86. THE HOUSE OF WHITE FRIARS, DONCASTER
The Carmelite friary—' a right goodly house
in the middle of the town ' (fn. 1) —was founded in
1350 by John son of Henry Nicbrothere of
Eyum with Maud his wife and Richard
Euwere of Doncaster, who gave the friars
a messuage and 6 acres of land. (fn. 2) The priors of
the order asked permission of the Archbishop of
York to have the place consecrated in 1351. (fn. 3)
The earliest bequest to them recorded was made
by William Nelson of Appleby, vicar of Doncaster, in 1360. (fn. 4) In 1366 Roger de Bangwell,
formerly rector of Dronfield, made his will in
the house of these friars, in whose church he
wished to be buried; he left 8 marks to the
convent, 2s. to each friar, his chalice and priest's
vestment to the altar next to which he was to be
buried, and other ornaments to the great altar,
20s. to John son of Asherford, 'if he is received
into the Carmelites at Doncaster,' and two-thirds
of his goods to the same friary. Among his
executors were the prior, Friars William of
Hatfield, John of Burton, and Thomas de Grene
of Lancashire, then a servant of the prior and
convent. (fn. 5) A provincial chapter was held at
this friary in 1376. (fn. 6) The friars in 1397 received the royal pardon, on paying 20s., for acquiring without licence several small plots, worth
12s. 6d. a year, 'for the enlargement of the
entrance and exit of their church. (fn. 6a) Two friars
of the house, John Slaydburn and John Belton,
were appointed papal chaplains in 1398 and
1402. (fn. 7)
John of Gaunt was regarded as one of the
founders, (fn. 8) and his son Henry of Bolingbroke on
his journey from Ravenspur in July 1399
lodged at the friary, (fn. 9) where also Edward IV was
entertained in 1470, Henry VII in 1486, and
the Princess Margaret Tudor in 1503. (fn. 10) Edward
IV in 1472 conferred the privileges of a corporation on the convent, 'which is of the foundation
of the king's progenitors and of the king's
patronage,' and licensed the friars to acquire
lands to the yearly value of £20. (fn. 11) At the
beginning of the 16th century the Earl of
Northumberland claimed the title of founder of
the house. (fn. 12)
Several members of the house attained some
distinction as writers. Such were John Marrey,
who died in 1407, (fn. 13) John Colley who flourished
c. 1440, (fn. 14) John Sutton, provincial prior 1468, (fn. 15)
and Henry Parker, who got into trouble by
preaching on the poverty of Christ and His apostles and attacking the secular clergy at Paul's
Cross in 1464; he is probably the author of the
dialogue entitled Dives et Pauper which was
printed both by Pynson and by Wynkyn de
Worde at the end of the 15th century. (fn. 16)
John Breknoke, keeper of the Dragon Inn at
Doncaster, left the friars some books in 1505. (fn. 17)
Among those buried in the church were
William and Ellen Leicester about 1450,
Elizabeth Amyas who in 1451 desired to be
buried before the image of the Virgin Mary;
Sir Robert Willis, kt., who took part in Warwick's plots and was executed at Doncaster in
March 1469-70, and his wife Elizabeth daughter
of John Bourchier, Lord Berners, 1470; (fn. 18) and
Margaret Cobham, wife of Ralph Nevill, second
Earl of Westmorland, who was buried in 1484
in 'a goodly tomb of white marble,' which was
afterwards removed to the parish church. (fn. 19)
Many of the bequests were made to 'Our Lady
of Doncaster,' a wonder-working image of the
Virgin, before which the hair shirt of Earl
Rivers was hung after his execution in 1483. (fn. 20)
To this image Sir Hugh Hastings left a taper of
wax in 1482, (fn. 21) Katherine Hastings, his widow,
'her tawny chamlett gown' in 1506, Alice
West her best beads in 1520, John Hewett of
Friston-super-aquam one penny in 1521, the
sister of Geoffrey Proctor of Bordley a girdle
and beads about 1524, while the Earl of
Northumberland gave 13s. 4d. a year to keep a
light burning before Our Lady. (fn. 22) On 15 July
1524 William Nicholson of Townsburgh
attempted to cross the Don with an iron-bound
wain in which were Robert Leche and his wife
and their two children; being overwhelmed by
the stream they called on our Lady of Doncaster
and by her help came safely ashore; they came
to the White Friars and returned thanks on
St. Mary Magdalen's Day, when 'this gracious
miracle was rung and sung in the presence of
300 people and more.' (fn. 23)
On the eve of the Dissolution the house was
divided against itself. The famous John Bale,
about 1530, being then a friar at Doncaster, and
perhaps prior, taught one William Broman 'that
Christ would dwell in no church made of lime
and stone by man's hands, but only in heaven
above and in man's heart on earth.' (fn. 24)
In the Pilgrimage of Grace, though the lords
used the White Friars as their head quarters
while negotiating with Robert Aske at Doncaster, (fn. 25) the prior, Lawrence Coke, supported the
rebellion. He was imprisoned in the Tower
and in Newgate, condemned by Act of Attainder
a few days before Cromwell's fall, but pardoned
on 2 October 1540; it is not clear whether the
pardon was issued in time to save him from
execution. (fn. 26)
The house was surrendered by Edward Stubbis,
the prior, and seven friars, on 13 November
1538 to Hugh Wyrrall and Tristram Teshe,
who 'made a book of the property' and notified
to Cromwell that the tenements in Doncaster
were in some decay, and that the image of our
Lady had already been taken away by the archbishop's order. (fn. 27) The plate sent to the royal
jewel house was considerable; 25 oz. of gilt
plate, 109½ oz. parcel gilt, and 48½ oz. white
plate. (fn. 28) The net profit from the sale of the
goods seems to have been £21 18s. 4d. (fn. 29) The
site with dovecot and other houses, a garden and
orchard all surrounded by a stone wall and containing 2½ acres, was let to Wyrrall for 10s. a
year. The tenements in Doncaster included an
inn called 'Le Lyon' in Hallgate, already let by
the prior to Alan Malster for forty-one years at
40s. a year in 18 August 1538, a messuage in
Selpulchre Gate similarly leased on 2 September
1538 to Emmota Parsonson for 12s., and various
tenements, shops, and cottages, the whole property
bringing in £10 17s. 4d. a year. (fn. 30)
Priors
William de Freston, 1366 (fn. 31)
John Marrey or Marre, before 1407 (fn. 32)
John Sutton, 1472 (fn. 33)
'E. Th. Prior' 1515 (fn. 34)
John Bale (?) c. 1530 (fn. 35)
Laurence Coke, 1536 (fn. 36)
Edward Stubbis, 1538 (fn. 37)