A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



later grants the hospital became possessed of small 

 parcels of land, &c., in Medomsley/^ Frosterley,'' 

 Claxton," Amerston,'* Eppleton [Epplingden], 

 Barnes, Estwell, Crawcrook, Derncrook,'^ and 

 Holmersk," and of the vills of Hunstan- 

 worth ^^ and Iveston.^' In 1332 the master of 

 Kepier was accused of having acquired, without 

 licence, a plot of pasture called ' Le Tung' and 

 ' Enelishop ' in Styford, co. Northumberland. 

 The king took the land into his own hands, but 

 on learning that Ralph, a former master,^" had 

 acquired it long before the Statute of Mortmain 

 from Hugh de Bolbek, then lord of the said 

 pasture, he at once restored it.'^ This pasture 

 was held of John of Lancaster in frankalmoign ; 

 he remitted the rent of 5 marks, 4 July, 1315.^^ 

 At some time during the fourteenth century the 

 advowson of Hunstanworth was transferred from 

 Durham priory to the hospital, and in 1445 

 Bishop Neville appropriated to it the rectory of 

 St. Nicholas, Durham, with its glebe in Old 

 Durham.^' In 1371 the master held a tene- 

 ment in Newcastle.^* 



In 1306 the Scots, raiding under the com- 

 mand of Brus, set fire to the hospital and 

 amongst other damage burnt down the muni- 

 ment-room, thereby destroying all the ancient 

 charters and other records of the house.^* To 

 remedy this disaster Bishop Kellaw issued a 

 commission to inquire what lands the hospital 

 held, and by what rents and services. Counter- 

 parts of some of the charters were in existence, 

 and others were verified on oath.^^ 



Five years later Peter of Thoresby, master of 

 Kepier, was summoned to appear before the 

 bishop to answer a charge of misappropriating 

 the goods of the house,^' and in the autumn of 

 the same year (1311) the bishop ordered a visi- 

 tation of the hospital, with a view to the refor- 

 mation of certain defects and excesses.^* 



In April, 13 12, Queen Isabel, wife of Ed- 

 ward II, lodged at Kepier, apparently for one 

 night, and the sum of ^ i 8 ijs. gd. was paid to 

 the master, Hugh de Montalto, for her expenses."' 

 Probably the money was not unwelcome, for 

 the house had been in a very depressed state 



" Charter, Mem. of Si. Giks' (Surt. Soc), 203. 

 " Ibid. 198. " Ibid. 200. 



"Ibid. 125. 'Mbid. App. A. 



" R(g. Palat. Dun. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 1287. 

 " To hold of the bishop, by the twelfth part of a 

 knight's fee ; see Half. Surt: (Surt. Soc), 1 09. 

 '" Mem. of St. Giles' (Surt. Soc), App. A. 

 '" Ralph was master temp. Bp. le Poor (1228-37). 

 " Close, 6 Edw. Ill, m. 23. 

 " Pat. 8 Edw. II, pt. 2, m. 3. 

 " Mem. of St. Giles' (Surt. Soc), pp. xxvii, xxviii. 

 " Bourne, Hist. Nezccastle, 202. 

 " Mickleton MSS. No. 32. 

 *« Surt. Hist. Dur. iv (2), 63. 

 " Reg. Palat. Dun. (Rolls Ser.), i, 34. 

 ■^ Ibid. 92. 

 " Script. Tres. (Surt. Soc), App. Ixxxvii, pp. cv, cvi. 



since the Scottish invasion,'" on which account 

 Bishop Kellaw, in July, 13 12, granted to it 

 the tithes of all the recently reclaimed wastes 

 near Gateshead and at 'Brounsyde' in the parish 

 of Auckland.'* At the bishop's request the 

 brethren, possibly glad to gratify their patron, 

 granted to William of Pencher for his good 

 service a livery in their house, i.e. while in good 

 health to serve in the hall and eat with the 

 brethren at table ; when sick, to have a fit place 

 in the house, and a sufficient supply of bread, 

 ale, &c., and when disabled, to have a robe and 

 6;. 8^. a year.'^ 



Three years later (13 15) the bishop conferred 

 a still more substantial benefit upon the hospital. 

 He founded the prebend of Kepier in the colle- 

 giate church of Auckland, endowing it with the 

 tithes of certain lands newly brought into culti- 

 vation, and appropriating it in perpetuity to tlie 

 master of Kepier for the time being, who was to 

 have a stall in the choir and all the rights of a 

 prebendary. In return the master was to pro- 

 vide a sub-deacon at a salary of ^i lOs. per 

 annum for Auckland church ; two additional 

 chaplains (making eight in all) were to be main- 

 tained in the hospital to celebrate mass for the 

 souls of the bishops of Durham, past, present, 

 and to come ; ten additional paupers were to be 

 relieved at the hospital in the daily evening 

 distribution ; and the bishop's anniversary was 

 to be kept, masses being said for him, and a 

 special allowance of food given to thirteen poor 

 persons. The master was exempted from attend- 

 ance at synods,'' chapters, visitations, &c., and 

 was to reside in the hospital unless in personal 

 attendance on the bishop.'^ 



In October, 1316, the see of Durham being 

 vacant, the king displaced Hugh de Montalto, 

 and made Simon of Eycote master in his stead. 

 The mandate on this appointment is directed to 

 the ' brethren and sisters ' of the hospital ;" and 

 the 'sisters' are again mentioned by Bishop 

 Tunstall in 1532 ;" but there is no account of 

 any provision for women at Kepier. Possibly 

 the words are merely formal. 



Simon of Eycote ruled over the house for four 

 years, at the end of which time the king, for 

 some reason which is not stated, withdrew the 

 appointment and restored Hugh de Montalto to 

 his former dignity."' Hugh, perhaps by way of 

 compensation, promised, so soon as he had full 



'" Reg. Palat. Dun. ii, 1 1 64. 



'' Ibid, i, 190 ; ii, I 164. 



'' Hist. MSS. Com. Refi. iv, 391 ; Reg. Palat. Dun. 

 iv, 411. 



" The master, however, was summoned to attend a 

 synod held in the Galilee of the cathedral, 4 Oct. 

 1507 ; Script. Tres. (Surt. Soc), App. cccxvi. 



" Reg. Palat. Dun. ii, 1272. 



"^ Pat 10 Edw. II, pt. I, m. II ; see also Pat. 

 14 Edw. II, pt. I, m. 4. 



'^ Dur. Epis. Reg. Tunstall, fol. 5. 



" Pat. 14 Edw. II, pt. 1, m. 4. 



112 



