7. THE PRIORY OF NEWSTEAD
The priory of St. Mary of Newstead (De Novo
Loco) in Sherwood, a house of Austin Canons,
was founded by Henry II about the year 1170.
The first witness to the foundation charter was
Geoffrey, Archdeacon of Canterbury; he was
preferred to the see of Ely in 1174. This
charter, executed at Clarendon, conferred on the
prior and canons a site near the centre of the
forest; Papplewick, with its church and mill and
all things pertaining to the town in wood and
plain, together with the meadow of Bestwood by
the side of the water; and 100s. of rent in
Shapwick and Walkeringham. At the same
time the king confirmed to them lands in
Nottinghamshire, the gift of Robert de Caus and
John the cook. (fn. 1)
The great forest wastes around the monastery
granted to the canons by their founder were
known in the old charter as 'Kygell' and
'Ravenshede,' their bounds being set forth with
much particularity at the beginning of an old
chartulary. (fn. 2)
King John in 1206 confirmed the founder's
grant, making mention also of the church of
Hucknall, and of his own gift, when Earl of
Mortain, of £7 0s. 6d. of lands in Walkeringham,
Misterton, 'Sepewic,' and 'Walkerith' (Lincolnshire). (fn. 3)
On 8 May 1238 the royal mandate was sent
to the Prior of Newstead to let Thomas de
Dunholmia, citizen of London, have all the
goods late of Joan, Queen of Scots, deposited
with them after her death by Brother John de
Sancto Egidio and Henry Balliol to do therewith
what the king has enjoined on them. (fn. 4)
In April 1241 the convent of Newstead had
licence from the king to elect a prior; the said
licence being delivered at Westminster to Henry
son of Walkelin and Thomas de Donham, two
of the canons who took the news to the king of
the death of Prior Robert. (fn. 5)
A confirmation charter of Henry III in 1247
makes further mention of the gifts of Robert de
Lexinton of all the land of Scarcliffe, with the
capital messuage, park, mills, homage, and service
of William de Grangia from his holding in Crich
(Derbyshire) with the towns of Staythorpe (Nottinghamshire) and Rowthorn (Derbyshire). (fn. 6)
Henry III in 1245 ratified the gift which
John de Stutevill made by charter to St. Mary
of Newstead in Sherwood and the canons there
of 40s. rent and a quarter of wheat yearly out of
the manor of Kirkby in Ashfield and to provide
wine and bread for the altar use. (fn. 7)
In 1251 Henry III gave to the priory 10
acres of land out of the royal hay of Linby, to
be held quit of regard and view of foresters and
verderers and of all forest pleas, with licence to
inclose the land with a hedge and dike. (fn. 8)
The convent was so seriously in debt in 1274
that the king appointed Robert de Sutton of
Averham to take the custody of the priory
during pleasure. (fn. 9)
The Prior of Newstead maintained his various
rights in Misterton, Papplewick, Staythorpe,
Walkeringham, &c. at the beginning of the reign
of Edward I, by the production of charters that
covered the various possessions of the convent in
Derbyshire as well as Nottinghamshire, and also
their various chartered privileges, such as freedom
from toll and custom throughout England.
They had neither pillory nor tumbrel jurisdiction
on their Nottinghamshire manors, but were able
to maintain their rights to assize of bread and
beer and to view of frankpledge. (fn. 10)
A few years later, namely in 1279, the prior
and convent obtained leave to fell and sell the
timber of the wood of 40 acres which had been
given them in 1245; such a step as this would
bring considerable financial relief. (fn. 11)
The Taxation Roll of 1291 gives the income
of the priory as £86 13s. 6d. The appropriated
churches of Stapleford, Papplewick, Tuxford,
Egmanton, and Hucknall Torkard produced
£49 19s. 4d.; the remainder was from temporalities in Nottinghamshire £35 17s. 6d. and in
Lincolnshire 16s. 8d. (fn. 12)
This house was again in financial difficulties
in 1295, when at their own request Hugh de
Vienna was appointed by the Crown to take
charge of their revenues, applying the income,
saving a reasonable sustenance for the prior,
canons, and their men, to the relief of their debts,
no sheriff, bailiff, or such-like minister to lodge in
the priory or its granges during such custody. (fn. 13)
On 25 July 1300 another like custodian, Peter
de Leicester, a king's clerk, was appointed after
a similar fashion. (fn. 14)
The king in 1304 made an important augmentation of the possessions of Newstead, by granting
the house 180 acres of the waste in the forest
hay of Linby at a rent of £4 due to the sheriff,
with licence to inclose them and bring them into
cultivation. (fn. 15) Two years later a grant was made
of all tithes of these 180 cultivated acres, provided
they were not within the limits of any parish. (fn. 16)
Both Edward I and Edward II seem to have
been attached to this house in the centre of the
forest, notwithstanding the important royal hunting lodge at Clipston. Edward I sojourned at
Newstead in August 1280 and in September
1290, and Edward II in September 1307 and
October 1315, as is shown by the Patent and
Close Rolls.
