A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



ynoughe to receyve all us your poore orators, 

 but also a grete ayde, socor, and defence for 

 us ayenst our neighbors the Scotts, withe out 

 the whiche few or none of your lordshipps 

 supplyants are able to do the king is saide 

 hieghnes our bounden duetye and service.' l 

 Since that date the church has been shorn of 

 many of its glories and suffered many mis- 

 fortunes. 



ABBOTS OF HOLMCULTRAM 



Everard, 1150-92 2 

 Gregory, uga 3 



William de Curcy, translated to Melrose 

 in 1215,* thence to Rievaulx in 1216 

 Adam de Kendal, I2I5-23 6 

 Ralf, 1223 * 



William, resigned in I233 7 

 Gilbert, 1233-7" 

 John, 1237-55 



1 Cott. MS. Caligula E, iv. 243 ; Ellis, Original 

 Letters, ser. i, ii. 90. 



2 The authorities for these dates may be seen 

 ante, p. 168 etseq. 



s Chron. of Melrose, in anno 1192. During his 

 time Affreca, daughter of Godred, King of Man, 

 wife of John de Curcy, founded the house of 

 Grey Abbey (Jugum Dei) in Ulster, which was 

 colonized from Holmcultram and became affiliated 

 thereto (Chron. Mannitf, in anno 1 204). When 

 the floors of the Irish house were cleared of 

 rubbish about 1 840, a leaden seal of Bishop Ralf 

 de Ireton of Carlisle was found. It bore the fol- 

 lowing legend : RADULPHUS DEI GRACIA KARLEO- 



LENSIS EPISCHOP (ReCVCS, Atttlq. of DotCH, 92). 



* Chron. of Melrose, in anno 1215. Fordun is 

 very enigmatical on this abbot's tenure of Holm- 

 cultram (Scotichronicon [ed. Goodall], ii. 12). Abbot 

 William is often found in association with Bishop 

 Bernard of Carlisle (Guisbn' Chart. [Surtees Soc.], 

 ii. 319 ; Duchy of Lane. Chart. Box B, No. 164 ; 

 Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 1 8, 19). He also 

 witnessed a charter of Melrose in company with 

 Ralf, Bishop of Down, and Warin, abbot of Rie- 

 vaulx (Liber S. Marie de Melrose [Bannatyne Club], 



' 53, 54). 



B See ante, p. 169. 



6 Chron. of Melrose, in anno 1223; Reg. of 

 Holmcultram, MS. ff. 23, 24. He had been for- 

 merly abbot of Grey Abbey in Ireland. 



7 Chron. of Melrose, in anno 1233. 



8 Ibid, in annis 1233, I2 37 ; Harl. MS. 3891, 

 f. I9b ; Feet of F. (Cumb.), 19 Hen. III. 

 No. 22. He had been previously master of the 

 ' converts ' in Holmcultram and died at Canterbury 

 on his way home from the general chapter of his 

 order. 



9 Chron. of Melrose, in annis 1237, 1255. This 

 abbot made an agreement with the prior of St. 

 Bees 'pro mina nostra super terram suam apud 

 Whithofthaven reponenda ' (Reg. of St. Bees, MS. 

 x. 7). See also Cal. of Doc. Scot. (Scot. Rec. Pub.), 

 i. 509. 



Henry, I255, 10 1262," 1267" 



Gervase, 1274," 1279 u 



Robert de Keldesik, 1 289," 1 292," 



1296," 131 8 18 



Thomas de Talkane, I33i, 19 1336 20 

 Robert de Sitthayk or Sothayk, 1351," 



1359" 



10 Cbron. of Melrose, in anno 1255. He had 

 been a monk of the house. 



11 Several of his transactions about property in 

 Carlisle and Newcastle are on record about this 

 date (Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 70, 151-2 ; 

 Harl. MS. 3891 ff. 78-9, 81-2). 



12 The Chron. of Melrose, in anno 1 267, states 

 that Abbot Henry was deposed from Holmcul- 

 tram by Adam de Maxstun, abbot of Melrose, 

 but was restored to his former seat by the Cistercian 

 chapter. 



13 Netominster Chartul. (Surtees Soc.), 238. 



14 Reg. of Holmcultram, MS. ff. 40-1, 212. 

 " Ibid. ff. 216-7. 



18 Harl. MS. 391 1, f. 63!). In reply to a letter 

 from the king's chancellor, requesting him to send 

 a horse in 1291 to carry the rolls of chancery, 

 Abbot Robert pleaded for delay, ' as God knows ' 

 he was at that time unprovided with one fit for the 

 work (Royal Letters, No. 1140 ; Cal. of Doc. Scot. 

 [Scot. Rec. Pub.], ii. 138). See also Reg. of Holm- 

 cultram, MS. A, 201-2 ; Harl. MS. 3891, f. 76b. 



17 His name appears on the famous Ragman 

 Roll for the reason no doubt that his house held 

 lands in Scotland (Stevenson, Documents, ii. 68-9 ; 

 Cal. of Doc. Scot. [Scot. Rec. Pub.], ii. 196). In 

 1297 he recovered a rent in Blencreyk against 

 William de Bretteby (Orig. R. [Rec. Com.], i. 102). 



16 He must have died in that year, for on 12 

 August 1318, a letter of safe conduct was issued 

 to the abbot of Melrose that he might come to 

 Holmcultram to preside at the election of a suc- 

 cessor (Rymer, Facdera,u. 370). In 13 19 William, 

 prior of the house, was sent into Scotland to treat 

 for the liberation of the men of the Bishop of Ely 

 lately captured in the battle of Miton near York 

 (Rot. Scotia?, i. 204, 205). 



11 Harl. MS. 3891, f. I42b. He cannot have 

 been abbot for many years before, for in 1327 he 

 was described as a monk of Holmcultram (Close 

 Roll, i Edw. III. pt. i. m. 18). He carried out 

 the negotiations with Lady Margaret de Wigton 

 for the transfer and appropriation of the church 

 of Wigton to his house in 1331-2 (Carl. Epis. 

 Reg., Kirkby, ff. 245-9, 280-1). 



20 In this year he made presentation to the 

 church of Dronnok, diocese of Glasgow, the ad- 

 vowson of which had been given to Holmcultram 

 by Edward, King of Scotland (Glasg. Epis. Reg. 

 [Bannatyne Club], i. 249-5 1), and to the church of 

 Wigton, diocese of Carlisle (Carl. Epis. Reg., 

 Kirkby, ff. 333-4). 



<" Cal. of Papal Petitions, i. 215 ; Cal. of Papal 

 Letters,m. 453, 461 ; Chron. Man. de Melsa, iii. 108. 



22 Carl. Epis. Reg., Welton, ff. 57, 103. In 

 1362 he had a dispute with William, perpetual vicar 

 of Wigton, about the will of William de Bromfeld. 



172 



