56. THE PRIORY OF NOSTELL
The origin of the great and wealthy priory of
Nostell is not free from obscurity. It seems
quite certain that on or near the site where the
Augustinian priory was afterwards founded there
was a hermitage dedicated in honour of St. James (fn. 1)
in which a certain unknown number of hermits
were congregated. It has been said that the
priory of Austin canons which succeeded them
was founded by Ilbert de Lacy in the reign of
William Rufus, (fn. 2) and that the order of Austin
canons was first introduced into England at Nostell by a certain 'Athelwulphus or Adulphus,
confessor to Henry I.' (fn. 3) It is clear, however,
that the canons were not settled at Nostell till
the time when Thurstan was Arch bishop of York,
which was not till 1114, (fn. 4) and therefore, although
undoubtedly the first house of the order in Yorkshire, others, such as Colchester, founded in 1105,
took precedence as earlier foundations in England.
That Ilbert de Lacy had in some manner made
arrangements for the establishment of a monastery
at Nostell is very probable, but its actual foundation must be assigned to his son Robert, in the
reign of Henry I.
The story of the foundation, as told in a manuscript compiled when Robert de Quixley, who
succeeded in 1393, was prior, is briefly as
follows. (fn. 5) Henry I was accompanied on an expedition against the Scots by his chaplain, Ralph
Adlave, (fn. 6) who fell ill, and was detained atPontefract.
When convalescent, and on a hunting expedition,
he came across the hermits, whose mode of life
so impressed him that he decided to do what he
could to found a priory there, and when the
king returned obtained the royal consent. Ralph
Adlave then became an Augustinian canon, and
by the king's direction assumed the position of
head of the establishment, which then Consisted
of eleven brethren. Henry I favoured the new
establishment, and made a grant of 12d. a day to
it from the king's revenues in Yorkshire. Others
followed the king's example as benefactors, chief
of whom was Robert de Lacy, in whose fee of
the honour of Pontefract Nostell was situated.
He granted to God and the church of St.
Oswald of Nostell and the canons regular there
half a carucate of land where the canons' church
was situated, together with the churches of
Warmfield, Huddersfield, Batley, and Rothwell,
besides other land and property. (fn. 7)
Henry I (fn. 8) confirmed these gifts of Ilbert de
Lacy or Robert his son, (fn. 9) to the church of the
blessed Oswald, king and martyr, near the castle
of Pontefract in a place called 'Nostla,' in which
canons regular had been established (comtituti
sunt) by Archbishop Thurstan. Besides confirming the grants of Robert de Lacy, he confirmed
those of other benefactors, which included a
considerable number of churches, both in Yorkshire and elsewhere, two of which were
Bamburgh in Northumberland, which became a
rich cell of Nostell, and Bramham, which was
made a prebend in the church of St. Peter, York,
annexed to the priorship of Nostell. In addition,
the king granted the canons the same liberties
and customs as those possessed by the mother
church of the blessed Peter of York. Thus, at
the very outset, the priory of Nostell was richly
endowed, and possessed of a large number of
churches. The king confirmed all, for the souls
of his father, William the Great (Willelmi Magni),
king of the English, Queen Maud his mother,
Queen Maud II. his wife, William his son,
and all faithful departed.
Henry II confirmed the grants again, (fn. 10) including some others and that of a fair at Nostell,
granted by Henry I on the feast of St. Oswald
and two succeeding days. The possessions of
the priory are set out by Burton, (fn. 11) and he has
prefixed to them an account, derived from the
manuscript before mentioned, of the growth of
the monastic buildings under the successive
priors. The site was changed, at a very early
date, to one a little northward of the original
chapel or church of St. Oswald, by authority of
a bull of Calixtus II. (fn. 12) The change was made
to bring the monastery nearer to a certain pool,
often referred to in the charters.
In 1153 (fn. 13) Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln,
then lord of Pontefract, disputed the canons'
right to the site on which they were building
the house. But he relinquished his claim when
he joined the Crusade.
The priory had no less than five cells
attached to it, the two more important being
Bamburgh in Northumberland, and Breedon in
Leicestershire. A third was that of Hirst in the
Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, and the two
others those of Woodkirk otherwise Erdislaw,
and Scokirk otherwise Tockwith in York.
