8. THE PRIORY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. GODRIC, FINCHALE
Early in the twelfth century the hermit
Godric settled at Finchale under the auspices of
Bishop Flambard. The place was then exceedingly wild, overrun with snakes, and used by the
bishop merely as a hunting-ground. (fn. 1) Here
St. Godric lived for half a century, accompanied
at first by a poor sister, but after her death entirely alone; and here he cultivated the ground
and erected a chapel which he dedicated to
St. John the Baptist, an oratory of St. Mary, and
other buildings, (fn. 2) and when this had been done
Bishop Flambard granted the reversion of the
hermitage, its fishery, and its possessions to the
prior and convent of Durham. (fn. 3) Godric died in
1170, (fn. 4) and soon afterwards Bishop Pudsey confirmed to the monks the gift of his predecessor, (fn. 5)
and conferred upon Reginald (fn. 6) and Henry, the
two Durham monks in possession, and their
successors, the tract of land near the hermitage which now chiefly constitutes the Finchale
farm. (fn. 7)
Such was the state of Finchale when in 1196
Henry Pudsey, son of the bishop, was compelled
by the jealous monks to transfer to it the possessions of the New Place at Baxterwood. (fn. 8) There
was a small church, a salmon fishery in the Wear,
dwelling-rooms for two monks and their attendants, and nearly the whole of the present Finchale
farm, 3 acres of land at Bradley, (fn. 9) and 2 bovates
at Sadberge, (fn. 10) for their maintenance. (fn. 11) Henry
Pudsey reserved to himself and his heirs the
privilege of appointing the prior, and chose
Thomas, sacrist of Durham, to be the first
to hold that office; (fn. 12) but he afterwards conceded the right to the prior and convent of
Durham. (fn. 13) Bishop Kellaw conferred upon the
house land on Finchale Moor. (fn. 14) Other donations
included the advowson and impropriation of the
churches of Wicton [? Wigton] and Giggleswick, (fn. 15)
and land at Yokefleet (fn. 16) and Hetton (fn. 17) (Heppedun),
all given by Henry Pudsey; land at Bradley, (fn. 18)
Woodsend, (fn. 19) Brandon, (fn. 20) Hutton, (fn. 21) Softley, (fn. 22) Spirlswood, (fn. 23) Lumley, (fn. 24) Ferimanside, (fn. 25) Newton, (fn. 26)
Amerston, (fn. 27) Castle Eden, (fn. 28) Thorpe Thewles, (fn. 29)
Hollinside, (fn. 30) Iveston, (fn. 31) Yupeton, (fn. 32) Smallees, (fn. 33) and
Little Stainton; (fn. 34) a fishery in the Tyne at Crook; (fn. 35)
land and a fishery at Cocken; (fn. 36) land and a mill
at Coxhoe; (fn. 37) common of pasture at Baxterwood; (fn. 38) a house in the North Bailey at Durham; (fn. 39)
rents in Sunderland, Hartlepool, and other places, (fn. 40)
and the church of Bishop Middleham granted by
Bishop Robert Stichill in 1268. (fn. 41)
Most of these endowments were conferred
within the first fifty years after Henry Pudsey
established the monks at Finchale. As the
revenues of the house increased, the monks, no
longer content with St. Godric's chapel, resolved
in 1241 to build a new church, and the archbishop of York granted an indulgence of thirty
days to all who should contribute to this
work. (fn. 42) In the following year the church was
begun, (fn. 43) and it appears to have been completed in
or about 1264. (fn. 44) In 1266 the monks added a
chapel dedicated to the honour of St. Godric, in
the south transept. (fn. 45)
About the year 1350 the prior of Durham
severely reproved the Finchale monks for keeping
a pack of hounds, (fn. 46) but they did not waste all their
time in sport. In 1381, Uthred of Boldon,
prior of Finchale, himself the most learned man
of his day, brought to his church a foreigner, one
William du Stiphel, of Brittany, and employed
him in transcribing Jerome's Eusebius and Bede's
Ecclesiastical History. (fn. 47) There is also a record of
at least one boy lodged, boarded, and clothed
at Finchale, and sent to Durham Grammar
School for six or ten years as his case might
require. (fn. 48) Two aged bedesmen were also maintained. (fn. 49)
There were usually eight monks at Finchalebesides the prior, of whom (by an ordinance
made by the prior of Durham in 1408) four were
constant residents, and the other four visitors
from the convent. The natural beauties of the
place made it very suitable as a sort of holiday
home for the Durham monks. Each set of four
were allowed three weeks' furlough, and their
time was divided by the following rules:—Two
were every day to be present at mattins, mass,
vespers, and the other services in the choir, while
the other two had liberty to ramble in the fields
'religiously and honestly,' provided that they
were present at mass and vespers. All four
visitors were to sleep in the dormitory with the
four resident monks, but they were allowed a
special chamber with a fire and other comforts,
to which they might resort when they pleased,
and the prior assigned a servant to wait on
them. Each of the visitors was to celebrate
high mass at least once a week, and on Sunday
all were to be present in the chapter and at the
Lady-mass. (fn. 50)
There was in the priory a room known as the
'player chamber,' which is supposed to have been
appropriated to dramatic representations, such as
mysteries or miracle plays, and to such amusements as listening to the minstrels and gleemen
who visited the house. (fn. 51)
In 1453 the prior of Durham again found
cause of complaint in the laxity of the brethren
at Finchale. They had taken to wearing linen
shirts, instead of the linsey-woolsey injoined
by their rule. The prior sternly forbade the
practice. (fn. 52)
Finchale Abbey was so completely under
the control of the prior and convent of Durham that it has practically no independent
history.
