17. THE PRIORY OF THICKET
The small nunnery of Thicket, in the parish
of Wheldrake near the River Derwent, was
founded in the reign of Richard I by Roger
Fitz Roger, (fn. 1) whose gifts were confirmed by King
John in 1203-4.
A commission issued 23 April0 1301, to the
Prior of Ellerton, (fn. 2) to receive the profession of the
Lady Elizabeth de Lasceles, as a regular nun of
the house, in the presence of the prioress and convent. On 5 February 1302-3 (fn. 3) the archbishop
wrote to the prioress and convent respecting
Alice Darel, of Wheldrake, an apostate nun of
their house, directing that if she returned to them
in a contrite spirit they were to impose upon her
the penance provided by their rule, but if she did
not willingly undergo it, then they were to place
her in some secure chamber, under safe custody.
On 1 February 1308-9 (fn. 4) Archbishop Greenfield issued injunctions to the prioress and convent, as a result of a recent visitation of the
house, that the repairs to certain of the buildings
which had been found necessary at the last visitation were to be immediately carried out. The
nuns, and especially the younger of them, were,
unless ill, to keep convent and be diligent in
attendance at divine services. The archbishop
enjoined that in future servants and other seculars
should in no wise be allowed to go into the
kitchen and sit, and take their meals there as they
chose, and so witness the private affairs (secreta)
of the nuns. The prioress was to keep convent
in church, refectory, dormitory and other due
places, unless lawfully hindered, and when she
had a meal in her chamber she was to have at
table with her one of the nuns, first one and then
another.
Corrodies, annual pensions, long leases of
granges, were strictly forbidden, as was the reception of any person as nun, sister or conversus,
or the retention of girls over twelve or secular
women as boarders, without the archbishop's
special licence.
Another visitation (fn. 5) was held in 1314, when
the archbishop again issued a long decretum containing a series of injunctions almost wholly the
same as those just recited. The archbishop
further directed that no person admitted as a
sister was to be allowed to accept or wear the
nuns' black veil.
Four years later, (fn. 6) in 1318, Archbishop Melton
visited Thicket and promulgated a decretum concerning it, containing a series of injunctions
general rather than specific in character. The
house was heavily in debt, and in consequence
the prioress and all the nuns were enjoined to use
all possible economy. The sick, so far as the
means of the house allowed, were to have lighter
food substituted for that which they were
receiving.
In 1335 (fn. 7) Elizabeth del Haye was elected
prioress, but on account of informality the archbishop quashed the election. As, however, all
the nuns had voted for her, he appointed her, and
directed the rector of Wheldrake to proceed to,
the priory and install her in office.
On 26 January 1343-4 (fn. 8) Archbishop Zouch
wrote to the prioress and convent concerning
Joan de Crakenholme, their sister nun, who was
coming to them absolved from her crimes of
apostasy in frequently leaving the house, laying
aside her habit, as well as other excesses which
are not stated. For her notorious sins the
archbishop had imposed the following, in addition to her private penance. She was not to
wear the black veil, or speak to any secular person
of either sex, or with her sister nuns, except by
leave of the prioress. She was not to go out of the
cloister into the church, but was to be confined in a
secure place near the church, in such a way, however, that she could be at matins and masses celebrated in the church, she was to do such things
as were burdensome and not of honour, attending
nevertheless divine service. She was not to dispatch any letter, or receive any sent to her.
Each Wednesday and Friday she was to have
bread, vegetables and light ale, and was to eat and
drink on the bare ground, and on each of those
days was to receive a discipline from the prioress
and each of the nuns in chapter. She was to
take the last place in quire, and not to enter
the chapter except to receive her discipline, and
was to retire immediately she had received it.
Two nuns were to be appointed by the prioress
as her guardians, to see to the execution of the
archbishop's orders, and the prioress was to have
all carried out as a terror to others. It is one of
the most severe punishments visited on any monk
or nun recorded in York Registers, but it was not
the only one which Archbishop Zouch had to
inflict on a nun of Thicket, for he wrote oh
20 April 1352 (fn. 9) to the prioress, to punish Isabella
de Lyridesay, a nun whose faults had been
recently revealed at a visitation held by his commissaries, and the prioress was to report before
Pentecost how she had behaved during the performance of her penance.
Archbishop Rotherham issued on 16 October
1484 (fn. 10) a letter asking for help for the house of
the nuns of Thicket, whose fields and pasturage
had been inundated by floods, and who had
suffered much loss by the death of their cattle.
Among the suppression papers is a list of the
nuns, which has been subsequently altered at a
date three years later, as the ages of some of the
nuns are altered and made three years older. (fn. 11)
This is the case with similar lists of the immates
of other houses. The names of twelve nuns are
given, and they are said to be ' all of good liffyng.'
In the first draft Katherine Chapman, aged fortyeight, is mentioned as prioress, but the name has
been crossed out and ' Agnes Bekwith prioress
46,' is. written at the top of the list. The names
of two others are also struck out: either they had
left the house, or were dead. It seems as if the
list had been used for checking purposes, as one
of the nuns (Dorothea Ryght), whose age had
already been changed from thirty to thirty-three,
was afterwards struck through.
There is a note that Henry Wylkynson, the
nuns' chaplain, had his appointment by way of a
corrody granted 10 April 1526 by Katherine,
prioress 'of the monastery of oure lady sant
Mary of Thykhed of Sannt Benett ordre,' and
that he during his life shall ' abyde and continue
styll in service as chapleyn in ye said priory.' (fn. 12)
In the reign of Edward VI complaint was
made that many of the pensions promised to the
ex-religious had not been paid. Inquiry was
made, and in the East Riding return made in the
sixth year of his reign (1552-3), the names of
seven ex-nuns of Thicket are given; (fn. 13) In this it
is only definitely stated that one of the number,
Margaret Swale, had received the money due to
her. In 1573 Agnes Beckwith alone survived, (fn. 14)
when she received her pension of £6 13s. 4d.,
12s., however, being deducted as a subsidy paid
to the queen.
There is no valuation of Thicket Priory in the
Taxatio of 1292. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus the
total revenues were £23 12s, 2d., and the clear
annual value £20 18s. 4d. (fn. 15) The house possessed no spiritualities, its property lay in West
Cottingwith with Thorganby, Sutton-onDefwent, Norton, Sand Hutton, Wheldrake,
Escrick, Green Hammerton, York City (two
parva cotagia), Spaldington and Allerthorpe. (fn. 16)
Prioresses of Thicket
Sibilla, (fn. 17) occurs 1218
Eva, (fn. 18) occurs 1231
Joan, occurs 1280-1304, (fn. 19) 1306 (fn. 20)
Alice de Alverthorpe, (fn. 21) confirmed 1309
Elizabeth del Haye, (fn. 22) appointed 1335
Hawise, (fn. 23) occurs 1412
Alice Darwent, (fn. 24) occurs 1432
Beatrice, (fn. 25) occurs 1479
Mary Dawson, (fn. 26) occurs 1497
Katherine Chapman, a nun of St. Clement's
York, confirmed 1525, (fn. 27) occurs 1535 (fn. 28)
Agnes Beckwith (fn. 29)