RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



circumspection was exercised by the bishop 

 before he admitted a successor. The official 

 of the diocese was commissioned to see that 

 the election was conducted according to law, 

 and to certify the formalities to the bishop. 

 Having satisfied himself that Robert de Eden- 

 hall was the choice of the canons, and that 

 there was no opposition, he directed his letters 

 to the Archdeacon of Carlisle on 10 October 

 1385, to give the said Robert corporal pos- 

 session of the prior's stall in the choir and 

 his place in the chapter house. 1 



It is difficult to distinguish the priors 

 during the fifteenth century, inasmuch as 

 all those that have been met with bear 

 the same Christian name. In the old lists 

 no fewer than five priors of the name of 

 Thomas have been mentioned. John Denton 

 has given the order of succession as Thomas 

 Hoton, Thomas Barnby, Thomas Huthwaite 

 and Thomas Gudybour. 8 In their revised 

 list, Nicolson and Burn have placed between 

 Hoton and Barnby the name of ' Thomas 

 Elye who built the grange of New Lathes 

 near the city (of Carlisle) on the walls of 

 which his name is legible.' From the latter 

 source we learn that ' Thomas de Haythwaite 

 erected the bishop's throne in the quire on 

 the back part whereof his name was inscribed.' 3 

 Neither of these inscriptions is now to be 

 found. 



A few dates may help to ascertain the 

 chronological order with more certainty. 

 By letters patent, dated 4 January 1413-4, 

 William, Bishop of Carlisle, appointed Thomas 

 de Hoton, prior of the cathedral church of 

 Carlisle, to collect the subsidy granted to the 

 Crown by the convocation of York on 27 

 July 1413.* It was certified by Thomas, 

 prior, and the convent of Carlisle, on 20 Sep- 

 tember 1423, that Joan, wife of John de 

 Gaytford in the county of Nottingham, for- 

 merly wife of Elias de Thoresby, deceased, 

 and daughter of Master John de Welton, was 

 legitimate and born of the said Master John 

 and Alice his wife in holy wedlock. 5 Thomas 



and Richard Everwyk, for disobedience. On their 

 deliverance from custody, they gathered some sol- 

 diers of the town and castle and took forcible pos- 

 session of the priory, denying an entry to the 

 bishop and the prior (Pat. 13 Ric. II. pt. ii. 

 m. zd). 



' Carl. Epis. Reg., Appleby, ff. 353-4. 



3 Cumberland (ed. R. S. Ferguson), 98. 



3 Hiit. ofCumb. ii. 303. 



4 Exch. Cler. Sub. Dioc. of Carl. bdle. 60, 

 No. 8a. 



B.M. Add. Chart. No. 15770. The seal 

 of the priory attached to this deed is very much 

 broken and the legend indistinct. 



Barnby, prior of Carlisle, was returned in a 

 list of gentry of the county of Cumberland 

 by certain local commissioners, one of whom 

 was Marmaduke Lumley, Bishop of Carlisle, 

 in the twelfth year of the reign of Henry VI. 

 1433-4." In the muniment room of Lowther 

 Castle there is an original lease of a tenement 

 in Cardew, dated at Rose on 1 1 August 1457, 

 and given by William, Bishop of Carlisle. 

 The lease was confirmed by Thomas de 

 ' Huthuayte,' prior of Carlisle, on behalf of 

 the convent. Damaged impressions of the 

 seals of the bishop and prior still remain. 



During an inquisition for proving the age 

 of Hugh, son and heir of Hugh Lowther, 

 late of Lowther, taken on 8 November, 

 1482, it was deposed that he was born at 

 Lowther on the Feast of the Assumption 

 in 1461 and baptized in the church of that 

 vill, the godfathers being Richard Wherton, 

 rector of the said church, and Thomas, prior 

 of Carlisle, and the godmother, Elizabeth 

 Moresby. 7 



In the statute of 13 Edward IV., 1473, it 

 was provided 



that this Acte of Resumption, or any other made 

 or to be made in this present Parlement, ex- 

 tend not nor in any wise be prejudiciall, dis- 

 avauntage, derogation or hurt to Edward Bishop 

 of Carlill, nor to his predecessours nor suc- 

 cessours, nor to Thomas Priour of Carlill, and 

 Covent of the Monestery or Priorie of Carlill, nor 

 to their predecessours nor successours, nor to any 

 of theym, nor to any yefte or yeftes, graunte or 

 grauntes, licence or licences, ratifications, releases, 

 assignations or confirmations to theym, or to their 

 predecessours, or to any of theym, made, graunted 

 or had, by what name or names the Bishop or 

 Priour and Covent of the seid Monestere or 

 Priorie, or their predecessours be or were named 

 or called in the same. 8 



It is not known precisely at what date the 

 priorate of Thomas Gudybour began or ended. 

 It is certain that he was prior of Carlisle in 

 1476, for in the early part of that year he 

 was present at Hexham when William Bywell 

 was elected head of that house. 9 It is prob- 

 able that he was in office for a considerable 

 period. During his time the cathedral church 

 had been renovated, 10 the legends of the saints 



8 Fuller, Worthies of England (ed. J. Nichols), 

 i. 240-1. 



? Inq. p.m. 22 Edw. IV. No. 58. 



s Rot. Par/. (Rec. Com.), vi. 76. 



* Priory of Hexham, i. App. No. xc. Thomas 

 Godebowre was parson of the parish church of 

 Dacre in the diocese of Carlisle on 23 February 

 1462 (Pat. i Edw. IV. pt. iv. m. 9). 



10 The renovation of the cathedral while Thomas 

 Gudybour was prior is well authenticated. 



147 



