THIS Priory, generally denominated St. Dennis's Priory, was founded for black canons by Henry I. though Richard I. has been sometimes considered as the founder, from the considerable benefactions which he bestowed. On the dissolution of this Priory, in the reign of Henry VIII. the annual value of its possessions was estimated at 807: 11: 6, according to Dugdale, and 911: 9, according to Speed. The site was then granted to Francis Dawtry : it is now the property of general Stibbert, of Portswood House. The ruins are only of small extent, and appear to be remains of the west end of the church, and of some other building near to it, now used as a farm-house. Many of the possessions of this house were held by the tenure of arming a certain number of men for the defence of Southampton. In Grose's Antiquities is given a list of the benefactors to this foundation, which we have extracted. "Henry I. by his charter, granted to God and the canons of St. Dionysius, for the good of his own soul and those of his father and mother, Matilda his wife, and William his son, and for the good of the faithful living and dead, that parcel of his land lying between Portafrada and the river Hystia, which used to bring in eleven shillings and six deniers, and also that part of his lands of Portafrada lying near the sea, in the east part of Hampton, which used to bring in the annual rent of forty-one shillings and six deniers. "King Stephen confirmed divers donations of land given them by Robert de Limeseia. Henry II. granted them the chapel of St. Michael of the Holy Cross of St. Lawrence and of All Saints, near the town of Hampton. "Richard I. gave them, in fee and perpetual alms, Kingsland and the wood, called Porteswarde, with all its appurtenances. "Gundred de Warren gave them the church of Kittle Fageham, which was her dower. Humphry de Bohun, constable to the king of England, confirmed to them the church of Chaleworth, given by his father, with all the titles, rights, and dues, the canons of St. Dionysius to find a chaplain to officiate there. "William Musard gave them three shillings annual rent, left him by his sister Jane, on condition of their finding a wax candle before the altar of the Blessed Virgin, in the church of their monastery, where his sister lay buried: this rent to be received quarterly. PRIORY OF ST. DYONISIUS. "Walter de Chalke and his wife bequeathed to | them two bezants, for the good of their souls, and on account of the kindness shewn to them by these canons; to receive the same annually at the feast of St. Michael, of Gaufridus Hule, who was bound to pay it as a yearly rent in Etlington. A bezant was a coin, so called from its being originally struck at Constantinople; called, likewise, Byzantium. It seems to have been a general name for a piece of money, without any determinate value: according to Du Cange, there were bezants of gold and silver; and Blount, in his Law Dictionary, notices copper ones, of the value of 28. "Godfrey, bishop of Winchester, confirmed to them the gift of William Aeliz, of the tithes of his rent in Aldenton, of 6s. arising from his mill at the same place, and the tenths of his paunage, and also the privilege of quit paunage for thirty hogs, in his woods. "By the charter of the sixth of Edward III. these canons were entitled to a pipe of red wine, for the celebration of mass, to be delivered to them by the king's butler at Southampton. They were likewise exempted from contribution to the repairs of the bridge of Kingsmill. "In a parliament held by Edward III. in the year 1939, a writ of respite was granted to the prior and canons of this convent of the tenths that were due at the Purification of the Virgin last past, and also those that were bound to pay between that time and the Michaelmas next ensuing, on account of their houses and other edifices, which were the greatest part of their subistence, being burned and destroyed. This was done by the French, in their invasion the preceding year.' Prynne, from Matthew Paris and other monkish writers, mentions one Odo, whom he calls abbot of this house, about the year 1945, who gave great gifs of the goods of the community to the pope, whereby he obtained the archbishopric of Rohan, which he did not enjoy above a year, being suddenly struck dead. This was considered as a judgment from Heaven, for his fraud and simony." |