91. THE BLACK FRIARS OF PONTEFRACT (fn. 1)
The story of the foundation of this house
is told by a contemporary Dominican, Ralph
de Bocking, in his life of Richard Wych,
Bishop of Chichester. (fn. 2) Edmund de Lacy, son of
John de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and Margaret de
Quincy, was born in 1227. He early attached
himself to Richard Wych, and after the
bishop's death, 3 April 1253, he determined to
establish a house of Friars Preachers on his own
estates. With due deliberation he chose the
town of Pontefract; and accompanied by many
discreet men, both religious and secular, he went
to the spot and laid the foundation stone with
his own hand, saying, 'To the honour of our
Lady Mary, mother of God and Virgin, and of
St. Dominic, confessor, to whose brethren I assign
this place, and also of St. Richard, bishop and
confessor, formerly my lord and dearest friend, I
wishing to found a church in this place lay the
first stone !' Whereupon the stone immediately
split into three parts, as though to proclaim
approval of the choice of the three patron saints.
This took place probably about 1256, some
six years before Richard Wych was formally
canonized. (fn. 3) Edmund, dying on 22 July 1257,
left his heart to be buried in the Dominican
church of Pontefract.
The lands given by Edmund de Lacy, called
East Crofts, (fn. 4) comprised about 6 acres, in exchange
for which he granted 26 acres to the town of Pontefract. (fn. 5) Two later additions are recorded. In
1309 Walter de Baggehill had licence to assign
to the friary 3½ acres, held of the Earl of Lincoln,
adjacent to their house (valued at 2s. 4d. a year),
in spite of the unfavourable return of the jurors
at the inquisition, who declared that the king
would lose rights of wardship (valued at 7d.),
the town rights of commonage (2d.) and the
rector tithes (2s.). (fn. 6)
In 1342 Simon Piper, chaplain, and John Box
sought licence to grant a perch of land in Pontefract and three poles of turbary in Inclesmore for
fuel for the friars. The land, valued at 1½d. a
year, was granted by royal licence, but nothing
was said of the turbary. (fn. 7) The friars also had a
conduit perhaps supplied from a spring in a small
piece of land called Cockcliff Turfmore, (fn. 8) but it
does not appear how it was acquired.
In 1267 the prior of this house was commissioned by the archbishop to adjudicate on the
merits of Thomas Bek, presented by the monks
of Pontefract to the vicarage of All Saints. (fn. 9)
In 1269 some disputes between the Cluniac
monks of Pontefract and Monk Bretton were
settled in this friary, the prior, Oliver d'Eincourt,
being one of the four arbitrators: the priors of
the Black Friars of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Carlisle,
York, and Lancaster were also present. (fn. 10)
These friars established three stations for
preaching the Crusade in 1291—at Pontefract,
Rotherham and Wakefield. (fn. 11) In the same year
they received 100s. from the executors of Queen
Eleanor. (fn. 12) In 1300 Edward I with his queen
and family twice stayed at this friary; he gave
them 2 marks as compensation for damages,
made offerings at the altar of the Virgin, and
frequently gave them alms for food by the hands
of Friars John de Wrotham, Henry de Carleton,
and John de Holeburi. (fn. 13) From the amount of
the alms it appears the numbers of the friars
varied from twenty-nine to thirty-six.
