ic, A.D. 1109, the office
of Abbot merged into that of bishop, and an officer called the Prior,
or Lord Prior, became the head of the community; he presided in
chapter, and governed generally the affairs of the monastery; and in
the reigns of some of our kings he was summoned to sit in Parliament.
The first Prior after this alteration was Vincent, and there followed
in succession thirty-six others, the last of whom, Robert Wells
otherwise Steward, surrendered the monastery, with its goods and
possessions, into the hands of King Henry the Eighth, at the general
dissolution in November, 1539. Agreeably to the powers vested in him
by Parliament, the king, by letters patent dated September 10th, 1541,
"did grant his royal charter for erecting the Cathedral Church of the
late monastery of _St. Peter and St. Etheldreda_ at Ely into a
Cathedral Church, by the name and title of "_The Cathedral Church of
the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely_" to consist of one Dean, a
priest, and eight Prebendaries,[15] priests, with other ministers
necessary for the celebrating Divine service therein." And "did ordain
the said Cathedral Church to be the Episcopal See of the Bishop of Ely
and his successors, with all the honours and privileges of an
Episcopal See and Cathedral Church. And that the said Dean and
Prebendaries be one body corporate, have perpetual succession, one
common seal, be the Chapter of the then Bishop of Ely, and his
successors, and be called '_The Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral
Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely_:' also did give and
grant unto them the whole site of the late dissolved monastery, with
all the ancient privileges, liberties, and free customs of the same,
and nearly all the revenues thereof." Robert Steward, the late Prior,
was made the first Dean, since whose time twenty-three others have
held the office exclusive of the present Dean, who was appointed in
December, 1869.

[Footnote 15: By an Act of Parliament passed in 1840, the number of
Prebendaries was in future to be reduced to six, two of which stalls
were to be attached respectively to the Regius Professorships of Greek
and Hebrew in the University of Cambridge.]

We append a list of the Priors and Deans of Ely.

PRIORS.

1. Vincent.
2. Henry.
3. William.
4. Tombert, or Thembert.
5. Alexander.
6. Solomon.
7. Richard.
8. Robert Longchamp.
9. John de Strateshete.
10. Hugh.
11. Roger de Brigham.
12. Ralph.
13. Wal