COLLEGES
18. THE COLLEGE OF GREYSTOKE
The district served by the collegiate church
of Greystoke ranks third in the list of the extensive parishes in Cumberland, the civil
parishes of St. Bees and Crosthwaite being
considerably larger. The church occupies a
picturesque corner of Greystoke Park near to
the gates of the castle on the eastern side of
the parish, close to the boundary of the parish
of Dacre. It contains two ancient chapelries,
Threlkeld on the west side of the parish and
Watermillock on the south towards the lake
of Ulleswater. The area of the whole district is over 48,000 acres. In 1291 the
church of Greystoke, valued at £120, (fn. 1) was
the richest parochial institution in the diocese
of Carlisle.
When the fashion of founding collegiate
churches was introduced into Cumberland, a
start was not made with the church of Greystoke. The credit of the first attempt was due
to Sir Robert Parvyng, the well known chancellor of Edward III., who owned considerable property in the county. Though his
foundation at Melmerby was never completed, mention may be made of the preliminary steps taken with that intent, inasmuch
as they furnish us with some very interesting
features of collegiate institutions at an early
period of their history. In 1342 Sir Robert
entered into negotiations with the ecclesiastical
authorities for the purpose of transforming the
parish church of Melmerby into a college of
eight priests, one of whom, Richard de Caldecote, was designated the custos or master.
The fragmentary record (fn. 2) of the proposed
foundation supplies us with the particulars of
the institution in contemplation. One messuage and an oxgang of land in Melmerby
together with the advowsons of the rectories
of Melmerby and Skelton were assigned for
the support of the college. In the former
parish the master was to be responsible for
the cure of souls, but in the latter a vicar was
to be appointed. No member of the college
could be removed by the Bishop of Carlisle
except for reasonable cause, and all chaplains
were subject to the master. The founder
strictly reserved to himself and his heirs the
rights of patronage. It was arranged that
the master and chaplains should repair daily
in the morning (aurora) or at sunrise to the
church of Melmerby, vested in surplice, amice,
and black cope, and sing the Canonical Hours
devoutly and distinctly, viz. matins and prime
according to the use of Sarum; which done,
immediately without pause, the mass of the
Blessed Virgin should be celebrated cum nota
by one of the chaplains; then two chaplains
by the direction of the master should celebrate two masses at the altar of St. Nicholas,
one a mass of St. Nicholas, and the other a
mass of St. Margaret. In this abortive attempt to found the college, licences were
sought from the king, the bishop and chapter
of Carlisle, and Thomas de Blith, rector of
Melmerby, but there is no evidence to show
why the foundation was not completed, except that Sir Robert Parvyng died in 1343,
the year after the proposal was made.
A similar incident attended the next attempt to found a collegiate church in Cumberland, though the scheme was ultimately
successful. In 1358 Lord William de Greystoke proposed to change the rectory of Greystoke into a college with a master or custos
and chaplains, and obtained a licence from
the Crown to bestow the advowson of the
church and certain lands and tenements in
Newbiggin on the new foundation. (fn. 3) Bishop
Welton of Carlisle gave his sanction and
confirmed the appointment of the rector,
Richard de Hoton Roof, to be the master,
and Andrew de Briscoe, Richard de Brampton, William de Wanthwaite, Robert de
Threlkeld and William de Hill, to be the
chaplains. (fn. 4) The scheme, however, was carried no further at that time owing to the
death of Lord Greystoke in July 1359, and
the minority of the heir. (fn. 5)
Soon after Ralf, Lord Greystoke, came of
age, the scheme for founding the college was
revived. In 1374 the licence granted to
Lord William, his father, was renewed to
him (fn. 6) by Edward III., but many difficulties
had to be surmounted before the foundation
was brought to a successful issue. Lord
Greystoke appealed to Bishop Appleby of
Carlisle in January 1377-8, alleging that the
church of which he was patron was wealthy;
that in the absence of the rector the church
was badly served and the sick were not
properly visited; and that in consequence
the parishioners were not as devout as they
should be. The bishop issued a commission,
composed almost equally of clerics and laymen, which made a report on the local conditions. It was found after inquiry that the
church was valued at £100, or £80 after
taking away all deductions; that it was served
by one parochial chaplain and his parish clerk
(clericum aquebajulum) in the parish church,
and by another chaplain and his clerk in the
chapel of Watermillock (Wethirmelok), three
miles distant from the mother church, and by
another chaplain and his clerk in Threlkeld,
four miles distant; and that the parish of
Greystoke, though it was extensive, being
seven miles long and four miles broad, was
