RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Among the suppression papers is a list of the 

 nuns, which has been subsequently altered at a 

 date three years later, as the ages of some of the 

 nuns are altered and made three years older.^^ 

 This is the case with similar lists of the immates 

 of other houses. The names of twelve nuns are 

 given, and they are said to be * all of good lifFyng.' 

 In the first draft Katherine Chapman, aged forty- 

 eight, is mentioned as prioress, but the name has 

 been crossed out and ' Agnes Bekwith prioress 

 46,' is written at the top of the list. The names 

 of two others are also struck out : either they had 

 left the house, or were dead. It seems as if the 

 list had been used for checking purposes, as one 

 of the nuns (Dorothea Ryght), whose age had 

 already been changed from thirty to thirty-three, 

 was afterwards struck through. 



There is a note that Henry Wylkynson, the 

 nuns' chaplain, had his appointment by way of a 

 corrody granted 10 April 1526 by Katherine, 

 prioress ' of the monastery of oure lady sant 

 Mary of Thykhed of Sannt Benett ordre,' and 

 that he during his life shall ' abyde and continue 

 styll in service as chapleyn in ye said priory.' ^^ 



In the reign of Edward VI complaint was 

 made that many of the pensions promised to the 

 ex-religious had not been paid. Inquiry was 

 made, and in the East Riding return made in the 

 sixth year of his reign (1552-3), the names of 

 seven ex-nuns of Thicket are given.^' In this it 

 is only definitely stated that one of the number, 

 Margaret Swale, had received the money due to 

 her. In 1573 Agnes Beckwith alone survived,'^* 

 when she received her pension of ^^6 13^. 4(/., 

 12s., however, being deducted as a subsidy paid 

 to the queen. 



There is no valuation of Thicket Priory in the 

 Taxatio of 1 292. In the Valor Ecclesiastkus the 

 total revenues were j^23 I2x. 2d., and the clear 

 annual value £20 i8f. 4^/.^* The house pos- 

 sessed no spiritualities, its property lay in West 

 Cottingwith with Thorganby, Sutton-on- 

 Derwent, Norton, Sand Hutton, Wheldrake, 

 Escrick, Green Hammerton, York City (two 

 parva cotagia), Spaldington and AUerthorpe.^' 



Prioresses of Thicket 



Sibilla, ^' occurs 1 2 1 8 

 Eva,^* occurs 1231 



" The original date of the Thicket list seems to 

 have been 13 June 28 Hen. VIII (1536), which has 

 been ahered to 27 Aug. 31 Hen. VIII (1539); Sup- 

 pression P. (P.R.O.), ii, 48. 



" Ibid. 58. 



" Exch. K.R. Accts. bdle. 76, no. 23. 



" Torks. Arch. Joum. xix, 100-4. ^^^ '^^^ ^P' 

 parently forty-six years of age in 1539; Suppression P. 

 (P.R.O.), ii, 48. 



" Op. cit. v, 94. 



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



" Feet of F. Hil. 3 Hen. Ill, file 141, no. 53. 



" Ibid. East. 15 Hen. Ill, file 23, no, 19. 



Joan, occurs 1280-1304," 1306^" 



Alice de Alverthorpe," confirmed 1309 



Elizabeth del Haye,^^ appointed 1335 



Hawise,'^ occurs 141 2 



Alice Darwent,^^ occurs 1432 



Beatrice," occurs 1479 



Mary Dawson,^* occurs 1497 



Katherine Chapman, a nun of St. Clement's 



York, confirmed 1525,^^ occurs 1535^* 

 Agnes Beckwith '^ 



18. THE PRIORY OF WILBERFOSS 



It is not evident when, or by whom, the 

 priory of St. Mary Wilberfoss was founded. 

 Leland states ^ that Alan of Catton was the 

 founder, and in a confirmation in 1464^ by 

 George, Duke of Clarence, at that time patron 

 and founder, it is said that Alan gave his hall 

 {aula) in Wilberfoss, and all other lands. Alan's 

 charter is, however, preceded by one by Jordan 

 son of Gilbert, who granted the nuns the church 

 of Wilberfoss with its chapel of Newton and 

 7 bovates of land. In neither case is any definite 

 date indicated, but the confirmation of Jordan's 

 gift of the church of Wilberfoss by his overlord, 

 William de Percy, is addressed to Henry,' Arch- 

 bishop of York (who died in 1153), and the 

 ratification was granted by Archbishop Roger,* 

 who succeeded in 11 54- 



Henry II confirmed the gifts to the nuns, as 

 their charters testified, and Henry III in 1227 

 confirmed several other grants of land fully 

 specified. In 1282-3 ° Archbishop Wickwane 

 wrote to the nuns that he had learnt from public 

 report that they had burdened their house at the 

 instance of great persons by receiving nuns, and 

 taking secular women and girls as boarders. 

 This he strictly forbade. On 7 May 1294^ 

 Archbishop Romanus committed the custody of 

 the house to Robert, rector of Sutton-on-Der- 

 went. 



A visitation of Wilberfoss was held by com- 

 missioners of Archbishop Greenfield in 1308,^ 

 and the archbishop sent a decretum, much of 



" Burton, Mon. Ebor. 192-280 ; Baildon, Mon. 

 Notes, i. 



" Baildon's MS. Notes. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Greenfield, fol. 1 1 %b. 



" Ibid. Melton, fol. 323. 



" Baildon's MS. Notes. " Ibid. 



" Reg. Corpus Christi Guild, Tork, 104. 



« Ibid. 145. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Wolsey, fol. 82. 



" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 94. 



" L. and P. Hen. nil, xv, p. 551. 



' Dugdale, Mon. Angl. iv, 354. 



' Ibid. 356, no. V. ' Ibid. 



* Ibid. 355, no. ii. 



' York Archiepis. Reg. Wickvcane, fol. 20, 175. 



° Ibid. Romanus, fol. ()']b. 



' Ibid. Greenfield, fol. 95. 



25 