In 1310 the priory, on account of its indebtedness, was once again taken into protection by
the Crown, John de Hothun, king's clerk, being
appointed to administer the revenues. (fn. 17)
The royal licence was obtained in 1315, when
Edward II was at Clipston, to permit the appropriation of the church of Egmanton. (fn. 18)
In 1317 the prior and convent obtained licence
from Edward II when at Nottingham to acquire
in mortmain lands, tenements, and rents to the
value of £20 a year. (fn. 19) This licence was vacated
and surrendered in 1392, for it was not until that
date that Newstead acquired (by a number of
small grants) lands and tenements in full satisfaction thereof. (fn. 20)
A grant of some pecuniary value was made by
the same king in 1318, when it was settled that
on a voidance of the priory the sub-prior and
convent of Newstead were to have the custody
thereof with full and free administration of all
its possessions and issues during such voidance,
saving to the king, however, knights' fees, advowsons, wards, reliefs, and marriages which might
fall in. (fn. 21)
In 1324 the Crown granted pardon to the
Prior and Convent of Newstead for the unlicensed
alienation to them in mortmain by Ralph de
Frechville of all the lands which they had of fee
of Ralph in Scarcliffe and Palterton, Derbyshire,
with capital messuage, inclosed park, mill stews,
services of freemen and villeins, &c., together with
the homage and service of William de Warsop
and his heirs for a tenement he held in Crich,
with grant that they might hold the same in frankalmoign. (fn. 22)
News of the resignation of Prior Richard de
Grange was brought to the king at Nottingham
by the canons Robert de Sutton and Robert de
Wylleby on 13 December 1324, and they took
back with them leave to elect. On 10 December the king signified the Archbishop of York
that he had assented to the election of William
de Thurgarton, canon of Newstead, as prior.
Owing to informality, the archbishop quashed
the election and claimed that the right of preferment had devolved upon him. Recognizing,
however, the worth of William de Thurgarton,
the archbishop proceeded to collate him as superior; and the king, when at Ravensdale, the
forest lodge of Duffield, Derbyshire, on 10 January 1323, issued his mandate for the deliverance
of the temporalities to the new prior. (fn. 23)
The financial difficulties of Newstead do not
seem to have much abated when Edward III
came to the throne. In 1330 the prior and
convent, in consideration of their poverty, had
remitted to them the rent of £4 due to the
sheriff for the 180 acres within the hay of Linby,
granted to them by Edward I. (fn. 24)
Licence was granted in 1334 for the alienation
by William de Cossall to the priory of twelve
messuages, a mill, and various lands, &c., in Cossall
and Nottingham, to find three chaplains, to wit,
two in the church of St. Katherine, Cossall, and
one in the priory to celebrate daily for the souls
of him, his ancestors and successors. (fn. 25)
In 1341 Henry de Edwinstow, king's clerk,
and William and Robert his brothers had licence
to alienate to the priory various lands in the
counties of Warwick, Leicester, Nottingham,
Derby, and Lancaster, of the annual value of £10,
to find two chaplains to celebrate daily in the
church of St. Mary, Edwinstowe, one in honour
of Our Lady and the other for the good estate
(and after death for the souls) of the donors,
their father, mother, and other relations, friends
and benefactors, and to celebrate Henry's obit.
