The community is founded as a depedency of Arrouaise, which it remained until before 1188, and was linked with Abbot Gervase. It included canons and maybe brothers in the years 1181-84; later it had a Master. S. Thompson lists probable founders as Hilbert Pelice or Sampson le Fort (Women Religious: The Founding of English Nunneries After the Norman Conquest, 222).
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Agnes died 1245/Basile de la Legh, elected 1245, occurs 1252/Juliane Amice, occurs 1264 and 1268/Margery of Hereford, resigned 1304/Cecily de Cantia, elected 1304/Petronilla of Radwell, elected 1335, resigned 1354/Christine Murdak, elected 1354, resigned 1357/Maud de Tichemersh, elected 1357, occurs 1364/Katherine of Tutbury, elected 1369, occurs 1384/Emma Drakelowe, occurs 1405 and 1413/Elizabeth Chiltern, resigned 1470/Margaret Pycard, elected 1470/Helen Crabbe, died 1501/Eleanor Pygot, elected 1501, died 1509/Agnes Gascoigne, elected 1509/Elinor Warren, surrendered 1536
In 1535 there were reported to be a prioress and 4-5 nuns. Elinor Warren, the last prioress was given a pension of £7.
Arrouaise
In 1535 the net income was over 40 pounds.
Women Religious: The Founding of English Nunneries After the Norman Conquest
Medieval Religious Houses in England and Wales
Harrold Priory: a Twelfth Century Dispute
The Victoria History of the County of Bedford1: 387-90 available online at ">http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=40042&strquery=Harrold"> [Victoria County History]
It became independent about 1188. Hugh de Wells played an important part in settling the controversy between the nunnery and the abbey of Missenden, to whom it was made dependent at the desire of Arrouise, and in obtaining the independence of the nuns from the Arrouaisian order (Women Religious: The Founding of English Nunneries After the Norman Conquest, 208).
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