Page:St. Botolph's Priory, Colchester (1917).djvu/17

Rh The most interesting record of the early years of the priory is the bull of Pope Paschal II, dated August 1116, which in recognition of the fact that this was the first house of Augustinian Canons to be founded in England grants a long series of privileges. St. Botolph's was to have authority over all other houses of the order in England, to correct abuses and inflict punishments, to prescribe regulations and to appoint agents to see that their authority was maintained. The priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate (founded in 1108 with Norman as its first prior), was to be subject to them, and no person, ecclesiastical or lay, was to have any authority over them, as they were under the protection of the Roman church only. They had the right to elect their own priors and to present them to the Bishop of London for consecration, which was to be freely granted. In cases where difficulties were made over this, they could go to any other bishop they pleased. As a matter of fact, the house never attained to the pre-eminence among the English houses of Augustinian Canons which the bull assigned to it, but remained one of the smaller and poorer foundations.

The original number of inmates was, as commonly occurs, thirteen, this number typifying Christ and the Apostles. In 1281 the prior and convent in return for benefactions by Master Simon de Eylondia, bound themselves to maintain one additional canon. It is possible that the numbers never rose beyond this, and in 1421 Pope Martin V granted a relaxation of penance to penitents who on the feast of St. Denis should visit and give alms for the conservation and repair of the priory, which was founded and sufficiently endowed for a prior and twelve canons but had been impoverished.

In 1534 the convent, consisting only of a prior and seven canons, took the oath of fealty under the Act of Succession, and the revenue of the house being under £200, it was dissolved in 1536. Its whole yearly value was given at £134 3s. 4d. The history of the priory seems to have been uneventful; at least, no record of importance has been preserved, and certain disputes with the priory of Hatfield Broadoak and the Abbey of St. John, Colchester, are the chief matters on which documentary evidence is extant.

The list of priors, as far as it has been ascertained, is as follows (see the "Victoria County History" for Essex):

Ainulf, first prior, occurs 1116.

John, occurs 1145.

Henry, occurs 1205-1206.

Robert, occurs 1222.