RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



(Hextildesham) in addition to the cherishing of 

 goodwill among the brethren and the practice 

 of gentleness in his government of the house. 

 Some of these conditions may be mentioned : 

 that he should not by any means transact 

 important business without the consent of the 

 convent : that the common seal should be 

 faithfully kept in the custody of three canons 

 or two at the least : that he should keep only 

 a few dogs (canes nisi paucos) : that he should 

 not frequent or mix himself up with common 

 sports (communibus venationibus) : that no relig- 

 ious or secular man of the priory should keep 

 dogs of any sort : and that, as a pension had 

 been allotted to his predecessor, he should 

 abide by the award the bishop had made. 1 

 The peculiar provisions in restraint of the 

 sporting proclivities of the canons can be 

 easily understood in a country which abounded 

 in game. The priory was not always at 

 peace with the lords of Gillesland about the 

 rights of hunting in the barony. In 1256 

 a final concord was accepted by Thomas son 

 of Thomas de Multon before the justices 

 itinerant at Lancaster whereby the litigating 

 parties came to an understanding about the 

 hunting of their respective demesnes. 8 By 

 this agreement, which contains many inter- 

 esting features of forest law, the convent was 

 entitled to enclose with a ditch and low 

 hedge their part of Warth-colman and to 

 maintain a deer-leap (saltorium) therein for 

 the purpose of enabling the big game to 

 enter the enclosure and of preventing them 

 coming out again : and besides to keep a 

 pack of hounds consisting of four harriers 

 cleporarios) and four swift brachs (brachettos 

 (urrentes ) to take, as often as they wished, 

 foxes, hares and all other animals known as 

 ' clobest.' It was natural that the canons, as 

 large landowners, should regard with jealousy 

 any encroachments on the sporting rights of 

 their estates, game being an important article 

 of food, but there was just a possibility that 

 the ways of the world might invade the 

 quiet seclusion of the cloister. Bishop Welton 

 was apparently of opinion that things were 

 going too far at Lanercost, for on his coming 

 to the see in 1353 he took the first opportunity 

 that presented itself to curb the sporting pro- 

 pensities of the brethren and to keep the 

 ruling passion within the line of moderation. 



It is pleasing to note that at Lanercost as 

 well as at Carlisle the head of the house, 

 when feeble in health or broken down with 

 age, was able to retire from the cares of office 



1 Carl. Epis. Reg., Welton, f. 12. 

 3 Pedes Finium (Cumberland), case 35, file 2, 

 No. 68 ; Reg. of Lanercost, MS. ix. 4. 



and to pass the evening of his life in comfort 

 within the precincts of the priory. The 

 procedure on the resignation of a prior was 

 no doubt regulated by the rule of the Augus- 

 tinian Order. It was customary at Lanercost 

 for the convent to name the pension and 

 submit it to the Bishop of Carlisle for his 

 approval, or at least the matter was arranged 

 between the bishop and the canons. In 

 1283 Prior John retired on a pension con- 

 firmed by Bishop Ralf Ireton. 3 The nature 

 of the retiring allowance which John de 

 (Bothecastre) Bewcastle received in 1354 

 throws a much needed light on the simple 

 habits of cloistered life in the fourteenth 

 century. It was ordained by Bishop Welton 

 that Brother John, broken with old age and 

 burdened with weakness of body, should have 

 for the term of his life a fit place to dwell 

 within the confines (septa) of the priory : two 

 canonical allowances (libratas') daily of meal 

 and drink, two pairs of new boots and two 

 pairs of new socks at such times of the year 

 when these articles of apparel were usually 

 delivered, a sufficient supply of fire and light, 

 and 46;. 8d. in lieu of clothing and other 

 necessaries payable at three terms of the year, 

 viz. at Christmas, 131. 4^. ; at Pentecost, 20*. ; 

 and at Michaelmas, 13;. 4</. The bishop 

 also, out of respect to his former station, 

 required the convent to make him an allow- 

 ance for a valet (minister) with a suitable 

 livery (roba) or half a mark in lieu thereof. 4 



When a vacancy occurred by the death or 

 resignation of the prior, jurisdiction over the 

 house at once passed to the sub-prior till the 

 office was filled by the free election of the 

 canons. At times the bishops did not fail to 

 impress this on all concerned. When Prior 

 Thomas of Hexham died in 1355, Bishop 

 Welton sent the vicars of Irthington and 

 Brampton to inform the canons that the care 

 of the convent was entrusted to the sub-prior 

 ' as well of right and custom as by our 

 authority it is known to belong.' If disputes 

 arose over an election, the bishop was the sole 

 referee, by whose kindly mediation an amicable 

 arrangement was made. When Richard de 

 Ridale, a canon of Carlisle, and John de 

 Nonyngton, a canon of Lanercost, were pos- 

 tulated to the priory in 1355 by two parties in 

 the house, the bishop cited them to Rose 

 Castle, where he gave judgment in favour of 

 the former candidate and confirmed him in 

 the office. 5 



Soon after the foundation of the house, 



3 Chron. de Lanercost, 113. 



Carl. Epis. Reg., Welton, f. 13. 



Ibid. S. 20-1. 



153 



