RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



got all the credit, inasmuch as it was he who 

 granted the foundation charter, by which the 

 whole of the lordship was assigned to the 

 monks. In addition, the founder granted 

 materials from his forest of Inglewood (Engles- 

 woda) for the purpose of constructing the 

 buildings of the new monastery, and within 

 the bounds of Holmcultram he established all 

 the liberties and privileges which his father 

 had conferred on the abbeys of Melrose and 

 Newbottle. The deed was witnessed by 

 ' Adulf,' Bishop of Carlisle, and Walter, prior 

 of the same, together with several Scottish 

 and Cumbrian dignitaries. 1 



Of the numerous royal confirmations of 

 its possessions which the house obtained it is 

 not necessary to notice more than those of 

 the early kings to whom allegiance was due. 

 David I. confirmed his son's donation of 

 Holmcultram 'and also that third part of 

 Holm(cultram) which Alan son of Waldeve 

 had given to the monks for the health of his 

 soul.' The charter of Malcolm IV. dealt 

 more at length with the separate gifts, and 

 confirmed them ' as the charter of my father 

 and the charter of Alan himself testify.' 

 Malcolm also sanctioned ' the confirmation 

 of David, King of Scotland, my predecessor.' 

 Both of these confirmations are short and 

 have the same witnesses, Adelulf, Bishop of 

 Carlisle, and Walter, prior of the same, who 

 had been parties a few years before to the 

 foundation charter of Prince Henry. The 

 English king, Henry II., ignoring all previous 

 charters, took into his custody and protection 

 the abbey and all its belongings, and gave 

 and confirmed to the monks the island of 

 Holmcultram with its appurtenances, Raby 

 with its boundaries, the right to take wood in 

 his forest for the building of their houses, 

 pasture for their swine without pannage and 

 the bark of fallen trees. By the charters of 

 succeeding kings, notably those of Richard I. 

 and John, the house was endowed with many 

 valuable privileges and immunities. 2 



1 Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 211-2 ; Dug- 

 dale, Man. v. 594 ; Reg. of Wetherhal, 421-2. 

 The part that Alan son of Waldeve took in the 

 foundation was considered by his successors of 

 sufficient moment whereon to build a claim to the 

 advowson of the abbey. In 1219 the abbot and 

 convent complained to the king and council that 

 although their house was founded by his ancestors, 

 Kings of England, and they had, among others, a 

 charter of King John of a certain hermitage and stud 

 (haraciuni) in the forest of Inglewood, the Earl of 

 Albemarle, claiming the advowson of the abbey, 

 vexed them unjustly (Close, 3 Hen. III. pt. ii.m. l). 



2 Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 157-63,221-3; 

 Dugdale, Man. v. 594-5, 602-6. 



163 



This great abbey, which overshadowed in 

 riches and influence the rest of the religious 

 houses in Cumberland and Westmorland, had 

 many friends and benefactors on both sides of 

 the Border before the rupture with Scotland in 

 1296. Endowments were freely lavished 

 upon it by landowners, large and small, in 

 various parts of the two counties. It would 

 not be easy to single out a family of distinc- 

 tion within its sphere of influence which had 

 not sooner or later some dealings with its 

 monks. Though districts of the county like 

 Penrith and Coupland may be regarded as 

 the special preserves of the priories of Carlisle 

 and St. Bees and the abbey of Calder, it was 

 not unknown that the monks of Holme tres- 

 passed on their brethren and secured firm 

 footholds in these places. Into the barony of 

 Gillesland, specially devoted to the interests 

 of the priory of L/anercost, they do not seem 

 to have penetrated ; but in the great lordship 

 of Allerdale, the fief of Alan son of Waldeve, 

 they obtained many possessions outside their 

 own extensive franchise of Holmcultram. 

 The house kept up friendly relations, as long 

 as it was politically prudent, with the kings 

 and magnates of Scotland, and procured from 

 them lands and liberties of considerable value 

 to the community. The Scottish possessions 

 were chiefly in Annandale, the fief of the 

 Brus or Bruce family, and in Galloway, the 

 principality of Fergus. Free trade with 

 Scotland was conceded by William the Lion 

 and free passage through the Vale of Annan 

 by Robert de Brus. The kings of Man 

 allowed the ships of the monks to visit the ports 

 of the island and to buy and sell free of toll. 3 

 Some idea of the rapid rise to wealth of this 

 house, in comparison with other houses in the 

 county, may be gathered from the fact that 

 before 1175, or about thirty years from its 

 foundation, the monks had established no fewer 

 than seven granges within their lordship, viz. 

 the old grange and the granges of ' Ternis,' 

 Mayburgh, Skinburness (Schineburgh), ' Seve- 

 hille,' Raby and Newton Arlosh (Arlosk), 

 possessions which Pope Lucius thought of 

 sufficient importance to be placed in the fore- 

 front of his charter of confirmation. 4 



It cannot be said that Holmcultram was 

 ever wealthy in spiritual endowments. The 



3 Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 77, 99-101, 

 113, 2346 and passim. 



* Harl. MS. 3911, f. 138 ; 3891, ff. 110-2. 

 In Dugdale's edition of this charter the granges of 

 Mayburgh and Skinburness have been omitted 

 (Man. v. 598). The granges in 1535 were at Sil- 

 loth (Selaythe), Calvo (Calfehou), ' Sanderhous ' 

 and Raby (Valor Eccl. v. 282). 



