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Rh John Stanwigg, elected 1417 Ralf Newport, died 1456 Thomas Gryber (or Wolvercote), elected, resigned 1465 John Holt, elected 1465, resigned 1473 Eustace Bernard, elected 1473, resigned Ranulf Bleese, elected 1485 William Wittlesey, died 1509 John Penkith, elected 1509 Thomas Cockes last prior, occurs 1524

Only a fine fragment remains of the seal of the priory attached to a charter dated I278. It is pointed oval and creamy white in colour, and represents the Blessed Virgin seated on a carved throne. In base under a trefoiled arch with carved spandrils supported by a central pillar, a woman kneels, holding up some object. Legend defective : ...CD RAVEN ES. ..

The reverse is a smaller pointed oval counter- seal of Prior Ralph representing the Blessed Virgin, half length, under a trefoiled arch, the Holy Child on her left knee. In base, in a quadrilobe with arched spandrils, the prior is kneeling in prayer. Legend :. . . ADVLPH PRIORIS D'RAVE. . ..

The abbey of St. Mary the Virgin at Burn- ham was founded in 1266 for Austin canon- esses by Richard, King of the Romans, who endowed it with the surrounding lands and the church of Burnham. A complaint was made ten years later that he had gone beyond his rights in his desire to provide for the needs of the nuns : that he had turned aside a water- course through the village of Cippenham to the monastery, had given them twenty acres of wood from the common, and diverted a pathway which used to lead from Burnham to Dorney ; but it is uncertain whether these wrongs were proved. The endowment was not a very large one, but on the analogy of other houses it may have provided for about twenty nuns at the beginning : at the dissolu- tion however there were only ten.

The first abbess, Margery of Aston, had been sub-prioress of Goring. She was in- stalled, and made her profession of ' subjec- tion, reverence and obedience, under the rule of St. Augustine ' to Bishop Gravesend on the Feast of St. John Baptist, 1266, in the presence of an honourable company, which included the Archdeacon of Exeter, some canons of Missenden, and the prioress of Goring, her late superior.

Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, the son of the founder, confirmed his father's charters, and with the licence of the king granted to the nuns the privilege of free election without reference to himself or his heirs, so that his ministers might not interfere with the abbey lands in time of voidance. This charter was sometimes infringed, but the right could be proved by appeal to it.

In 1330 the abbess was involved in an ex- pensive suit with reference to a part of the manor of Bulstrode which had been recently leased to her by the king at a rent of £15 a year. Geoffrey de Bulstrode disputed the abbess's right, on the ground that the land had been taken from him by Hugh le Despen- ser, and made it impossible for her to pay her farm : he broke into her houses, wrecked her mill, cut down her hedges, corn and trees, and sent cattle to feed on her pastures ; and he so ill-treated her servants that she could not get anyone to serve her in that place. A com- mission of oyer and terminer was granted to examine the matter, and in the next year it was clearly proved that Geoffrey had no rights in the disputed lands, which were freshly granted to the abbess in fee farm. Her losses however had been severe, and she was compelled to ask a remittance of her rent for two years, which was granted. In 1335 she was still in arrears, in 1337 the king par- doned her a debt of £57 6s. 4d. because of the poverty of her house ; and the following year the collectors of wool were ordered to cause the abbess and convent of Burnham to