RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



organizing processions in his church as a sup- 

 plication for their success, and going in person 

 as an envoy on their behalf to demand the 

 surrender of Carlisle. 1 Thomas Graham, the 

 monk who was foiled in his ambition to be- 

 come the head of the monastery at the last 

 vacancy, was employed by the civil power as 

 a spy on the doings of the new abbot. 2 Out 

 of the many charges made against the abbot, 

 Graham's depositions only may be selected: 



At the furst Insurreccon agan the Abbott. 



Item, y' the abbot sent to W. Alanbe y' he 

 schuld scend to James Hounter to warn all abowt 

 hym to be at Waytlynghow upon payn of hayng- 

 ynge too meet y" comanes there. 



Item, the abbot was mayde comyssyon r to Car- 

 lell ffrom y e comanes and rode towert Carlell as 

 nere as he durst and send to them y' was w th in 

 ye cetee and askytt delyver of ye town to ye 

 comones, 



Item, the abbot rod to Pereth to ye comanes 

 y' rod to Yorke, and ther the said abbatt gayve 

 them ample to ther expensys. 



Item, the said abbot spake with one Hew 

 Will'mson at the last Insurreccon, the day afor the 

 comanes lade siege to Carlell, and askytt hym 

 ' qwhat newys ' and the said Hew answer 11 & said 

 to hym agayn, ' ther was never sayke agatheryng 

 to ye brodfeld as ther was y' day afore ' : and the 

 abbot answerytt & sayde, 'All myghty god prossper 

 them, for yffe they sped not this abbe ys lost : ' 

 and upon the sayng he sent for ys subprior and 

 comandyt hym to cawse the brether to goo daly 

 w' processcon to speed ye comones jorney. 



The Articles of brakyng of y e Kynges graces 

 Iniunccons as her after folloys : 



Item, y' the abbot hays broght dyvers woman 

 in the inwart partes of o r monistry to dyn and 

 suppe agans o r Iniunccons. 



Item, y' the said abbott hays sold, w'houte ony 

 lycens of y e kynges grace or of his vicittores, as 

 myche platt as com to houndreth poundes & more. 



Item, the said Abbat hays gyflyng o r covent 

 seyll agayns iij or iiij of y e bred rs myndes agayns 

 o' monist y profett, 



Item, the said abbatt gayfFe too y c abbott of By- 

 land, ffor helpyng hym too ys promocon, a salt of 

 gold & sylver to valoo of xx" markes & more. 



Item, y 1 the abbot haithe sold o r joelles of o r 

 kyrke. 



Item, the said abbot hays lattyng o' demaynes 

 agans y e kynges grace Iniunccon. 



Item, the abbot, sens the kynges graces pardon 

 was gyftyng, cawsytt hys tennands a gayns ther 

 wyll to must' afor hym in the kyrke, & therby 

 wold hayve them to ryddyng to ye brodfell to the 

 comanes, & ye denyett hym & said they wold not 

 go, excepe he went w th them hys selffe : and befor 

 them all the said abbot comandytt Cudbert Mus- 

 grave, of ye comones nayme, to take the tennandes 



1 L. and P. Hen. Vlll. xii. pt. i. 687. 

 a Ibid. xii. pt. i. 1259; Cott. MS. Caligula 

 B, iii. 286. 



& go to the brod fell, & so bothe Cudbert & all 

 tenands denyett y e abbot comandment & wold not 

 go : & y is aforsaid I will refere me to tennandes 

 qwether it was so or nay : & this comandment & 

 mettyng was the day befor the comanes laid sieges 

 to Carlell. 



Item, all the sterryng of ye tennandes w'hin the 

 Holme lordscheppe was euer be y e commandment 

 of y" abbot, bothe at the furst insurreccon & also 

 at ye last, qwhen he caws' them to com to y 

 abbey. 



At y e last Insurreccon qwhen he comandytt 

 them to ryde too ye brod feld w" 1 Cudbert Mus- 

 grave. 



per Tho. Graym, monicum. 



(Endorsed?) The Abbot of Holm to incite 

 his Tenants to come w th the 

 Rebells at the broadfeild. 3 



It is probable that the life of Abbot Carter 

 was forfeited by his complicity in the insur- 

 rection, for before the year 1537 was ended 

 another abbot reigned in his stead. 



Gawen Borudale or Borradale, the monk 

 previously suspected of poisoning Abbot 

 Deveys, was appointed a few months before 

 the dissolution of the monastery. In a letter 

 to Cromwell, dated 23 January 1538, Sir 

 Thomas Wharton stated he had seen in the 

 abbot of Holme ' ryght honest procedynges 

 and a good borderer in ye kynges graces 

 affayres.' On 6 March following, the house 

 was surrendered to Thomas Leigh, LL.D., 

 in the presence of John Leigh, William 

 Blithman, James Rookesby, William Leigh, 

 Thomas Dalston and others. The deed of 

 surrender was signed by the abbot and 

 twenty-four monks and sealed with the 

 seal of the convent. Within a fortnight 

 after the surrender, 18 March, the com- 

 munity was turned adrift, or in the words 

 of Dr. Leigh, the monastery was 'withe 

 moche quyetnes and contentacion of the 

 cuntry dissolvyd and the monckis in secular 

 apparell, having honest rewardis in ther 

 purses, be disparsyd abrode.' The late abbot 

 continued in spiritual charge of the lordship 

 of Holmcultram and had ' for his logyng,' 

 with which he was ' ryght well contentyd, 

 the chambre that he was in before he was 

 abbot, then called the selleras chambre, and 

 the chambre at the stayr hed adjoynyng to 

 the same.' The brethren received pensions 

 in varying sums from 40*. to j6 and returned 

 to secular life.* On the earnest supplication 

 of the inhabitants of Holme the abbey church 

 was not destroyed. It was not only to them 

 their parish church, they pleaded, ' and little 



* Cott. MS. Caligula B, iii. 285. 

 L. and P. Hen. Fill. vol. xiii. (i.) 128, 434, 

 436, 547, and passim. 



171 



