RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



and before they moved to Newburgh, when 

 Hood became a cell of that house. 



There is interpolated in Archbishop Giffard's 

 register ' an undated sentence of deposition, pro- 

 nounced by his predecessor, Godfrey de Ludham 

 (1258-64), against a prior of Newburgh, whose 

 name, unfortunately, is not given. It is not 

 improbable, however, that Prior John, whose 

 name occurs in 1252-3, may have been the 

 prior in question. Whoever the prior was whom 

 the archbishop deprived, his faults, as recorded 

 in the sentence, stamp him as a very bad ruler. 

 He did not, it is related, correct the brethren 

 equitably, but excused some and detestably made 

 known the private confessions and penances of 

 others. Of his own initiative he imputed crimes 

 to others, and had entered into a conspiracy 

 against the archbishop's visitation of the house. 

 He had made the brethren take a wicked oath 

 not to tell the archbishop the things that needed 

 correction, and had forbidden them, under threat 

 of excommunication, to reveal matters to the 

 archbishop. Although he took a corporal oath 

 that he would reveal all, except secret faults, 

 many faults that were not secret, though re- 

 peatedly asked, he refused to reveal. He was 

 thus a perjured man, besides being a waster of 

 the goods of the church, keeping an extravagant 

 and superfluous household. For these, and 

 many other faults concerning which the arch- 

 bishop was silent, he decreed him removed from 

 the rule of the priory. The brethren were ab- 

 solved from obedience to him, and directed to 

 provide the monastery with a new prior. 



On 22 June 1259 ' Pope Alexander IV 

 granted an indulgence to the Prior and Augus- 

 tinian convent of Newburgh, that they might 

 cause those of their churches and chapels in 

 which vicars had not been appointed to be 

 served, as heretofore, by their chaplains, and that 

 vicarages should not be taxed, or perpetual vicars 

 appointed against their will, notwithstanding any 

 contrary indult granted to the archbishop. 



On 18 September 1275^° Archbishop Giffard 

 held a visitation of Newburgh, when it was 

 found that the monastery was in debt to no less 

 an amount than ;^737 i6s. lod. A certain 

 camera had been uselessly built apud Fresch}^ 

 No other buildings were to be constructed with- 

 out the assent of the wiser and older of the 

 convent, and the necessary works of the great 

 house were to be preferred. The prior was too 

 lenient with the obedientiaries, and was ordered 

 to be more strict. The sub-prior was easily pro- 

 voked, he was to keep his temper under pain of 

 removal from office. The cellarer was dealing 

 in horses as merchants did, which was incon- 

 gruous with religion. He was not to do so, 



' Archbishop Giffard's Reg. (Surt. Soc), 2 1 6. 

 • Cal. of Papal Letters, i, 365. 

 " Archbishop Giffard's Reg. (Surt. Soc), 328. 

 " An evident error for Tresc, otherwise Thirsk. 



22: 



under pain of removal from office, as in com- 

 merce between buyer and seller it was difficult 

 to avoid sin. This inhibition was extended to 

 all obedientiaries. The cellarer did not speak 

 civilly to his brethren or to those outside, as he 

 should, that the house might obtain the favour 

 of many. Under pain aforesaid, he was to con- 

 duct himself with gentleness and courtesy. The 

 custos of the fabric did not render accounts of 

 his expenses, either beyond the sea ^' or at home, 

 nor did he conduct himself properly in his office. 

 When he had rendered his account the office was 

 to be given within a month to some one else who 

 was able to conduct it. The gardener, who 

 was too much given to roving about, and did 

 not do his work as he should, was to be removed 

 within fifteen days and another appointed. There 

 were gossipings among the brethren, and laymen 

 and seculars were too often about the chamber 

 of the late prior, which was not seemly. Such 

 offences were to stop, and none were to go to 

 the ex-prior's chamber without the licence of 

 the prior or sub-prior. 



Archbishop Wickwane held a visitation of the 

 priory on 16 February 1279-80,^' when the 

 following correcciones were made : All were to 

 obey their prior honestly, and no one was to 

 sham illness, nor was such a one by any means 

 to be admitted to the infirmary, but rather as a 

 deceiver he was to be expelled and punished. 



No one, after compline, was to go into the 

 cloister for ribaldry or drinking, and if any one 

 visited a guest or friend, with the leave of the 

 president, he was not to eat or drink there. The 

 prior, taking with him the sub-prior, was four 

 times a year to examine all the chests and carols, 

 lest the poison of private ownership should defile 

 any one in the sight of God. 



The refectory-alms, and those of the whole 

 monastery, were to be distributed ' in usus ipsius 

 Dei vivi ' and the poor, and not unlawfully inter- 

 cepted. If any one, at lauds or matins, was 

 negligently silent, he was to be suspended at 

 once, and expelled from the consort [of the 

 others] until he repented. The original and 

 full state of the prior was restored, his coadjutors 

 being removed, provided the prior took counsel 

 of the convent and was active in resisting rebels 

 and dangers. 



Those were to be preferred for the schools 

 and offices who would fully instruct in divine 

 service, and discreet guardians of good fame and 

 conversation were to be deputed for the manage- 

 ment of the property and the granges. Obedi- 

 entiaries who dimitted office were not to keep 

 anything. All the convent were to see that 

 Divine service was celebrated distinctly, and that 

 every letter to be sealed in full congregation of 

 the convent was openly and publicly sealed. 



" ' In partibus transmarinis.' 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. 12. 