Much of the revenues of the priory was derived
from Bamburgh, and when, at times, the revenues from Bamburgh failed, owing to Scottish
raids, the priory felt the loss severely.
The churches which the canons possessed in
whole or part numbered over thirty, besides
others from which they received a pension, or
of which they only possessed part. (fn. 14)
In 1312, (fn. 15) when Prior William de Birstall
resigned, the produce of Bamburgh was sold for
£383 11s. 9d. The priory had then a large
number of servants, viz., eleven in the malthouse and bakery, five in the kitchen, besides the
master and cook, three in the brewhouse, nine in
the smithy and carpenter's shop, five carriers,
sixteen ploughmen, besides others at manors,
making in all seventy-seven. In autumn the
reapers' expenses ran to £1,274, and the kitchen
expenses £224 18s. 4d., besides what was taken
out of the stores. The farm stock included
2,540 sheep, 100 cows, four bulls, seventy-two
oxen, sixty-one heifers, and thirty-three calves.
There were then twenty-six canons in the house.
In 1328 the priory was held by several
creditors to whom it owed £1,012 4s. 1d.; the
profits of Bamburgh had been lost for fifteen
years, amounting in the whole to £4,450, and
the church of Birstall, which used to bring in
£100 a year, for six years had only brought in
£40, so that the canons had lost £360.
In three years the canons lost 1,200 sheep,
fifty-nine oxen, and 400 cows, calves, &c., but in
two years John de Insula, prior, managed the
affairs so well that he was able to pay off £540
of the debt, and left £319 in the treasury.
In 1372, when Prior Thomas de Derford
died, he left 8,000 sheep in the pastures, and 800
marks of silver in the treasury. Yet in 1390,
when Prior Adam de Bilton resigned, the house
owed 1,200 marks.
In 1217 (fn. 16) Pope Honorius III inhibited the
Prior of St. Oswald, on the petition of the subprior and convent, from receiving any person
as canon, or disposing of any of the benefices,
without the consent of the convent, or the major
part of it.
A very strange story is revealed in another
mandate, issued by the pope in the same year, to
the archbishop. (fn. 17) The prior and convent had
complained to the pope that the archbishop had
despoiled them of two of their churches, viz.,
South Kirkby and Tickhill, and they related
that the archbishop had broken the cross, and
cast to the ground the sacred host, which the
canons and their lay brothers held in their
defence, and that he had expelled them from
their churches, beating some so severely that
one was said to have died, and others were
dangerously hurt. The archbishop likewise, as
they said, had broken down the altars, excommunicated the prior and canons, and absolved
clerks, vicars, and others from payment of their
dues. The entry in the papal register is
cancelled. It ordered the archbishop to restore
the churches within fifteen days, and make compensation. It is impossible to believe that Archbishop Gray took any personal part in such an
affray; but there was probably some unseemly
scuffle in one of the churches between his
officials and certain canons and convent during
which the host was thrown (probably by accident)
to the ground, and some present were more or
less hurt. It is interesting to find the canons
protecting themselves by carrying the host. (fn. 18)
Archbishop Wickwane held a visitation of
Nostell Priory in 1280, (fn. 19) and there is a brief
memorandum in his register stating that no
injunctions were issued quia omnia bene. On
25 October 1290 (fn. 20) Archbishop Romanus sent
Gilbert de Ponteburgo, who had just resigned
the office of Prior of Thurgarton, (fn. 21) back to
Nostell, of which house he had been canon, and
in which he had been professed, and the archbishop desired the Prior and canons of Nostell
to receive him with loving-kindness. On
6 October 1291 (fn. 22) the archbishop confirmed
the election of William de Birstall as prior, and
also issued a mandate to the Dean and Chapter
of York, that as the sub-prior and convent had
canonically elected him, 'vobis mandamus
quatinus ipsum racione prebende sue in nostra
Ebor. Ecclesia in fratrem et canonicum admittentes, stallum in choro et locum in capitulo
debite assignatis, in persona ipsius, modo consueto,'
&c. The prebend of Bramham consisted of the
impropriations of the churches of Bramham,
Wharram-le-Street, and Lythe. (fn. 23) It was annexed, when first founded, by Archbishop
Thurstan to the priory of Nostell, and continued
to be held by the prior till the Dissolution.