The prior and convent bound themselves to pay
to one of these chaplains, who was to be warden
of the altar of St. Margaret in Edwinstowe Church,
ten marks a year for the stipends of himself and
his brother chaplain and another mark for the
obit of Henry. After the donor's death, and the
death of one Robert de Calverton, the presentation to these two chaplaincies was to rest with
the priory of Newstead. (fn. 26)
Richard II in 1392 granted to the Prior and
Convent of Newstead a tun of wine yearly in the
port of Kingston upon Hull, in aid of the maintenance of divine service. (fn. 27)
Henry VI in 1437 licensed Prior Robert and
convent to inclose 8 acres within Sherwood
Forest, just in front of the entry to the priory,
and to dike, quickset, and hedge it, for which
they were to render at the Exchequer one rose at
Midsummer. (fn. 28)
Edward IV in 1461 licensed John Durham
the prior and his convent to inclose 48 acres of
forest granted them by Henry II, adjoining the
priory on the north, east, and south, with a ditch
and low hedge, and to cut down and dispose of
the wood growing thereon. (fn. 29)
Much can be gleaned relative to Newstead
Priory from the York Episcopal Registers.
The appropriation of the church of Stapleford
to the priory of Newstead was sanctioned by
Archbishop Gray in 1229 on the score of their
poverty. (fn. 30)
Archbishop Gray in 1234 on account of their
poverty granted to the priory and convent of
Newstead the church of Hucknall Torkard for
their own uses, of which they already had the
advowson; they were to enter into it after the
death or cession of Helias the then rector. (fn. 31)
Archbishop Gray visited Newstead Priory in
the octave of the Holy Trinity 1252, when he
found, after individual examination, that the
prior and canons were fervid in religion and lovers
of peace and concord. After praising them most
highly the diocesan laid down, for their still
better rule, that the third prior was to regulate
cloister discipline when the prior and sub-prior
were not present; that the prior and sub-prior,
with three or four canons, were at least once a
year to hear from the cellarer and other obedientiaries an account of the expenses and receipts of
all matters under their control; that when this
audit was finished they were to present to the
convent the state of the house and what money
was owing; that they were to make a special inventory of the rents and of the stock of every
kind, stating sex and age, that it might readily
appear whether the goods of the house were
increasing or decreasing; that one copy of the
account was to be in the charge of the treasurer
and another in the charge of the cellarer; that
the seal of the convent, sealed with the seal of the
prior, should be in the treasury in the custody of
some discreet canon, nor were any letters to
be sealed with it save in the presence of the
convent or of the senior part of it; that the
collection and custody of alms should be put by
the prior into the hands of some honest person; that the cloister, refectory, and other places
appropriated to the canons be guarded from the
access of boys and dishonourable persons; and
that these injunctions be read twice a year before
the convent. (fn. 32)
Archbishop Geoffrey de Ludham (1258-65)
personally visited Newstead on 4 July 1259 and
approved of the statutes made by Archbishop Gray,
adding certain injunctions of his own. The prior,
considering the evil days in which they were living,
was to do his best to obtain grace and favour with
patrons; he was personally to receive guests with
a smiling countenance (vultu prout decet hilari et
jocundo) and to merit the love of his convent, doing
nothing without the counsel of the older canons.
Medicines were to be reserved for the sick; any
brother noticing the infringement of a rule was
to speak; there was to be no drinking after compline, nor wanderings outside the cloister; and a
canon was to be specially deputed to look after
the sick. (fn. 33)
It is often forgotten that all the chief religious
orders had their own scheme of visitation, independent of the diocesan. An interesting reminder
of this occurs in an entry of a Newstead visitation
which took place on 16 July 1261; it was
subsequently entered in Giffard's register. The
visitors on this occasion were the priors of the
two Austin houses of Nostell and Guisborough,
who were at that time the duly appointed
provincial visitors of the order. They enjoined
that a good servant, with a boy, was to be placed
in the infirmary, and that one of the canons was
to say the canonical hours for them, as well as
celebrate mass, according to the rule of the Blessed
Augustine. (fn. 34) A chamberlain was to be appointed
to provide clothes and shoes for the convent; he
was to have a horse to attend fairs and a servant
assigned him to buy necessaries. The canons'
dishes were to have more eggs and relishes, but
within moderation, never more than three eggs.
