A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



the patronage of Wheldrake and Nunburnholme 

 was ceded to the archbishop and his successors. 



In 1358 *** Archbishop Thoresby ordained, in 

 regard to Warter, that one of the canons should 

 ba the vicar, and have a competent portion 

 allowed him among his brethren. 



Henry IIP^ granted the prior and canons a 

 market at Warter, and a fair on the feast of St. 

 James ; but the latter was forbidden by the king 

 in 1328, on account of certain murders com- 

 mitted at it. 



On 21 December 1245 Innocent IV 

 granted an inhibition to the Prior and convent 

 of Warter, that no one should oblige them to 

 pay tithes of wool and milk, demanded contrary 

 to apostolic privileges, to rectors of parishes in 

 which the beasts of the monastery were pastured. 



Archbishop Wickwane on 14 December 

 1280 ^' wrote to John de Queldrike that as he, 

 considering his feebleness and incapacity, had 

 tendered his resignation of the priorship, which 

 he had laudably exercised for some time, desiring 

 to spend the rest of his life in contemplative 

 leisure and divine services, in peace from the 

 turbulent waves of the age, lie, the archbishop, 

 accepted the resignation. A notice was sent to 

 the sub-prior and convent to elect a successor, 

 and til is was followed by a letter from the 

 patron, R. de Ros," to the archbishop, relating 

 that John de Thorp had been elected, and that 

 quantum in nobis est he had admitted him to 

 office, and humbly and devotedly asked the arch- 

 bishop ' eundem ad regimen dicti prioratus benigne 

 si placet admittere velitis.' This is one of the few 

 instances in Yorkshire in which the patron of 

 a religious house appears as taking part in an 

 election. The archbishop in this case annulled 

 the election as irregular, but on account of John 

 de Thorp's qualifications for the office, which 

 he enumerated, appointed him prior.''' 



In the summer of 1280" the archbishop held 

 a visitation of the house, and no injunctions 

 were sent quia omnia bene se habuerunt — a pleasing 



'» Burton, Mm. Ebor. 383. 



" Ibid. 384 n. In 38 Hcnr^- III (1253-4), 

 Robert, Prior of Warter, vi^as summoned to show why 

 he raised a certain market and fair in Warter to the 

 injury of the free market and free fair of the Earl of 

 Albemarle in Pocklington. The prior relinquished 

 the market in Warter, and in return the earl granted 

 the prior and his successors leave to hold a fair each 

 year on the feast of St. James in the said vill. Feet 

 of F. file 47, no. 14 (Mich. 38 Henry III). 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. i ■jjjb. 



" Ibid. There is also a curious entry, marked in the 

 margin ' pro speciebus emendis,' in Archbishop Wick- 

 wane's register. It is a grant, addressed by J. de 

 Queldrike, the prior, on 14 March 1279-80, to the 

 sub-prior and convent, of 30/. a year to buy spices 

 with, for improvement in singing the psalms. Ibid, 

 fol. 118 and I \%b. 



" York Archiepis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. 174^. 



"Ibid. fol. 135. 



and most unusual entry. Eight years later, 

 however, in 1288," Archbishop Romanus sent 

 one of the canons, Ingeram de Munceus, to 

 Kirkham, with a letter to the prior and convent, 

 ordering them to admit and keep him in their 

 house, as the archbishop hoped that their holy 

 conversation might reform his morals. 



On 13 October 1291 " the archbishop con- 

 firmed a provision which had been made by 

 Robert de Brunneby, the sub-prior, and the 

 convent, for their prior, John de Thorp, whose 

 labours are highly spoken of. He was to have 

 a chamber on the south side of the infirmary, 

 with a chapel, cellar, and garden attached to it, 

 20 marks a year, and his portion of bread and 

 ale. To these the archbishop added in his 

 decretum, after visiting Warter, that as an 

 acknowledgement of his vigilance and labours, 

 and in response to his just request, he was dis- 

 pensed from taking his meals in the refectory, 

 sleeping in the dormitory, or rising for matins, 

 except at his own inclination. 



The visitation had revealed everything in good 

 order, as the archbishop stated in the decretum 

 alluded to above, dated 23 February 1292-3." 

 All was well, ' nee apud vos, benedictus Altissimus, 

 quicquid corrigendum reperimus.' There was 

 one exception, and that related to Brother 

 Simon de Skyrna, who had voluntarily confessed 

 in the presence of the whole convent, before the 

 archbishop, that he had sinned against John de 

 Thorp the prior. His correction was left to 

 the prior, who, having God before his eyes, was 

 to enjoin on him a salutary penance. If Simon 

 de Skyrna did not devoutly undergo it, or con- 

 form himself in charity to the others, the arch- 

 bishop would, on hearing an evil report of him, 

 speedily remove him elsewhere. 



In the following year ^° the archbishop had to 

 deal with the complaint of a number of the 

 parishioners that they were unlawfully compelled 

 by the prior to make an offering in the parish 

 church of Warter on the feast of All Saints. It 

 was alleged that Godfrey, Archbishop of York, 

 had directed this. Archbishop Romanus held 

 an inquiry in porticu dicte ecclesie, on Wednesday, 

 the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1293, 'he 

 complainants and a ' multitude ' of the parishio- 

 ners being present. Briefly, it was found that 

 Archbishop Godfrey never issued the supposed 

 order. The parishioners admitted that they 

 would freely make the offering, and the arch- 

 bishop decided that it was to be regarded as their 

 voluntary act, and not made under compulsion. 



In the year 1300^ the patron of the priory, 

 William de Ros, and others, complained to 

 Archbishop Corbridge that certain manslaughters 

 had been committed in the village of Warter by 



" Ibid. Romanus, fol. 62. '' Ibid. fol. 65 and 66. 

 '» Ibid. fol. 66. " Ibid. fol. 67^. 



" Ibid. Corbridge, fol. 33. 



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