RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



archbishop's letter in the mother tongue in 

 chapter, he was to admonish the two nuns for 

 the first, second, and third times, that they must 

 humbly obey their prioress in all lawful and 

 canonical injunctions, monitions, and commands. 

 They were not to meddle with any internal or 

 external business of the house in any way, nor 

 were they to go outside of the inclosure of the 

 monastery, or to say anything against their prior- 

 ess, under pain of expulsion and of the greater 

 excommunication. 



Archbishop Greenfield died on 5 Decem- 

 ber 131 S>^' and on 13 February following the 

 dean and chapter directed the nuns to elect a 

 new prioress in place of Emma de Stapelton, 

 who had resigned, oppressed by age.^* It is a 

 curious comment on the vigorous action of the 

 archbishop only a short time before, to find that 

 one of the two nuns whom he had so severely 

 censured was elected as the new prioress. Emma 

 de Ebor' was now confirmed in office for the 

 second time on 7 March 1315.^' Mary de 

 Holm, who had been reproved as a disobedient 

 nun, transgressed more seriously, and on 6 June 

 1318'° Archbishop Melton wrote to the prioress 

 and convent directing them to compel Mary de 

 Holm to imdergo the penance enjoined her for 

 the vice of incontinence committed by her with 

 Sir William Lyly, chaplain. The new arch- 

 bishop had previously visited the house, and on 

 4 May 1317^^ had addressed a number of in- 

 junctions to the nuns, but they are all couched 

 in general terms and do not reveal anything in 

 particular relating to Keldholme. 



After this the Registers '^ tell very little about 

 Keldholme, and nothing is known as to its 

 external history. One of the elections, that of 

 20 August 1467,'' is described rather fully. 

 There were then eight nuns in the house, viz. 

 Katherine Anlaby (the late prioress), Elizabeth 

 Browne, Alice Nor ton, Agnes Wright, Christiana 

 Redesdale^ Joan Fleshewer, and Margaret 

 Talbot. They met in chapter, and having sung 

 Veni Creator Spiritus, delegated the election for 

 fifteen days to Archbishop Rotherham, who 

 appointed Elizabeth Davell, at that time Prioress 

 of Basedale. 



"Le Neve, Fasti Eccl. Angl. (ed. Hardy), iii, 105. 



"York Archiepis. Reg. sed. vac. fol. 91. 



''Ibid. ^» Ibid. Melton, fol. 2 3 23. "Ibid. 



" Mr. W. Brown has printed {JTorks. Arch.Journ. xvi, 

 4.56) an account of the penance imposed 20 July 1 3 2 1 

 by Archbishop Melton (York Archiepis. Reg. Melton, 

 fol. 2363) on Maud of Terrington, an apostate nun of 

 Kddholme, who here seems to have lapsed morally, 

 besides apostatizing. She was to have a cell apart 

 From the others, was to stand during the quire offices, 

 tvas to fast on bread and pulse on Wednesdays, and 

 bread and water on Fridays, was to be flogged bare- 

 footed round the cloister, was to offer herself to be 

 spurned by the nuns, wear no ' camisia,' or black 

 veil, and was to recite two psalters, &c., weekly. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Rotherham, i, fol. 1 64. 



The royal commissioners visited Keldholme on 

 8 June 1 53s J and the house was suppressed on 

 5 or 7 August following.'* There were then 

 five nuns besides the prioress. Sir John Potter '* 

 the chaplain, and twelve servants and boys. In the 

 account of Leonard Beckwith, from Michaelmas 

 153s to Michaelmas 1536, a parcel-gilt chalice 

 and paten weighing together 6 ounces, and 

 two bells valued at lox. are accounted for.'* 

 Under ' Surperstitio ' Drs. Legh and Layton 

 reported that there was a piece of the true cross 

 at Keldholme, and a finger of St. Stephen which 

 was wont to be offered ' parturientibus.' " 



There are no Ministers' Accounts of the 

 house, and all that is known as to its revenues 

 about this time is obtained from the Valor 

 Ecclesiasticus,^^ where they are set down at 

 £2() ds. id. 



Prioresses of Keldholme 



Sibil, occurs temp. Henry I '° 



K occurs 1208-9 *" 



Basilia, occurs November 1208*^ 



Ellen, c. 1260 (?)*^=' 



Beatrice de Crendale, resigned 1293-4*^ 



Emma de Stapelton, confirmed 1293-4,^* 

 resigned 1301 " 



(Name unknown, elected 1301," died 1307) 



Emma de Ebor, appointed April 1308," re- 

 signed August 1308 *' 



Joan de Pykering, appointed August 1308,** 

 resigned March 1308-9*^ 



Emma de Stapelton (second time), confirmed 

 1308-9,^° resigned 1315-16" 



Emma de Ebor (second time), confirmed 

 1315-16^^ 



"K.R. Aug. Off. Views of Accts. bdle. 17. 



^ By an ' endentur,' 3 Feb. 1 532-3 ' dame Elsabeth 

 Dauel piiores off the monastery off oure lady of Keld- 

 holme ' and the convent granted Sir John Potter a 

 yearly rent for life, and also ' comon of paster for on 

 horse to go at rughtbarth in somer and sufficient hay 

 and provanter for on horse off the said John to rydde 

 on in wenter in the nedful besenes of the house ' alsa 

 two chambers ' called the chaplen chamber wher in 

 the said Sir John now lith and sufficient fuell called, 

 fier wode yerly to be takyn with in ther woddes att 

 Keldholme foresaid,' &c. ; Conventual Leases, York 

 (P.R.O.), no. 322. 



'"K.R. Aug. Off. Views of Accts. bdle. 17. 



"L. and P. Hen. Vlll, x, p. 137 et seq. 



'»Op. cit. V, 145. 



'° Burton, M«». Ebor. 380 n. 



" Baildon, Mon. Notes, i, 98. 



" Torks. Fines, John (Surt. Soc), 152. 



"»Cott. MS. Claud. D, xi, fol. 3. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Romanus, fol. 5 7. 



«Ibid. fol. 35. 



"Ibid. Corbridge, slip between fol. 24 and 25. 



« Ibid. " Ibid. Greenfield, fol. 89.. 



" Ibid. fol. 92. ''Ibid. 



"Ibid. fol. 95^. "Ibid. 



" Ibid. sed. vac. fol. 91. " Ibid. 



69 22 



