RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Archbishop Melton visited Healaugh in 

 1320,'"' on which occasion he ordered his pre- 

 decessor's decretum to be read in chapter and 

 diligently observed. As he found the monastery 

 heavily charged with debts, pensions, corrodies, 

 and liveries, the prior and all the officials were 

 to use all possible moderation. The sick canons 

 were to be properly treated according to the 

 character of their illnesses, and an elderly and 

 discreet canon was to have charge of them. 

 Divine service was to be devoutly celebrated 

 according to the different seasons, and canons in 

 priests' orders were not to surcease from the 

 celebration of masses. 



All the money, without any deduction, was 

 to be handed to two bursars who, according to 

 the direction of the prior, would spend it on the 

 needs of the house. No one was to retain any 

 servant who was burdensome to the house, use- 

 less, or who was defamed of the vice of incon- 

 tinence or any other crime. Their manor at 

 Yarm was held on condition of celebrating for 

 the souls of the founders, and also for hospitality ; 

 this was to be done as hitherto. 



All the canons were enjoined that if they 

 had any of the goods of the house they should 

 return them to the prior and help to recover 

 any lost goods. The secrets of the chapter 

 were not to be revealed. A chamberlain was to 

 be appointed who would provide the canons with 

 clothes and habits as funds allowed. 



William de Marisco had given the house two 

 carucates of land in Marston and Hoton for a 

 daily chantry for his soul in their house, and 

 this chantry was to be performed, and they were 

 bound to find two tapers on festivals throughout 

 the year in the chapel of Hoton for the souls of 

 William de Marisco and his wife. 



The prior, sub-prior, cellarer, and other 

 officials having administration of the goods of the 

 house were to be careful that their fellow canons 

 were properly provided with meat and drink. 



The visitation resulted in the resignation, on 

 the day following,^^ of William de Grymston, 

 the prior, which was made in full chapter before 

 the archbishop and his clerks, and at the same 

 time Henry de Shepeley, the sub-prior, also 

 resigned. After this, the canons all voted for 

 Robert de SpofFord, the cellarer, except himself. 

 He was thereupon installed, and Brother Richard 

 de Bilton was elected sub-prior, and Brother 

 Stephen de Levyngton, cellarer. 



Four years later Stephen de Levyngton and 

 another canon, Nicholas de Cotum, appear in a 

 very bad case of immorality. The archbishop, 

 writing to the prior on 13 September 1324,^^ 

 said that to the scandal and shame of their order 

 and habit, ' in came enormiter sunt collapsi.' He 

 therefore enjoined a severe penance upon them. 



'" York Archiepis. Reg. Melton, fol. 142. 

 " Ibid. fol. 137^. " Ibid. fol. 168. 



3 



They were continuously to keep convent, quire, 

 refectory, dormitory, and chapter, unless hindered 

 by sickness, were to take the lowest place in 

 the convent, not to go outside the precincts of 

 the monastery in any way, or hold conversa- 

 tion with women. Each Wednesday and Friday 

 they were to receive a discipline in chapter 

 from the president, and on each of those days to 

 say the seven penitential psalms with the litany 

 before the altar of the Blessed Mary. Each 

 week they were to say one psalter, and every 

 Wednesday to fast with one service of fish and 

 vegetables, and every Friday in like manner to 

 fast on bread and ale only ; and they were to 

 hold no administration or office in the house. 



It is certainly surprising that the next entry 

 in the archbishop's register should record, on 

 12 August 1333,*' the admission of Stephen de 

 Levyngton to the office of prior on the death of 

 Robert de SpofFord. 



In 1344^'' Archbishop Zouch, regarding the 

 wasted condition of the priory, burdened by 

 debt and other ills owing to careless govern- 

 ment, directed, once again, that no alienations, 

 &c., were to be made without his special 

 hcence. Matters do not seem to have improved, 

 for just ten years later an indulgence was 

 granted for forty days by Archbishop Thoresby, 

 in 1354,^' to those who helped thehouse, which, 

 poorly endowed, had its buildings dilapidated, 

 and its stock reduced by pestilence. In 1380-1^' 

 there were six canons besides the prior. In 

 1401^^ Boniface IX granted an indult to the 

 Augustinian Prior and convent of St. John the 

 Evangelist's, Healaugh Park, who by the insti- 

 tutions and customs of their order were bound 

 to wear sandals [ocreas], to wear, in future, shoes. 

 On 5 May 1460 ^* Archbishop W. Booth 

 notified the sub-prior and convent that he had 

 accepted the resignation of Thomas Cotyngham, 

 their prior, and directed them to elect a 

 successor. They elected William Berwyk, 

 vicar of Wighill, and a canon professed in their 

 house. The archbishop, however, wrote to 

 Christopher Lofthouse, canon of Bolton,^' stating 

 that he had heard of the pretended election of 

 Berwyk, and had annulled and quashed it, and 

 with the licence of the Prior and convent of 

 Bolton he appointed him Prior of Healaugh, 

 Why the archbishop took this action does not 

 appear, nor how the canonsof Healaugh received 

 it, but Christopher Lofthouse was installed on 

 22 May 1460, and was prior for more than 

 thirteen years, ' et furatus est bona hujus domus.' '* 



" Ibid. fol. 195(5. ^* Ibid. Zouch, fol. 17. 



'* Ibid. Thoresby, fol. 1 7. 

 ''Subs. R. bdle. 63, no. 12. 

 " Cal. Papal Letters, V, ^1)%. 

 '^ York Archiepis. Reg. W. Booth, fol. i cL 

 " Ibid. 



" Cott. MS. Vesp. A. iv ; the list of priors begins 

 fol. ik 



217 28 