On 9 August 1310, Edward II, being at
Pontefract, gave the friars 13s. 4d. for one day's
food. (fn. 14) When Edward III visited Pontefract
there were in 1330 twenty-seven friars, thirty in
1334, twenty-six in February 1334-5, and
twenty-nine in May 1335. The king in 1335
gave them a cask of Gascony wine worth £4
for celebrating masses. (fn. 15)
A provincial chapter was held here in August
1303, for the expenses of which the king gave
£10 to the Prior of York; (fn. 16) another provincial
chapter was held here in August 1321, when
the king gave £15 for food, (fn. 17) and William de
Melton, Archbishop of York, 100s. (fn. 18)
The prior, with a number of other persons,
was accused in 1319 of having assaulted one
William Hardy at York. (fn. 19)
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, on his retreat
northwards in February 1321-2 stopped at
Pontefract, and he and his barons held consultations in the friary. A friar preacher attended
him at his execution outside the town, 22 March,
after the battle of Boroughbridge. (fn. 20) John of
Gaunt in 1373 gave the friars permission to
cut turves in Pontefract Park for three years as
they had been accustomed to do, and gave them
three good oaks to repair their ruinous church
and houses. (fn. 21) The Master-General of the Order,
21 May 1397, ratified the concession of a
chamber made by the friars of Pontefract to
Friar John de Kirkbi, and also gave him leave to
go out and stay with his friends as often as
seemed good to him. (fn. 22)
Sir William Vavasour, kt., left them 6 marks
in 1311; (fn. 23) Henry de Percy by will dated
13 September 1349 and proved in 1352 left them
30s.; (fn. 24) Sir Hugh Hastings, 1482, left a serge of
wax to be burned before the altar of St. Peter
of Milan in this church; (fn. 25) and a number of
other bequests will be found in the Testamenta
Eboracensia. (fn. 26) Of more interest is a list of
burials at this friary written by John Wriothesley,
Garter King-of-Arms, who died in 1504: it was
probably taken from the obituary of the house. (fn. 27)
Some of the entries relate to the founder and his
family: the heart of Edmund Lacy, his wife
Alice daughter of the Marquess of Saluzzo, their
infant son John and daughter Margaret; the
heart of her husband George de Cantlowe and
their infant son: and 'Agnes de Vescy, sister of
the said lady Alice Lacy.' Others relate to the
barons associated with Simon de Montfort, such
as Roger Mowbray and Maud Beauchamp his
wife, the heart of their son-in-law Adam of
Newmarket (fn. 28) and his son Adam, their son Roger
Mowbray and Roesia his wife, daughter of
Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester; Robert de
Vipont, and Roger de Leybourne, the husband of
Robert's daughter Idonea de Vipont. Another
group represents the victims of civil wars: Lord
Warin de Lisle, (fn. 29) who was executed after the
battle of Boroughbridge; the hearts of Richard,
Duke of York, 'of most blessed memory,' and his
son Edmund, Earl of Rutland; of Richard Nevill,
Earl of Salisbury, and his son Thomas, 'whose
bones were afterwards translated to the priory
of Bisham': all these fell at Wakefield or were
executed after the battle. Members of the families
of Metal, Rothersfield, Touchet, Deschargell,
and many others are also enumerated.
Thomas Box, esquire, who was buried here
in 1449 does not appear in this list: (fn. 30) nor
William Strudther, who desired to be buried
(1495) before the image of the Virgin, and left
the friars 20s. to amend the frater. (fn. 31) Thomas
Huntingdon of Hull, alderman and merchant,
in 1526, and Walter Bradford of Houghton, gent.,
in 1530 left instructions for the endowment of
chantries in this church. (fn. 32)
The royal commissioners, Sir George Lawson,
Richard Bellasis and two others, received the
surrender of the house 26 November 1538; they
were 'thankfully received.' The act of surrender was signed by the prior, Robert Dae,
Richard Lorde, D.D., five other priests and one
novice. (fn. 33) The goods of the house were sold by
the commissioners for £5 10s. 4d.; among them
were a suit of blood worsted sold to the mayor
for 16s.; an old suit of velvet vestments of a
mulberry colour, 13s. 4d.; two surplices and three
altar cloths 3s. 4d.; utensils of kitchen, brewhouse, pantry; two feather beds, two bolsters, two
coverlets, &c., of the strangers' chamber, 8s. 8d.;
out of the cells, 8s.; a cartload of hay 1s. 8d.
Out of the proceeds the prior received 13s. 4d.,
and each of the friars 5s. The house had no debts.
The land (about 10 acres) and buildings, worth
£3 14s. 4d. a year (net) with two bells, four
fother of lead on the roof, a lead conduit and a
brass 'holy water vat,' were left in the keeping
of Richard Welbore, the mayor. The plate and
jewels consisted of one chalice weighing 9 oz. (fn. 34)
Priors
Oliver Daincourt, (fn. 35) 1269
John de Thorpe, (fn. 36) 1319
Robert Dae or Daye, (fn. 37) 1536, 1538.