A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



Richard de Whytrigg, canons of Carlisle, 

 brought the news of the bishop's death to the 

 king, letters patent were sent to the convent 

 authorizing the election of a bishop to the 

 vacant pastorate who should faithfully serve 

 his church, king and country. 1 On 8 May 

 1332 the king signified to the Archbishop 

 of York his assent to the election of John 

 de Kirkby, prior of Carlisle, to be Bishop of 

 Carlisle. 2 By a similar writ the temporalities 

 of the bishopric were restored to him in the 

 following July. 3 By an order in 1334 the 

 prior of Carlisle was respited for rendering 

 his account to the king for the time when 

 the late prior (John de Kirkby), his prede- 

 cessor, was receiver of the money for the 

 victuals of the king and his father, sold in 

 Cumberland.* From this it would appear 

 in the absence of direct proof that John de 

 Kirkby was the prior that succeeded Simon 

 de Hautwysell, or at least that he was prior 

 for some time during the reign of Edward II. 



Geoffrey was the next prior, for on 8 March 

 1333-4, Bishop John de Kirkby acknow- 

 ledged that he owed him 400, which was 

 to be levied, in default of payment, on his 

 lands and chattels in Cumberland." 



It is said that John de Horncastle was prior 

 in 1352 when he was elected to fill the see 

 of Carlisle. As the elect and confirmed but 

 not the consecrated Bishop of Carlisle, he 

 performed certain diocesan acts which are on 

 record. 6 In 1363 a plenary remission at the 

 hour of death was granted by the pope to 

 'John de Horncastell,' prior of Carlisle. 7 

 Bishop Appleby cited the prior and convent 

 to undergo his visitation in 1366, to which 

 citation the prior expressed his readiness, and 

 conveyed to the bishop the names of the 

 capitular body. It is interesting to note their 

 names : John de Horncastell, prior ; John de 

 St. Neots, sub-prior ; Thomas de Warthole ; 

 Thomas de Colby ; Richard Bully ; William 

 de Dalston ; Thomas de Penreth ; Adam del 

 Gille ; John de Overton ; Thomas Orfeor ; 

 William Colt ; Robert del Parke and Robert 

 de Edenhale, that is, a prior and twelve 

 canons. It was intimated that Thomas de 

 Penreth was absent for purposes of study, 

 which was held to be a valid excuse. John 

 de Horncastle signified his intention to the 



i Carl. Epis. Reg., Ross, ff. 249-50. 



Pat. 6 Edw. III. pt. ii. m. 33. 



a Ibid. 6 Edw. III. pt. ii. m. 25 ; Carl. Epis. 

 Reg., Kirkby, ff. 251-2. 



4 Cal. of Close, 1333-7, P- 36. 



<> Close, 8 Edw. III. m. 33d. 



' Rfgittrum Domini Johannis de Horncastro, elect't 

 tt confirmati de anno domini mccclij. 



i Cal, of Papal Petitions (Rolls Ser.), i. 437. 



bishop in November, 1376, of retiring from 

 the priorate on account of old age and bad 

 health, and the Archdeacon of Carlisle was 

 commissioned to receive his resignation and to 

 absolve him from his duties. 8 



In obedience to the bishop's licence to elect 

 a successor, the choice of the canons fell on 

 John de Penreth. This prior had a dispute 

 with Robert de Clifton, the cellarer, in 1379, 

 with the result that the cellarer was removed 

 from his office. The whole case was ulti- 

 mately submitted to the arbitration of the 

 bishop. 9 Prior John de Penreth was associ- 

 ated with Robert de Rawebankes, abbot of 

 Holmcultram, and Lambert de Morland, 

 abbot of Shap, in 1379, as collectors of a 

 subsidy granted by the clergy of the diocese 

 of Carlisle to Richard II. in the second year 

 of his reign. 10 In the return of the collectors 

 the benefice of the prior of Carlisle was as- 

 sessed at 200, the amount of his contribu- 

 tion being equal to that of the bishop, viz. 

 4. The following canons were named in 

 the assessment at the rate of 3*. 4^. each : 

 Thomas de Warthehole, Thomas de Colby, 

 John Cole, Robert Bury, Robert de Clyfton, 

 John de Overton, Richard Herwyk, Richard 

 Bellerby, Richard Brumley, Thomas Dalston 

 and Hugh Thoresby, 11 a prior and eleven 

 canons. For certain lawful causes the priory 

 was resigned by John de Penreth on 9 August 

 I38i. 12 



The Bishop of Carlisle, having learnt by 

 proclamation that there was no opposition to 

 the election of William de Dalston, a canon 

 of the house, decreed that he should be in- 

 stalled in the vacant priorate. That was in 

 August 1381. The choice of the canons 

 was the source of a great scandal in the dio- 

 cese of Carlisle. The prior had refused to 

 make the declaration of canonical obedience 

 to the bishop which led to his excommunica- 

 tion. He was ultimately persuaded to resign 

 on 28 September 1385, after he had made 

 the requisite declaration. 13 This prior had 

 been employed under the Crown in January, 

 13845, as surveyor of the works for the re- 

 pair of the castle of Carlisle. 14 



After the cession of Prior Dalston, 16 great 



Carl. Epis. Reg., Appleby, ff. 165, 289. 



Ibid. ff. 319-20. 



Ibid. ff. 314-5. 



' Exch. Cler. Sub. Dioc. of Carl. bdle. 60, No. i. 



" Carl. Epis. Reg., Appleby, f. 387. 



" Ibid. ff. 337-8, 348-52. 



" Cal. of Doc. Scot. (Scot. Rec. Pub.), iv. 73. 



16 It would appear that Dalston, on his return 

 to a subordinate position in the priory, became a 

 troublesome inmate of the house. In 1390 he 

 was cited with two other canons, Robert Clifton 



146 



