RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



rate of \d. for each mass, the sum of 2s. 8d. was 

 still owing, although payment had often been 

 asked.** No friar could receive personal pay- 

 ment: the mass money would go to the com- 

 munity ; hence the action to recover was taken 

 in the name of the prior as well as in that of the 

 friar who had performed this service. 



When Henry VIII was at Nottingham in 

 August 1 51 1, in the days when he was zealous 

 for the unreformed faith, he made an offering, 

 doubtless in person, at the Rood of the White 

 Friars." 



Richard Sherwood, Prior of the Nottingham 

 Carmelites, obtained a pardon from the king on 

 10 May 1532 for having killed William Bacon, 

 one of his brother friars, by a blow given in a 

 quarrel which arose when they were drinking in 

 a chamber of the house. The blow was struck 

 on 2 1 February, and the recipient died on the 

 following day.*' 



The general popularity of both houses of Not- 

 tingham Friars throughout their history is attested 

 by the frequency of small bequests, such as they 

 were allowed to receive. Among such bequests 

 by will may be mentioned those of Simon de 

 Stanton, 40J. in 1346; Thomas de Chaworth, 

 6s. 8d. in 1347 ; Richard Collier, 20s. in 1368 ;** 

 John de WoUaton, 40J. in 1382 ;*' Robert de 

 Morton, 5 marks in 1396 ; John Tannesley, 

 5 marks in 1414 ;'" Sir Henry Pierrepont, 40J. 

 in 1419;'^ Sir Gervase Clifton, 22j. in 1508; 

 Robert Batemanson, lo^ in 1512 ;°^ Roger Eyre, 

 of Holme, Derbyshire, ten fodder of lead and 40 

 days' work of a mason, in 1 5 1 5 ; Sir R. Basset, of 

 Fledborough, 6s. 8d. in 1522 ; Thomas Wil- 

 loughby, alderman of Nottingham, lOi. in 1524 ; 

 and John Rose, alderman of Nottingham, £^ in 

 1528." 



The surrender of the house of the Nottingham 

 Carmelites was made on 5 February 1539 and 

 signed by Roger Cappe, prior, and six of the 

 brothers, namely William Smithson, William 

 Frost, Robert Wilson, William Cooke, John 

 Roberts, and William Thorpe. Ambrose Clarke 

 and John Redyng were appointed their attorneys 

 to deliver possession to John London and Edward 

 Baskerfield, clerks, for the king's use.^ 



In November 1541 the Crown granted the 

 late priory of White Friars in Nottingham, with 

 a garden and other lands in the parish of St. 

 Nicholas and certain lands in the parish of St. 

 Mary, to James Sturley of Nottingham.'* 



*^Not/. Bor. Rec. iii, 124. 



*^L. and P. Hen. Fill, i, 1342. 



" Pat. 24 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m 20. 



" Test. Ebor. (Surtees Soc), i, 28. 



" iVfl«. Bor. Rec. 



'« Ibid. 



" Test. Ebor. (Surtees Soc), iii, 44. 



" Visit, of Southwell. 



" Test. Ebor. (Surtees Soc), passim. 



** Rymer, Foedera, xiv, 621. 



"Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. iv, m. 8. 



Two of the Carmelite Friars of the Notting- 

 ham house were of some celebrity during the 

 14th century. Philip Boston, a native of Not- 

 tingham and a Carmelite Friar of the same town, 

 ' studied Philosophy and Divinity at Oxford, but 

 returned again to Humanity and became a famous 

 poet and orator, yet so as that he was a fre- 

 quent preacher to the people, and according to 

 Leland, left behind him in writing learned Ser- 

 mons and Epistles and died in 1320.' *° 



John Clipston, a Carmelite Friar of Notting- 

 ham, was also born in this town. He was Doc- 

 tor and Professor of Divinity at Cambridge : 

 'he taught Divinity there long and explained 

 Divine Mysteries with much applause to himself 

 and improvement to his hearers, ever following the 

 paths of virtue and religion, as close as those of 

 literature.' He left behind him many writings, 

 including Expositions of the Bible, a Commen- 

 tary on St. John, Scholastic Disputations and a 

 variety of sermons for particular seasons and fes- 

 tivals. He died and was buried at his monastery 

 in Nottingham in the year 1378." 



Priors of the Carmelites 



Robert, occurs 1379 ** 

 Robert Sutton, B.D., occurs 1442 *° 

 John Mott, occurs 1482 ^ 

 Thomas Gregg, occurs 1495-6" 

 Thomas Smithson, occurs 1 5 1 3 ^^ 

 Richard Sherwood, occurs 1532" 

 Roger Cappe, surrendered 1539°* 



There is a cast of a 15th-century impression 

 of the seal of this friary at the British Museum.'* 

 It represents within a carved and cusped border 

 of eight points the Blessed Virgin crowned, with 

 the Holy Child on the right arm. Before her 

 kneels the founder (Reginald Lord Grey) holding 

 his shield of arms, barry of eight, a label of eight 

 points. The background is diapered with loz- 

 enges. Legend : — 



. . . COMVNITATIS D . . . NOTINGAMIE ORDINIS 

 BEATE MARIE DE CAR 



17. THE OBSERVANT FRIARS OF 

 NEWARK 



When Henry VII became a special patron of 

 the reformed branch of the Franciscans termed 

 Friars Observant, he founded several English 

 houses, which were chiefly refoundations of 

 original Franciscan establishments. But there 



" Stevens's continuation of Dugdale, Mon. ii, 162. 



"Ibid, ii, 165. ^^ Notts. Bor. Rec. i, 208 



"Ibid, ii, 176. »" Ibid. 328. 



"Ibid, iii, 28, 30, 42. ^^bid. 124. 



^ Pat. 24 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 20. 



" Rymer, Foedera, xiv, 621. " Seal Casts, Ixx, 52. 



147 