As a result of a visitation of the house, Archbishop Greenfield on 28 October 1313 (fn. 24) wrote
to the prior and canons that Brother William
Wyler, Prior of their cell at Breedon, and
Henry de Dermor, master or warden of their
church of Bamburgh, who were accused of
certain excesses, were to be recalled at once, to
answer for themselves and receive due punishment needed; and in another letter of the
same date (fn. 25) he ordered that Brother Benedict
de Suddele, who, by his own admission, had
misbehaved, was to be sent for the expiation of
his crimes to their cell in the Isle of Axholme,
and undergo a penance there. On the 19th (fn. 26) of
the same month he ordered Brother John de
Dewesbury to be sent to Breedon under very
similar conditions, and on 24 November (fn. 27)
Brother Thomas de Giderhowe was dispatched
to Bridlington.
On Monday after the feast of St. Luke
1320 (fn. 28) Archbishop Melton held a visitation, as
a result of which he sent on 10 November a
long decretum to the prior and canons.
The house was overburdened with debts,
pensions, liveries, and corrodies, all the members
were therefore exhorted to be as economical as
possible, till they were solvent. The sick were
to have lighter food, and a doctor was to be
appointed to attend the infirmary. The services
were to be duly celebrated, and those of our
Lady, or for the dead, or others said without
note, were not to be gabbled, but recited distinctly, and aloud, and one side was not to
begin a verse before the other had ended. As
Brothers John de Wath and Benedict de
Suddeley residing at Woodkirk, Brother John
de Pontefracto at Hirst, and Brothers William
de Norton and Henry de Huddresfield at
Bamburgh, as well as the four canons of
Breedon, had not, as it was said, been summoned
to the visitation, the archbishop directed that the
prior was in future to summon all such
brethren to visitations.
Corrodies, &c., were not to be granted, or
woods sold, without the archbishop's licence.
Two bursars were to be appointed, idonei et
fideles, to receive all rents and profits and take
proper charge of them, as in other houses.
Efficient officers were to be appointed, both
external and internal, and accounts were to be
presented to the prior and five or six of the
older and wiser canons, and then shown to the
chapter.
The mission of canons to the cells, and their
recall, was to be with the consent of the convent,
as well as of the prior, or at least with the consent of the seniors.
Without delay the prior was to see that the
guest-house was better provided with bedclothes than had been wont, lest by defect in a
small matter the house should get a bad name.
No women should enter the outer door to ask
for the liveries or corrodies, but such were to be
asked for by men, lest, under colour of entry of
women, sins, or any other illicit acts, should be
committed.
As certain of the charters and muniments had
been sent, not long ago, to Breedon, for the
conservation of their cell there, and in part
ought to come back to the monastery, and as
the Prior for the time being of Breedon refused
to return them, the archbishop directed that
someone, chosen by the whole consent of the
entire convent, was to be sent there and bring
them back. As regarded the mission and
revocation of canons to and from Breedon, with
consent of the chapter, the prior was directed
that the old method was to be followed.
The archbishop found at the visitation that
certain young canons were of old accustomed to
study in the cloister, and on feasts of doubles to
make collations in turn in chapter, and so were
more studious. The old custom was to be
followed.
Blind and feeble canons were not to be compelled to keep convent, but were to be in the
infirmary, unless their devotion and powers led
them to church.
Writing in April 1323 (fn. 29) to the Prior and
convent of Bolton, Archbishop Melton stated
that the monastery of Nostell was suffering from
various oppressions, and being unable to maintain its members he sent Brother Thomas de
Mannyngham, one of its canons, to their house.
Archbishop Zouch in 1351 (fn. 30) directed the prior
to punish certain of the canons who, regardless of.
their yoke of obedience, had committed many
insolences both within and outside the monastery; but who they were, or what were their
offences, is not recorded.
In 1364 (fn. 31) Urban V granted a faculty to
Thomas, Prior of St. Oswald's, Nostell, to
dispense six canons of his monastery to be
ordained priests in their twenty-second year,
many having died of the pestilence.
In 1380 (fn. 32) there were fifteen canons besides
the prior.
In 1438 the priory was so impoverished by
lawsuits, the expense of re-building their
church and other causes, that the king granted
to the canons the hospital of St. Nicholas, in
Pontefract. (fn. 32a)
The Archbishop of York claimed an annual
pension of 5 marks from the priory for any clerk
he might name, on the creation of a new prior,
and on 9 May 1480 (fn. 33) Archbishop Rotherham
claimed the pension for John Wigmore, his
clerk, on the election of William Melsonby to
the vacancy created by the death of Prior
William Assheton.