In 1535 its revenues were valued at
£122 15s. 3d. (fn. 53) At its suppression, nearly all
its lands, except the site of the priory and a portion reserved for the seventh stall in Durham
Cathedral, reverted to lay hands. The site
formed part of the endowment of the new
cathedral. (fn. 54)
Priors Of Finchale (fn. 55)
Thomas, sacrist of Durham, app. 1196
John, contemp. with Henry Pudsey
Ralph, occ. 1242 (fn. 56)
Robert Stichill, elected bishop of Durham,
30 September, 1260
M. . . . (fn. 57)
Geoffrey, occ. 1265 (fn. 58)
Robert of Holy Island, elected bishop of Durham, 12 Sept. 1274
Richard de Escrick, occ. Whitsuntide, 1284
Henry de Teesdale, occ. 1295
Walter de Swinburne
Geoffrey de Burdon, occ. 1303, 1307; prior
of Durham, 1313-22
Richard
Adam de Boyvill (fn. 59)
Henry de Stamford, occ. 1312; elected
bishop of Durham, 1316
Walter de Scaresbreck, prior of Coldingham
in 1341
John de Laton, 1317, prior of Holy Island
in 1324
Henry de Newcastle, occ. 1318
Richard de Aslakby, admitted prior, 1324;
occ. 1331
Thomas de Lund, D.T., 1333
Emeric de Lumley, occ. 1341, 1342; prior
of Lytham in 1333
John de Beverley, before 1345; removed to
Holy Island
John Barneby, occ. 1345
Nicholas de Luceby, occ. 1346-9
John Wawayne
John de Norton
Thomas Graystanes, occ. 1354
William de Goldisburgh, 1354-60; prior of
Holy Island in 1367
John de Newton, 1360-3
John de Tykhill, occ. 1363
Uthred de Boldon, S.T.P., 25 Aug. 1367
Richard de Birtley, 1372; master of Farne
in 1380
John de Normanby, 1373; prior of Holy
Island in 1379
Uthred de Boldon (again), 1375
John de Beryngton, occ. 18 May, 1384
Uthred de Boldon (again), occ. 1390
Roger Mainsforth
Robert Rypon, occ. 1397
Thomas D'Autre, 1405 to Christmas, 1411
William de Pocklington, 1411-23
William Barry, 1423; d. 1439
Henry Feriby, app. 13 Feb. 1439-40; held
office till Sept. 1450
John Oll, (fn. 60) app. 16 Sept. 1450; d. before
1452
Thomas Ayer, 1451-7
Richard Bell, S.T.B., 1457-65; bishop of
Carlisle, 1478
Thomas Ayre, occ. 26 Nov. 1464 (sic)
Thomas de Hexham, occ. 11 Sept. 1465
William Burdon, 1466-79
Robert Weardale, or Wardell, 1479-91
John Swan, app. 1 Aug. 1491, with clause
of removal
Richard Caley, app. 29 Sept. 1502
William Cawthorne, app. 1506; occ. 1514,
1520
Richard Cayley, occ. 1525-7
John Haleywell, occ. 1528
William Bennett, occ. 12 Sept. 1536 (fn. 61)
No perfect example has yet been found of the
seal of Finchale Priory. In the time of Prior
John, who was contemporary with Henry
Pudsey, the prior's seal was (apparently) oval in
shape, and bore the three-quarter length figure
of a man in a long robe, with a book in his hand. (fn. 62)
The seal appended to a charter of Prior Ralph
(c. 1242) bears the winged figure of an angel,
presumably St. Michael, with a long spear, in
the act of killing the dragon. Legend (defaced)—
✠ Angelico . . . . . . . Carmina . Signo. (fn. 63)