10. THE PRIORY OF ST. MARTIN, RICHMOND, CELL OF ST. MARY'S ABBEY, YORK
The cell of St. Martin, Richmond, has very
little known history. About 1100 Wymar,
steward to Stephen, Earl of Richmond, gave to
God, Blessed Mary of York, and the monks
serving God there, the chapel of St. Martin of
Richmond with other possessions. Whereupon
a cell of nine or ten monks from St. Mary's
Abbey, York, was established at St. Martin's (fn. 100)
and afterwards the hermitage or chapel of
St. Thomas of Bordelby or Bordebank was given
by the abbey to St. Martin's, for the reception
of leprous brethren. (fn. 101) Many other grants were
made to the cell.
The cell was confirmed by Pope Eugenius III
in 1146. (fn. 102)
The Taxation of 1291 gives the spiritualities
of the cell as consisting of pensions from seventeen
different churches amounting to £25 14s. 8d.,
and the temporalities as £6 0s. 8d., making a
total of £31 15s. 4d. (fn. 103) In the account of the
Provincial Council of 1311, which dealt with the
case of the Templars, the Abbot of St. Martin's
as well as the Prior of St. Martin's is separately
entered among those summoned. (fn. 104) The former
must necessarily be a clerical error. From a
Subsidy Roll of 1380-1 it would seem that there
was then only one monk at the cell besides the
prior. (fn. 105) Archbishop Zouch issued a notice of
his intention to visit the Prior and convent of
St. Martin's on Saturday, 1 October, 1345, (fn. 106)
but nothing is recorded as to the visitation. In
the Valor Ecclesiastics
(fn. 107) the temporalities are
reckoned at £19 7s. 5d. and the spiritualities at
£26 12s. 4d., making a total of £47 16s. (sic). (fn. 108)
Priors of St. Martin's
John Popilton (fn. 109) (first prior)
Herbert (? c. 1200) (fn. 110)
John, (fn. 111) occurs 1258
Roger, (fn. 112) occurs 1300
William, (fn. 113) (? temp. Henry VII)
John Matthew, occurs 1528, (fn. 114) as John Mather
1535 (fn. 115)