RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



was to receive a discipline until she showed 

 signs of true contrition. Avice de Lelle was 

 strictly forbidden to go outside the inner cloister 

 of the house, in any manner, or to talk to Robert 

 de Eton, chaplain, or any other secular person 

 whomsoever. She had confessed incontinence, and 

 was to undergo the penance appointed by the 

 rules of the order, and this was not to be miti- 

 gated until she had shown signs of true contrition 

 and amendment, concerning which the prioress 

 and convent were to certify the archbishop. 



On Thursday before the translation of St. 

 Thomas the Martyr in the same year,*^ the 

 archbishop again visited the house and a month 

 later (30 January) sent a series of injunctions 

 very similar to those of 13 14. As regards taking 

 boarders, the archbishop granted the prioress and 

 convent licence, on 21 May 1319," to take 

 Margaret de Tweng to board in the house, at 

 her own charges. 



Dissensions appear to have arisen again in the 

 following year, and the archbishop issued a 

 commission on 3 December 1319,^° inquiring as 

 to the rebellious nuns of the house of Keeling, 

 clamorous information having reached his ears 

 that certain of the nuns had laid aside the 

 obedience and devotion to which they were 

 bound by their vows and had intrigued for the 

 injury and confusion of the house and their 

 sister nuns. They had revealed the secrets of 

 the chapter to seculars and to adversaries outside.^^ 

 At the same time the archbishop wrote to Avice 

 de la More that he had learnt with a bitter 

 heart that she had broken her vow of obedience 

 in arrogancy and elation of heart towards her 

 prioress, who was placed in charge of her soul 

 and body, and without whom she had no proper 

 will.^' The archbishop exhorted her in the 

 Lord to desist from such behaviour, and study to 

 live according to rule. 



There is after this a long silence in the Registers 

 as to Nunkeeling, except records of the election 

 and confirmation of prioresses of the house. On 

 4 March 1444^* Archbishop Kemp wrote to 

 Joan Bramston, the prioress, on behalf of Alice 

 Dalton, one of the nuns who had been guilty of 

 immorality and had apostatized. She had 

 undergone a penance at Yedingham, where she 

 had exhibited much contrition, and now desired 

 to be received back at Nunkeeling, and this the 

 archbishop directed to be done. 



On 8 October 1487 " Archbishop Rotherham 

 granted licence to the prioress and convent to 

 celebrate yearly the day of the deposition of the 

 glorious confessor, St, John of Bridlington, as a 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Melton, fol. 273^. 

 » Ibid. fol. 276^ ■' Ibid. fol. 280. 



'Mbid. fol. 281. 



" ' Et sine qua velle non habes proprium.' 

 '* York Archiepis. Reg. Kemp, fol. 87. 

 " Ibid. Rotherham, i, fol. 78. 



double feast, and ordered 'officia divina de pro- 

 pria historia dicti gloriosi confessoris, ipso die 

 dicenda, legenda, et cantanda' in the monastic 

 church. 



Nunkeeling was one of the religious houses in 

 the county which for some unknown reason 

 escaped immediate dissolution with the rest, 

 being refounded by Letters Patent on 

 14 December 1537, but it surrendered in 1540.^" 

 The deed of surrender has no signature, but the 

 convent seal is attached. The last prioress, 

 Christine Burgh, or Brughe, belonged to the 

 Richmondshire family of that name, and after the 

 Dissolution she settled at Catterick, where she 

 survived till 1566. In her will ^^ she describes 

 herself as ' Cristine Burghe of Rychemond in 

 the countie of Yorke, gentylwoman, and laite 

 Priores of the laite dissolved nunrie of Nunkyl- 

 lyng,' and directs that her body is to be buried in 

 the choir of Richmond Church. One bequest is 

 to ' Isabell Bane, gentylwoman, some tym a sister 

 of Nunkyllyng,' to whom she left ' one old 

 ryall.' ^^ The total of her effects was valued at 

 £ij^ los. lod. 



In a list of the members of the convent which 

 seems to have been drawn up on 30 May 1536^' 

 ' Nonnekelyng ' is described as of the Order of 

 St. Benedict ; Joan Alanson, aged sixty, was 

 prioress, and the other nuns were : Cristine 

 Burgh (46), Agnes Hall (54), Alice Stapleton 

 (40), Margaret Sedgewick (46), Elizabeth Bayne 

 (40), Joan Mason (55), Isabella Mettam (36), 

 Alice Mason (36), Alice Thomlynson (36), 

 Dorothea Wilberfosse (25), and Joan Bowman 

 {26). They are described as ' All good religious 

 persons of good maner,' and against each name 

 is written in the margin ' religion,' indicating 

 that each desired to remain bound by her vows. 



In 1526 the house was valued 2.X.£q.i i^s.Gd."* 

 clear, and at the suppression at ^^35 15s. ^d.^^ 



Prioresses of Nunkeeling 



Avice, occurs 1250^^" 



Agnes de Beverley, confirmed 1267 ^' 



Agnes la Ruisse, occurs 1273,^' 1300^* 



"Burton, Man. Ebor. 385. 



" Richmondshire Wills (Surt. See), 191. 



"In 1548, when an inquiry was made as to the 

 payment of pensions, return is made, ' Cristen Burgh 

 of thage of Ix yeres pencion by yere vij li and is 

 paid,' of Isabell Bane the note is 'abest' ; Exch. K.R. 

 Accts. bdle. 76, no. 23. ' Isabell Beine ' was still in 

 receipt of her pension of 46/. 81/. in 1573 ; Yorks. 

 Arch. Joum. xix, 102. 



"Suppression Papers (P.R.O.), ii, 139. 



"S.P. Dom. 1526. (Return signed by Brian 

 Higdon.) 



"Burton, Mon. Ebor. 385. 



'*' Assize R. 1046, m. 62. 



»« Harl. MS. 6970, fol. 70. 



"Add. MS. 26736, fol. 174. 



'° Baildon, Mon. Notes, 163. 



21 16 



