64. THE PRIORY OF MALTON
The priory of St. Mary at Malton was
founded in 1150 by Eustace Fitz John, and endowed by him with the churches of Malton,
Wintringham, and Brompton, and the vill of
Linton; his son William confirmed the gift.
The canons had charge of three hospital houses
for feeding the poor, one in Wheelgate, another
at Broughton, and a third on an island in the
Derwent, on the Norton side of the river, the
gift of William Flamville. William de Vesci
gave the canons the church of An caster and the
chapel of Sowerby. Burga, his widow, added
the church of Norton, and Hugh, Bishop of
Lincoln, confirmed the gift of Walter Nevill of
the church of Walden in Hertfordshire. (fn. 1) Walter
Fitz Alan endowed the Gilbertines with land at
Newton-upon-Ayr in Scotland, but the Master
of Sempringham declined to build there, and
leased the land to the Abbot and convent of
Paisley for 40 mark; a year, to be paid to the
Priors of Malton and St. Andrew's at York. (fn. 2)
The possessions of Malton were confirmed in
1178 by a bull of Alexander III, declaring it
to be unlawful to disturb the church of the
Blessed Mary at Malton, to take away its
possessions, and to harass the canons by any
vexations 'now or in the future,' and King
John also issued a confirmatory charter. A bull
of Innocent III settled a dispute about the tithes
of Sowerby belonging to the church of Wintringham, and Sir William Lascelles, kt., gave
2 bovates of land and swore to keep the terms
of the agreement (fn. 3) ; another bull of Innocent IV
to the Prior of Malton asserted that apostolic
indulgence was not limited to the house of
Sempringham as some affirmed. (fn. 4)
Archbishop Walter Gray presented to the
vicarage of Brompton in 1237 'so that at other
times no prejudice shall arise against the Prior
and convent of Malton, who hold the patronage'; in 1245 an inquisition on the matter was
held, and it was found that the right of presentation belonged to the Prior and convent of
Malton. The living of Langton was also in
the gift of the prior. (fn. 5) The accounts of Malton
are extant from the years 1244 to 1257. (fn. 6) At
this time the canons held land in forty-nine
parishes, and had 250 tenants paying rent
amounting to £60; they had a mill at Swinton
let for 16s. and another at Rillington let for 15s.
In. 1253, for instance, the receipts of Malton were £691 16s. 5d., the expenditure
£687 0s. 10d. The papal subsidy and tallage
in that year was £140 13s. 4d. About twothirds of the revenue was derived from wool,
and in a good year this might amount to £400;
most of the land was therefore devoted to
pasture, and considerable sums were spent in
buying corn—in 1254 as much as £138 13s. 4d.
During the years for which the accounts
remain, £478 14s, 5d. was spent in purchasing
lands, and £197 17s. in hiring meadows. Yet
in spite of this apparent prosperity Malton
Priory had many debts; these amounted in
1255 to £251 13s. 4d. and were possibly the
result of direct borrowing from the Jews. The
Prior of Malton frequently paid the debts of
benefactors to the priory; thus, in 1244,
William of Richborough gave to the house
7 bovates in Welham, and 36½ marks of silver
were paid to the Jews on his behalf, besides
3 marks, the dower of his mother, Albreda.
William Redburn's debts to the Jews were also
settled, and Ralph Bolbeck's gift of 60 quarterns of salt and common lands and meadows
were rewarded by a settlement of his debts and
provision for two men arid two horses whenever
he came to Malton. (fn. 7)
Besides the transactions with the Jews, the
assizes of the forest added considerably to the
expenditure of the convent; £16 was paid for
pleas in 1249, and between the years 1243 and
1257 £94 14s. 3d. were given as bribes to the
sheriffs and bailiffs of the forest of Pickering. (fn. 8)
Malton also suffered, as did Watton, from Agnes
de Vescy and her ministers who, in 1283, assaulted
two of the brethren, drove away cattle, and
denied them food, and yet would not let them
be replevied. The townsmen of Malton also
made distraints on the prior contrary to his
charters, and purveyors seized corn from the
convent for the Scotch wars. In 1405 the
prior and convent joined Scrope and Mowbray
in the rebellion against Henry IV. (fn. 9) Although
in 1535 the revenue was under £200, Robert
Holgate's influence prevented the dissolution of
the priory, which survived for four years longer.
The prior was accused of taking part in the
Pilgrimage of Grace and arrested, but his fate
is unknown; in 1538 the commissioners in the
North wrote to Cromwell that Malton would
surrender if there were any commissioners to
receive it, and in December 1539 the prior
and nine canons gave up the last Gilbertine
house. The prior received a pension of £40,
and eight canons £4 each. (fn. 10)
Priors of Malton
Gilbert, occurs 1169 (fn. 11)
Roger, occurs 1178 (fn. 12)
Ralph, occurs 1195 (fn. 13)
Cyprian, occurs 1201, 1203 (fn. 14)
Adam, occurs 1214, (fn. 15) 1219 (fn. 16)
William, occurs 1235, (fn. 17) resigned 1256 (fn. 18)
John, occurs 1256, (fn. 19) 1270 (fn. 20)
William de Anecaster, c. 1278 (fn. 21)
Robert, occurs 1278, (fn. 22) 1280-4 (fn. 23)
Ranulph de Richmundia, (fn. 24) c. 1285
Geoffrey, occurs 1288 (fn. 25)
William Baudewyn, alias de Scarburg, (fn. 26) occurs
1290, (fn. 27) 1296 (fn. 28)
William, occurs 1305 (fn. 29)
Thomas de Pokelyngton, occurs 1322 (fn. 30)
William, occurs 1336 (fn. 31)
John de Wintrington, 1337, (fn. 32) 1340 (fn. 33)
John, occurs 1343 (fn. 34)
John de Wintringham, occurs 1350 (fn. 35)
Robert de Skakelthorp, occurs 1360, (fn. 36) 1365 (fn. 37)
William de Bentham, occurs 1368, 1379 (fn. 38)
William de Beverlaco, occurs 1380-1 (fn. 39)
Geoffrey de Wymeswold, occurs 1405 (fn. 40) (as
Geoffrey, occurs 1425 (fn. 41) )
John Wardale, occurs 1433, (fn. 42) 1435 (fn. 43)
Richard Heworth, occurs 1459, (fn. 44) 1487 (fn. 45)
Roger, occurs 1517 (fn. 46)
Richard Felton, occurs 1524-5 (fn. 47)
William Todde, occurs 1526 to 1537 (fn. 48)
John Crashawe (fn. 49)