A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



of the canons, Robert de Hykeling and John de 

 Tyshulle, to be confined to cloister for the im- 

 provement of their manners ; another canon 

 was to be restored to the general convent 

 through penitence, but the cellarer and cook 

 were to be deprived of their office ; accounts 

 were to be rendered twice a year ; and these 

 injunctions to be read in full chapter once a 

 month.'' 



The submission of Adam, sub-prior, and of 

 the convent of Newstead is enrolled in Arch- 

 bishop Romayne's register, under date i August 

 1288, inasmuch as they had proceeded to the 

 election of a prior, the cession of the former 

 superior, John de Lexinton, not having been 

 admitted. On the following day the cession 

 was duly admitted by the Archdeacon of Rich- 

 mond, the archbishop's vicar-general, and licence 

 granted to elect his successor. On 2 September 

 Richard de Hallam, sub-cellarer of the house, 

 was presented to the vicar-general as the new 

 Prior of Newstead, elected in the place of 

 John de Lexinton. The election, however, was 

 quashed on account of various technical irregu- 

 larities, but the vicar-general, recognizing the 

 personal fitness of Richard for the position, 

 appointed him to the office on his own authority 

 and prayed the king to be favourable to the 

 appointment and give it his sanction.'* 



On 9 January 1292-3 the archbishop con- 

 firmed the election of Richard de Grange, a 

 canon of Newstead, as prior ; mandate was 

 issued to the archdeacon to install him ; and on 

 the same day information was forwarded to 

 Edward I asking for his royal sanction.'' 



Consequent on a personal visitation of this 

 priory by Archbishop Romayne, injunctions were 

 issued on 19 August 1293 for the correction of 

 the house, to the effect that silence was to be 

 observed in church, cloister, dorter, and frater ; 

 that anyone receiving new garments from the 

 common store was to give up the old ones ; that 

 the sick were to be more delicately fed, and not 

 with the gross food of the convent ; that the 

 presence of seculars was to be discouraged ; that 

 accounts were to be rendered once a year ; that 

 no corrodies were to be sold ; and that the carols 

 were to be inspected once a year. The arch- 

 bishop at the same time laid down that John 

 their late prior was to be honoured and his 

 counsel followed, because of his great services to 

 the house and his generosity about his pension 

 in freely and voluntarily giving up much to 

 which he was entitled. As a new ordinance for 

 his pension, the archbishop ordered that Brother 

 John was to have his chamber and garden as 

 previously arranged, with a canon's livery for 

 himself and another for the canon who was to 

 dwell with him and say the divine offices, and 

 another for his boy ; and also 30J. a year for his 



" York Epis. Reg. Wiclcwane, fol. 137. 



^ Ibid. Romanus, fol. 73. " Ibid. fol. jgJ. 



own necessaries and for the boy's wages ; any 

 guest who came to visit him was to have his 

 meals in the frater or in the hall. 



Another of the injunctions concerned the 

 restoration of eight marks out of the legacy of 

 R. de Everingham for the fabric of the church, 

 which sum Brother John, who was then prior, 

 converted to other uses of the house ; and a 

 loan of twenty marks lent to the sacrist was to 

 be secured. The sacrist, for various lapses, was 

 to be removed from his office. Richard of 

 Hallam, the late prior, was to be confined to 

 the cloister. Finally, all games of dice were 

 prohibited.*" 



In September 1326 Pope John XXII issued 

 his mandate to the Archbishop of York to 

 appropriate the church of Egmanton, valued at 

 ;^I0 per annum, to this priory, due provision 

 being made for a perpetual vicar." 



Archbishop Richard le Scrope on 19 Sept- 

 ember 1397 commissioned Prior William de 

 Allerton to administer vows of perpetual chastity 

 to Cecilia, widow of John Crowshaw, burgess 

 of Nottingham, giving her ring, veil, and 

 mantle.** 



The Fa/or of 1534 gave the clear annual 

 value of this priory as j^ 167 16s. ii^d. The 

 spiritualities, amounting to ^^58, included the 

 Nottinghamshire rectories of Papplewick, Huck- 

 nall Torkard, Stapleford, Tuxford, and Eg- 

 manton, and the Derbyshire rectory of Ault 

 Hucknall, with the chapel of Rowthorn. The 

 temporalities in the counties of Nottingham and 

 Derby brought in an income of ;^i6i i8j. S^d. 

 The considerable deductions included 20s. given 

 to the poor on Maundy Thursday in com- 

 memoration of Henry II, the founder, and a 

 portion of food and drink similar to that of 

 a canon given to some poor person every day, 

 valued at 60s. a year.*' 



Notwithstanding the considerable drop of the 

 clear annual value of Newstead below the ^^200 

 assigned as the limit for the suppression of the 

 lesser monasteries, this priory obtained the doubt- 

 ful privilege of exemption, on payment to the 

 Crown of the heavy fine of ;^233 6s. Sd. A 

 patent to this eflFect was issued on 16 Decem- 

 ber 1537.** 



The surrender of this house was accomplished 

 on 21 July 1539. The signatures attached 

 were those of John Blake, prior, Richard 

 Kychun, sub-prior, John Bredon, cellarer, and 

 nine other canons, Robert Sisson, John Derfelde, 

 William Dotton, William Bathley, Christopher 

 Motheram, Geoffrey Acryth, Richard Hardwyke, 

 Henry Tingker, and Leonard Alynson.*' 



«Ibid. fol. 82, 83. 



" Ca/. of Papal Letters, i, 254. 



« Karl. MS. 6969, fol. 93. 



" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 153-4. 



" Pat. 28 Hen. VIII, pt. iv, m. 18. 



" Dep. Keepers Rep. viii, App. ii, 33. 



116 



