RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



William Thirsk, who was at the head 

 of the house in 1526,^^ was evidently not a 

 great success. About 1530 ''^ the Earl of North- 

 umberland wrote through Thomas Arundel to 

 Cardinal Wolsey complaining of his bad rule, 

 and suggesting, with the evident approval of the 

 brethren, that if ' matter of deprivation ' could 

 be found, he should be removed from the abbacy 

 and a new election be made.^^ Thirsk, it appears, 

 was visitor-general of the Cistercian houses, and 

 when the Abbot of Rievaulx was deposed, the 

 king asked Thirsk to confirm the act. He 

 hesitated to undertake this and certain other 

 contingent matters,'^' and when afterwards he 

 took part in the ' Pilgrimage of Grace,' he was 

 tried and found guilty and was hanged at Tyburn 

 in 1537. Thirsk had resigned the abbacy on 

 20 January 1536 to Legh and Lay ton, who 

 accused him of incontinence and theft and 

 termed him an idiot, but promised him a pension 

 of 100 marks.^* After his enforced resigna- 

 tion he retired to the abbey of Rievaulx and 

 ' appears to have been partly persuaded to join the 

 Pilgrimage ' by hopes of regaining his abbacy.*' 



When the religious houses were visited, Foun- 

 tains of course was easily seen to be among 

 those not to be dissolved in the first instance. 

 The Dean of York and Edward the Abbot of 

 Rievaulx made an inventory of the abbey plate, 

 goods, &c., which is given in full by Burton '" 

 and the Surtees Society's publication.^^ The 

 total value of the plate was over ;^900, that in 

 the church alone being valued at ;^5I9 15^. 5^. 

 The number of cattle of various kinds is also 

 given. Of horned cattle there were 2,356, of 

 sheep 1,326, horses 86, swine 79. The total 

 annual revenue from various rents, &c., at this 

 time was j£i,239 ^^* Zh'^-y the outgoing 

 _^I23 Ss. ijd., and the dear remainder 

 j^ 1 , 1 1 5 iSs. 2dP 



The surrender of the abbey was made on 

 26 November 1539'' by Abbot Marmaduke 

 Bradley, the prior, and thirty brethren,'^* all priests. 

 On 28 November pensions were assigned to the 

 abbot (j^ioo), prior {£%) and monks (^^5 to 

 £6 13s. ^d.)P 



It was intended that the revenues of Fountains 

 should be applied to the foundation of a bishop- 

 ric of Fountains to include the archdeaconry of 



" Dugdale, Mon. Angl. v, 288. 



'* Ante 4 Nov. 1530, the date of Wolsey's arrest. 



^ Surt. Soc. Publ. xlii, 252. " Ibid. 260. 



«'Z,. and P. Hen. FIII,x, 137. 



«' Ibid, xiii (2), 500. ™ Mon. Ebor. 143-7. 



" Surt. Soc. Publ. xlii, 288-95. 



" Burton, Mon. Ebor. 146, 147. 



" Surt. Soc. Publ. Ixvii, p. x. 



"The number of monks varied. In 13 80-1 the 

 abbot was taxed at 10/. "j^d., thirty-three monks at 

 y. \d. each, and ten conversi at \s. each (Subs. R. 63, 

 no. 12). 



" Mon. Angl. v, 313. 



Richmond with jurisdiction over Lancashire. A 

 draft of the scheme,'* which embraced a bishop, 

 dean, six prebendaries, and six minor canons, 

 besides choristers and masters of the grammar and 

 song schools and other contemplated officers and 

 charges, estimated the total cost at ;^589 6j. Zd. 

 Allowances were also made for tentlis and first- 

 fruits, making the total ;^669 131. 9^. This, 

 together with the amount of pensions, 

 g^277 6j. 8ii., would nearly have exhausted the 

 * clear remainder' of the abbey revenues, which 

 was j£998 6i. %\dP But the scheme was not 

 consummated. 



Abbots of Fountains '' 



Richard, first abbot,'' elected 1132, died 



11398" 

 Richard, succeeded 1 139, died 1143^^ 

 Henry Murdac, succeeded 1 143, died 1153^^ 

 Maurice, succeeded 1 146, resigned 

 Thorold,*' succeeded 1 146, resigned''' 

 Richard,** died 1 1 70 

 Robert de Pipewell,** succeeded 11 70, died 



1179 

 William," died 1 1 90 

 Ralph Haget,^8 died 1203 

 John de Eboraco,*' elected 1203, died 1209°* 

 John Pherd," Bishop of Ely 1220 

 John de Cancia, succeeded 1220, died 1247 

 Stephen de Eston,'^ occurs 125 1-2, died 1252 

 William de AUerton, occurs 1256, died 1258 

 Adam, died 1259 

 Alexander, died 1265 

 Reginald, occurs 1268-9, died ^274 

 Peter AHng, elected 1275, resigned 1279'* 



" Aug. Off. P. xxiv, fol. 77. 



" Dugdale, Mon. Angl. v, 312. 



" This list is taken from Baildon's Mon. Notes except 

 where otherv/ise specified. 



" Surt. Soc. Publ xlii, 1 30. 



»» Buried at Rome (ibid.). «■ Ibid. 



°' Apparently held the primacy and abbacy con- 

 jointly. 



*' Maurice and Thorold were appointed by Arch- 

 bishop Murdac, and in the ' President's Book ' are not 

 called fourth and fifth abbots. Richard is called fourth 

 abbot. 



'* Thorold came from Rievaulx, to which he re- 

 turned after his resignation. 



^ Richard, like Maurice and Thorold, until 1 1 5 3 

 ruled the abbey ' under the Archbishop.' 



*° Formerly Abbot of Pipewell. 



*' Formerly canon of Guisborough and Abbot of 

 Newminster. 



*' Originally a soldier, Abbot of Kirkstall 1 182-90. 



*' ' President's Bk. ' Surt. Soc. Publ xlii, 1 54. 



'"Died 14 June 1209 {Surt. Soc. Publ xlii, 133), 

 Formerly Abbot of Louth Park. 



°' Called 'Johannes Elien ' in President's Bk. 



" Formerly cellarer of Fountains, afterwards Abbot 

 of Sawley and then Abbot of Newminster. 



'' ' Cessavit aut depositus fuit Petrus ' {_Surt. Soc. PubL 

 xlii, 139). 



[37 



