THE HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD - Online Book

The rise and progress of the town and the history of its institutions & people.

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THE PARISH CHURCH.                             85
the bulk of what was once the Payne property, was sold by degrees to various purchasers, though his son, Mr. Crawfurd, of Ardmillan, still retains the Payne tithes, purchased, as stated, in 1624, with certain rights in the chancel of St. Swithun's and also part of the Dean Fields, adjoining College Lane, which were a small farm with oast-house and stables upon it when purchased by the Payne family about 1700.
CHANTRIES and FRATERNITIES.
In very early times there were undoubtedly chantries in East Grinstead. A chantry in the church was founded in 1325 by William de Holyndale, who was M.P. for the Borough of East Grinstead. It was endowed with lands in the parish and rents out of the Manors of Imberhorne and Duddleswell. These chantries often formed part of a church and were built and founded by someone who paid a priest to chant masses (hence their name), generally daily, for the soul of the donor or for the souls of persons named by him. The priest some­times lived in a chamber or parvise over the porch of the church. Old East Grinstead Church had such a porch with a chamber above. A pension of £5 a year was granted to the last incumbent of the East Grinstead chantry when all such were dissolved in 1547.
There was a fraternity and chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1603, but perhaps not located in the town. It owned lands here, however, and in the year named they were returned as valued at £35. 18s. The chantry of St. Catherine has already been referred to in the opening chapter. Established, it is supposed, for the benefit of those who were too feeble to walk as far as East Grinstead Church, there was a chapel at Brambletye as early as 1273, and at East Grinstead on January 11th, 1389, writs for the returns of all guilds in the parish were proclaimed by John Bradebrugg, who is described as " Bailiff of the Liberty of John, King of Castile and Leon." This is John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Lord of the Honour of the Eagle. He took the kingly title on marrying Constance, heiress of
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