For some reason not known, Melsonby resigned 'dolo, fraude, et metu quibuscumque
cessantibus,' two months after his election, (fn. 34)
and the archbishop directed that he was to have
the mansion or rectory of the parish church of
Bamburgh for his dwelling, with all the tithes.
The gross revenue (fn. 35) according to the Valor
Ecclesiasticus was £606 9s. 3½d., and the clear
annual value £492 18s. 1d. Drs. Legh and
Layton record as superstition that a pilgrimage
was made here to St. Oswald. The house was
surrendered by Robert Ferrer, prior (afterwards
Bishop of St. David's), and twenty-eight canons
on 20 November, 1540, (fn. 36) and the site was
afterwards granted to Dr. Legh, (fn. 37) one of the
notorious commissioners.
Priors Of Nostell
Athelwold, (fn. 38) 1121, occurs 1122
Savardus, elected 1153
Geoffrey, died 1175
Anketil, elected 1175, died 1196
Robert de Wodekirk succeeded, died 1199
Ralph de Bedford, died 1208
Robert (?), 1208 (fn. 38a)
John, occurs 1209, (fn. 38b) 1218 (fn. 39)
Ralph (?), occurs 1219-27 (fn. 40)
John, occurs 1231-6, (fn. 41) died 1237 (fn. 42)
Ambrose, died 1240 (fn. 43)
Stephen, resigned 1244 (fn. 44)
Ralph succeeded, (fn. 45) occurs Easter 1244, (fn. 46) died
1246 (fn. 47)
Robert de Behal succeeded 1246, (fn. 48) died
1255 (fn. 49)
William de Clifford, (fn. 50) occurs 1255, (fn. 51) died
1277 (fn. 52)
Richard de Wartria, elected 1276, (fn. 53) occurs
1285 (fn. 54)
Thomas, occurs 1286 (fn. 55)
Richard de Wartria, (fn. 56) occurs Trinity 1291, (fn. 57)
died August 1291 (fn. 58)
William de Birstall, elected 1291, (fn. 59) resigned
1312 (fn. 60)
Henry de Aberford, elected 1312, (fn. 61) resigned
1328 (fn. 62)
John de Insula, appointed 1328, (fn. 63) occurs
1331 (fn. 64)
John de Dewsbury, confirmed 1331, (fn. 65) died
1336 (fn. 66)
Thomas de Derfield, (fn. 67) Driffeld, (fn. 68) or Derford, (fn. 69)
occurs 1350, (fn. 70) died (fn. 71)
Richard de Wombwell, confirmed 1372, (fn. 72)
occurs 1378 (fn. 73)
Adam de Bilton, succeeded 1385, occurs
Oct. 1390 (fn. 73a)
John de Ledes, (fn. 74) confirmed 1390, (fn. 75) died
1393 (fn. 76)
Robert de Quixley, confirmed 1393, (fn. 77) died
1427 (fn. 78)
John Huddersfeld [alias Blythebroke, occurs
1438 (fn. 79) ], confirmed 1427, (fn. 80) occurs 1437,
1452, (fn. 81) 14S5 (fn. 82)
Stephen Melsanby, occurs 1446 (fn. 83)
John, occurs 1470 (fn. 84)
William Assheton, confirmed 1472, (fn. 85) died
1489 (fn. 86)
William Melsonby, confirmed 11 May
1489, (fn. 87) resigned July 1489 (fn. 88)
Thomas Wilcok, confirmed 29 July 1489 (fn. 89)
Richard Hirst, (fn. 90) occurs 1489, (fn. 91) 1498 (fn. 92)
Richard Marsden, confirmed 1505 (fn. 93)
Alvered Comyn, confirmed 1524 (fn. 94)
Robert Ferrer, last prior, (fn. 95) surrendered 20
November 1540 (fn. 96)
The seal (fn. 97) of Nostell is circular, and shows
St. Oswald seated on a chair decorated with
wolves' heads; in his right hand a cross and in
his left a sprig of laurel; legend:
SIGILLE Sci OSWALDI REGIS MS DE NOSTELL.