thus served from time immemorial. (fn. 7) The
report was apparently not satisfactory to the
bishop, for in April 1379 he issued another
commission with substantially the same reference. After the second inquiry it was reported that the church was rich, though not
so rich as of old; the revenues were on the
decrease rather than the increase; that the
value was £100, though it was once £120;
that the said church used to be ruled by
three chaplains and three clerks, and that it
was at that time so served; and that it could
not be on account of the size of the parish
or the fewness of the ministers that the
parishioners were spiritually neglected, as the
parish and the ministry were constituted then
as of old; yet it would be to the greater glory
of God if the number of ministering clergy
was increased; and that the revenues were
able to sustain a provost and five chaplains at
the parish church as well as the chaplains at
Watermillock and Threlkeld. (fn. 8) Notwithstanding all these negotiations, nothing more
appears to have been done for two or three
years. (fn. 9)
The bishop and the patron were not
turned from their purpose by the continued
opposition to the scheme, for the college was
formally founded in 1382. When all the
preliminaries were arranged Bishop Appleby
sent a mandate to the parochial chaplain of
Greystoke and to the chaplains of Threlkeld and Watermillock, calling their attention to the great defects in the nave of the
parish church, its stone walls, wood work,
fittings, and glass windows, and to the
ruinous condition of the tower (campanile
eiusdem totaliter ruit ad terram), and setting
them a time for their repair. He had heard
also at his recent visitation that certain of the
parishioners were frequenting the chapels of
Threlkeld and Watermillock for divine
offices, and were refusing to pay their portions to the maintenance of the mother
church. It was intimated to them that all
the inhabitants were obliged to contribute or
incur the usual penalty. (fn. 10) On the petition
of Ralf, Lord Greystoke, setting forth the
urgent need of the new foundation, Pope
Urban issued the necessary faculties in May
1382 for the erection of a college of seven
perpetual chaplains, and Archbishop Nevill of
York, his legate, completed the work. Gilbert Bowet was constituted the first master
or keeper of the perpetual college of Greystoke, and to the six chantries other appointments were made: John Lake, of the diocese
of Lichfield, to the chantry of the altar of St.
Andrew; Thomas Chambirleyne, of the
diocese of Norwich, to the chantry of St.
Mary the Virgin; John Alve, of the diocese
of York, to the chantry of St. John the
Baptist; Richard Barwell, of the diocese of
Lincoln, to the chantry of St. Katharine the
Virgin; Robert de Newton, of the diocese of
Lichfield, to the chantry of St. Thomas the
Martyr; and John de Hare, of the diocese of
York, to the chantry of the Apostles, St. Peter
and St. Paul. (fn. 11) The master and chantry
priests were bound in canonical obedience to
the Bishop of Carlisle. Not one of the first
collegiate staff was drawn from the diocese,
except Gilbert Bowet, the master, who had
been chaplain there from 1365 till the
foundation of the college. (fn. 12) The patronage
of the new establishment in head and
members was retained in the house of Greystoke. (fn. 13)
The relationship of the college to the
chapelry of Threlkeld was the subject of an
ordination or award (laudum) made by
Bishop Lumley of Carlisle in 1431. As
discord had arisen between the rector or
master and chaplains, fellows (consocios) or
chantry priests (cantaristas) of the collegiate
or parochial church of Greystoke on the one
part and Sir Henry Threlkeld and the tenants
of the vill or lordship of Threlkeld on the
other, about the appointment of a chaplain
or chaplains successively in the church or
chapel of Threlkeld, which is dependent on
the said church of Greystoke, and about the
manner of tithing corn and hay and other
fruits within the vill of Threlkeld, the whole
dispute was placed in the bishop's hands at
his personal visitation of the diocese in the
collegiate church of Greystoke on 26 September 1431, and both parties undertook to
abide by his award. It was decided by the
bishop that Sir Henry Threlkeld and his
heirs after him, with the consent of their
tenants, should nominate the chaplain,
within one month after the time of vacation,
to the rector or master and chaplains of the
college, and if they found him fit and able to
celebrate divine offices and to minister the
sacraments and sacramentals, they should
admit him within six days to the chaplaincy;
but if they considered him unfit or unable
they should send him to the bishop or his
official for fuller examination. If the bishop
found the nominee unfit, it should be lawful
for the master, with the consent of the
chaplains or chantry priests, for this one turn
to nominate a fit person to the bishop within
ten days from the rejection of the former candidate; otherwise the nomination for that
turn only should pertain to the bishop, future
nominations remaining with Sir Henry
Threlkeld and his heirs. It was also
