RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



HOUSE OF AUSTIN CANONS 



10. THE PRIORY OF BAXTERWOOD 



Towards the end of the twelfth century, 

 certainly after 1180/ Henry Pudsey, a son of 

 Bishop Pudsey,' having become possessed of the 

 vills of Wingate ' and Haswell * (Essewell), near 

 Durham, founded a monastery at the latter place, 

 and conferred both vills upon certain religious 

 persons, probably canons of Gisburn,* for its 

 maintenance. 



The newly founded monastery was called 

 ' The Church of St. Mary of Haswell,' * but it 

 is doubtful whether the building of any church 

 or religious house was actually begun at Haswell,' 

 as almost immediately afterwards the same, to- 

 gether with other and more extensive possessions,* 

 were conferred by Pudsey and others upon a 

 newly founded monastery situated at Baxterwood, 

 on the River Browney, about a mile from Dur- 

 ham.^ This site was probably chosen in preference 

 to Haswell on account of its greater natural 

 beauty.^" 



This second establishment, which was called 

 ' The New Place upon the Browney,' ^^ was also 

 dedicated to the honour of the Blessed Virgin. 

 It was to be occupied by a body of canons of 

 Gisburn,^- sent thither from the mother-church 

 under the superintendence of Stephen, one of its 

 dignitaries.^^ 



The building of the New Place does not seem 

 to have advanced far, as no trace can now be 

 discovered of wall or foundation.^* The exact 

 site can however be ascertained by reference to 

 Bishop Pudsey's charter of confirmation.'* 



Baxterwood being so close to Durham, and 

 the canons being of a different order from the 

 monks of the priory, it was not to be expected 

 that peace should long prevail. The Durham 

 monks harassed the settlers in various ways,'° till 

 at last, as Geoffrey of Coldingham tells us, they 

 drove Henry Pudsey to apologize for his presump- 

 tion, and to make an entirely fresh arrangement. '' 

 He agreed to abandon the canons, to endow the 

 church of Finchale with the lands previously 

 granted to the monastery at Baxterwood, and to 

 place there a certain number of Durham monks, 

 under the immediate authority and control of 

 Durham priory. 



Lands in another part of the county were 

 granted to the church of Gisburn,^* and at first 

 Stephen, the superior of the New Place, seemed 

 satisfied. '* Subsequently, however, he became 

 restive ; the pope was appealed to, and measures 

 were taken to force Stephen to keep his promise 

 of resigning the foundation charters of Baxter- 

 wood.^" His opposition was crushed, and the 

 revenues of the New Place were transferred to 

 Finchale.^' 



The canons had a common seal, of simple but 

 beautiful design. The Blessed Virgin was repre- 

 sented seated on a curious chair or settle of very 

 light construction, holding on her left arm the 

 Infant Saviour, whose form was partially covered 

 by the folds of her robe. The seal was of the usual 

 vesica shape, and the inscription ran — 



^ SIGILL . ECCLIE . SCE . MARIE . DE . NOVO 

 LOCO . SUPER . BRUN.^^ 



FRIARIES 



II. THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF 

 HARTLEPOOL 



In a letter written by Master Layton, one of 

 the visitors of the northern abbeys before the dis- 

 solution,' it is stated that the ' Friarage of Hartle- 

 pool was founded by the same Robert de Brus ' [sc. 



' MS. Treas. Dur. 3, 6, Spec. G. 2. 



' Ibid. 2% 2", 16. ' Ibid. Cart, ii, fol. 1073. 



* Ibid. 1% 2'% et 3, 6, Spec. 



' Priory of Finchale (Surt. See), x. 



' MS. Treas. Dur. i% 2". 



' Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc), x. 



* Surt. Hiit. Dur. iv, (2), 105. 



' MSS. Treas. Dur. Orig. 3% l'^; Pont, i, I ; 3, 6, 

 Spec. X, 3 ; 4% 1", 91 ; Cart, ii, fol. 109^. 

 '" Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc), xi. 

 " MS. Treas. Dur. 4% i'=, 91. 

 " Ibid. Orig. ^% i«, Pont, i, I. 

 " See MS. Treas. Dur. Cart, iii, 88. 



founder of Gisburn]. ' This is manifestly im- 

 possible, because the Brus who founded Gisburn 

 died long before the birth of St. Francis ; but the 

 house at Hartlepool may have owed its origin to 

 another Brus, possibly to Robert, the sixth of that 



'* So Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc), xi, note ; and 

 Boyle's Guide to Co. Dur. (ed. 1892), 40^. But 

 Surtees says [Hist. Dur. iv (2), 105], 'Half a mile 

 down the stream [of the Browney, from Aldln Grange] 

 are the evident vestiges of Henry Pudsey's foundation 

 at Bacstaneford.' 



" MS. Treas. Dur. Orig. 3% \'% Pont, i, i. 



" Wharton, Jngl. Sacr. i, 726. " Ibid. 



■« MS. Treas. Dur. Cart, iii, 88, 883. 



" Ibid. 2, 6, Spec N. 3. 



'" Ibid. 3, Sextae Specialium, c. 2. 



" Wh.irton, ut supra. 



" Engraved, Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc), i 5. 

 ' Surt. Hist. Dur. iii, 1 19. 

 'Cott. MS. Jul. c 2, 318. 



109 



