A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



John de Stretton, succeeded 1 410,' died 1418^ 

 Alex. Rawden, succeeded 141 5,' died 1419* 

 John Cudworth, succeeded 1419/ occurs 



1447'" 

 John Latham, succeeded 1447,' resigned 



1462 ' 

 James Clapeham, succeeded 1462,'" died 



1494" 

 Robert Cooke, succeeded 1494,^^ died 1513^' 

 Thomas Baghill, succeeded 1513," died 



1524" 

 Thomas Huchon, bachelor of decrees, occurs 



1533'' 

 Thomas Hewet, occurs 1546" 



147. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. NICHO- 

 LAS, PONTEFRACT 



This hospital, according to Leland, existed 

 before the Conquest,^* but by whom it was 

 founded does not appear. Robert de Lacy, in 

 the foundation charter of St. John's Priory at 

 Pontefract, tempore William Rufus, granted to 

 the Cluniac monks the full custody of the hos- 

 pital of St. Nicholas, where they had previously 

 lived, for the use of the poor." Henry de Lacy, 

 the younger son of Robert, in 1 159 ^'' renewed 

 his father's gift of the hospital, and granted yearly, 

 for the provision and clothing of the monk who 

 had charge of the hospital, a mark of silver, 12 

 hoops ^' of corn, and 24 of oats, on the feast of 

 St. Martin. The gift of the hospital of St. 

 Nicholas to the priory of Pontefract was con- 

 firmed by Pope Celestine.^^ 



On 7 June 14 10 Henry IV granted to 

 Thomas Toueton, master of the hospital of 

 St. Nicholas of Pontefract, licence to grant the 

 manor of Methley, co. York, to Robert Walton 

 [sic) in exchange for the advowsons of the 



' York Archiepis. Reg. Bovyett, fol. 94. 



* Ibid. fol. 12 2*. » Ibid. 



'Ibid. fol. 134. ' Ibid. 



" Ca/. Pat. 1446-52, p. 17. 



'York Archiepis. Reg. Kemp, fol. 411. 



•Ibid. Geo. NeviU, fol 15. '»Ibid. 



"Tnf. Ebor. (Surt. Soc), 17,93. 



"York Archiepis. Reg. Rotherham, i, fol. 8o3. 



"Ibid. Bainbridge, fol. ±ib. 



" Ibid. 



"Ibid. Wolsev, fol. 75. 



"Ibid. Lee, fol. 4. 



"forks. Ciant. Surf. (Surt. Soc), ii, 326. 



" Leland, /rtw. i, 43. 



" Dugdale, Mon. AngL. v, 120. 



"Ibid. 121. 



"Ibid. 122. See HalHwell, Diet, of Archaic and 

 Provmciai Words, i, 458. The word seems to be 

 still in use, but with the varying meanings of 4, 2, or 

 I peck of com. 



" Whether Celestine II (26 Sept. 1 143 to 8 Mar. 

 1144) or Celestine III (30 Mar. 1191 to 8 Jan. iiq8) 

 is not clear. 



churches of Gosberton, co. Lincoln, and Wath, 

 CO. York.-' On II November 1411 Pope 

 John XXIII confirmed the appropriation to the 

 hospital of the parish church of Wath by Arch- 

 bishop Bowett, the value not exceeding 90 marks, 

 and that of the hospital not exceeding 1 20 marks. 

 The archbishop's letters (7 August 14 10) to the 

 master stated that Robert Wartirton (hV), donsel, 

 had given to the hospital his patronage of the 

 churches of Wath and Goboerkirk (hV). The 

 archbishop (the chapter assenting) appropriated 

 to the master and his successors the church of 

 Wath, an annual compensation of 20f. to be paid 

 to the archbishop, and 6j. id. to the dean and 

 chapter. The master might take possession of 

 the church, already void by the free resignation 

 of Thomas Toueton. There was to be a per- 

 petual vicar, presented by the master to the arch- 

 bishop for institution.^ 



In 1438 Henry VI gave the hospital and all its 

 estates, value j^97 13^. \od.., to the priory of 

 Nostell, the canons paying to the king and his 

 successors, Dukes of Lancaster, 20 marks a year. 

 The canons of Nostell maintained a chaplain and 

 thirteen poor folk in the hospital till the Disso- 

 lution.^" At the date of the chantry surveys-" 

 there were only ' ix poore people, headmen, of 

 the nominacion of the late desolved monastery of 

 Saynt Oswaldes,' but in a return of pensions in 

 the West Riding, 16 November 1552, it is stated 

 that fourteen men and women of the hospital of 

 St. Nicholas of Pontefract received pensions. 

 This included the master, Henry Hebylthwaite, 

 who received £e, ; two others ^^2, and the 

 rest 28j. bd. The return states 'Thes persons 

 be called eremettes and be pore and aged people, 

 and placyd in a howse called Seynt Nicoyles 

 Hospytell, and when any of them dyeth another 

 ys placyd in the dedes roome ; and ys very con- 

 venyent to be contynuyd as well for the helpe 

 of the pore and agyd people of the towne of 

 Pontefrett, wher the same standyth, as for 

 others. The pencions was payd furth of the 

 tenementes of the late monasterye of Saynt 

 Oswaldes.' ^' 



The purposes of the hospital were afterwards 

 much perverted, and the corporation endeavoured 

 to obtain powers for its better government, which 

 resulted in a clause in a charter of James I in 

 1605, vesting the hospital in the corporation." 

 Various benefactions to and regulations concern- 

 ing the hospital have been made in post-Refor- 

 mation times, and it still exists as one of the 

 charities of the town. 



" Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. v (2), 52 d. 



" Cal. of Papal Letters, vi, 288. 



''Dugdale, Mon. Angl. vi, 781 ; c£ Boothroyd, 

 Hist. Pontefract, 379 ; York Archiepis. Reg. Kemp, 

 fol. 23. 



" Torh. Chant. Surv. (Surt. Soc), ii, 32c. 

 "Ibid. 326 n. " ,i i 



" Boothroyd, Hist, of Pontefract, 380. 



320 



