lasted.' Horsham was henceforward recognized as an English priory. In 1462, a grant was made by Edward IV in free alms to the provost and college of Eton of the pension or apport of 2 marks, which the priory of St. Faith used to render to the abbot of Conches.'" John Sarisbury was prior on 17 August, 1534, when he signed the acknowledgement of the king's supremacy, in conjunction with six of his monks. In November, 1535, Dr. Legh and John ap Rice paid several visits to St. Faith's at Crom- well's request. The former wrote to Cromwell on 19 November, saying that the house was a commodious one and spent about 300 marks a year ; there were but five monks with the prior, and two wished to be dismissed. Two days later Prior Sarisbury wrote to Cromwell com- plaining that his visitor had sequestrated the possessions and movables of the house without any just cause, which had been brought about by the sinister reports of his enemies. * Being ' Ibid. 19 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 16. ' Ca/. of Pap. Reg. iv, 1 14. ' Pat. 14 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 39. '» Ibid. I Edw. IV, pt. iii, m. 24. " Dep. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. 2, No. 94. 347