A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



In 1437, Sir John Graystock, knight, died 



seised of the advowson and patronage of Neasham 

 Priory.^8 



In July, 1504, the little village of Neasham 

 was roused from its wonted quiet by a visit from 

 Princess Margaret on her bridal journey to Scot- 

 land. On the outskirts of the village she was 

 met by Sir Robert Bowes and Sir William Hilton, 

 with a fair company of horsemen, well appointed, 

 and at the gate of the convent she was received 

 by the prioress and her nuns, one of whom bore 

 the Cross. We are not told that the princess 

 entered the priory, but she drew rein, and the 

 bishop gave her the Cross to kiss.*^ 



At the time of the Valor Ecclesiasticus, the 

 convent held lands, houses, or rents in Neasham, 

 Hurworth, Little Burdon, Shildon,'" Washington, 

 Hutton, Bishop Auckland, Bishopton, Long 

 Newton, ConisclifFc, Darlington, Hyndale, Wind- 

 lestone, Sadberge, and Gateshead,'^ in the county 

 of Durham ; and in Yarm, Skelton, and Ellings- 

 tring, in the county of York.^^ 



By letters patent under the Great Seal, reciting 

 the Act of 21 Henry VIII, the king in July, 

 1537, exempted the priory of Neasham from that 

 Act, and provided for 'Jane Lawson, prioress 

 of the Order of St. Benet,' to be prioress of 

 the house.'' This lady, possibly foreseeing the 

 coming storm,'^ at once granted a lease of the 

 possessions of the priory in Neasham to her 

 brother, James Lawson, a merchant of New- 

 castle, under a rent of ;{^2." On 29 December, 

 1540, she surrendered the priory into the king's 

 hands ; '^ and the house, site, church, bell-tower, 

 and cemetery were granted to James Lawson 

 for a consideration of ^227 5^." No imputation 

 seems to have been thrown on the character of 

 the inmates.** 



The following pensions occur in the pension 

 roll of 2 & 3 Philip and Mary : — Jane Law- 

 son, jf 6 per annum ; Elizabeth Harper, Mar- 



*^ Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846), iv, 548. 



" ' The Fyancells of Margaret,' &c., by John Yonge, 

 Somerset, who attended her ; from a MS. of J. Anstis, 

 esq. Garter. Lei. Coll. iv, 275. 



'" Robt. Bell.isis died (142 1—2) seised of a messuage 

 and 15 acres of land in Shildon, held of the prioress ; 

 Dugd.ile, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846), iv, 548. 



" Wills and Invent. (Surt. Soc). ii, I 19, note. 



"Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846), iv, 548. In 

 MS. Harl. 606, Scotton is mentioned as part of the 

 possessions of the former priory of Neasham. 



" MS. of Sir J. Lawson, Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iii, 

 256. 



»* Surt. Hist. Dur. iii, 260, note C. " Ibid. 



^ Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846), iv, 548. 



" MS. of Sir J. Lawson, Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. iii, 

 256. 



" Surt. Hist. Dur. iii, 260. 



garet Trollope, Jane Lownke, Barbara Midleton, 

 and Elizabeth Hugill, £ 1 6s. 8d. each ; and 

 Margaret Dawson, ;^i.'^ 



Jane Lawson survived the dissolution of her 

 house some seventeen years. Her will is dated 

 at Neasham,* where it seems probable that she 

 lived on in the old conventual buildings,^' possibly 

 as tenant to her brother. She was a practical 

 and successful farmer, and her inventory includes 

 land at Neasham and elsewhere, live-stock, and a 

 quantity of corn, standing and in the barn. In 

 June, 1557, four of her former nuns were still 

 living ; to each of them she left bs. 8d., and 

 i^. to each of her 'god-bairns' in Hurworth, 

 besides other substantial legacies. She died before 

 16 July, 1557.^2 



Prioresses of Neasham 



Margaret, occurs 1350'' 



Jane de Coniscliff, order for installation, 

 3 August, 1366 "* 



Jane Egleston, resigned, 1428 ** 



Margaret de Danby, appointed 20 December, 

 1428, died before 26 January, 1429-30'^^ 



Margaret Hawyk, elected 28 January, 1429- 

 30, resigned 10 August, 1437" 



Agnes Tudowe, appointed November, 1437 ** 



Elizabeth Naunton, occurs 1488-99*' 



Jane Lawson, occurs 1537,'° resigned 29 De- 

 cember, 1540" 



The seal of the house, which was appended 

 to the above-mentioned lease in 1537, represented 

 the Blessed Virgin seated in a chair of ancient 

 form, crowned, having a sceptre in her hand, 

 and the Infant Jesus in her lap. Legend : — 



SIGILLUM , SANCTE . MARIE . VIRGINIS 

 NEASHAM ''" 



DE 



'' Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846), iv, 548, note N. 



*° ffllls and Invent. (Surt. Soc), i, 156. 



*' Surt. Hist. Dur. iii, 260. The inventory of 

 her household furniture includes many ecclesiastical 

 utensils, ornaments, &c., and ' the chapter ' is men- 

 tioned amongst the rooms. 



*' IFills and Invent, ut supra. 



^ Dur. Curs. Rolls, Rot. A. Hatfield. 



"• Dur. Epis. Reg. Hatfield, fol. 139. 



'** Dur. Epis. Reg. Langley, fol. 147. 



^ Ibid. fols. 147, 164. 



"Ibid. fols. 164, zifid. 



^Ibid. fol. 257. 



'' Surt. Hist. Dur. iii, 259. 



" MS. of Sir J. Lawson, Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iii, 

 256. 



" Cf. Rymer's Feod. xiv, 659. 



'' Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1846,), iv, 54S. 



108 