ordained that the college of Greystoke should
receive all the tithes of Threlkeld except
tithes of corn and hay together with the
oblations due and accustomed; that the
inhabitants should pay to the chaplain
celebrating in the chapel £3 17s. in decem
denariis at the feast of St. Peter ad vincula
and Michaelmas in lieu of the tithes of corn
and hay, whether the land was cultivated or
not; and that the college should allow the
chaplain a yearly stipend of 12s. sterling over
and above the sum contributed by the
inhabitants. (fn. 14)
When the ecclesiastical survey was taken
in 1535, the total value of the rectory and
college was set down as £82 14s., out of
which the master was obliged to pay
£42 6s. 8d. in pensions, synodals and procurations to the Bishop of Carlisle, and in
stipends of the chaplains. Each chantry
priest received an annual allowance of
£3 6s. 8d. for victuals, and a like sum in
money for private use, at the hands of the
master of the college. (fn. 15)
In pursuance of the Act of Parliament
(1 Edw. VI. cap. 14) for the dissolution of
chantries, the king issued a commission, dated
at Westminster on 14 February 1547-8,
'for thenquyrie, survey and examynacon of
all colleges, chauntries, frechappelles, fraternyteis, guyldes, stipendaries, priestes, and
other spirituall promocons' within the county
of Cumberland 'whiche are geven and oughte
to come unto his highnes.'From the survey we learn that there were 3,000 'howslinge people' in the parish of Greystoke, and
that the 'colledge in the parish churche
there' was 'off the foundacon of one Urbane,
bishoppe of Rome, at the peticon of one
Rafe, baron of Graystocke, auncestor to the
lorde Dacre that nowe is.' John Dacre,
clerk, of the age of forty years, was the master, and had for his annual salary £40 'over
and besides £61 in other places.' (fn. 16) It is also
stated that 'James Beamont, of th'age of 80
yeares, George Atkinson of th'age of 56
yeres, Anthony Garnett and Lancelot Levyns
of th'age of 40 yeres, Edwarde Elwood of
th'age of 50 yeres, and John Dawson of
th'age of 58 yeres, (fn. 17) have every of them
yerely for his salarie, over and besides £26
wch James Beamont hath in other places,
£3 6s. 8d. besides their borde wch is in the
hole £20.' The lands and tenements belonging to the college were valued at £84
19s. 8d., from which £2 17s. 10d. should be
deducted for reprises, 'and so remayneth
clere by yere £82 1s. 10d.' The goods and
chattels were valued at £16 17s. 8d. As a
postscript to the survey the commissioners
noted that 'the said John Dacre, master
there, is also parson and hath no vycare indowed, but serveth the cure hymselfe.' (fn. 18)
When the king's agents had seized the
chantries, the valuation of the college of
Greystoke was returned at £78 14s. From
the notes added to the new survey we may
gather that there was some doubt in the
minds of the commissioners about the legality
of their proceedings in seizing the property of
this college. To the schedule of pensions,
in which the annual sum of £19 was assigned
to the master, that is, somewhat less than half
of his stipend, and £5 to each of the chaplains,
the following memorandum was appended:
'Forasmuch as the title of this colleage is
supposed doubtefull, respect the pencions untill it be examyned in the court.' It is odd
that it was to the college of Greystoke, and
not as an appendix to the whole survey, that
the commissioners affixed this observation:
'In all whych colleges, chauntryes, frechappelles, guyldes, fraternytyes, stypendaryes, ther ys no precher founde, grammar
scole taught, nor pore people relevyd, as yn
ther severall certyfycates yt doth appere.' It
was also reported that 'ij chaples are belonging to this colleage caulled Watermelike and
Threlkett, thone distant vii myles and
thother vi myles from the parish churche.' (fn. 19)
When the legality of seizing the rectory and
its profits on the king's behalf came to be reviewed in court, it was argued by the incumbent that he was possessed by presentation,
admission, institution and induction; that the
church was indeed made collegiate, but it was
by the pope's authority only; that they had
no common seal, and therefore were not a
legal corporation. As judgment was given
against the king, the church continued rectorial and parochial. In reporting the case
Judge Dyer laid stress upon the want of a
common seal, but Lord Coke was of opinion
that the king's title failed owing to the fact
that the church was made collegiate by the
pope's authority only without the royal
assent. (fn. 20) The argument of the appellant and
the remarks of Lord Coke seem strange in
the light of the letters patent of Edward III.
and Richard II., by which the proposal to
found the college of Greystoke received the
royal sanction.
Masters of Greystoke
Gilbert Bowet, first master, 1382
Richard Lascy, 1412 (fn. 21)
Adam de Aglionby, 1420 (fn. 22)
Richard Wryght (fn. 23)
Thomas Eglisfelde (fn. 24)
Walter Readman, S.T.P. 1507, (fn. 25) died in
1509 (fn. 26)
William Husband, 1509, (fn. 27) 1518 (fn. 28)
John Whelpdale, died in 1526 (fn. 29)
John Dacre, last master, 1535, (fn. 30) 1547 (fn. 31)