A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



de Thorneton, William de Mekesburgh, Thomas 

 de Radford, chaplain, Cecilia daughter of Ralph de 

 Ufton, and Robert de Ufton. The king con- 

 cludes his confirmation charter by granting re- 

 mission to these friars of all secular exactions, as 

 well as a rent of $5. 6d. due to the Crown from 

 certain of the places, ' on account of the special 

 affection that we have and bear to the said prior 

 and brethren, and in order that they may the 

 more freely and devoutly attend to divine ser- 

 vices.'^' These numerous small gifts of parcels 

 of land or tenements, chiefly situated in Saturday 

 Market and Moothall Gate, are clear evidence 

 of the affection of the townsfolk for these White 

 Friars. 



Three years prior to this Edward II, when 

 at Clipston, had made an important grant to 

 these Carmelites, not recited in the confirma- 

 tion charter, whereby he assigned to them the old 

 chapel of St. James adjacent to their dwelling- 

 place, which had belonged to the priory of Len- 

 ton, but which the king had induced that convent 

 to exchange for another piece of land in order 

 that he might bestow it on the Carmelites.^ 



In October 1319 licence was obtained for the 

 bestowal on the friars of yet another plot of land, 

 80 ft. in length by 60 ft. in width, the donor 

 being Hugh de Bingham, chaplain.'* 



Licence was obtained in 1327 for the Prior 

 and friars of the order of Mount Carmel, Not- 

 tingham, to acquire a rent of 13J. 4^. in Notting- 

 ham and to convey the same to the parson of 

 St. Nicholas, in exoneration of the same sum 

 due from them to him as tithes for land within 

 his parish, acquired for the enlargement of their 

 house." 



The earliest reference in the town records 

 to the Carmelitics is under the year 131 i, when 

 an agreement that had been made on 25 M.irch 

 1307, in the garden of the Friars Carmelite, as 

 to an association for sustaining the light of Our 

 Lady, is cited." 



On 3 April 1379 Brother Robert, Prior of the 

 Nottingham Carmelities, made plaint in the local 

 court against John Carter, his servant, on a plea 

 of trespass and contempt against the statute. But 

 John placed himself in misericordia, and swore 

 before the mayor and bailiffs on the Holy Gospel 

 to serve the prior and convent faithfully until 

 the feast of St. Nicholas, and to be no more re- 

 bellious against them.'* 



Henry de Whitley of Nottingham in October 

 1393 killed his wife Alice in the night-time and 

 fled to the church of the Friars Carmelite for 

 sanctuary, and could not be taken as he kept to 

 the church. Whereupon the town authorities 



" Pat. 1 2 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 2 3 . 



" Pat. 9 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 9. 



" Pat. 1 3 Edw. II, m 31. 



" Pat I Edw. Ill, pt. iii, m. 20. 



"AW. Bor. Rec. i, ji. 



''Ibid, i, 208. 



seized his goods as those of a felon ; they were 

 valued at lis. 2id'." 



Mention is made in 1442, in an action for the 

 detention of goods, of Robert Sutton, B.D., who 

 was at that time Prior of the Nottingham Car- 

 melites.*** 



John Mott, Prior of the Carmelites, complained 

 of John Purvis, in 1482, that on Monday next 

 before the feast of All Hallows he came with 

 swords and clubs and other arms and broke into 

 the house and chamber of the prior and took 

 away two copes, one of worsted and one of white 

 say, valued at 6 marks ; a violet scapulary of 

 woollen cloth, valued at 151.; a silvered maser, 

 ornamented and gilded, 26s. 8d.; a silver cup, 

 £4. ; a set of amber beads, ioj. ; a gold signet, 

 4.0s. i and divers other things, ^^lO ; making a 

 total damage of ;^23. The defendant appeared 

 in person, justifying all that he did, and the 

 court ordered the matter to be placed before a 

 jury." 



In March 1494-5 Thomas Gregg, Prior of 

 the Carmelites, took action in the Nottingham 

 court against Thomas Newton, draper, for having 

 on 6 November last, by force and arms, to wit 

 with clubs and knives, entered the house and in- 

 closure of the White Friars, dug up the soil with 

 the plaintiffs' spades and picks, pulled down a large 

 tenter,*^ broke a furnace of lead, and done other 

 grievous damage to the extent of 405. At the same 

 time Gregg brought a second action against the 

 same defendant for neglecting to well and suffi- 

 ciently repair, within a certain time according to 

 promise, the plaintiff's house or mansion wherein 

 he dwelt, at the gates of the house of friars, where- 

 by he had sustained damage to the value of 20s.*^ 



In the following year an action was brought 

 against Prior Gregg by William Stark, mason, 

 to recover the sum of 10s. alleged to be due as 

 balance for the repair of the east window of the 

 quire of the Carmelite church, over the high 

 altar. Stark and another had convenanted to do 

 the work for ^^3, but they had only received 40^., 

 and the prior would not pay the balance of 20s. 

 due to Stark, though frequently asked.'*'' 



In 1 5 13 an action was brought by Thomas 

 Smithson the Carmelite prior, in conjunction with 

 Thomas Bradley his brother friar, against Thomas 

 Marsh, clerk of the vicar of Marnham, for a debt 

 of 2s. 8d. which he owed them. The friars stated 

 through their attorney that whereas Marsh had 

 engaged Thomas Bradley to celebrate mass in 

 the chapel of St. James on the bridge over the 

 Trent for three days a week during five weeks, 

 and although Bradley had duly celebrated for 

 the five weeks and for one day besides, at the 



"Ibid. 254. "Ibid, il, 176. 



"Ibid 328. 



" Tenter was the name of a frame for stretching 

 cloth. 



"Nott Bor. Rec iii, 28, 30. 

 "Ibid. 42. 



146 



