Keele Research Repository

One of only a few houses of Augustinian canonesses, Grace Dieu priory was established at Belton in north-west Leicestershire sometime between 1235 and 1241 by an Anglo-Norman heiress, Rose de Verdun. Its original endowment has been known so far from a charter confirmed by Henry III in 1241, but that refers only to the gift of Belton manor with the advowson of the church there, whereas much more detail is given in an original charter which survives in the records of the Augmentation Office in the National Archives (E 315/30, f. 2). In particular, the surviving original refers not only to the grant of Belton manor but also to land including a mill pool, as well as estates further away next to Sleaford in Lincolnshire, along with their neifs (unfree villeins), and at Great Limber (also Lincs.). Moreover, the charter confirmed by Henry III was sealed by Rose alone, whereas the original was corroborated by both her seal and that of the diocesan Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, who was present when the charter was drawn up. Indeed, the wording of a ‘narration’ clause in the original strongly suggests that Bishop Grosseteste was closely involved in establishing the house, whose dedication to ‘the Holy Trinity of the Grace of God’ may also have been his idea; but the important role played by the patron is revealed in the iconography of her tomb, originally in the priory church but moved to Belton parish church after the Dissolution. The purpose of this article is to give the text and a translation of the original endowment charter, and also to discuss the tomb which despite modern restoration retains much of its original scheme.