13. THE PRIORY OF MARRICK
The priory of Marrick was founded at the
beginning of the reign of Henry II by Roger de
Aske. (fn. 1) The foundation charter is addressed to
Archbishop Roger, who was consecrated in 1154,
but as the archbishop's charter of confirmation
says that the founder made the grant with consent of Conan, Earl of Richmond, the foundation
cannot have been earlier than 1165, when Conan
became seised of the earldom of Richmond. (fn. 2)
The founder granted the church of St. Andrew (fn. 3)
of Marrick, with a carucate of land there. Earl
Conan (fn. 4) confirmed the gifts of Roger de Aske,
and those of other of his barons (barones mei).
Roger de Aske, (fn. 5) son of Conan, and grandson
of the founder, confirmed the grants of his grandfather and father, and added other lands. Besides
other lands in Marrick, the convent received many
donations in most of the adjoining villages and
also the hospital known as the Spital on Stainmoor,
which was given by Ralph son of Ralph, lord of
Moulton, and which continued in the possession
of the convent till the Dissolution, the nuns
paying a chaplain there £4 13s. 4d. according to
the foundation of Conan, Earl of Richmond. An
alphabetical list of these is given by Burton, (fn. 6) and
the charters relating to them and other gifts have
since been printed in full. (fn. 7)
The priory was in the archdeaconry of Richmond, the records of which are mostly defective.
A visitation was held in 1252, during the archiepiscopate of Walter Gray, but whether by the
archbishop or by the archdeacon is not evident.
Both the archbishop and the Archdeacon of
Richmond appear to have held episcopal visitations of the monasteries in Richmondshire. (fn. 8)
The ' inquisition ' was held on Tuesday before
the feast of St. Denys 1252, and 'articles' were
sent for the observance of the nuns, most of
which are of the usual general nature. (fn. 9) The
prioress was to be affable to her nuns, treat
them kindly, correct their excesses privately
in chapter, and inflict for equal faults the
same punishments, lest those whom she most
loved she might spare most and oppress others.
She was to give leave to none to go out
unless the sickness of friends or some other
worthy reason demanded it, and then only in
company with a prudent and mature nun, and
a time for return was to be fixed under a severe
penalty. The nuns were not to sit with guests
or anyone outside the cloister after curfew (ultra
coverfu), nor for long, unless the guests arrived so
late that it was impossible to serve them sooner,
nor was a nun to remain alone with a guest after
others had left. The guests were not to stay
more than one night, as the means of the house
barely sufficed for the maintenance of the nuns,
sisters, and brethren.
No woman or man was to be admitted except
with the bishop's licence. If any woman or
man were admitted, that person Would be expelled
from the house, without hope of mercy, and the
prioress would be deposed, and any other nuns
who agreed would be condemned to fast on bread
and water for two months, Sundays and festivals
excepted. No girls or women were in future to
be taken as boarders or to be taught without
special licence, but as many secular women might
be employed as were required for such work
as it was not decorous for the nuns or sisters
to do.
No corrody whatever was to be sold in future
without consent. The whole number of oxen,
cows, horses, and stock of every kind was to be
entered in two rolls, one of which was to remain
with the convent, and the other with the custos
of the house, who had been appointed to look
after the outside business and guardianship of the
granges, so that the property of the house might
be apparent at any visitation.
No letters were to be sealed with the common
seal, except by consent of the whole convent, or
at least of the wiser part, and of the master.
Sales of wool and of stock were forbidden, except
with consent of the master.
Nothing further is known of the history of
Marrick till the period of the Dissolution. For
some unknown reason, by Letters Patent, dated
9 September 1536, (fn. 10) it was exempted from dissolution with the other lesser monasteries, but
on 17 November 1540 it was surrendered by
Christabella Cowper and sixteen nuns. The clear
annual value in the Valor Ecclesiasticus
(fn. 11) was
£48 18s. 2d., and among the reprises are certain
alms distributed, viz. to the poor on Maundy
Thursday, 16s. 8d., and on the same day given
to the poor at the gates of the monastery, in
accordance with the charters of the church of
Downholme and of Thomas Horneby and others,
£4 1s. 1d.; similar alms yearly given to weak
and sick persons coming to the priory building,
according to the charter of Adam de Kyrkby,
12s.; also 11s. 6½d. a year to poor folk at the
obit of Roger de Aske the founder; 38s. 4d. at
the obit of Hugh Magnaby and Geoffrey de Forcett, benefactors; and 10s. at the obit of Thomas
Richardson—the whole amounting to £9 4s. 8½d.,
a large sum for so small a monastery. The
prioress received a pension of 100s. (fn. 12) and the
other nuns pensions varying in amount from
66s. 8d. to 20s.
Prioresses (fn. 13) of Marrick
Agnes, (fn. 14) c. 1200
Alina, c. 1280 (fn. 15)
Isabella Surrais, occurs 1250, 1257, 1263
Margaret, occurs 1282
Alice de Helperby, occurs 1293
Juliana, occurs 1298
Margaret, occurs 1321, 1327 (fn. 15a)
Elizabeth de Berden, occurs 1326, 1333
Elizabeth, 1351 (fn. 16)
Maud de Melsonby, occurs 1376
Elizabeth, occurs 1391
Agnes, occurs 1400, 1406, (fn. 17) 1413
Alice de Ravenswathe, occurs 1433, 1449
Cecilia Metcalf, occurs 1464, 1498, died
1502
Agnes Wenslawe, occurs 1502, died 1510
Isabella Berningham, occurs 1511, died 1511
Christabella Cowper, occurs 1530