RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



on-Tyne the respective sums of 12 marks and 

 6 due for certain victuals sold to them by the 

 late king. 18 



15. THE AUSTIN FRIARS OF BARNARD 

 CASTLE 



It is thought that there was at one time a 

 house of Friars Hermits of St. Austin at Barnard 

 Castle. The provincial of that order obtained 

 leave of Archbishop Neville in 1381, the see of 

 Durham being vacant, to build a friary and 



chapel upon ground given by Thomas Beau- 

 champ, earl of Warwick, in his lordship of 

 Barnard Castle, 19 but it is not known whether 

 this took effect. 30 There was, however, until 

 lately an old building on the east side of Thorn- 

 gate which had the appearance of a religious 

 house, and which was not otherwise accounted 

 for, and this may possibly have been the friary. 

 Round a bow window was cut in the square 

 character, ' Soli Deo honor et gloria,' the letter- 

 ing corresponding with the above date. The 

 back part of the building formed a square." 



HOSPITALS 



1 6. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GILES, 

 KEPIER 



The hospital at Kepier, near Durham, was 

 founded in 1112 by Bishop Flambard, who 

 dedicated it to God and St. Giles, and endowed 

 it with his vill of Caldecotes l with its appurten- 

 ances ; the mill of Milneburn ; and two sheaves 

 of corn from every carucate of his demesnes of 

 Newbottle, Houghton, Wearmouth, Ryhope, 

 Easington, Sedgefield, Sherburn, Quarrington, 

 Newton, Chester, Washington, Boldon, Cleadon, 

 Whickham, and Ryton. 1 



When Cumin contended with Bishop William 

 de St. Barbara for the possession of the bishopric 

 of Durham, the bishop with Conyers and his 

 men took refuge for a time in St. Giles' Church, 

 which they fortified. Failing to obtain an en- 

 trance into Durham they retired (1144) to 

 Bishopton, and Cumin ravaged the country and 

 burnt down the church and hospital of St. Giles.* 

 It is evident from Simeon's account of these 

 events that the hospital then stood on the hill, 

 close to the church ; when Bishop Pudsey re- 

 built it some years later, 4 he chose a lower site 

 on the right bank of the Wear at some distance 

 from the church,' for the sake, probably, of 

 shelter and a good water-supply. 



Bishop Pudsey ordained that the fraternity 

 should consist of a master and thirteen brethren 

 under the usual monastic vows. Six of them 

 were to be chaplains, one acting as confessor, 



" Pat. 3 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 14. This appears to 

 be the only evidence of this house, unless the ' House 

 of the Friars Preachers of Jarue,' which is mentioned 

 in a document dated c. 1283, be the same. (Hist. 

 MSS. Com. Rep. iv, 444.) Mr. Riley in the report 

 says that this is Jarrow ; but whenever ' Jarue ' occurs 

 elsewhere it means Yarm in Yorkshire. In the will 

 of William le Vavasour, amongst a number of bequests 

 to religious houses in co. York, occurs one to the 

 ' Friars Preachers of Jar',' presumably Yarm. 



19 See Hutton's extracts from Neville's Register. 



10 Tanner, Notit. Manas. Dur. iii. 



" Hutchinson, Hist. Dur. iii, 250. 



1 Feod. Prior. Dun. (Surt. Soc.), 77. 



while the remaining seven were to under- 

 take the respective duties of steward, keeper of 

 the tanyard, baker, miller, granger, keeper of 

 the stock, and receiver or attorney-general of the 

 house. Provision was made for an infirmary, a 

 common dormitory, and a common hall ; also 

 for an annual supply of decent clothing to all 

 the brethren, with boots twice a year for the 

 chaplains ; and for the others, who had more 

 active employments, footgear of a more service- 

 able kind ('socularibus cum coreis ligatis') as 

 often as might be required.* 



Bishop Pudsey confirmed Flambard's founda- 

 tion and endowment, and added the vill of 

 Clifton. He exempted St. Giles' Church, which 

 had been originally built to serve as a chapel to 

 the hospital, from archidiaconal control, and 

 confirmed the possessions of the house in 

 Weardale, viz. a lead mine, an iron mine, a 

 toft, certain tithes, and pasture for all the 

 cattle. 7 



During his episcopate Gilbert the chamberlain 

 gave the brethren leave to make their mill-dam 

 and mill-pool on his land near the new site ; 8 

 Gilbert Hansard gave the vill of Amerston 

 [Aymundeston] and 5 oxgangs in Hurworth for 

 the support of a chaplain to pray for his soul and 

 the souls of his kindred ; * and Stephen the 

 chaplain gave all his land at Southcroft in Giles- 

 gate. 10 By a charter, the date of which is not 

 known, Guy of Hutton granted lands in Hutton 

 to the hospital, but these were subsequently 

 transferred to Finchale Priory. 11 By various 



1 Found. Chart, printed, Mem. of St. Giles' (Surt. 

 Soc.). 



1 Sim. Dun. Hist. Coat. (Rolls Ser.), 151-9. 



4 After 1153. 



' See chart, printed, Mem. of St. Gilet (Surt. Soc.), 



'95- 



* ' Ordinatio Hospitalis de Kepicr," printed by 

 Hutchinson, ///V/. Dur. ii, 301. 



' Pudsey's Charters II, iii, Mem. of St. Giles" (Surt. 

 Soc.), 196, 199. 



Ibid. 202. * Ibid. 198. w Ibid. 206. 

 " Chart, printed, Priory of Finchale (Surt. Soc.), 



100. 



Ill 



