RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



The behaviour of the members of the collegiate churches was far less 

 satisfactory. In spite of vigorous efforts at reformation on the part of 

 Bishop Kellaw in the early fourteenth century, and of Bishop Langley a 

 hundred years later, the canons neglected their duties, both spiritual and 

 temporal, to a disgraceful extent. This was probably due to the fact that 

 they were pluralists on a large scale, many of them holding five, six, or even 

 ten ecclesiastical preferments in various parts of England. 



A striking feature of religious life in the county of Durham was the 

 number of hermits, notably in the fourteenth century, who found a home 

 there. At first, no doubt, their existence was wild and solitary enough ; 

 but after a time it became a much more formal matter, and persons were 

 admitted to the profession of an anchoret, and collated to their hermitages, 

 just as in the case of any other order. 



In the time of Bishop Bek the Templars held lands, rents, &c., in 

 Barnard Castle and Summerhouse, besides various places in the bishopric, but 

 not in the county of Durham.^ In 1313 the pope directed an inquiry to be 

 made as to what lands the Knights Hospitallers held in the Northern Pro- 

 vince. The bishop of Durham replied that in his diocese they had nothing 

 but the house of Chibburn in Northumberland.^ The pope then commanded 

 the bishop to hand over to the Hospitallers all possessions whatsoever lately 

 belonging to the then dissolved order of the Templars in his diocese.' 



Durham was rich in historians ; Bede, Simeon, Reginald, Geoffrey of 

 Coldingham, Robert of Graystanes, and William Chambre, were all inmates 

 of one or other of her religious houses. 



SAXON MONASTERIES 



THE MONASTERY 

 HARTLEPOOL 



OF 



The ancient monastery at Hartlepool was 

 founded about a.d. 640 by Hieu, a native of 

 Ireland, under the auspices of St. Aidan. Hieu 

 was the first of the saintly female recluses of 

 Northumbria,' and the first also of the specially 

 gifted women whom St. Aidan placed in charge 

 of double religious houses for men and women.^ 

 Nothing is known of her parentage, but her 

 ability as organizer and administrator is vouched 

 for by St. Aidan's selection.' 



After ruling the new monastery for a few 

 years Hieu* retired in 649 to Tadcaster, and 

 was succeeded by Hilda,^ who, under the direc- 



' Reg. Palat. Dun. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 857-8. 



>Ibid. i, 387, 389. 



' Close, 7 Edw. II, m. i6 Sched. This order was 

 repeated in 1324 ; Close, 17 Edw. II, m. 7, 4. 



' Bede, Hist. Eccks. lib. iv, c. 23. 



''Arch. Aeliana, xix, 47. ' Ib'rd. 



* Hieu has frequently been confused, by Leland 

 {Coll. iii, 39) and subsequent writers, with S. Bega 

 •or Begu ; but there are strong reasons for thinking 

 that they were distinct persons ; see Arch. Aeliana, 

 avii, 202, note. 



'Bede, Hist. Eccles. lib. iv, c. 23. 



tion of Aidan and other learned men, established 

 a regular and orderly monastic life at Hartlepool 

 (Heorthu).' It seems probable that she had 

 under her rule men as well as women ; Bede 

 speaks of male students in the monasteries of the 

 Abbess Hilda,' and on the tombstones in the 

 little cemetery of Hartlepool Monastery, which 

 were excavated early in the nineteenth century, 

 some names of men were found.* 



In 655 King Oswi, in fulfilment of a vow 

 made before the battle in which he defeated 

 Penda, gave his daughter Elfleda, who had 

 barely completed her first year,' to be conse- 

 crated to God in perpetual virginity,^" and sent 

 her to Hartlepool to the care of Hilda. Two 

 years later (a.d. 657 or 658) Hilda, by Aidan's 

 desire," went south to found the house afterwards 

 so renowned as Whitby Abbey, and took Elfleda 

 with her.^" 



^ Ibid. ' Ibid. 



^Journ. of Brit. Arch. Assoc, i, 185; V.C.H. 

 Dur. i, 212. 



'In Vitae Sanctorum it is stated that Elfleda was 

 born in 654 and died in 713. 



'» Bede, Hist. Eccks. lib. ii'i, c. 24. 



" Matt. Paris, Chron. U<ij. (Rolls Ser.), i, 302. 



" Bede, Hist. Eccles. lib. iii, c. 24. 



79 



