RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



proceeds as she liked. Further, the roofs and 

 walls of the buildings were dilapidated. A list 

 of the debts follows, and the nuns proceeded to 

 say unanimi voce that when the prioress was 

 elected there were ten pairs of sheets of good 

 linen, but they were destroyed and the prioress 

 had had no new sheets made during her time. 

 They had only two albs, one of these was turned 

 to secular use for sifting flour and was often 

 found on the beds of the lay folk in the 

 stable. They also complained that the prioress 

 sold four large trees since the last visitation, 

 without consulting the nuns. The prioress had 

 received from the executors of Henry Erden 

 2 marks to pray for his soul, and she concealed 

 this from her sisters. A new vestment was 

 pawned by the prioress, in consequence of 

 which it had been soiled and was worthless and 

 had not been hallowed. A financial statement 

 is added, showing the receipts and expenditure 

 for the first three years of the prioress's term of 

 ofKce, viz. : in the first year, receipts £2.2 "js. dd., 

 expenditure £2"] 6j. 8^. Second year, receipts 

 j^25 35., expenditure ;^40. Third year, receipts 

 £^2b gs. 6d., expenditure £2"/ y. 



The action which was taken as a result of 

 these revelations is not recorded, but it is reason- 

 able to presume that it must have resulted in the 

 deposition of the prioress. 



In 1444 Archbishop Kemp ^ granted an 

 indulgence for two years to all who should assist 

 towards the repairs of the house of Arden, and 

 on 5 May 1459^* Archbishop William Booth 

 wrote from London to the nuns, saying that he 

 had heard that the office of prioress was vacant 

 by the death of the late prioress, and he directed 

 them to proceed without delay to the election of 

 her successor. Owing to the distance and the 

 inaccessible position of Arden he had deputed 

 the official of Cleveland to act in his stead. 

 There is again a long break, and it is only at 

 the time of the Dissolution that we obtain any 

 more information as to Arden.^' 



The commissioners supervised the priory on 

 8 May 1536, and it was suppressed on 

 25 August following.'" There were then six 

 sisters : three received pensions of 20s. each, two 

 lOs. each, and one 6s. 8d. The sum of 4.0s. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Kemp, fol. 90. 



=" Ibid. W. Booth, fol. 65. 



'"On I Oct. 1527 Sir Ninian Markenfield, or 

 Markingfield, kt., in his will says : ' I yeve to the 

 Priores of Arden and the Covente of the same, where 

 I am founder, to pray for my sail and all Cristen 

 salles x"" (Test. Ebor. v, 233). From the will of 

 John Storer (4 Aug. 1506) we learn that there were 

 then a prioress and seven sisters at Arden iXork. Reg. 

 of Wills, vi, 165^). On 3 Mar. 1490 William 

 Bonester, chaplain of the monastery of Arden, 

 bequeathed his body to be buried in the church of 

 the monastery of St. Andrew of Arden iXork. Reg. oj 

 Wills, v, 444). 



'" Aug. Off. Views of Accts. bdle. 1 7. 



was granted to one of the sisters, Elizabeth John- 

 son, who was deaf and over eighty years of age, 

 towards her sustenance. Fourteen servants and 

 two boys were in the service of the nuns. All 

 the plate which the house then possessed was a 

 gilt chalice, weighing 14^ oz., and a flat piece 

 of white silver, weighing 8 oz., and there were 

 two bells in the * campanile,' valued together at 

 lOJ. In 1 291 the priory of ' Erdern ' was 

 rated at ;^io.^''* The clear value of the house 

 according to the Valor of 1535 was only 

 j^i2 OS. bd.^"^ The nuns also had an image 

 of St. Brigit, to which women made offerings for 

 cows that had strayed, or which were ill.'^ 



A corrody had been granted in 1524 to Alice 

 widow of William Berre of ' Sonlow Coytt ' for a 

 payment of ;^I2.'^ She was to have ' mett and 

 drynke as their convent hath ' at their common 

 table, or, when sick, in her own room, also * on 

 honest chambr with sufficient fyer att all tyme, 

 with all such sufficient apperell as shalbe nedful.' 

 Alice Berre (or Birrey as she is there called) 

 was living in 1536, when she received 685. ^d. 

 as part payment for the commutation of her 

 corrody.^' Another corrody was granted to the 

 nuns' chaplain.'* ' For the gud and diligent 

 seruice y' oure wellbe loued sir thomas parkyn- 

 son, preste, hav done to vs in tyme paste,' they 

 granted him for his natural life a corrody, or 

 annual rent, viz. : that he shall have ' by yere, 

 and yeres, meitt and drinke at the table of the 

 forsaid prioress ' and annual wages of 40J. 

 ' with one leueray gown of the walew or price 

 of 13J. 4.d, ' Also, we assygne unto the said sir 

 thomas, one chambre, next unto the frater, with 

 vij laides of Wode, and we grante to y' said sir 

 thomas parkynson, to have every weke vnto his 

 chambre three louffes of wheit brede, and ij 

 gallons of the beste aile. And forther, we grante 

 vnto hyme, yerly, the gressing of one horse in 

 summer tyme, and hay, prouender, letter, and 

 stable rowme, in wynter tyme, lykwyse as the 

 prioress, or cowent horse, for the tyme, with 

 shone and naleses to the said horse.' The deed 

 is dated 18 May 1529. In 2 and 3 Philip and 

 Mary '* Thomas Parkynsonne was receiving 

 annually 56;. 8^. in commutation of this 

 corrody. 



Prioresses of Arden 



Muriel,'' occurs 11 89 

 Agatha," occurs 1242 



'"'Po/ie Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 305^. 

 ""> Op. cit. (Rec. Com.), v, 86. 

 " L. and P. Hen. Fill, x, 137, &c. 

 " Conventual Leases (P.R.O.), Yorks. no. 5. 

 ^ Aug. Off. Views of Accts. bdle. 1 7. 

 " Conventual Leases (P.R.O,), Yorks. no.-4. 

 ^ Dugdale, Mon. Angl. iv, 285 n. 

 '° Ibid. no. ii : occurs as 'M.' in 1187 : Egerton 

 MS. 2823, fol. 3 id. 



" Dugdale, op. cit. iv, 286, no. iv. 



"5 



