12. THE PRIORY OF ST. STEPHEN, FOUKEHOLM
It is not known when, or by whom, this small
and poorly-endowed nunnery near Northallerton
was founded. It is first mentioned in an undated
Plea Roll of the time of King John, (fn. 1) when
Maud, widow of William, brought an action
against Robert de Alverton and the prioress of
St. Stephen's, about her dower in a toft of land
at Thirsk. It is again mentioned about 1240,
when Acilla, prioress of St. Stephen's, and her
convent vested all the temporal property of the
house in William de Colville, the patron, and
his heirs, so that when Acilla died a prioress
might be elected in her place with consent and
good will of William de Colville or his heirs;
also that no one should be appointed magister or
custos of the house, except by William de Colville and his heirs. Neither should the prioress
and nuns receive any nun, or sister, or any
secular man, or woman, or boys in their house,
without such consent. The prioress and convent
also conceded for themselves and their successors
that all contentions moved between Philip de
Colville their patron, father of William de Colville also their patron, on the one side, and themselves on the other, should be completely ended.
In 1292-3 (fn. 2) one of the Yorkshire Assize Rolls
has an entry respecting it. It is there called the
nunnery of St. Stephen of Foukeholm, in Birdforth. The house was, however, in the township
of Thimbleby and parish of Osmotherley. The
probable explanation is that Foukeholm, though
in Thimbleby, was so close to the boundaries of
the wapentake of Bird forth that it was misdescribed, by error, as being within the latter. The
entry records that William, chaplain of Yarm,
was indicted before the justices itinerant at York
for the abduction of Cecilia, a nun of St. Stephen
of Foukeholm. The nun returned of her own
accord to St. Stephen's. At the same time,
John le prior of ' Osmunderlay' (Osmotherley,)
and William the son of Aldus', were indicted
for breaking into a house belonging to the prioress.
In 1312 (fn. 3) Richard de Kellaw, Bishop of Durham, commissioned the warden of the spirituality
of Allerton and the master of the hospital of
Lazenby to act as judges in a case between the
prioress and nuns of St. Stephen's and the prebendaries or portioners of Osmotherley as to the chapel
of St. Stephen, and the obventions of the same.
The nuns of St. Stephen's, of the Benedictine
order, are mentioned in a papal mandate,
23 May 1330, (fn. 4) of John XXII.
In 1349 Alice Gower (fn. 5) was confirmed as
prioress, and at the same time Elena de Angrom,
a nun professed of the house, who had apostatized,
appeared and was ordered to resume her habit of
religion in the house, a penance being imposed
for her apostasy. Agnes de Not', a sister of the
house, was also on the same occasion summoned
to appear and recognized the new prioress.
This is the last time St. Stephen's nunnery is
mentioned. It seems not improbable that the
ancestors of the Colvilles had founded it. (fn. 6) The
Colvilles were also benefactors to St. James's
Hospital, Northallerton, which when the Valor
Ecclesiasticus was compiled held some of the
former property of the priory, viz. the cowpastures of the Nunhouse. (fn. 7) A farm still bearing
this latter name perpetuates the memory of the
almost forgotten nunnery, which is not mentioned
by Burton, Dugdale, or Tanner, and had wellnigh passed out of mind till Mr. W. Brown drew
attention to it. (fn. 8)
Only a fragment of a seal is known. It is the
upper part of the seal. It bears a figure standing,
apparently female, with a crown, and bearing a
sceptre in the left hand. (fn. 9)
Prioresses of Foukeholm
Acilla, occurs c. 1240 (fn. 10)
Alice Gower, confirmed 1349 (fn. 11)