RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



was presented and admitted as before. He con- 

 tinued the use of the lay habit allowed by 

 Wyllardby, and failed to correct excesses ac- 

 cording to rule, but he discharged all his pre- 

 decessor's debts, and with the consent of the 

 brothers and sisters sold 3 bovates of land and a 

 messuage at Newton in Pikering Lythe to 

 Master William de Pikering with the stock, 

 for 60 marks, and with the money received 

 bought sheep, oxen, cows, and other stock and 

 necessaries for the hospital. He admitted one 

 brother, and two sisters for 60 marks, which 

 he expended on the requirements of the house. 

 He was master for three years, and held a pre- 

 bend and a half a year, et gratis se deposuit. 



After his deposition the king wrote to John 

 de Lydgrane, SherilF of York, to choose, with 

 "J. de Vallibus and other justices itinerant then 

 at York, a fit chaplain to be presented to the 

 archbishop as master. At the instance of the 

 mayor and other citizens of York he chose 

 Robert le Graunt, who was presented to the 

 archbishop by the sheriff and admitted.'^ 



After his institution Robert le Graunt found 

 the brothers and sisters were not living according 

 to their rule, and he set to work to correct 

 them, but certain of them rebelled, and brought 

 a charge, described as crimen falsi, against him. 



An inquiry was held by Alan de Walkingham 

 who, examining both the brethren and citizens 

 of York, pronounced Robert le Graunt not 

 guilty. The brothers and sisters demanded a 

 further inquiry, which was held for the king by 

 Thomas de Normanvill, who, after investigation, 

 pronounced Robert le Graunt partly to blame. 

 A not very clear account of Robert le Graunt's 

 misuse of the hospital follows, and the jurors 

 proceeded to say that he took no corrody on 

 account of the poverty of the hospital. He was 

 master three years, and held during his last year 

 prebends of dos. He was deposed by Thomas 

 de Normanvill, who committed the custody to 

 Richard de DrifFeld, which position he retained 

 for six years, but he did not correct the excesses 

 of the brothers and sisters according to their 

 rule. He admitted Robert Bartrem of Wilber- 

 foss into the hospital without the consent of the 

 brethren and sisters. He received 23 marks for 

 this, but as the jurors understood did not use it 

 for the common service of the hospital. He 

 received a leper pro Deo, and another by consent 

 of the brethren and sisters for 23 marks, spent 

 on the needs of the hospital. During his time 

 he rendered no account. He allowed the 

 brethren and sisters to sell things contrary to 

 rule. The jurors concluded by saying that 

 Robert Bartrem was admitted to the king's in- 

 jury, and also found that the house had been 

 founded, in principio, nomine leprosorum and for 



" He was admitted z8 Jan. 1 280-1 (York 

 Archiepis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. 130). 



the maintenance of feeble aged men of the 

 city. 



A list follows of the brothers and sisters who 

 made profession of obedience in the hospital 

 before W. de Hamelton and J. de Langrayns, 

 associated with him. It begins with the names 

 of Richard de DrifFeld and Robert de Sancto 

 Laurencio,"° both of them chaplains. Twonames 

 of men follow with laicus written against each 

 and seven other men's names. The names of 

 eight sisters follow. All were enjoined, on the 

 part of the king, to wear the regular habit which 

 they had on the foundation of the hospital, viz., 

 a gown {gunnellum) and scapular of russet, they 

 were to have ' tonsura per aures sine tynis ' '^ 

 with amices. 



The jurors further stated that they knew well 

 by the muniments and a certain confirmation by 

 King Stephen, that the hospital of St. Nicholas, 

 York, was of the foundation of the Kings of 

 England, but by whom they could not say. 

 They reported that the hospital was broken 

 into by night by thieves, and the chest, in which 

 were the charters and various muniments of the 

 hospital, was carrried away. 



An examination of witnesses follows at length, 

 Richard de Derfeld (or DrifFeld), as previously 

 mentioned, stated that he understood that the 

 hospital was founded on land given by the first 

 Abbot of St. Mary's. He said that a charter 

 as to land in Huntington had been abstracted, 

 and recovered by Robert, the chaplain, a brother 

 of the house, who had to pay half a mark for it. 



John Dagune, a brother, said that the house 

 was founded by the abbot, as already stated, 

 ' cum domina Matilda Regina,' '' and that before 

 the foundation of the house in the place where 

 it stood the brothers were enfeoffed of a carucate 

 of land in ' Nortfeld.' Asked about the charters, 

 he agreed with Richard de DrifFeld, and added 

 that Robert, the chaplain,'* was gravely sus- 

 pected of having abstracted them. Nicholas de 

 Houndeshay, another brother, agreed. Five 

 other brothers were called, and knew nothing 

 either as to the foundation or the charters. 



A long inquiry followed as to the individual 

 behaviour of the brothers and sisters, which may 

 not unfairly be summarized as a mutual recri- 

 minination of one against another, or' of one 

 section against the other. It seems that the rule 

 was not kept, and that certain of the brothers 



"* From this it appears that though deprived of the 

 mastership he retained the chaplaincy. 



" Ducange gives ' gunnella, cotte de femine,' &c., 

 and for tynis ' bonnets carrez.' 



" The Empress Maud gave certain lands to the 

 hospital on condition that the brethren should give 

 to all lepers coming thither on the eve of SS. Peter 

 and Paul, bread, ale, mulvel (or cod), with butter and 

 salmon if available, and cheese; Cal. Close, 1272-9, 

 p. 280. 



" Robert Lyttil alias Robert de Sancto Laurencio. 



347 