No one was to drink but in the refectory after collation, and then to attend compline. Accounts were
to be rendered twice a year. Canons were to make
open amends in chapter on Sundays for transgressions. A lay brother (conversus) was to look
after the tannery, with a canon to superintend
and to see to the buying and selling. Another
lay brother was to have charge of the garden,
under the sub-cellarer. Finally, the prior was
ordered to bring Canon Richard de Walkeringham with him to the next general chapter; he
was to testify whether these injunctions had been
obeyed. (fn. 35)
On 24 October 1267 the resignation of Prior
William, who had held office for thirty-seven
years, was accepted by Archbishop Giffard, in
consequence of age and infirmity. (fn. 36)
Consequent on a personal visitation of Newstead, Archbishop Wickwane, on 4 July 1280,
issued injunctions, wherein he charged the prior
to be earnest about divine service and the spiritual refreshment of the brethren; to punish
impartially; and to obtain the convent's consent
in matters of business. The sub-prior was
exhorted to be zealous in his office, to see that
silence was kept as appointed and the rule generally observed. Those who were really ill were
to be well treated; nothing was to be drunk
after compline, save in illness; the carols were
to be unlocked twice a year, and oftener if there
was occasion, in order to eradicate the vice of
private property; clothes were to be allotted
from a common store, the distribution of money
for this purpose to be altogether abandoned; the
roofs of the frater and dorter were to be repaired; visits of outsiders to cloister, frater,
farmery, or the precincts of the monastery were
interdicted; letters to be sealed before the whole
convent and the seal to be in safe custody; two
of the canons, Robert de Hykeling and John de
Tyshulle, to be confined to cloister for the improvement of their manners; another canon
was to be restored to the general convent
through penitence, but the cellarer and cook
were to be deprived of their office; accounts
were to be rendered twice a year; and these
injunctions to be read in full chapter once a
month. (fn. 37)
The submission of Adam, sub-prior, and of
the convent of Newstead is enrolled in Archbishop Romayne's register, under date 1 August
1288, inasmuch as they had proceeded to the
election of a prior, the cession of the former
superior, John de Lexinton, not having been
admitted. On the following day the cession
was duly admitted by the Archdeacon of Richmond, the archbishop's vicar-general, and licence
granted to elect his successor. On 2 September
Richard de Hallam, sub-cellarer of the house,
was presented to the vicar-general as the new
Prior of Newstead, elected in the place of
John de Lexinton. The election, however, was
quashed on account of various technical irregularities, but the vicar-general, recognizing the
personal fitness of Richard for the position,
appointed him to the office on his own authority
and prayed the king to be favourable to the
appointment and give it his sanction. (fn. 38)
On 9 January 1292-3 the archbishop confirmed the election of Richard de Grange, a
canon of Newstead, as prior; mandate was
issued to the archdeacon to install him; and on
the same day information was forwarded to
Edward I asking for his royal sanction. (fn. 39)
Consequent on a personal visitation of this
priory by Archbishop Romayne, injunctions were
issued on 19 August 1293 for the correction of
the house, to the effect that silence was to be
observed in church, cloister, dorter, and frater;
that anyone receiving new garments from the
common store was to give up the old ones; that
the sick were to be more delicately fed, and not
with the gross food of the convent; that the
presence of seculars was to be discouraged; that
accounts were to be rendered once a year; that
no corrodies were to be sold; and that the carols
were to be inspected once a year. The archbishop at the same time laid down that John
their late prior was to be honoured and his
counsel followed, because of his great services to
the house and his generosity about his pension
in freely and voluntarily giving up much to
which he was entitled. As a new ordinance for
his pension, the archbishop ordered that Brother
John was to have his chamber and garden as
previously arranged, with a canon's livery for
himself and another for the canon who was to
dwell with him and say the divine offices, and
another for his boy; and also 30s. a year for his
own necessaries and for the boy's wages; any
guest who came to visit him was to have his
meals in the frater or in the hall.
