RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



them, were largely attended by the people of the 

 neighbourhood in which they were held, who in 

 all probability were permitted to witness an 

 exhibition of miracle-plays or mysteries.'^ 



When a prior of Durham resigned his office 

 on account of age or infirmity, provision was 

 usually made for his support in one of the cells 

 of the monastery. Thus on the resignation of 

 Prior William of Tanfield in 1313, the cell of 

 Jarrow and manor of Wardley were assigned to 

 him for his maintenance.'"' He lived for nearly 

 thirty years after his retirement, and meanwhile 

 his successor. Prior Geoffrey of Burdon, also 

 resigned (1322). To him was assigned for his 

 support the cell of Wearmouth,*^ with the tithes 

 of Wearmouth and Fulwell.^" 



When a Durham monk fell sick he was 

 carried, with all his belongings, from the dormi- 

 tory to the infirmary, where he could have a fire 

 and other comforts. If he seemed unlikely to 

 recover the prior's chaplain was sent for, and 

 remained with him to the end. After death the 

 convent barber came, and, removing the garments 

 from the corpse, wrapped it in cowl and habit, 

 putting on also the socks and boots. It was 

 then taken to the ' dead man's chamber ' (below 

 the library of later times) and left there till 

 nightfall, when it was removed to St. Andrew's 

 chapel adjoining (which was only used for 

 purposes of solemn devotion), where it lay till 

 eight o'clock on the following morning. Two 

 monks, nearest in kindred or kindness to the 

 dead man, knelt all night at the feet of the 

 corpse, and the children of the almonry knelt on 

 either side, reading over the psalter. In the 

 morning the body was taken to the chapter- 

 house, where it was received by the prior and 

 the whole convent, who said dirges and devo- 

 tions ; after which it was carried through the 

 ' parler ' into the centry-garth, where it was 

 buried, a chalice of wax being laid on the breast. 

 During the funeral four monks held the blue 

 bed " of the dead man over the grave, and one 

 peal was rung. 



In the case of a prior a fair marble stone was 

 placed on the grave, and the little chalice was 

 sometimes of silver or some other metal. The 

 body of Prior Fossour, who died in 1374, was 

 wrapped in an oxhide.** 



When a bishop was to be buried at Durham 

 the prior and monks met the body at the 

 * Church-garth gate at the Palace Green,' and 

 brought it either into the church, or through 



'' Dur. Household Bk. (Surt. Soc), 339. 



*" Reg. Palat. Dun. (Rolls Scr.), i, 362. 



*' DugJale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1S46), i, 238. 



" Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. ii, 88. 



" This bed afterwards became the property of the 

 barber. 



*' Surt. Soc. Publ. vol. ii, 91 ; there is a record 

 of a similar burial at a later date in the parish of 

 St. Andrew, Holborn. 



the church to the chapter-house, as the case 

 might be, for burial. The body was dressed in 

 the mass vestments with mitre and crozier. On 

 the breast lay a little chalice of silver, metal, or 

 wax gilt at the edges. By an ancient custom 

 the horses, the ' charette ' or car, and all other 

 things that came with the bishop's body became 

 the property of the prior and convent.*^ 



There does not appear to have been much 

 communication between Durham Priory and 

 religious houses in other parts of the kingdom. 

 This may have been due partly to its rather 

 isolated position in the wild northern country, 

 and partly to the consistently independent charac- 

 ter of the bishopric as a whole, which could not 

 but affect every institution within its limits. At 

 an early date, probably in the thirteenth century, 

 the convent entered into agreements with various 

 other religious houses to mutually recite prayers 

 for departed brethren;*^ and in 1464, on the 

 death of Prior Burnby, his successor and the 

 convent entrusted a letter, commemorative of the 

 virtues of Priors Burnby and William Ebchester, 

 to one or more monks, and sent them to ask the 

 prayers of other monasteries throughout the king- 

 dom for the souls of those priors. The roll 

 proves that they visited at least 623 houses, each 

 of which promised to pray for the deceased 

 priors, receiving in return an interest in the 

 prayers of the Durham monks.*' 



Space does not admit of a separate mention of 

 every grant of land made to the monastery ; but 

 King John in February, 1203-4, confirmed to 

 the prior and convent all their privileges and 

 possessions, and his charter states that they then 

 owned the following lands, &c., viz. lands in 

 Durham city and across the bridge with a gar- 

 den ; Elvet with its church ; Shincliffe [Sine- 

 cliue] ; Staindrop and Staindropshire with the 

 church ; Burdon ; Blakiston [Blecheston] ; Bil- 

 lingham with its church ; Coupon (?) [Cupum] 

 with all its land of Wolviston, Barmston, 

 Skirningham, Ketton, and Aycliffe [Acle] with 

 its church ; Woodham [Wudum] ; Ferryhill 

 [Ferie] ; the church of St. John with its vill ; 

 Merrington ; Middleham Church with the 

 chapel and adjoining lands ; Trellesden ; the 

 two Pittingtons with the church ; Moorsley ; 

 Hurdwick ; the two Raintons with the vill of 

 Cocken ; the two Hesledens with the church ; 

 Dalton with its church ; Heldun ; Wearmouth 

 with its church ; Southwick ; Fulwell ; Westoe 

 [Wiuestou] ; Harton [Hertedon] ; Preston ; 

 Hurworth [Hethewrth] ; Jarrow [Girwuum] 

 with its church and fisheries in the Tyne ; 

 St. Hilda's church ; Hebburn [Heb'me] ; 



" At the time of Bishop Hatfield's death a dispute 

 on this point occurred between his executors and 

 Prior Walworth, of which an interesting account is 

 given by Chambre ; Angl. Sacr. 771. 



*' MSB. Eccles. Dun. B. iv, 24, 4. 



*' Ibid. B. iv, 48. 



91 



