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Rh tainly a sinister suggestiveness about it: for indeed it might seem worthy of remark that one who had so lightly broken her ancient vows should have stability enough to keep a new one.

The original endowment of the priory comprised the demesne called Ankerwick in Wyrardisbury parish, with small parcels of land in the same neighbourhood, as well as in Egham (Surrey), Greenford and Stanwell (Middlesex), Henley, Windsor, etc. King Henry III. in 1242 granted the nuns licence to pasture sixty pigs every year in the king's forest of Windsor, quit of herbage and pannage. The temporalities mentioned in the Taxatio were only worth 10s., and they had no spiritualities at all. The Valor Ecclesiasticus reports the value of the revenue of this monastery as £22 0s. 2d. clear ; the ministers' accounts give a total of 4£4 12s. 6d., including the demesne land and the manors of Alderbourne, Bucks, Greenford and Stanwell Park, Middlesex, and a manor in Egham, Surrey.

The revenues of this priory were granted by the king for the foundation of the new abbey of Bisham, which was destined to be so shortlived.

Lettice, occurs 1194 Emma, occurs 1236, died 1238 Celeste, elected 1238 Julian, elected 1244 Joan of Rouen, elected 1251 Margery of Hedsor, occurs 1270, resigned Alice de Sandford, elected 1305 Emma of Kimberley, elected 1316, died Joan of Oxford, elected 1327, died 1349 Joan Godman, elected 1384, died 1390 Maud Booth, elected 1390, resigned 1401 Elizabeth Golaffre, elected 1401 Clemence Medford, occurs 1441 Margery Kirby, elected 1443 Margaret Peart, died 1478 Eleanor Spendlow, elected 1478 Alice Worcester, occurs 1526 and 1535 Magdalen Downes, last prioress

A round seal attached to a charter of Letia or Lettice, Prioress of Ankerwick, dated 5 Richard I. The colour is mottled green, the edge of the seal is chipped. It represents the priory church with half timbered walls, round-headed doorway, thatched roof, bell turret topped with a cross, and a cross at each gable end. Legend: +SIGILL' ECCL' E SCE M[A]RIE MAG DE ANK'WIC.

A similar seal, dark brown in colour, the sides much broken and the edge chipped away, may be found attached to a charter of the Prioress Margery and the convent, dated Conversion of St. Paul. Legend: SIG. . . E. . DE. ANK'WIC.

6. THE PRIORY OF LITTLE MARLOW

The origin of this priory is quite unknown: neither the date of foundation nor the name of the founder can as yet be recovered. Leland indeed gives as the traditional founder one ' Geoffrey, Lord Spencer,' a personage unknown to history. The patronage of the monastery and the parish church was in the family of d'Anvers early in the thirteenth century; the earls of Gloucester also gave their