RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



in Elkesley, of the fee of Lancaster, the gift of 

 Alexander de Kirkton; 41. rent in West Ret- 

 ford, of the same fee, the gift of WiUiam 

 Doynel ; 2 oxgangs in Torworth, of their own 

 buying, of the same fee ; 31. rent in Lound, 

 of the same fee, the gift of Roger de Osberton ; 

 \2d. rent in Lound, of the fee of Tickhill, the 

 gift of Matthew de Sutton ; 4;. rent at the same 

 place and of the same fee, the gift of William 

 son of Hubert ; 4 acres and a toft in Mattersey, 

 of the fee of Lancaster, the gift of Thomas, Dean 

 of Crumwell ; 40 acres of land and a toft in 

 Clayworth, of the fee of Tickhill, the gift of 

 Henry son of Robert ; 60 acres of the land of 

 the soke of Oswardbec, bought in the time of the 

 late king ; 1 2 acres of land in Eaton, of the fee of 

 Tickhill, the gift of Robert de Ulrington ; and 

 half a mark rent in Normanton, of the fee of 

 Lancaster, the gift of Thomas the chaplain.' 



A severe fire wrought dire destruction at this 

 priory in the year 1279. On 20 November of 

 that year Archbishop Wickwane ordered an in- 

 quisition to be held concerning the destruction 

 of the charters and other muniments pertaining 

 to the pensions and possessions of the house 

 which had perished in the flames. The jury, 

 consisting of rectors and vicars as well as religious, 

 were to make minute inquiry on oath as to the 

 substance of the writings which had been burnt. 

 On 5 December a certificate was registered from 

 the ofHcial of the Archdeacon of Nottingham, 

 stating that the rectors of the churches of Elkesley, 

 Kirton, and Boughton, and the vicars of Wheat- 

 ley, East Markham, West Markham, Walesby, 

 Elkesley, South Leverton, and Headon, with 

 other jurors, declared that the monastery of 

 Mattersey possessed before the fire a certain 

 document, under the seal of Archbishop Gray, 

 assigning to them an annual pension of 5 marks 

 out of the churches of Misson and Gamston on 

 Idle. Moreover the jurors declared that they had 

 formerly seen and read a composition between 

 Mattersey and the nuns of Wallingwells, where- 

 by the patronage of the church of Mattersey was 

 assigned to that priory.* 



In October 1280 the diocesan's licence for 

 the appropriation of the church of Mattersey to 

 the priory was obtained, in consequence of their 

 poverty through the fire.' 



The Taxation Roll of 1291 estimates the 

 annual value of the temporalities of this priory in 

 Nottinghamshire at ;^35 ; there were also in 

 spiritualities the appropriated churches of Mat- 

 tersey ;^5 and Misson ^12, giving a total taxable 

 income of ;^52." 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534 shows that 

 the priory held 1 00 acres of demesne lands worth 

 /9 a year, and other temporalities to the value 



' Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 26, 303-4- 

 ' York Epis. Reg. Wickvi'ane, fol. 6zo d. 

 'Karl. MS. 6970, fol. 105. 

 '"• Pofe NicA. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 311^, 312. 



of £^0 6j. jd. The most valuable of their 

 spiritualities was a pension of ;^io out of the 

 rectory of Bolton, Lancashire, whilst the appro- 

 priated rectory of Misson, tithes of certain ox- 

 gangs in Mattersey, and a pension from Gam- 

 ston Church, brought their total income up to 

 ;^6i i6s. yd. The clear annual value, however, 

 was only ^^55 2s. ^d.^^ 



Henry IV in 1 403 granted the priory a weekly 

 market on Monday at Mattersey and two annual 

 fairs, the one on the vigil and day of St. John of 

 Beverley, and the other on the vigil and day of 

 Sts. Simon and Jude.^^ 



This priory was visited by the notorious Legh 

 and Layton in 1536. They stated that they 

 found one of the canons incontinent, and he 

 desired release from his vows. The annual 

 value was returned at ;^6o. They also stated 

 that the founder (patron) was Edward Thirland." 



The priory was surrendered on 3 October 

 1538 by Robert, Bishop of LlandafF, commenda- 

 tory general master of the Order of Sempring- 

 ham, and by Thomas Norman, Prior of Matter- 

 sey, Thomas Bell, sub-prior, and John Garton, 

 William Schylton, and Richard Watson, 

 canons.^* 



Pensions were assigned on 2 December 1539 

 of ;^I2 to the prior, £2 13J. 4.d. to the sub-prior, 

 and 40J. each to the three other canons.^^ 



The site, with houses, church, steeple, church- 

 yard, a warren of coneys, a water-mill, a wind- 

 mill, fishery rights, and rectory and advowson of 

 vicarage of Mattersey, was granted to Anthony 

 Nevill, esq., of the Royal Body, and Mary his 

 wife, together with all the priories, manors, &c., 

 on 4 November 1539.^* 



There is a cast in the British Museum from a 

 damaged impression of the original seal of this 

 priory. It is a pointed oval, and appears to have 

 the figure of a prior kneeling before St. John 

 Baptist, with a long cross, holding up his hand in 

 benediction. Legend : — 



s' PRIORIS DE MARESEYA " 



Priors of Mattersey 



Walter, occurs 1247 '^ 



A , occurs 1266" 



John, occurs 1303^" 



Thomas Norman, occurs 1538^^ 



" ra/orEcc/. (Rec. Com.), v, 178. 



" Inq. a.q.d. 4 Hen. IV, 22. 



" L. and P. Hen. Fill, x, 364. 



" Rymer, Foedera, xiv, 619. 



" Aug. Off. Bks. ccxxxiii, (>6b, 67. 



'* Pat. 3 1 Hen. VIII, pt. iii, m. 1 1. 



" Casts of Seals, Ixx, 47. 



"Harl. MS. 6970, fol. i\b. 



"Ibid. fol. 56^, 60. 



'" Pat. 31 Edw. I, m. 39. 



" Rymer, Foedera, xiv, 6 1 9. 



141 



