5. THE PRIORY OF MIDDLESBROUGH, CELL OF WHITBY
Robert de Brus, (fn. 1) founder of the priory of
Guisborough, granted the church of St Hilda of
Middlesbrough, with consent of his wife Agnes
and Adam his son, to the abbey of Whitby,
with land in Newham, on condition that there
should be monks serving God and St. Hilda in
the church of Middlesbrough, who might be
sufficiently maintained by the revenues of that
church, the surplus being received by the mother
church of Whitby.
Dr. Atkinson argues (fn. 2) that this grant was in
the nature of a confirmation of a previous gift to
Whitby, made by Hugh, Earl of Chester, whose
lands had passed to Robert de Brus, as in the
convention between the abbey of Whitby and
the priory of Guisborough, made in the presence
of Robert de Brus, Whitby laid its claim. to the
ecclesiastical dues of Middlesbrough propter donum
Hugonis Cestrensis comitis.
Various local grantors made a number of
gifts of land in the neighbourhood either to the
church of Middlesbrough alone, or to the church
of Middlesbrough and the monks' of Whitby
jointly. (fn. 3)
A dispute, already mentioned, (fn. 4) between the
Augustinian canons of Guisborough and the
Benedictines of Whitby ended in the church of
Middlesbrough being made a mother church,
independent of Stainton. The gift of Middlesbrough Church to Whitby was confirmed by
Henry I, and in 1130 by Archbishop Thurstan. (fn. 5)
From some unknown cause the cell became
very much impoverished, and at any rate in the
middle of the 15th century, if not much earlier,
was only occupied by a prior and an associate
monk. In 1452 (fn. 6) Archbishop W. Booth granted
leave to Robert Godale, monk of Whitby and
prior of the cell of Middlesbrough, that, owing to
its poverty, the prior or his monk-associate might
serve the parish church and minister to the
parishioners in place of a secular chaplain, thus
saving the expenses of the latter. This leave the
archbishop repeated, in 1459 (fn. 7) to William Colson,
who had then become prior.
In November 1521 Thomas (York), (fn. 8) Abbot
of the monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul (sic),
of Whitby, informed William Clarkson, Prior of
the cell of St. Hilda the virgin of ' Myddilburge
juxta Teyse,' and Thomas Braben, monk of the
said cell, that he had commissioned William
Johnson prior, and John Topcliffe, (fn. 9) bursar of
Whitby, to visit the cell, and make canonical
corrections.
According to a return made in 1527 the clear
annual value of the priory of ' Middilburgh' was
£12. (fn. 10) The return in 1535 (fn. 11) of the receipts
refers only to the early gifts to the cell already
alluded to, and it appears from this record that
the cell had received no additional gifts afterward.
It also appears that 12d. in money was spent
weekly in alms to the poor folk of Middlesbrough,
according to the ordinance of Robert Brus, the
founder, (fn. 12) for his soul.
John Hexham the late Abbot of Whitby
(1527-37), who as John Topcliffe, bursar, visited
the cell in 1521, obtained from the convent of
Whitby a lease of their property at Middlesbrough (then worth £25 18s. 5d.), and of this he
was in possession at the Dissolution. He continued at Middlesbrough as 'occupier' of the
property there, and died in 1557, when he left
10s. to the poor of Middlesbrough, and 15s. 4d.
to the township. (fn. 13)
Priors of Middlesbrough
Thomas de Hawkesgarth, occurs 1386, (fn. 14) 1393 (fn. 15)
Stephen de Ormesby, occurs 1397-8 (fn. 16)
Robert Godale, occurs 1438, (fn. 17) 1452 (fn. 18)
William Coulson, occurs 1459, (fn. 19) 1471 (fn. 20)
William Clarkson, occurs 1521, (fn. 21) resigned
before 1527 (fn. 22)
John Hexham, occurs 1527 (fn. 23) (in April of
which year he was elected Abbot of
Whitby)