92. THE GREY FRIARS, RICHMOND
The foundation of this friary is attributed to
Ralph Fitz Randal, lord of Middleham, in
1258: his heart was buried in the quire in 1270. (fn. 1)
The friary stood in the north part of the town,
a little without the walls. (fn. 2) Archbishop Romanus,
when organizing the preaching of the Crusade
in 1291, requested the friars of Richmond to
provide one preacher there and to send one to
the most suitable place in the deanery of Copeland (Cumberland). (fn. 3) John of Britanny, Earl of
Richmond, left £5 to these friars on his death in
1304. (fn. 4) In this year Arthur of Hartlepool, an
apostate friar who had carried off some goods of
neighbours and friends of the friars deposited in
their house, was arrested by the king's officers
and given up to the friars of Richmond for
punishment. (fn. 5) Special instructions were sent by
the arch bishop to the warden in January 1314-15
to preach against the Scots and rouse the people
to resist. (fn. 6) In 1350-1 Robert of Hexham was
warden and lector of the convent. (fn. 7)
In 1364 Sir Richard le Scrope, kt. (afterwards first Lord Scrope of Bolton), and William
de Huddeswell granted these friars five tofts
adjacent to their dwelling, held of the Earl of
Richmond and containing 4 acres of land. (fn. 8) John
de Nevill, lord of Raby, granted them 1½ acres
of meadow in 1383. (fn. 9) Richard le Scrope of
Bolton left the friars £10 in his will, 1400; (fn. 10)
and Sir Stephen le Scrope of Bentley left 10
marks to the house and 6s. 8d. to each friar in
January 1405-6. (fn. 11) Sir Ralph Fitz Randal, kt,
left them 7 marks in 1458. (fn. 12) In May 1484
Richard III ordered Geoffrey Franke, receiver of
Middleham, 'to content the friars of Richmond
with 12½ marks for the saying of a thousand
masses for King Edward IV.' (fn. 13) On the death
of Margaret Richmond, anchoress in the parish
church of Richmond, a dispute arose between
William Ellerton, the Abbot of St. Agatha, and
William Billyngham, warden of the Grey Friars,
on the one part, and the burgesses on the other,
and was referred to arbitration. The arbitrators
decided 30 April 1490 that the warden and
friars should have the goods of the late anchoress
remaining after the debts had been paid and the
place restored, because she took the habit from
the friars; that the abbot should dispose of the
goods of the present anchoress for a similar
reason; while the nomination to the anchorage
should be in the hands of the bailiff and twenty-four burgesses of the great inquest of Richmond. (fn. 14)
The comic ballad of 'The Felon Sow of
Rokeby,' dating probably from the 15th century,
tells how Ralph Rokeby of Morton gave a
savage sow to the friars of Richmond, 'to mend
their fare,' when Friar Theobald was warden,
and relates the exciting adventures of Friar Middleton and his assistants in their attempt to catch
the beast, the final capture, and triumphant return
to Richmond:
If ye will any more of this,
In the Fryers of Richmond 'tis
In parchment good and fine;
And how Fryar Middleton that was so kend,
At Greta Bridge conjured a feind
In likeness of a swine. (fn. 15)
The house was surrendered 19 January
1538-9 by Robert Sanderson, S.T.P., the
warden, thirteen priests, and one other. (fn. 16) The
goods were sold in gross to Ralph Gower, merchant, and Richard Crosseby, both of Richmond,
for 100s. The warden received 13s. 4d., the
other friars sums varying from 10s. to 4s., and
amounting in all to £5 3s. 2d. The lead on the
church was estimated at three fother, the three
bells at 2,000 lb., and the plate weighed 31 oz. (fn. 17)
There was a conduit of water at the Friars, the
only one in the town. (fn. 18) The site, which was
inclosed by a wall and comprised nearly 16 acres, (fn. 19)
was valued at 31s. a year, and was leased to
Ralph Gower for twenty-one years in 1539. (fn. 20)
The seal is pointed oval and represents St.
Francis standing on a corbel, lifting up the right
hand in benediction, in the left a book; on each
side a tree with birds on it, representing 'the
Wilderness,' or St. Francis preaching to the birds.
Overhead, under a trefoiled arch, two shields of
the arms of Nevill. (fn. 21)