Another of the injunctions concerned the
restoration of eight marks out of the legacy of
R. de Everingham for the fabric of the church,
which sum Brother John, who was then prior,
converted to other uses of the house; and a
loan of twenty marks lent to the sacrist was to
be secured. The sacrist, for various lapses, was
to be removed from his office. Richard of
Hallam, the late prior, was to be confined to
the cloister. Finally, all games of dice were
prohibited. (fn. 40)
In September 1326 Pope John XXII issued
his mandate to the Archbishop of York to
appropriate the church of Egmanton, valued at
£10 per annum, to this priory, due provision
being made for a perpetual vicar. (fn. 41)
Archbishop Richard le Scrope on 19 September 1397 commissioned Prior William de
Allerton to administer vows of perpetual chastity
to Cecilia, widow of John Crowshaw, burgess
of Nottingham, giving her ring, veil, and
mantle. (fn. 42)
The Valor of 1534 gave the clear annual
value of this priory as £167 16s. 11½d. The
spiritualities, amounting to £58, included the
Nottinghamshire rectories of Papplewick, Hucknall Torkard, Stapleford, Tuxford, and Egmanton, and the Derbyshire rectory of Ault
Hucknall, with the chapel of Rowthorn. The
temporalities in the counties of Nottingham and
Derby brought in an income of £161 18s. 8½d.
The considerable deductions included 20s. given
to the poor on Maundy Thursday in commemoration of Henry II, the founder, and a
portion of food and drink similar to that of
a canon given to some poor person every day,
valued at 60s. a year. (fn. 43)
Notwithstanding the considerable drop of the
clear annual value of Newstead below the £200
assigned as the limit for the suppression of the
lesser monasteries, this priory obtained the doubtful privilege of exemption, on payment to the
Crown of the heavy fine of £233 6s. 8d. A
patent to this effect was issued on 16 December 1537. (fn. 44)
The surrender of this house was accomplished
on 21 July 1539. The signatures attached
were those of John Blake, prior, Richard
Kychun, sub-prior, John Bredon, cellarer, and
nine other canons, Robert Sisson, John Derfelde,
William Dotton, William Bathley, Christopher
Motheram, Geoffrey Acryth, Richard Hardwyke,
Henry Tingker, and Leonard Alynson. (fn. 45)
On 24 July Dr. London, to whom the surrender was made, forwarded to Sir Richard Rich
the pension list he had drawn up, and asked for
its ratification. The prior obtained a pension of
£26 13s. 4d., the sub-prior £6, and the rest of
the ten canons who signed the surrender sums
varying from £5 6s. 8d. to £3 6s. 8d. (fn. 46)
Immediately on the surrender being accomplished the custody of the house was handed
over to Sir John Byron of Colwick. (fn. 47) In May
1540 Sir John Byron was put into legal possession of the house, site, church, steeple, churchyard, and of all the lands, mills, advowsons,
rectories, &c. of the late priory. (fn. 48)
There is a good impression of the first
(12th-century) seal of this priory attached to a
charter in the British Museum. (fn. 49) The Blessed
Virgin is represented seated on a throne, with
the Holy Child on her left knee, and in the right
hand a fleur-de-lis. Legend:—
+ SIGILLUM . SANCTE MARIE NOVI LOCI I SCHI.
There is also a cast from an imperfect impression of the second seal (14th-century) which
also bears the Virgin and Child, and has a diapered background. Only two or three letters of
the legend remain. (fn. 50)
Priors of Newstead
Eustace, 1216 (fn. 51)
Richard, 1216 (fn. 52)
Robert, 1234 (fn. 53)
William (late cellarer), 1241 (fn. 54)
William, 1267 (fn. 55)
John de Lexinton, resigned 1288 (fn. 56)
Richard de Hallam, 1288 (fn. 57)
Richard de Grange, 1293 (fn. 58)
William de Thurgarton, 1324 (fn. 59)
Hugh de Colingham, 1349 (fn. 60)
William de Colingham, resigned 1356 (fn. 61)
John de Wylesthorp, resigned 1366 (fn. 62)
William de Allerton, 1366 (fn. 63)
John de Hucknall, 1406 (fn. 64)
William Bakewell, 1417 (fn. 65)
Thomas Carleton, resigned 1424 (fn. 66)
Robert Cutwolfe, resigned 1424 (fn. 67)
William Misterton, 1455 (fn. 68)
John Durham, 1461 (fn. 69)
Thomas Gunthorp, 1467 (fn. 70)
William Sandale, 1504 (fn. 71)
John Blake, 1526 (fn. 72)