Origins

In 1316 Roger Beler granted lands to support a pair of chaplains to say daily masses in the chapel of St. Peter at Kirby Bellars for the souls of himself, his wife Alice, his parents William and Amicia, and others. This was expanded to a chantry

Chantry

Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...

 comprising a warden and twelve chaplains by 1319.

Wardens of the College

• William Spigurnel, first warden, occurs 1319.
• John Cosyn.
• John of Kirby, died 1338.
• Edmund of Coston, presented 1338, died 1359.
• Roger Wiseman, presented and removed, 1359.

Augustinian Priory

In 1359 the college of secular clergy was transformed into a priory of Augustinian Canons, with a prior and twelve canons. The priory was dissolved in 1536 along with other small religious houses as part of the dissolution of the monasteries

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...

.

Priors of Kirby Bellairs

• Roger of Cotes, appointed 1359.
• Alexander Thurgarton, occurs 1416, died 1418 or 1419.
• Henry Dalby, elected 1419, occurs to 1444.
• William Leicester, resigned 1461.
• William Burton, elected 1461, died 1480.
• William Kirby, elected 1480, died 1488.
• Richard Sewstern, elected 1488, died 1526.
• Thomas Kirby, elected 1526.
• William Kyrkeby, last prior, occurs 1534 and 1535.

Visitation of 1440

The priory was visited by William Alnwick

William Alnwick

William Alnwick was an English Catholic clergyman. He was Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Lincoln .Educated at Cambridge, Alnwick was Archdeacon of Salisbury before being named Keeper of the Privy Seal on 19 December 1422...

, Bishop of Lincoln, on 26th November 1440. The members of the community comprised:

• Henry Dalby, prior.
• William Wylingtone, sub-prior.
• John Knyvet, canon, aged 54.
• William Burtone, canon, aged 40.
• William Shepeshede.
• Robert Halifax.
• Robert Kyrkeby.
• Richard Seusterne.
• John Pakyngtone.
• William Leycestre.
• Thomas Buckmynstre.
• William Cusyngtone.
• John Chippenham, canon, aged 44.