RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Nostell, of which house he had been canon, and 

 in which he had been professed, and the arch- 

 bishop desired the Prior and canons of Nostell 

 to receive him with loving-kindness. On 

 6 October 1291 ^^ the archbishop confirmed 

 the election of William de Birstall as prior, and 

 also issued a mandate to the Dean and Chapter 

 of York, that as the sub-prior and convent had 

 canonically elected him, 'vobis mandamus 

 quatinus ipsum racione prebende sue in nostra 

 Ebor. Ecclesia in fratrem et canonicum ad- 

 mittentes, stallum in choro et locum in capitulo 

 debite assignatis, in persona ipsius, modo consueto,' 

 &c. The prebend of Bramham consisted of the 

 impropriations of the churches of Bramham, 

 Wharram-le-Street, and Lythe.^^ It was an- 

 nexed, wheri first founded, by Archbishop 

 Thurstan to the priory of Nostell, and continued 

 to be held by the prior till the Dissolution. 



As a result of a visitation of the house, Arch- 

 bishop Greenfield on 28 October 131 3 ^* wrote 

 to the prior and canons that Brother William 

 Wyler, Prior of their cell at Breedon, and 

 Henry de Dermor, master or warden of their 

 church of Bamburgh, who were accused of 

 certain excesses, were to be recalled at once, to 

 answer for themselves and receive due punish- 

 ment needed ; and in another letter of the 

 same date ^* he ordered that Brother Benedict 

 de Suddele, who, by his own admission, had 

 misbehaved, was to be sent for the expiation of 

 his crimes to their cell in the Isle of Axholme, 

 and undergo a penance there. On the 1 9th ^^ of 

 the same month he ordered Brother John de 

 Dewesbury to be sent to Breedon under very 

 similar conditions, and on 24 November ^' 

 Brother Thomas de Giderhowe was dispatched 

 to Bridlington. 



On Monday after the feast of St. Luke 

 1320^* Archbishop Melton held a visitation, as 

 a result of which he sent on 10 November a 

 long decretum to the prior and canons. 



The house was overburdened with debts, 

 pensions, liveries, and corrodies, all the members 

 were therefore exhorted to be as economical as 

 possible, till they were solvent. The sick were 

 to have lighter food, and a doctor was to be 

 appointed to attend the infirmary. The services 

 were to be duly celebrated, and those of our 

 Lady, or for the dead, or others said without 

 note, were not to be gabbled, but recited dis- 

 tinctly, and aloud, and one side was not to 

 begin a verse before the other had ended. As 

 Brothers John de Wath and Benedict de 

 Suddeley residing at Woodkirk, Brother John 

 de Pontefracto at Hirst, and Brothers William 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Romanus, fol. 40. 

 '' Jn Accurate Description and Hist. etc. of the 

 Church of St. Peter, Tork (York, 1770), ii, 186. 

 " York Archiepis. Reg. Greenfield, ii, fol. 71. 

 "Ibid. "Mbid. ii, fol. 71^ 



" Ibid. fol. 712^. " Ibid. Melton, fol. 142^. 



de Norton and Henry de Huddresfield at 

 Bamburgh, as well as the four canons of 

 Breedon, had not, as it was said, been summoned 

 to the visitation, the archbishop directed that the 

 prior was in future to summon all such 

 brethren to visitations. 



Corrodies, &c., were not to be granted, or 

 woods sold, without the archbishop's licence. 

 Two bursars were to be appointed, idonei et 

 fideleSy to receive all rents and profits and take 

 proper charge of them, as in other houses. 



Efficient officers were to be appointed, both 

 external and internal, and accounts were to be 

 presented to the prior and five or six of the 

 older and wiser canons, and then shown to the 

 chapter. 



The mission of canons to the cells, and their 

 recall, was to be with the consent of the convent, 

 as well as of the prior, or at least with the con- 

 sent of the seniors. 



Without delay the prior was to see that the 

 guest-house was better provided with bed- 

 clothes than had been wont, lest by defect in a 

 small matter the house should get a bad name. 



No women should enter the outer door to ask 

 for the liveries or corrodies, but such were to be 

 asked for by men, lest, under colour of entry of 

 women, sins, or any other illicit acts, should be 

 committed. 



As certain of the charters and muniments had 

 been sent, not long ago, to Breedon, for the 

 conservation of their cell there, and in part 

 ought to come back to the monastery, and as 

 the Prior for the time being of Breedon refused 

 to return them, the archbishop directed that 

 someone, chosen by the whole consent of the 

 entire convent, was to be sent there and bring 

 them back. As regarded the mission and 

 revocation of canons to and from Breedon, with 

 consent of the chapter, the prior was directed 

 that the old method was to be followed. 



The archbishop found at the visitation that 

 certain young canons were of old accustomed to 

 study in the cloister, and on feasts of doubles to 

 make collations in turn in chapter, and so were 

 more studious. The old custom was to be 

 followed. 



Blind and feeble canons were not to be com- 

 pelled to keep convent, but were to be in the 

 infirmary, unless their devotion and powers led 

 them to church. 



Writing in April 1323^' to the Prior and 

 convent of Bolton, Archbishop Melton stated 

 that the monastery of Nostell was suffering from 

 various oppressions, and being unable to main- 

 tain its members- he sent Brother Thomas de 

 Mannyngham, one of its canons, to their house. 



Archbishop Zouch in 1351^" directed the prior 

 to punish certain of the canons who, regardless of 

 their yoke of obedience, had committed many 



233 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Melton, fol. 1 50. 

 '» Ibid. Zouch, fol. 59. 



30 



