A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



lined with ' fiches,' and a gilded girdle, with 

 white tissue, to be sold, and a vestment bought 

 with the proceeds for ' Abbathie de Hashold.' 

 She also left a pair of coral beads adorned with 

 ' calsedons ' to be sold and the proceeds to be 

 expended on ' the payntyng of an ymage of our 

 lady de pete at the Abba of Hassholde.' Yet a 

 third Joan Ward, the relict of Roger Ward, the 

 elder, of Givendale, kt., appears at this period. 

 She made her will 14 November I473,"and left 

 her body to be buried ' infra ecclesiam religiosam 

 Abbathie de Esholt,' with 20s. to the prioress and 

 convent. In 1497^' Joan Ward, the prioress, 

 resigned, and on 30 August Elizabeth Lasynby 

 was elected as her successor. 



I" 1535 ^° Dr. Clyf, vicar-general of the arch- 

 bishop, visited Esholt, and on 10 September the 

 archbishop sent the prioress and convent a long 

 list of injunctions in the English language. All 

 the nuns were to be obedient to their prioress 

 and observe 'Sanct Bennett rule which they have 

 professid.' The prioress was to provide at once 

 sufficient locks and keys for the cloister doors, and 

 the doors were to be securely locked every night 

 immediately after compline, and not opened again 

 till seven o'clock the next morning in winter, or six 

 in summer. A noteworthy order follows, ' that 

 the prioresse suffer no ale-house to be kept within 

 the precinct of the gates of the saide monasterie.' 

 Apparently the nuns at Esholt brewed more ale 

 than they needed and sold the surplus. The 

 dorter was to be locked every night ' unto service 

 tyme.' No manner of person ' of what degre so- 

 ever he be seculer or religiose ' was to be allowed 

 'to lie, or to be loged ' within the cloister, or any 

 chamber opening into it. No sister was to go 

 out of the precinct of the monastery without some 

 just cause, and the prioress was to cause some part 

 of St. Bennett's rule to be read daily in the 

 chapter-house, in the presence of all the sisters. 



At the back of certain chambers where the 

 sisters worked on the south side of the church, 

 there was an open way leading to the waterside 

 and to the bridge across the water. There was 

 no wall or door to shut it off, ' so that manyylles 

 may be committed by reason hereof; wherfore 

 in avoydyng such inconveniences that myght 

 follow yf it shuld so remayne ' the prioress was 

 ordered ' incontinent without delay aftre the 

 recept herof ' to cause a high wall to be built ' in 

 the said voyde place.' 



The archbishop then dealt with the case of 

 ' Dame Joanne Hutton nun professed ' who ' con- 

 tarie to her profession and vowe made to all 

 mighty God, to the great daunger of her sowle, 

 and yll example of odre religious parsons, hath 

 lyved incontinentlie and unchast, and hath broght 

 forth a child of her bodie begotten.' The arch- 



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

 " York Archiepis. Reg. Rotherham, i, fol. 135^. 

 '* These injunctions are printed in full in nrh. 

 Arch. Journ. xvi, 451-3. 



162 



bishop therefore, ' willinge to reformc the same 

 horrible crime,' enjoined the prioress to put ' dame 

 Joanne ' in prison, or in some secret chamber 

 within the dorter, and that neither the sisters nor 

 any person was to speak to her without leave of 

 the prioress. She was to ' kepe abstinence ' every 

 week, viz. on each Wednesday and Friday to have 

 bread and ale only, and abstain from all flesh, fish, 

 butter, eggs, cheese, and milk. On other days 

 she was to eat 'as the convent fareth.' Each 

 Friday she was to have in the presence of the 

 sisters such discipline in the chapter-house ' as ys 

 accustomed to be hadd and done for like offences' '' 

 and the prioress was to keep her in prison and 

 continue the penance for two years, unless the 

 archbishop directed otherwise. 



At the time of the Suppression there were 

 eleven nuns.^' Joan Jenkynson, aged forty, the 

 prioress, heads the list, and received a pension of 

 £6 1 35. 4^. Her name is followed by that of 

 Elizabeth Pudsey, also called ' prioress ' (that is 

 the ex-prioress) ; she was over seventy and is 

 described as 'decrepita et non abilis adequitandum, 

 neque eundum, ben recommendid to hir friends'; 

 Agnes Bayn (52) ; Agnes Cokyn (47) ; Joan 

 Hollynraker (?) (54) ' decrepita et non abilis ad 

 equitandum, neque eundum. Md. she is not 

 able to be carried for she is lame, contynew in her 

 habit with her friends'; Elizabeth Mawde (47) ; 

 Barbara Dogeson (36) ; Joan Huton (30) ; 

 Joan Burton (27) ; Agnes Wood (27) ; Agnes 

 Dogeson (40). Against each name (except those 

 of the prioress and the ex-prioress) is written 

 ' contynew in her religion ' or simply ' conty- 

 new.'" 



The clear annual value of the house in 1535 

 was only ;^i3 5^. ^d.^^ 



Prioresses of Esholt 



Agnes, occurs 1219^^ 



Alice, occurs 1299°^^ 



Juliana de la Wodehall,^^ confirmed 1300 



Joan de Hartlington ^^ 



Isabella de Calverley,^* elected 13 1 5, occurs 



1327," i3492« 

 Isabella de Calverley,^' elected 1363 

 Maud Ward,'* occurs 1392 

 Emma Porter,''* occurs 141 6 

 Emma Burgh, occurs 1459''' 



" Surely a significant expression. 



" Suppression P. ii, fol. 25, 34, 238 d. 



" Dugdale, Mon. Angl. v, 470. 



" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 16. 



" Baildon, Mon. Notes, i, 57. '"Ibid. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Corbridge, fol. 6b. 



" Burton, Mon. Ebor. 140. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Greenfield, ii, fol. 89. 



" Add. Chart. 16906. 



" Dugdale, Mon. Angl. v, 470, no. i. 



" Ibid, v, 470. 



"Add. Chart. 1 7 105. " Ibid. 17093. 



"" Baildon, Mon. Notes, i, 57. 



