Davington Priory

278 D.A.VINGTON PRIORY. said to have been twenty-six; in the reign of Edward III. the number was reduced to fourteen. The priory having become derelict, the King, Henry VIII., became owner of its fabric and its lands. He held them for a year, and then granted a lease of them to Sir Thomas Cheney, Knt. A translation of the grant to Cheney is given in Appendix III. of Willement's History of Davington. The last paragraph is as follows :- " Know all Men, that We (for the sum of £1688 12s. 6tl. of lawful money of England, paid into the hands of our Treasurer of our Court of Augmentation of the revenues of the Crown for our use, by our beloved and faithful Councillor Thomas Cheney, Knight, Treasurer of our Household, by which we acknowledge ourselves to be fully satisfied and paid, and by these presents do acquit and release the said Thomas, his heirs, executor, and administrators), by our special grace and out of our sure knowledge and our own mere will, have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant, to the aforesaid Thomas Oheneye, Knight, the whole site, circuit, and precincts of the said late Monastery or Priory of Davington, in our said county of Kent, and a11 the houses, edifices, gardens, orchards, and inclosures contained in the said site of the said late Monastery or Priory, and the whole aforesaid Manor of Fishbourne, and two portions of the Manor of Monketon, with all the appurtenances formerly belonging and appertaining to the Monastery and Priory of Davington, and the parcels of possessions thence late arising; and also all and singular the domains, manors, rectories, vicarages, chapels, advocations and the rights of the patronages of the Rectories, Vicarages, and Churches whatsoever, and also the messuages, lands, tenements, mills, meadows, pastures, commons, waters, fisheries, marshes, woods, uuderwoods, revenues, reversions, services, tithes, fiefs, farms, annuities, tenths, oblations, obventions, pensions, portions, knights' fees, wards, dowries, escheats, reliefs, heriots, fines, amerciaments, courts leets, views of frank pledge, chattels, waifs, assarts, chattels of felons and fugitives, free warrens, and all our other rights, jurisdictions, franchises, liberties, profits, commodities, emoluments, possessions a.nd hereditaments, both spiritual and temporal, of whatsoever sort, nature, or kind they may be, and under whatsoever names they may be ranked and known, situate and existing in Davington, Fishbourne, Faversbam, Overperston, Newnham, the Isle of Hartey,