A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



by the Scots, and to make new valuations, as 

 the abbey and benefices were unable to pay the 

 tenth on the old valuation.^ In 1 380-1 there 

 were, besides the abbot, nineteen monks,^' and 

 in 1393 twenty monks voted at the election of 

 the abbot.'" 



The monastery of Whitby, in common with 

 all other religious houses, was often engaged in 

 litigation. One of the most important disputes 

 in which Whitby was involved was with the newly- 

 founded priory of Guisborough, early in the I2th 

 century, respecting the tithes and parochial dues 

 of 1 2 carucates of land in the parish of Middles- 

 brough, which church had been given to Whitby 

 by Robert de Brus.'^ The canons of Guis- 

 borough claimed in right of their church of 

 Stainton, of which Middlesbrough Church was 

 a chapel only. The dispute was settled by 

 Robert de Brus, that the canons should receive 

 the tithes and dues of 6 carucates, and the monks 

 the dues of the others as belonging to their 

 church of Middlesbrough, which henceforward 

 was to be accounted a mother church, no longer 

 dependent on Stainton.'^ 



The Abbot of Whitby was a spiritual baron, 

 and certain of the abbots before Edward III 

 were summoned to Parliament.'' He had also 

 the use of the mitre and other pontifical insignia, 

 but at what time this privilege was conceded has 

 not been ascertained. It is alluded to in an 

 indult of Boniface IX of 1401 ''' to Thomas (de 

 Bolton) Benedictine Abbot of Whitby, to whom 

 and whose successors the use of the ring and 

 pastoral staff, as well as of the mitre, had been 

 granted, that they might also give solemn 

 benediction at table within the monastery and 

 elsewhere, provided no bishop or papal legate 

 were present. 



A few wills relating to the abbey of Whitby 

 may be mentioned. On 29 April 1479 John 

 Salman of Newbiggin, Yorkshire, bequeathed his 

 body to be buried in the quire of the monastery 

 of St. Peter and St. Hilda before the high altar 

 in a place selected by the abbot, and among his 

 executors he named Dominus Thomas Pickeryng, 

 Abbot of the monastery of Whitby.'* On 



" In the 'Taxatio' of Pope Nicholas, the tempor- 

 alities of Whitby according to the old taxation had 

 been £io<) lO-f-, and according to the 'nova taxatio' 

 were only £^0. 



'* Subs. R. 63, no. 12. 



" Young, Hisi. oflVkitbx, 391, n. 



'' He gave Middlesbrough Church on condition 

 that there should be certain of the monks ' qui Deo 

 et S. Hyldae de Wytebi deserviant ' ; Whitby Chartul. 

 95. Middlesbrough was afterwards the most import- 

 ant cell the abbey possessed. 



" Young, Hist, of Whitby, 327. [An account of 

 the ' disputes and agreements ' of the abbey is given 

 by Dr. Young, op. cit. chap, xi.] 



" Burton, Uon. Ebor. 81. 



" Cal. of Pct>.-1 Letters, v, 398. 



" Reg. of Wills, York, iv, fol. 170. 



10 July 1474 Nicholas Langechester, burgess of 

 Scarborough, bequeathed 2;. nove fabrice monasteni 

 de Whitby?^ On 12 October 1474 Dompnus 

 John Nyghtyngale, rector of Sneaton, bequeathed 

 his body to be buried in his monk's habit in 

 the church of St. Peter and St. Hilda, Whitby 

 (in which house he had been professed), in the 

 north part of the church. This is interesting as 

 a case where a Benedictine monk had been 

 appointed to a secular cure." 



The abbey was surrendered by Henry Davell, 

 the abbot, and the convent on 14 December 

 1539,'* the clear annual value being estimated 

 in the Valor Ecclesiasticus at ;^437 2s. 9^/." 



Priors of Whitby 



Reinfrid c. 1078 



Serlo de Percy, before 1087 



Abbots of Whitby*" 



William de Percy,*' occurs 1109 



Nicholas,*" died 1 139 



Benedict,*' resigned 1148 



Richard I, succeeded 1 148,** died 1 175 



Richard II*' (de Waterville) succeeded 1 1 77 



Peter,*' before 1 1 90, died 1 2 1 1 



(A vacancy of three years) 



John de Evesham,*' appointed 1214, died 1222 

 Roger de Scardeburg,**" 1223, died 1244 

 John de Staingrave, (sub-prior) succeeded 



1245,*' resigned 1258*'° 

 William de Brineston, 1259,'" died 1265 ^'^ 

 Robert de Langetoft," 1265, died 1278 

 William de Kirkham,'^ 1278, died 1304 

 Thomas de Malton, 1304,'" resigned 1322" 

 Thomas de Hawkesgarth, 1322," resigned 



1355" 



"Ibid. fol. 217. " Ibid. fol. 223/5. 



" L. and P. Hen. VIII, xiv (2), 683. 



^ Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 83. 



*° According to the story of Stephen, Abbot of York, 

 he succeeded Reinfrid first as prior and was then made 

 abbot. As to this see the history of the abbey. 



" Whitby Chartul. 239 (no. 382). 



" Charlton, Hist. Whitby, 86. 



« Whitby Chartul. 8. 



** Ibid. I o ; formerly Prior of Peterborough. 



" Ibid. 



" Burton, Mon. Ebor. 80 ; Young, Hist. Whitby, 264. 



*' Dugdale, Mon. Angl. i, 407. " Ibid. 



*' Pat. 29 Hen. Ill, m. 4. 



''^ Cal. Pat. 1258-66, p. 7. 



'^ Ibid. 8. «^ Dugdale, Mon. Angl. i, 407. 



" The first Abbot of Whitby summoned to Parlia- 

 ment, ibid. 



" Ibid. 



" Proclamation of an election, 7 Kal. Nov. I 304, of 

 an Abbot of Whitby, no name given, York Archiepis. 

 Reg. sed. vac. fol. 43. 



" Ibid. Melton, fol. 239^. 



" Ibid. " Ibid. Thoresby, fol. 73^. 



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