A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



possessed the church of Seaham in the bishopric 

 of Durham.** 



From a licence in mortmain granted by- 

 Edward II in 1331-2,*^ it appears that the abbey- 

 had been destroyed by the Scots, who had also 

 greatly impoverished its possessions. 



In 1350 " one of the canons, John de Eboraco, 

 like many other religious in other houses, left his 

 iTionastery, without leave of his superior, in order 

 to visit Rome and obtain the general indul- 

 gence offered to those who went there for the 

 Jubilee. On 1 May 135 1 he obtained from Pope 

 Clement VI leave to return to his monastery 

 which he had left in the August previous. 



In 1 380-1," besides the abbot, who was taxed 

 at 15J. ()d., there were fifteen canons taxed at 

 31. 4^. each, and one conversus taxed at I2d. 



The list of the community in 1475 shows, 

 besides the abbot, sixteen canons and two 

 novices ;" of the canons all held some office ; one 

 was parish priest, others were vicars of Kettlewell, 

 Sedbergh, Thoralby, Redmire, and Downholme ; 

 the obedientiaries mentioned are sub-prior, sub- 

 cellarer (neither prior nor cellarer is entered), 

 cantor, succentor, sacrist, sub-sacrist, circator, 

 fraterer, and storekeeper. On the occasion of 

 Bishop Redman's visitation in 1478, the abbey of 

 the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 

 Coverham was recorded to be a daughter of the 

 abbey of Newhouse.*' At this visitation one of 

 the canons confessed incontinence, another 

 accused of the same offence was acquitted, and a 

 third, about whose life, while vicar of Sedbergh, 

 suspicion had arisen, was unanimously given a 

 good character. Silence and other ceremonial 

 observances were not well kept, but the bishop 

 evidently had a good opinion of the abbot, John 

 Bromfeld, as he appointed him his sub-delegate 

 for the north." A visitation in 1482 ** revealed 

 no faults of importance, but in i486 one canon 

 was punished for incontinence, another, appar- 

 ently a novice, had abandoned the order and 

 was expelled, and the sub-prior was rebuked for 

 laxity and not rising for matins.*' Two years 

 later, in December 1488, John Bromfeld 

 resigned the abbacy ^^ and John Askogh was 

 elected in his place. The ex-abbot was assigned 

 a pension of 20 marks, a room, a liberal allow- 

 ance of food, two attendants, and the use of the 

 abbot's horses ; he was also exempted from 

 attendance in quire, and was allowed to visit his 

 friends when he chose.^* The generous provision 

 made for the ex-abbot proved demoralizing, and 



" Burton, op. cit. 425 (a wrong pagination for 42 l). 

 "Dugdale, op. cit. vi, 921, no. ii. 

 "Cal. of Papal Letters, iii, 386. 

 "Subs. R. (P.R.O.), bdle. 63, no. 12. 

 '^ Gasquet, Coll. Angh-Premonstrotensiana (Roy. 

 Hist. Soc.), 310. 



'«Ibid. 311. "Ibid. 312. 



■*Ibid. 314. "Ibid. 316. 



"Ibid. 60, 319. "Ibid. 69. 



in 1 49 1 ^' Bishop Redman found that he had 

 incurred by his demerits certain punishment 

 which the bishop remitted on promise of amend- 

 ment. Another canon was also restored to the 

 position which he had forfeited, and the visitor 

 gave great praise to Abbot Askogh for his good 

 rule, and especially for the way in which he had 

 restored the buildings. At his visitations in 

 1494, 1497, and 1500," the bishop found the 

 abbey in excellent condition, the convent on the 

 last occasion thanking God that they had chosen 

 so good an abbot. 



In 26 Henry VIII (1534-5)^* the total value 

 of the abbey was ;^207 i \i. 8d., and the cl?ar 

 annual value ;^i6o i8j. 3^/. The temporalities 

 were wholly derived from property in Yorkshire, 

 and amounted to ;^ii6 14.S. id. (This included 

 ^\2 allowed for the site of the abbey and its 

 demesnes.) The spiritualities were the churches 

 already named, viz., Coverham ;^20, Sedbergh 

 £^1 10s., Downholme £•] lox., Kettlewell 

 ^8 lOJ., and Seaham in Durham ^^13 los. 



Among the reprises were alms ^° given for the 

 soul of Ralph, Earl of Westmorland, 20J ; and 

 40;. given to poor folk on Maundy Thursday, 

 according to ancient custom, in bread and red 

 and white herrings, and money to boys {pueris), 

 hermits, and other poor folk. 



The gift of the church of Coverham to the 

 abbey involved the cure of souls in the parish, 

 and among the conventual leases relating to 

 Coverham there is an indenture dated 9 April 

 1530'° between the Abbot and convent of 

 Coverham and fifty-two persons, mostly heads 

 of families in the parish, as to service in the 

 chapel of Horsehouse. It witnesses that the 

 abbot and convent . . ' is fully agreyd y' a 

 Brother oflF y* foresayd monastery oflF Coverham 

 shall remane and mynyster the servyce off God, 

 y' is to say Matyns, Messe, and Evynsong, at y° 

 chapell off Sanct Botulphe at Horshows, except 

 syche days as hayth bene accustomyd before 

 tyme to cum downe to y* parysche chyrche, at y" 

 commandment off y aforesayd Abbot or Curatt. 

 So y' y* dewtes belongyng to the y* parysche 

 chyrche be no thyng mynesched. Yt is agreyd 

 y' y* days off custom is Cristymes day, Candyll- 

 mes day, Palme Sunday, Ester day, Weit Sonday, 

 Trynyte Sonday, and the dedication day, w' 

 other days necessary for y° well off y' chyrche, 

 and helthe off y* sowles, and that y« aforesayd 

 abbot and convent schall pay 3erely to the afore 

 sayd Brother iiij nobles off y» party, and the 

 aforesayd nabores and y' successores schall pay 

 3erely to y fore sayd brother iiij marcs, at fower 

 tymes in y* jere, by evyn porcons, by fower 

 men apontyd by y" sayd abbott & brotheres,' 

 &c. 



"Ibid. 322. "Ibid. 324, 327, 328. 



" Burton, op. cit. 425 (for 421). 



"Ibid. 422. 



"Conventual Leases, Yorks. (P.R.O.) no. 142. 



244 



