Prior of Christ Church

Inscribed panels in Canterbury Cathedral listing the priors

The Prior of Christ Church was the prior of Christ Church Cathedral Priory in Canterbury, attached to Canterbury Cathedral.

Context

Canterbury Cathedral began life as cathedral for its city, diocese and archdiocese, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and run by a Dean. However, when the cathedral was re-formed as a monastic institution (known as Christ Church Priory) as well as a cathedral, a Prior was put in charge of the monastery (with the Archbishop effectively acting as abbot). When in 1539 the monastery was dissolved and reverted to being solely a cathedral, the prior's duties reverted to a dean, the first of whom was Nicholas Wotton.^[1]

List

Henry 1080–1096 Ernulf 1096–1107 Conrad 1108–1126 Gosford 1126–1128 Elmer 1128–1137 Jeremy / Jeremiah 1137–1143[2] Walter Durdens 1143–1149 Walter Parvus 1149–1153 Wybert 1153–1167 Odo 1167–1175 Benedict 1175–1177[3] Harlewine 1177–1179 Alan 1179–1186[4] Honorius 1186–1189[5]

Roger Norreis 1189–1190[6] Osbern/Osbert de Bristow 1190–1191[7] Geoffry (sic) 1191–1205 John de Chatham 1205-c.1218 Walter III c.1218–1222 John of Sittingbourne 1222–1244 Roger de Lee 1234–1244 Roger de St Elphege 1263–1263 William (or Adam) Chillenden 1264–1274 Thomas Ringmer(e) 1274–1284[8] Henry de Eastry 1285–1331[9] Richard Oxinden/Oxenden 1331–1338[10] Robert Hathbrand 1338–1370

Richard Gillingham 1370–1376 Stephen Mongeham 1376–1377 John Fynch 1377–1391 Thomas Chillenden 1391–1411 John Woodnesborough 1411–1428 William Molash 1428–1438 John Salisbury –1446 John Elham 1446–1449 Thomas Goldstone 1449–1468[11] John Oxney 1468–1471 William Petham 1471–1472 William Sellynge 1472–1495 Thomas Goldstone II 1495–1517 Thomas Goldwell 1517–1539

Sources

• Table of priors and deans at the west end of the south aisle of Canterbury Cathedral nave. See also reference.^[1]
• Victoria County History at British History Online

References

1. A full list of the Priors and Deans of Canterbury is given in A History of Canterbury Cathedral, ed. P. Collinson, N. Ramsay, M. Sparks. (OUP 1995, revised edition 2002), page 565.
2. Quarreled with Theobald, the archbishop, ending in Jeremiah's resignation on papal orders
3. He witnessed the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. His next role was as Abbot of Peterborough Abbey, and he took some contact relics of Becket with him to that abbey.
4. His next office was as abbot of Tewkesbury.
5. Went to Verona in person to plead the case of the monastery against archbishop Baldwin, but died abroad.
6. Baldwin's appointee, unsuitable for the role and resented by the monks
7. Appointed by Baldwin in exchange for backing down in the dispute, but forced to resign by the monks soon after Baldwin's departure for the crusade
8. Opposed by a faction of monks who accused him of oppressive rule and mismanagement; eventually resigned to join the Cistercian abbey at Beaulieu; priory temporarily taken into king's hands, but returned on protests by the monks.
9. Quarrels with his monks; advised archbishops Reynolds (a comparatively young man) and Mepeham
10. Advised archbishop Mepeham, but archbishop Stratford was more independent and the prior's good relations with the archbishop were again lost.
11. Quarreled with the city mayor