HOUSES OF AUSTIN CANONS
1. THE PRIORY OF CARLISLE
We naturally look to Carlisle for the earliest
evidence of ecclesiastical life and movement
in the new province which had been added to
the English kingdom in 1092. It has been
pointed out that very early in his reign, most
probably in 1102, Henry I. granted a site
within the city for the purpose of founding a
religious establishment. (fn. 1) For various reasons
already stated, little else seems to have been
done till after the political changes of 1120-2,
when Ranulf Meschin, the civil ruler, left
the district and the king took it into his
own hand. From this date onward a vigorous policy was carried on for its ecclesiastical
development. How much progress had been
made with the building of the church or the
religious organization of the city during
Ranulf's consulate we cannot tell. The
happy turn of its fortunes may be ascribed to
the pious instincts of Walter the priest, who,
on taking the religious habit and becoming an
inmate of the house, endowed the institution
with all his churches and lands. (fn. 2) The king,
at whose instigation the step was taken,
granted the reversion of four churches in
Northumberland which he had previously
given for life to Richard D'Orival (de Aurea
Valle), (fn. 3) his chaplain, and added to the gift two
other churches in the same county. But the
landowners of the neighbourhood were slow to
emulate these great examples. It is true that
Waldeve son of Gospatric, who had succeeded
to the barony of Allerdale, was one of the
first patrons of the royal foundation; the
churches of Aspatria and Crosscanonby; the
chapel of St. Nicholas, Flimby; and a house
near the church of St. Cuthbert, Carlisle,
were of his gift. (fn. 4) In the earlier stages of its
history the priory does not appear to have
created much enthusiasm. Its possessions
consisted chiefly of spiritualities, with the
notable exception of the manors of Linstock
and Carleton bestowed by Walter the priest.
But the king was pursuing a steady policy.
In 1130 the canons were busy in completing
their church. (fn. 5) The time was ripe for a fresh
development.
The foundation of the bishopric in 1133,
with the seat of the bishop in the new priory
church of St. Mary, (fn. 6) gave unity and force to
the ecclesiastical life of the district, and was
chiefly instrumental in bringing in endowments to support the organizations which
followed. Little is known of the constitution
of the priory before it was raised to the
dignity of a cathedral chapter. It was probably a house of secular canons. But it seems
satisfactorily proved, if we trust the evidence
of the chronicles, that it was Adelulf the first
bishop, soon after his consecration in 1133,
who changed the constitution of the priory
by the introduction of regular canons of St.
Augustine. (fn. 7) To this circumstance, there can
be little doubt, we owe the unique position
which the priory of Carlisle held as the
only cathedral chapter of regular canons in
England. Adelulf had been prior of the
Augustinian house of Nostell near Pontefract,
and was a well known patron of his order
before he was raised to the episcopal dignity. (fn. 8)
When we take into consideration the late
creation of the bishopric and the antecedents
of the first bishop, the singularity of the constitution of the cathedral church appears to
need no further explanation. The bishop
was not only master of his church, but he
also enjoyed a participation in its endowments. The church of Carlisle was one
ecclesiastical corporation with the bishop at
its head. It is a curious fact in illustration
of the bishop's predominance in his cathedral
that the monastic order, to which the canons
of his chapter belonged, could not make statutes or ordinances for the enlargement or
modification of the rule under which they
lived without his sanction. In 1302, many
years after the endowments of the priory and
bishopric had been separated, when the heads
of Augustinian houses were assembled at
Drax in Yorkshire, Bishop Halton sent a
mandate forbidding them to enact anything to
the prejudice of his church of Carlisle without
his pontifical consent and authority, inasmuch
as his chapter was composed of regular canons
of their order, and those, making new ordinances and statutes, should be guided by
moderation that the bond of love between
subjects and rulers (inter subditos et parentes)
might be strengthened. This mandate was
carried to the conclave at Drax by Brother
William, a canon of the house, nominated
for that purpose by the prior and chapter. (fn. 9)
The bishop's supremacy over his cathedral
church cannot be questioned. It has been
already pointed out that the bishop and his
chapter formed one ecclesiastical corporation
and held the lands and spiritual possessions of
the church of Carlisle in common. When a
division of the property was made and the see
became an institution in some measure separate from the priory, care was taken to define
the relationship of the head of the diocese to
the corporate body occupying the church
which represented the unity of his diocese
and contained the seat of his jurisdiction.
