Newnham Priory facts for kids

Newnham Priory was an old religious house, like a monastery, located in Newnham, Bedford, in England. It was home to a group of monks called Augustinians.

History of Newnham Priory

How it Started

Newnham Priory was built around 1166. It was one of the oldest religious places in Bedfordshire. Before the priory, there was a church called St. Paul's in Bedford. This church had "secular canons," who were priests living in the community. They had been there for a very long time, even before the Normans arrived in 1066.

The priory was founded by Simon de Beauchamp. He was a powerful local lord. People had often told him that the gifts and lands his family had given to the church should be used in a way that showed more respect for God. Simon agreed with this advice.

Some stories say the change happened because of a problem with one of the canons, Philip de Broi. He was accused of a serious wrongdoing. He spoke angrily to the king's official, which upset King Henry II. The church leaders gave Philip a light punishment. This made the king angry and contributed to a big disagreement between him and Thomas Becket, the Archbishop. This event might have made the canons decide to move.

However, the main reason for the change was a trend at the time. Many religious houses were changing from having secular canons to having "regular canons." Regular canons, like the Augustinians, followed a strict set of rules and lived together. Simon de Beauchamp officially transferred all the lands and gifts to William, the first leader (prior) of Newnham Priory. This happened in St. Paul's church. The priory received many churches and lands as gifts.

Challenges and Changes

The canons of Newnham Priory faced many difficulties in their early years. A powerful lord named Falkes de Breauté caused them trouble. With King John's permission, he even pulled down parts of St. Paul's church. He used the stones to make Bedford Castle stronger.

After the castle was captured in 1223 by King Henry III, the priory got some help. They received stones from the dismantled castle to help rebuild.

Around the same time, the priory was involved in a legal fight over the church of Aspley Guise. Three groups claimed ownership: Falkes de Breauté, and the leaders of Dunstable Priory and Newnham Priory. Newnham Priory proved their claim was valid. They showed that the land had been given to St. Paul's, Bedford, a long time ago.

More problems came from William de Beauchamp, the son of the priory's founder. He tried to control the priory too much. For example, when a new prior was chosen in 1254, William tried to act like both the church leader and the patron. This was against the rules. The bishop stepped in and made William apologize for interfering with the church's freedom. After this, William confirmed all the gifts and rights of the priory, including their right to choose their own prior freely.

Later, the right to choose the prior passed to the Mowbray family. They continued to support the priory. Many English kings, including Edward I and Henry IV, also confirmed the priory's rights and gifts over the years.

Life Inside the Priory

We don't know much about the daily life inside Newnham Priory. But it seems to have had a good reputation. In 1228, the prior, Hervey, was even asked to visit other Augustinian houses in the area to check on them.

Important church leaders, like Robert Grosseteste, visited the priory in 1235 and 1249. They found no problems or charges against the house. This shows that the monks lived well and followed their rules.

Sometimes, there were small disagreements. In 1387, a bishop ordered that "peace should be established" between Newnham Priory and Caldwell Priory. We don't know what the problem was, but usually, these Augustinian houses got along well. A year later, a monk who had left the priory because he was unhappy was allowed to return after he repented.

Even in later years, Newnham Priory was considered a good example. When Thomas Wolsey, a powerful cardinal, tried to reform the Augustinian order in 1518, the prior of Newnham was chosen to help lead the reforms.

In 1535, the prior, John Ashwell, and fourteen canons (monks) signed a document. This document recognized the king as the head of the church, not the Pope. This was part of a big change in England. The priory was eventually closed down on January 2, 1541. The prior, John Burne, and fifteen other canons received pensions (money) to live on.

What the Priory Owned

The priory received many gifts when it was founded. Simon de Beauchamp gave them:

• Money from fourteen churches, including St. Paul's Bedford.
• Pieces of land in many different places.
• Money from his markets, new farms, and woods.
• His castle mill and another mill, with land and water.
• The right to use all the waters near the castle for fishing and raising swans.
• The right to let their cattle graze with his own for free.

These gifts were written down in detail in a special document called the Great Charter. Records from 1291 show the priory's income was about £164. A large part of this came from their church duties and land.

The priory's property stayed mostly the same over the years. All their land was within the county of Bedford. They still owned most of the churches they were given at the start. They also held the manors (large estates) of Stotfold and Cardington. By 1535, the priory's total value was about £284.

Leaders of Newnham Priory

Here are the names of the leaders, called priors, of Newnham Priory:

• William, the first prior, started in 1166
• Ralph, mentioned in 1198 and 1205
• Eustace, mentioned in 1214, died 1225
• Harvey, chosen 1225, died or resigned 1238
• Walter, chosen 1238, died 1247
• Walter of Chawston, chosen 1247
• Stephen, chosen 1254, died 1264
• William le Fraunceys, chosen 1264, died 1271
• William le Ros, chosen 1271, died 1272
• Michael of Goldington, chosen 1272, died 1283
• John of Bedford, chosen 1283, resigned 1300
• Adam of Sherborne, chosen 1300, resigned 1300
• William of Biddenham, chosen 1300, died 1307
• William of Thorp, chosen 1307, resigned 1315
• John of Astwick, chosen 1315, resigned 1347
• John of Amersham, chosen 1347, resigned 1348
• Henry of Woodford, chosen 1348, died 1349
• William of Woodford, chosen 1349
• Nicholas Baldock, chosen 1362, died 1369
• John of Biddenham, chosen 1369, died 1395
• William of Woughton, chosen 1395
• John Bromham, mentioned in 1437 and 1441
• John, mentioned in 1477 and 1490
• Henry of Newnham, mentioned in 1493
• John Ashwell, mentioned in 1535
• John Burne, mentioned in 1540

The Priory's Seal

The priory had a large and detailed official seal. It showed Saint Paul sitting on a throne, holding a sword. There were angels above him and people praying below. The words on the seal meant "Seal of the Prior and Convent of St. Paul of Newnham."

There was also a smaller counter-seal. It showed St. Paul kneeling with someone behind him, and two other saints, St. Luke and St. Titus. The words on this seal talked about St. Paul's suffering.

Later, individual priors also had their own seals. For example, William of Woughton (prior in 1395) had a seal showing St. Paul with a sword and a book. It also showed two shields and the prior praying. Henry de Newnham (prior in 1493) had a similar seal.