A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



same colledge, eyther of theym having ,8 

 yerely.' The total revenue of the house was 

 set down at ^79 195. 6d., and ' so remayneth 

 clere ' "] I 1 9*. 6d., after deducting j8 ' for 

 the wages ' of the vicar of Dacre. The net 

 stipends ' whych the sayd incumbents yerelye 

 recevid for ther lyvynges ' were as follow : 

 ' Roland Threlkeld, master of the sayd col- 

 ledge, for his pencion and fyndynge of the 

 howse, 35 1 9*. 6d. ; John Scalles, 7 6s. 8d. ; 

 Robert Thomson, John Blenkerne, Robert 

 Redshawe, William Lauthean and William 

 Hayre, j6 each.' The incumbents of the 

 two parishes were allowed to remain in spirit- 

 ual charge, but the master and five chaplains 

 were ejected, the former receiving an annual 

 pension of ^17 10;., and each of the latter 



5-' 



As the last master of the college was in 

 many respects a remarkable man, the account 

 of him written in 1677 by Richard Singleton 

 may be given here. In describing the church 

 of Melmerby, of which Roland Threlkeld 

 had been rector, he says : 



The window at the east end of the quire hath 3 

 lights, proportionable to the rest of the building, 

 wherin formerly hath been store of curious 

 painted glasse. In the midlemost of which lights 

 towards the top ther is yet to be seen a coat of 

 the Threlkelds in its colours, a maunch gules in 

 a ffield argent : and in the midst of the uppermost 

 part of the maunche there is, I take it, a trefoil. 

 In the light between the said midle light and the 

 vestry hath been set up or painted in his gown and 

 cassoke I conceive (not much unlike to ours at this 

 day) one Rol[and] Thrfelkeld] which is yet to be 

 seen entire from his midle to his feet, and his 

 right arme is yet extant, with this inscription 

 underneath at the bottom, in black letters : ' C3tC 



pro attima IRolanbt (under that these 



words) JDuftOtV I suppose this inscription hath 

 gon all along the bottom of the three lights and 

 sett out all his titles, ffor report tells us, he was 

 rector of Dufton and vicar of Lazonby as well as 

 rector of Melmorby : he was rector also of Haugh- 

 ton in the Spring neer Duresme and prebendary 

 of Carlisle and master of Kirkoswald Colledge. 

 'Twas he that built a bridge at Force mill for his 



Chant. Cert. (Cumberland), No. 12. 



own convenience to passe between Melmoreby (wher 

 he most resided) and Lazonby. He was not 

 married, nor did he admitt any womane to manage 

 about his house, but kept (as I have heard by 

 some) a dozen men, by another, sixteen men to 

 wait on him, and for every man he usually kild a 

 biefe at Martinmasse time (pluralities sure were 

 not scrupled then since a man might have enjoyed 

 tot quof). 



From the same narrative 2 we learn that while 

 master of Kirkoswald he made considerable 

 additions to the church of Melmerby. 



MASTERS OF KIRKOSWALD 

 John Hering, LL.D. 1523," 1535 4 

 Roland Threlkeld, last master, 1539, I543, 5 

 1548. 



The MS., entitled 'The Present State of the 

 Parish and Man' of Melmerby in Cumberland 

 from Mr. Singleton, Rector there, and sent to me 

 1 9 of June, 1677. T[homas] M[achel],' is bound 

 up in vol. vi. of the Machel collection in the 

 custody of the dean and chapter of Carlisle. As 

 Singleton's information was only traditional, his 

 facts should be accepted with great caution. 



3 On 5 December I5Z3, Thomas Lord Dacrc, 

 the founder of the college, appointed Thomas 

 Moyses, one of the five perpetual chaplains in the 

 said college, John Hering being at that time ' pro- 

 vost of the church of St. Oswald, Kirkoswald' 

 (Add. MS. 24965, f. I23b ; L. and P. Hen. nil. 

 iii. 3606). The college cannot have been founded 

 long before this date. 



Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v. 290. 



5 Mentioned in the First Fruits Composition 

 Books under 1539 and 1543 in connection with 

 the college of Kirkoswald ; rector of Halton in 

 Lancashire in 1542 (Jackson, Papers and Pedigrees, 

 ii. 295). Singleton confounded Halton with 

 ' Houghton in the Spring near Duresme ' as afore- 

 said. At the time of his death in 1565, Threlkeld 

 was rector of Melmerby and Dufton (Carl. Epis. 

 Reg., Best, f. 21). By his will proved at Carlisle 

 on 3 October 1565, he made certain bequests to 

 poor people in the parishes of Melmerby, Dufton, 

 Halton, Kirkoswald and Lazonby ; his body ' to be 

 buryed within the quere of the parish church of 

 Melmerby.' In his will the ancient phraseology 

 was maintained (Jackson, Papers and Pedigrees, ii. 

 306-12). 



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