A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



The clear annual value in 1535 was 

 ^^628 6s. 8d.^ The prior and convent paid ^^8 

 a year for a student at the university, and among 

 the reprises were alms, including the portion 

 of a canon daily given to thirteen poor persons 

 in bread, ale, and meat, in honour of the 

 Blessed Virgin for the souls of Robert de Brus, 

 the founder, and Agnes his wife, amounting 

 to lOOs. yearly. Also alms on the feast 

 of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

 (15 August), given in bread and meat to all poor 

 folk coming to the monastery, for the soul of 

 Robert de Brus, amounting to 60s. Alms at 

 the obit of Peter de Brus II for 1,000 poor, 

 66j. 8(/. yearly. Alms at the obit of William 

 de Brus, brother of the founder, 40^. Alms 

 given at the seven principal feasts for the soul 

 of Peter de Brus, in bread, viz., 7 quarters of 

 wheat, 461. Sd. Daily alms from Ash Wednes- 

 day to Maundy Thursday in feeding three poor 

 persons, 331. 4^. Alms on Maundy Thursday 

 in bread, money, and herrings, to thirteen poor 

 persons, 40J. Alms yearly given to thirteen 

 poor widows for the soul of Marjorie de Brus, 

 13 quarters of wheat, £4. 6s. 8d. Daily alms 

 during Lent, 3 quarters of peas, I2s. The whole 

 amounted to ^24 51. Sd. It can be easily under- 

 stood from this what a loss to the poor the disso- 

 lution of the larger monasteries must have been. 



At the Dissolution there were twenty-five 

 inmates of the house who received various pen- 

 sions, which were to begin on 25 March 1540. 

 When an inquiry was made in 1552 ^' Robert 

 Pursglove, the late prior, appeared, and complained 

 that he was in arrear a whole year. One of the 

 canons, Henry Alaynby, was deceased ; another, 

 Gilbert Harryson, appeared with his patent, and 

 was behind for half a year, ' and axed it and 

 they saied they had no money ' ; Christopher 

 Malton was said to be ' dwelling in Lyllye in 

 Hartforthshire ' ; John Harryson was 'behind 

 for a yere and a half at Michelmas last and 

 requyred payment j and Walter Whallay and he 

 {sic) answered that his bokes was at London and 

 when he saue his bokes he wold pay hym.' 

 Eight canons on the roll, besides Henry Alaynby, 

 did not appear, and eleven, including those above 

 mentioned, appeared with their patents, and 

 against seven no other entry is made to show 

 whether they were paid or not. 



It was at first proposed on the dissolution of 

 the priory to found a collegiate church of secular 



and which vyas removed at the ' reiteration ' of that 

 building by the late Mr. G. E. Street, see Tie Cathe- 

 aral Ch. of H0I1 Trinity, Dublin, by William Butler, 

 1 90 1, p. 10. Money payments were made on the 

 tomb (or shrine) of St. Alkelda in the nave of 

 Middleham Collegiate Church ; Richmond Prills (Surt. 

 Soc), izgn. The stone was removed at the la=t 

 ' restoration.' 



» Fawr Eccl. v, 80. 



" Exch. K.R. Accts. bdle. 76, no. 25. 



canons in its place." The scheme provided for 

 a dean, four prebendaries, six petty canons ' to 

 syng in the quier,' four singing men, six choris- 

 ters with a master, a gospeller and epistolcr, 

 and a grammar schoolmaster, a steward, auditor, 

 and four poor men. It need hardly be said that 

 the scheme only existed on paper. 



Priors of Guisborough " 



William de Brus, occurs temp. Archbishop 



Thurstan ^ 

 Cuthbert, occurs 1146-54 

 Ralph, occurs c. 1 1 74-80 

 Raold, occurs 1 1 99 

 Lawrence, occurs I2II-I2 

 Michael, occurs 1218-34 

 John, occurs 1239-51, 1257 

 Ralph de Irton, occurs 1262, elected Bishop 



of Carlisle 1280 

 Adam de Newland, occurs 1280 

 William de Middlesburg, elected 1281 

 Robert de Wilton, elected 1 3 20- 1 

 John de Derlington, elected 1346 

 John de Horeworth or Hurworth, elected 



1364, resigned 1393 

 Walter de Thorp, elected 1 393 

 John de Helmesley, occurs 1408 

 John Thweng, elected 1425 

 Richard Ayreton (Prior of Healaugh Park), 



elected 1437 

 Thomas Darlington, elected 1 45 5 

 John Moreby, elected 1475 

 John Whitby, resigned 149 1 and re-elected, 



resigned 1505 

 John Moreby (second time .''), elected 1505, 



blessed 1 5 1 1 '° 

 William Spires, elected 151 1 '° 

 James Cokerell, elected 15 19, occurs 1534 

 Robert Pursglove alias Sylvester, occurs 1537, 



1539 



The 12th-century seal" is a vesica, 2^ in. by 

 if in., with our Lady seated and reading from 

 a book on a lectern. The legend is — 



\if SIGILLVM SANCTE MARIE DE GISEBVRN 



" Henry FIlFs Scheme of Bishopricks (ed. Cole, 

 1838), fol. 44. 



'^ This list is taken from that in the Guisborough 

 Chartul. ii, Introd. pp. xxxix-xlvi, where authority is 

 given for each name and date. 



" It is said that he was brother of the founder, and 

 died in 1145. 40/. in alms were annually distributed 

 at the obit of William de Brus, brother of the founder : 

 Valor EccL v, 80. 



" Commission to John, Bishop of Negropont, to 

 bless John Moreby, Prior of Gisburn, 10 Sept. 1511; 

 York Archiepis. Reg. Bainbridge, fol. 23^. 



" Confirmation of the election of William Spires as 

 Prior of ' Gisburn,' 1 3 Dec. I 5 11 ; York Archiepis. 

 Reg. Bainbridge, fol. 24^. 



" Cat. of Seals, B.M. 3186, Ixxiv, 49. 



212 