There is little doubt that at the outset the
appointment of the prior was in the patronage
of the bishop, and perhaps of the king when
the bishopric was void. When the terms of
the arrangement for the separate endowment
of the see were complete, this privilege seems
to have been relinquished to the chapter in
compensation for the redistribution of emoluments. At all events it was not until 1248
that the canons had the liberty of electing
their own superior. On 25 November in
that year, Pope Innocent IV. granted protection and confirmation of possessions to the
prior and convent, and especially the chapelry
of the church of Carlisle, with all offerings,
tithes, and parish rights belonging to the said
church, except the offering at Whitsuntide,
all the land formerly belonging to Walter the
priest, which King Henry gave and confirmed
by his charter, and other possessions. The
pope also granted to the canons the right of
electing the prior and prohibited the bishop
from disposing of their emoluments without
their consent. (fn. 10)
The bishop however did not give up altogether his control of the internal affairs of
the priory when the property was divided. It
was part of the bargain that he should have
a voice in the selection of the sub-prior and
cellarer, the two principal officers of the house.
By virtue of an ordination made on 2 September 1249, between Bishop Silvester on
the one part, and R(obert), the prior, and
convent on the other, it was stipulated that
as often as the office of sub-prior or cellarer
fell vacant, the prior and convent should
nominate two or three fit persons and present
them to the bishop that he might select one
for the vacant post; if the bishop was absent
from the diocese at the time, he was required
to issue a commission within a month after
the presentation had been brought to his
notice, that the offices might not remain vacant beyond the aforesaid period; and that
it should be at the option of the bishop when
present, or of his commissioned deputy when
absent, to select one of those candidates nominated by the priory and to admit him to the
office. (fn. 11) This ordination remained in force
throughout the history of the priory, and
sometimes the canons were not backward in
keeping the bishops up to the letter of the
original agreement.
A vacancy occurring in the office of cellarer
in 1331, while Bishop Ross was residing at
his church of Melbourne in Derbyshire, the
canons nominated two of their number,
Brothers Geoffrey de Goverton and Ralf Gray,
and requested the bishop by special messenger
to select one of them for the post or issue a
commission for that purpose. The letter of
nomination was dated 25 July, and the latest
time allowed to the bishop for signifying his
choice was 8 September. 'Although we are
not compelled by law,' so the letter runs, 'to
write to you while you are out of the diocese
(in remotis), yet for the sake of peace and
under protest, lest it be quoted hereafter as a
precedent against us, we are directing these
presents for this turn.' It is evident that the
canons were trying to impress their bishop
with a sense of their magnanimity by pretending to confer a favour upon him, whereas
in reality it was no favour at all, as they were
obliged by law to do what was done. In
response the bishop appointed the prior of
Lanercost and the official of the diocese to
choose the ablest and fittest of the candidates
and induct him to the office. (fn. 12) A similar
custom was observed in 1338-9, when Bishop
John de Kirkby was residing at Horncastle,
with respect to the vacant office of sub-prior.
The official of the diocese was commissioned
to select the fitter of two canons, R. Paule
and T. de Stanlaw, submitted to him for the
post. (fn. 13) In 1379 the tenure of the office of
cellarer came before Bishop Appleby for his
decision. For some reasons not stated, Prior
John de Penreth removed Robert de Clifton
from his office without the consent of the
majority of the chapter, which caused dissension and discord in the house. Both
parties submitted the dispute to the bishop,
who ordered the restoration of the cellarer to
his office as he had been irregularly deposed. (fn. 14)
In no instance have we met with the deprivation of a prior of Carlisle, (fn. 15) though Bishop
Halton was obliged to deliver stern injunctions
to Prior Adam de Warthwyk, and Bishops
Ross and Appleby were reduced to the extremity of excommunicating Priors John de
Kirkby and William de Dalston respectively.
Many examples of resignation are on record.
Pensions were allowed to the retiring priors
and suitable provision was made in accordance with their exalted station for the rest of
their lives. These pensions were voted by
the canons as a charge upon their revenues
and approved by the bishop. In cases, of
course, where the voidance arose from preferment, no pension was assigned.
The bishops of Carlisle possessed an undisputed power of visitation of the convent, which
they exercised as occasion called. Individual
bishops as a rule took an early opportunity
after their appointment to make a general
visitation of the diocese, in which not unfrequently the priory of Carlisle was included.
At other times they visited when a cause of
dispute or some irregularity in the house was
brought to their notice. The results of some
of these visitations are not devoid of interest.
