RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



When, some years afterwards, his grave ^^ was 

 opened, the archbishop's remains were said to be 

 found 'sweet-smelling and undecayed.'^^ 



The priory buildings were destroyed in the 

 Anarchy, and Gilbert de Gaunt, who had 

 claimed the estates but afterwards acknowledged 

 , himself in error,^' made compensation for the 

 demolition by a donation of property at South 

 Ferriby, L'ncs." About 1153, during the 

 rebuilding of the priory, the monks received a 

 temporal y residence at Broughton " from Alice 

 de Rumelli, and in 1159 this new house was 

 consecrated by Archbishop Roger.^' 



In 1 1 56 the priory of Monk Bretton, or 

 Lund, was founded as in some way subordinate 

 to the priory of Pontefract. DifSculties and 

 disputes soon arose between the two housesj and 

 were only finally settled by the renunciation of 

 the order of Cluny by Monk Bretton in 1280, 

 and its subsequent continuance as a Benedictine 

 Priory till the Dissolution. The subject is dealt 

 with more at length in the account of Monk 

 Bretton. 



Copies of a great number of charters are given 

 m the Monasticon " and in the Chartulary,^' and 

 the various possessions of the house are con- 

 sequently known in minute detail. A bull of 

 Pope Celestine, c. 1 190, also conferred the right 

 of interment on the priory, and gave to the 

 house, during the time of any general interdict, 

 the privilege of celebrating the Divine oiEces 

 with closed doors, in a low voice, without bells — 

 persons excommunicated and interdicted being of 

 course excluded from sharing such privilege.^' 



A charter was issued in 1229 by Archbishop 

 Walter Gray, dealing exclusively with the 

 'pensions' to be paid to St. John's by its 

 various churches : All Saints', Pontefract, 1 2 

 marks ; Darrington I mark ; Ledsham 6 marks ; 

 Kippax4i. ; Silkstone loo^. ; Slaidburn 6 marks, 

 and Catwick 3 marks.^" 



Evidently there was some disturbance in the 

 priorate in January 1268, for when Godfrey and 

 his convent presented ' Ralph the deacon ' to 

 Ledsham, no archiepiscopal inquisition was 

 ordered, as the prior and some of the canons 

 were excommunicated by authority of the 

 legate.^^ This same year, 1268, we are told 

 that certain of the monks had entered into the 

 monastery at Bretton.'^ 



" Before the altar in the Priory Church ; forks. 

 Arch. Rec. xxv, p. xxi. 



"John of Hexham, Hist. col. 268. 



" Torks. Arch. Rec. xxv, p. xx. 



"Ibid. "Ibid. 2. 



'^Dugdale, Mon. Angl. v, 118. 



" Ibid. 1 1 8 et seq. 



" Torks. Arch. Rec. xxv. 



" Lawton, Relig. Houses, 5 1 . 



*^ Torks. Arch. Rec. xxv, 73. 



"York Archiepis. Reg. Giffard, fol. 13. 



"Archbf. Gigard's Reg. (Surt. Soc), 27. 



3 I 



In 1277 the prior, Godfrey, with some of his 

 monks, and others, were charged with the deaths 

 of ' Thomas son of Raymond, Thomas de 

 Ireton, and Richard de Scauceby, monks.' An 

 inquiry was ordered to deal with the affair, the 

 king having been informed that appeals had been 

 maliciously procured against the prior.^' 



In 1279 a visitation of the Cluniac houses was 

 made, and on 18 September the Abbot of Cluny 

 and others came to the priory at Pontefract. At 

 that time the brothers numbered twenty-seven, 

 including the prior. It was found that the 

 monks were leading good lives, that the daily 

 offices were duly performed, the buildings in a 

 good state of repair, the church well appointed, 

 and the food sufficient till the next harvest. 

 When the prior entered upon his office, twelve 

 years before, the house was in debt to the extent 

 of 3,200 marks, but the liabilities had been 

 reduced to 350 marks or even less ; and, besides 

 this, the prior had obtained a small property of 

 2 carucates. It was also found that fifteen 

 years previously the priory had incurred an 

 obligation of 400 marks, the convent making 

 themselves liable for the amount to help the 

 brethren at Monk Bretton : such amount, 

 however, had been secured by bonds held from 

 the smaller house.^* 



Reference has been made to the pensions 

 received by the priory in 1229 from its 

 churches. By the year 1 29 1 things had 

 changed considerably. Vicarages had been or- 

 dained in some of the churches, and the old 

 pension system was being superseded, the monks 

 receiving a much greater proportion of the 

 revenues. The following comparison shows the 

 financial benefit which had accrued to the 

 priory : — 



1229 1291 



All Saints', Pontefract ^£800 ^30 o o 

 Ledsham ....400 10 o o 

 Silkstone ....500 57 6 8 

 Darrington ... o 13 4 13 6 8 

 Catwick" ...200 200'* 



In 1294 royal protection was granted to the 

 prior because he had given to the king a moiety 

 of his goods and benefices according to the taxa- 

 tion last made for a tenth for the Holy Land,^'' 

 and in 13 10 Guichard, the prior, was nominated 

 attorney for the Abbot of Cluny.^^ This same 

 Guichard was himself going ' beyond seas ' in 

 131 3, and received letters nominating attorneys 

 for him.^' 



"' Pat. 5 Edw. I, m. 5 d. 

 "Padgett, Pontefract, 48. 



" No vicarage had been ordained at Catwick ; the 

 pension therefore remained unchanged. 

 '^ Torks. Arch. Rec. xxv (pp. xxxii, xxxiii). 

 "Pat. 22 Edw. I, m. 27. 

 •» Ibid. 3 Edw. II, m. 9. 

 " Ibid. 7 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 20. 



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