FRIARIES
83. THE BLACK FRIARS OF BEVERLEY (fn. 1)
The friary seems to have been founded by
Master Stephen Goldsmith before 1240, but the
town, the Crown, and in the 16th century Lord
Darcy, claimed the privileges of founders. (fn. 2) The
provincial chapter was held here August 1240,
the king contributing 10 marks. (fn. 3) In 1263,
Henry III gave the friars fifteen oaks for timber. (fn. 4)
About 1269, Archbishop Giffard forbade them
in future to hear confessions of the parishioners
of the churches of St. Martin and St. Mary,
Beverley, except of those licensed by their
vicars. (fn. 5) In 1282, Archbishop Wickwane gave
10 marks to the friars. (fn. 6) For the provincial
chapter held here in 1286, Queen Eleanor gave
100s. to the provincial prior, William de
Hothum (fn. 7) ; the archbishop (John Romanus),
while excusing his attendance owing to urgent
business elsewhere, promised to aid and defend
the friars to the utmost of his power. (fn. 8) In 1291
the archbishop asked these friars to co-operate
with him in preaching the Crusade by sending
preachers on 14 September to Preston or Hedon,
Ravenser, and le Wyk (i.e. Hull). (fn. 9)
Edward I, when at or passing through Beverley, gave the friars alms several times between
1299 and 1304, through friars Richard of
St. Nicholas, Walter of Grimsby, Thomas of
Alverton, and Luke of Woodford, his confessor.
From the sums given it appears the brethren
numbered thirty-two or thirty-three in 1299,
increasing to thirty-eight in 1304. (fn. 10) In 1310
the number had risen to forty-two, when
Edward II gave the friars 14s. for one day's food
through Friar William de Burton. (fn. 11) In the
years of scarcity which followed, Archbishop
Greenfield gave them three quarters of corn in
1314, the king one quarter (price 10s.) in 1318,
and one quarter (price 4s. 6d.) in 1320. (fn. 12) In
1328 the number of friars was thirty-two, in
1335, thirty (fn. 13) ; and about the end of the 15th
century, fourteen. (fn. 14)
On Easter Sunday 1309 some friars admitted
to the sacraments some parishioners of St.
Martin's, and Friar John of Lockington even
admitted an excommunicate person. At his
prior's command he humbly begged pardon on
bended knees of the canons of Beverley, and the
prior engaged that his friars should not offend in
this respect in future. (fn. 15)
The friars held their land, or a part of it, of the
Archbishop of York by a rent of 4s. a year, until
1311, when Simon de Kent of Beverley granted
the archbishop another rent of 4s. in exchange. (fn. 16)
At the same time they sought to obtain from
Thomas son of Alexander of Holm a rent of
10s. and a void piece of ground adjacent to
their house; the jurors declared the grant would
be prejudicial, and the royal licence was not
granted. (fn. 17) Simon de Fymere gave them some
land in Beverley shortly before 1329, apparently
without royal licence, (fn. 18) and John Waltheof
of Beverley released them from a rent of 2s.
which they paid ' to the light on the beam' in
the minster quire. (fn. 19)
At a general chapter of the order held in
London, 1314, the Prior of Beverley was
deposed. (fn. 20) The provincial chapter met here in
1324, the king contributing £15 for three days'
food. (fn. 21) Friar Robert of Querndon, who had
been confessor to Edward III, retired into the
convent of his brethren here, and when broken
with old age had an annuity of £5 assigned to
him, January 1351-2, out of a rent which the
Abbot of Hailes paid to the Crown. (fn. 22) William
Birde, prior, and Friars Thomas Bynham and
John Vele were sued by Walter Dunham in
1434 for a debt of 40s. (fn. 23) Friar William Leth,
O.P. of Beverley, had licence from Eugenius IV
in 1435 to hold an ecclesiastical Benefice. (fn. 24)
Early in 1449 the dormitory and library were
accidentally burnt down; when Henry VI gave
10 marks 'for the relief of their great poverty
and towards the rebuilding of their house.' (fn. 25)
The friars received legacies from Sir William
Vavasour, kt. (1311), (fn. 26) Sir Henry Percy (1349),
Sir Marmaduke le Constable, kt. (1377),
William Lord Latimer (1381), William de
Chiltenham, vicar of the chapel of Holy Trinity
of Kingston-upon-Hull (1388), Patrick de
Barton, rector of Catwick (1391), and many
others, (fn. 27) including Robert Fisher, mercer of
Beverley (1477), the father of John Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester. (fn. 28) John de Hesile of
Beverley was buried in the cloister in 1349, next
his wife Beatrice. (fn. 29) Thomas Hilton, clerk
(1428), willed to be buried in the church within
the south door next ' le haliwater fatt.' (fn. 30) In
the quire before the high altar were interred
the remains of ' Elena de Wak, daughter and
heiress of Lord le Wak,' and a long list of
burials in the church drawn up by John
Wriothesley, garter, about 1500 is extant. (fn. 31)
Among the names are several of the Darcys.
In 1524 the friars agreed with Thomas Lord
Darcy, K.G., by reason of his great liberality, to
make him and his wife partakers in all spiritual
suffrages in the convent, and to keep their obits,
under pain if they failed to carry out the agreement of paying 20s. to the Provost of St. John's,
Beverley, and 10s. ' to the behoof of the scholars
of the Friars Preachers in Oxford.' The seals
of the provincial Robert Miles, S.T.P., the prior
Henry Aglionby, S.T.B., and the convent were
attached to the deed, for which Lord Darcy
paid £5. (fn. 32)
Two 14th-century manuscripts formerly belonging to the Black Friars of Beverley are
now at Oxford; one contains works of St.
Augustine, Gregory, Seneca, and others (fn. 33) ; the
other, containing a number of Quaestiones attributed
to Thomas Aquinas, was in 1450 lent or
given by Friar Robert Stanniforth, O.P. of
Beverley, to William Mayne. (fn. 34)
On 4 July 1534 Dr. George Browne visited
the friary (in accordance with the royal commission issued 13 April), and had no difficulty
in obtaining the friars' acknowledgement of the
royal supremacy. (fn. 35) The house was surrendered
to Richard of Ingworth, suffragan Bishop of
Dover, 26 February 1538-9. (fn. 36) The plate was
sent to the royal treasury. (fn. 37) The lands attached
to the house, which lay on the north-east of the
minster, amounted to about 4½ acres, and were
valued at 17s. 8d. a year. Besides this, the
friars held land in ' Coldon Magna' within the
liberty of Beverley, the rent of which was
2s. 4d. (fn. 38)
Priors
Walter of Grimsby, (fn. 39) 1309
Hugh of Leicester, (fn. 40) 1312
William Birde, (fn. 41) 1434
Henry Aglionby, (fn. 42) 1524
Robert Hill, (fn. 43) 1539
The seal is pointed oval, and shows St.
Dominic standing in a canopied niche with
nimbus, in the right hand a book, in the left
a sword. Legend: SIGILLŪ PRIORIS FRATR[Ū]
ORDINIS DICATO BEŪLACI. (fn. 44)