Everdon Priory
Encyclopedia
Everdon Priory was a priory in Northamptonshire
, England
. The village of Everdon
is located about 6km (4 miles) south-east of the town of Daventry
.
The manor of Everdon was granted to the abbey of St. Mary of Bernay, Eure
, in Normandy
, some time shortly after the Norman Conquest. Bernay was a Benedictine
abbey, founded by Judith, wife of Richard II, Duke of Normandy
, in 1025.
The abbot of Bernay became lord of the manor of Everdon and held a considerable amount of land around the village. The priory administered these lands and acted as agents for the abbot. The abbot held advowson
of the parish church, i.e. the right to present a priest to the living - a right that could be lucrative, as incumbents generally paid to be inducted, although this was technically the sin of simony
.
Another responsibility and source of profit was the manorial court. Evidently the monks primarily regarded it as a source of income. In 1329 Quo warranto
proceedings, a way of legally testing claims of authority, were taken against the abbey. It was found that the monks had been imposing fines instead of corporal punishment. They had been taking a mark (money)
for offences against the Assize of Bread and Ale
, which regulated quantities and prices of these basic commodities; the culprits should have been subjected to the tumbril and pillory
. They had also been impounding stray animals illegally.
Everdon Priory was an alien priory
, a subsidiary community to an abbey abroad, in this case in Normandy. This created great difficulties for the priory after John, King of England lost Normandy to the French in 1204. In times of war between England and France, the Crown took over the alien priories and their estates, granting them to prominent supporters to secure their help in war, and the opportunity of peace to extort large fines for returning them to their orders.
This cyclical process was ended by Henry V
. Planning the war against France that would culminate in the Agincourt
campaign, he put legislation before Parliament to dissolve the alien priories. Many were given to royal favourites or sold, but Everdon was retained as a Crown possession. This allowed Henry VI
to grant it to his newly-founded Eton College
in 1440, a gift that was confirmed by Edward IV
in 1462.
Remains of the priory were still visible at Eton's lordship house in the 18th century, but have since disappeared completely.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village of Everdon
Everdon
Everdon is a village in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England some two miles south of Daventry.Nearby The Stubbs is a wood belonging to the Woodland Trust, a UK conservation charity...
is located about 6km (4 miles) south-east of the town of Daventry
Daventry
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...
.
The manor of Everdon was granted to the abbey of St. Mary of Bernay, Eure
Bernay, Eure
Bernay is a commune in the west of the Eure department about fifty km from Évreux in northern France. The city is in the Pays d'Ouche and the Lieuvin...
, in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, some time shortly after the Norman Conquest. Bernay was a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey, founded by Judith, wife of Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Richard II , called the Good , was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora.-Biography:...
, in 1025.
The abbot of Bernay became lord of the manor of Everdon and held a considerable amount of land around the village. The priory administered these lands and acted as agents for the abbot. The abbot held advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the parish church, i.e. the right to present a priest to the living - a right that could be lucrative, as incumbents generally paid to be inducted, although this was technically the sin of simony
Simony
Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...
.
Another responsibility and source of profit was the manorial court. Evidently the monks primarily regarded it as a source of income. In 1329 Quo warranto
Quo warranto
Quo warranto is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom it is directed to show what authority they have for exercising some right or power they claim to hold.-History:...
proceedings, a way of legally testing claims of authority, were taken against the abbey. It was found that the monks had been imposing fines instead of corporal punishment. They had been taking a mark (money)
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
for offences against the Assize of Bread and Ale
Assize of Bread and Ale
The Assize of Bread and Ale was a 13th-century statute in late medieval English law, which regulated the price, weight and quality of the bread and beer manufactured and sold in towns, villages and hamlets. This statute is usually attributed to act 51 Hen. III, occurring about 1266–1267. It was...
, which regulated quantities and prices of these basic commodities; the culprits should have been subjected to the tumbril and pillory
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
. They had also been impounding stray animals illegally.
Everdon Priory was an alien priory
Alien priory
Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as a monastery or convent, which were under the control of another religious house outside of England...
, a subsidiary community to an abbey abroad, in this case in Normandy. This created great difficulties for the priory after John, King of England lost Normandy to the French in 1204. In times of war between England and France, the Crown took over the alien priories and their estates, granting them to prominent supporters to secure their help in war, and the opportunity of peace to extort large fines for returning them to their orders.
This cyclical process was ended by Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
. Planning the war against France that would culminate in the Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
campaign, he put legislation before Parliament to dissolve the alien priories. Many were given to royal favourites or sold, but Everdon was retained as a Crown possession. This allowed Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
to grant it to his newly-founded Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in 1440, a gift that was confirmed by Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
in 1462.
Remains of the priory were still visible at Eton's lordship house in the 18th century, but have since disappeared completely.