Totnes Priory was a priory at

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...

in south

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was founded by

Juhel de Totnes Juhel de Totnes (died 1123/30) (''alias'' Juhel fitz Alfred, Juhel de Mayenne, Judel, Judhel, Judael, Judhael, Joel, Judhel de Totenais), Latinised to Judhellus filius Aluredi, "Juhel son of Alured") was a soldier and supporter of William the Con ...

, feudal baron of

Foundation charter

The foundation charter dated circa 1087 is held at the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter under reference 312M/TY1, the text of which, translated from Latin, is as follows:

''Juhellus filius Aluuredi. To God and martyrs ss. Sergius and Bachus, and the Abbot of the place, and d. Tetbaldus, monk, personally representing all the brothers. A) The Church of S. Mary de Tottenes, with the
fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in cont ...
s of the priests Hurbertus, Anschitillus, Suuetinus and Ansgotus, the fee of Rodbertus Tornator, and the land beneath the Church,
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
s and a
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
for a fishery. Also four linen
cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...
s, an altar covering, two hangings, one white garment, one silver gilt cross and two wooden ones. For the salvation of William King of the English, his Queen, sons and daughters; for himself, father and mother and brother Rodbertus. This grant was made to d. Tetbaldus by the key of the monastery, the bell-rope and a knife. ''Fecit autem hoc donum coram multis bone memorie viris quorum ista sunt nomina: Martinus de Walis; Rogerius senescallus Ausgotus presbyter; Rogerius presbyter; Hubertus presbyter; Anschitillus presbyter; Torgis de la forest; Oddo senescallus; Rodbertus filius David; Godselmus dechinum; Hubertus frater eius; Rodbertus debruelia; Gaufridus senescallus; Garinus dispensator; Radulfus malban; Rodbertus Torneator; Godefredus filius Achardi; Raynaldus; Durandus; Rogerius homo bodini deuer; Herueus Hauenellus; Rodbertus decuria; Anschitillus duxe; Garinus et Gaufridus et raynaldus homines Sancti Sergii et alii multi. b) The priests Hubertus and Anschitillus re-enfeoffed as chaplains of S. Sergius. c) ater addition.

There is appended to it a note of divisions of tithes in the manors of Roger de Nunant, Juhel's successor in the barony of Totnes. Mentioned are: Bredefort, Asprintona, Conourda, Turlestagno, Buccelanda, Cherletona, Pola, Briseham, Cherchetona, Clauatona, Trecechota, Paurdan, Tressetona, Essleia, Urdihella, Lega, Brutefort; tithe of Radulfus de Eschagriis, Rogerius de Estancomba; of Coleton, Totenesio, Corno-orda; of Robert son of David of Bocchedona and Loleurda and Samarus the priest. "Given by Gaufridus dapifer sancto Sergio by his proxy Turgisu, who placed the gift on the altar of S. Mary. Videntibus landrico milite et turgiso monacho et fulcone et harduino et hetdiuo presbitero quin eciam de omnibus emptionibus quas facturus est similiter donum super altare sancte marie portauit". (No seal).

Dissolution

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Priory and some of its lands were purchased by Walter Smith (d.1555), a merchant of Totnes, whose

Easter Sepulchre An Easter Sepulchre is a feature of British church interior architecture. Description The Easter Sepulchre is an arched recess generally in the north wall of the chancel, in which from Good Friday to Easter day were deposited the crucifix and s ...

type monument survives in the south chancel aisle of St Mary's Church, Totnes. In 1544 he conveyed the properties to

feoffee Under the feudal system in England, a feoffee () is a trustee who holds a fief (or "fee"), that is to say an estate in land, for the use of a beneficial owner. The term is more fully stated as a feoffee to uses of the beneficial owner. The use ...

s for the uses of himself and his son Bernard Smith (by 1522-1591), MP for

in 1558, mayor of Totnes 1549-50 and c.1565-6 and

escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

or of Devon and Cornwall 1567-8.

Foundation charter

Dissolution

References

Further reading