Prior of Rochester

The Prior of Rochester was the head of the Benedictine Priory of St. Andrew established at Rochester Cathedral in 1083. The priory was dissolved in 1540 and the last prior, Walter Phillips (or Phylypp) became the first Dean of the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Years	Name	Alternative spellings	Notes	References
1083–1089–96	Ordouvin	Ordowinus	Wharton records Orduvin as mentioned in the Textus Roffensis and as having signed Gundulf's charter creating the priory on 20 September 1089.	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
? – 1096	Ernulph	Arnulf	Wharton records a charter (in the Canterbury archives) as being signed by "Arnulfi Prioris Roffensis". Later Prior of Canterbury, Abbot of Peterborough then Bishop of Rochester.	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691) disputed by Greenway (1971)
1096–1107	Ralph	Radulfus	Later Abbot of Battle	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1107–1115?	Ordouvin (again)			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
	Letard			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1145?– 1146	Brian	Brien		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1146?– 1154	Reginald		Obtained a confirmation of the privileges of Rochester from Pope Adrian IV in 1154	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
	Ernulf II			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
	William [de] Borstalle			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
fl. 1177	Silvester		Confirmed by Pope Alexandro in 1178. Following a fire he rebuilt the refecorty, dormitory and three windows in the chapter house.	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
– 1182	Richard		Went to be Prior of Burton, Staffs	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1182–1186	Alfred		Became Prior of Abingdon in May 1186	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1186 –	Osbern de Scapeya	Scapella	Author	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1193?– 1208?	Ralph de Ros		Expanded the priory, leaded the church roof.	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1214?–1215	Elias	Helias	Completed Ralph's work and further expansion	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
8 March 1215	unnamed		Appears in a legal case	Greenway (1971)
fl. 1222	William			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1225–1239	Richard de Derente			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1239–1241	William de Hoo			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1241–1252	Alexander de Glanville			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
– 1262	Simon de Clyve		Hastead actually says 1622	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
– 1283	John de Renham	Rensham		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
– 1291	Thomas de Wouldham	Suthflete		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1292–1294	John de Renham	Rensham	(again)	Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1294–1301	Thomas de Shelford	Shuldeford		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691), Greenway (1971)
1301–1314	John de Greenstreet			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1314–1320	Hamo de Hethe			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1320–1321	John de Westerham			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1321–1333	John de Speldherst			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1333–1352	John de Scapeya	Shepey		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1352–1361	Robert de Suthflete			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1361–1380	John de Hertlepe	Hertley		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1380–1419	John de Sheppey	Scapeya		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1419–1447	William Tunbrygg			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1447–1448	John Clyfe			Hastead (1798)
1448 –	John Cardone			Hastead (1798)
	Richard Pekham
	William Wod	Wode		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
fl. 1480	Thomas Bourne			Hastead (1798)
fl. 1496	William Bishop			Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
1508 –	William Frysell	Fresell		Hastead (1798), Wharton (1691)
fl. 1533–34	Laurence Mereworth			Hastead (1798)
– 1150	Walter Boxley	Philips	Monks adopted the name of their birthplace on entering the monastery to signify the break with their family. Boxley retook his family name of Philips after the dissolution.	Hastead (1798)

References

• Greenway, Diana E, ed. (1971), "Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces)", Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300, vol. 2, pp. 78–80, retrieved 29 November 2018 – via British History Online
• Hastead, Edward (1798), "The city and liberty of Rochester: The priory and cathedral church", The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, vol. 4, Canterbury, retrieved 25 August 2018 – via British History Online
• Page, William, ed. (1926), "Houses of Benedictine monks: The cathedral priory of St Andrew, Rochester", A History of the County of Kent, vol. 2, pp. 121–126, retrieved 25 August 2018 – via British History Online
• Wharton, Henry (1691), Anglia Sacra, sive Collectio Historiarum, partim antiquitus, partim recenter scriptarum, de Archiepiscopis & Episcopis Angliae [Sacred England or a collection of history in part old, part recently written, of archbishops and bishops in England] (in Latin), vol. Pars Prima, London: Richard Creswell, retrieved 29 November 2018 – via The Internet Archive