6. THE PRIORY OF ALL SAINTS, FISHERGATE, YORK, CELL TO WHITBY ABBEY
In the vicinity of Fishergate Bar, York, and
probably on a portion of the present cattle
market, there stood in Norman times the parish
church of All Saints. (fn. 1) This church was granted
by William Rufus (1087-1100) to the Prior and
convent of Whitby, with all its belongings, as a
perpetual alms, on the condition that some of the
monks should always be resident there and that
they should pray for the king and his heirs. (fn. 2)
The election of William de Percy as first
Abbot of Whitby took place in 1109, (fn. 3) and a
charter of Nigel de Albini, addressed to Thomas,
Archbishop of York (1108-14), shows that
Serlo, formerly Prior of Whitby, had then become prior of the cell. There is no reference to
Whitby in the document, but a special mention
of All Saints, naming Serlo as the prior and
referring to ' the other monks of that place.' (fn. 4)
The gift of All Saints to Whitby was confirmed by Archbishop Thurstan (1114-40) ' free
and clear from every episcopal usage,' and with
the same liberties as Beverley and Ripon Churches
possessed. (fn. 5)
Pope Eugenius III (1145-53) made a confirmation to Whitby of its various possessions,
among them being All Saints, Fishergate. (fn. 6)
The charter was addressed to Abbot Benedict,
who upon his resignation in 1148 retired to
the cell of All Saints. (fn. 7)
The cell is named in two charters of confirmation of about this date, one of King Stephen
(1135-54), (fn. 8) the other of Archbishop Murdac
(1145-53). (fn. 9) In the latter All Saints was ratified
as ' a proper cell for the monks of Wyteby free
and clear from every episcopal usage.'
The revenues of the cell were derived from
certain lands at Bustardthorpe which had been
given ad hoc, and some other properties in the
neighbourhood. (fn. 10) The land at Bustardthorpe (fn. 11)
was doubtless that restored to ' Serlo Prior,'—the
' half carucate of land in Thorp with the dwellings
on it,'—by Nigel de Albini, (fn. 12) mentioned in a remarkable deed printed in Surtees' History and
Antiquities of Durham, (fn. 13) and quoted by Dr. Atkinson. (fn. 14) But the accounts were not kept separate,
says Dr. Young, (fn. 15) from the parent house at
Whitby. It was a small cell, with but few
monks resident, in the valuation of York churches
1413-22, the value of All Saints Church being
put down as £1. (fn. 16) Doubtless the needs of the
monks would be supplied from the abbey at
Whitby, all deficiencies being made up from the
abbey revenues. Every trace of the small priory
has disappeared, and as many changes have taken
place in that part of York where it used to stand
it is difficult to locate the site of the cell.