In 1301, after Bishop Halton had visited by
his ordinary authority the convent as well in
head as in members at the request of Adam de
Warthwyk the prior, and inspected the state
of the institution within and without, he delivered a series of injunctions to the prior
which show us how indispensable was the
episcopal oversight to the internal discipline
of the capitular body. By the depositions of
certain canons of the said monastery examined
according to custom, a copy of which was
sent to Prior Warthwyk, the following charges
were preferred against him: negligence and
remissness in the discipline of his house contrary to the statutes of the order; his household was much too expensive in those days
(familia vestra est nimis bonerosa biis diebus);
in preferring and removing obedientiaries and
in other matters affecting the house, he consulted only with Brothers Robert Karlile,
William de Hautwysil, and William de Melburne, the advice of the rest of the chapter
having been wholly omitted and despised contrary to the decrees of the holy fathers; incompetency to rule the priory, inasmuch as,
owing to his failings, order was not preserved
among the brethren, the business of the house
was not transacted, and its goods were wasted
beyond measure by his expensive entourage;
by appropriating the perquisites of his court he
had received the gressoms and profits of the
green seal (gersummas et appruyamenta viridis
cere), had held in his own hand for three years
and more the grange of Newbiggin, whereof
he received the issues and spent it at his own
free will without consulting the majority of
the convent, had returned no account contrary to the statute of the Legate 'de ratiociniis reddendis,' and worst of all he had
converted the proceeds to his own private
uses contrary to the vow of his profession;
misappropriation of the profits of the trade in
wine and other merchandise which Brother
W. de Melburne carried on with his connivance without rendering any account; holding
back money due from the tenants of the
monastery and converting it to his own use,
till the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer
made a levy on the common goods of the
house to its great damage and loss; the employment for a long time of W. the clerk, as
a sower of discord between the brethren in his
own interest; improvident concession of a
corrody to Stephen, rector of Castle Carrock,
for £4 without converting the money to the
use of the house; letting to farm the houses
and courts of his manors of Corbridge and
Wyden without the knowledge or consent of
the convent to its great detriment; failure
to account for 100 marks paid to him by
Master W. de Lowther in the name of the
monastery, and £200 of old money and 40
marks of new money left in the treasury by
Robert the late prior; appropriation to his
own use of the profits of a ship made at the
costs of the house; by reason of his negligence and the bumptiousness (elacionem) of
Robert de Warthwyk his steward, the house
had an evil reputation in the neighbourhood;
want of sympathy with his sick brethren;
and making known the proceedings of the
daily chapter when the secrets of the order
were discussed, and scoffing at them in his
own chamber in the presence of the laity.
Unless these charges were forthwith remedied
and a reformation made without delay, the
bishop informed the prior that he should be
obliged to proceed against him according to
the insistance of the canons and to decree
against him what was just. (fn. 16)
A scandal of great magnitude convulsed
the diocese in 1385 when the patience of
Bishop Appleby was exhausted by the refusal
of Prior William de Dalston to accept his
judicial decision in some matters of debate
between the canons or to give him canonical
obedience. At last the bishop brought matters
to a crisis by excommunicating the prior and
ordering the parish priests of St. Mary's and St.
Cuthbert's to publish the sentence at the celebration of mass. The city of Carlisle was
in an uproar. Many of its leading citizens
and clergy, espousing the cause of the prior,
entered the cathedral as well as the parish
churches at the head of an armed mob, and
snatching the bishop's letters from the hands
of the officiating priests carried them forcibly
away. The bishop threatened to put the
whole of the city under an interdict with the
exception of the castle and its chapel.
Charges of adultery against the prior were
raised in the controversy. The majority
of the canons implored the bishop to visit the
house; the archbishop cited the prior and his
abettors for their disobedience; the king
wrote deploring the scandal and asking for
particulars. The upshot of the unpleasant
business was that Prior Dalston was induced
to give obedience to the bishop's judgment
and to resign his office. (fn. 17) Perhaps no period
of equal length in the whole history of the
priory of Carlisle witnessed more exciting
scenes than the months of August and September 1385, while Bishop Appleby stood up
so resolutely for the maintenance of discipline and order in his cathedral chapter in
spite of the threats and opposition of the
rulers and the mob of his cathedral city. (fn. 18)
Though we have notice of the resignation
of several of the priors of Carlisle, only in
one instance have we found particulars of a
pension allotted to any of them out of the
revenues of the church. The exception occurs
in the case of Adam de Warthwyk, who showed
such incompetence in administering the affairs
of the house. In 1304, three years after the
bishop's onslaught on his mismanagement,
the prior resigned of his own free will. The
reasons he alleged for taking this step do him
credit. He confessed that, broken with old
age and weakened in bodily senses, he was
quite unable to rule the priory any longer.
Bishop Halton, on his part, in assigning him
a pension, was not backward in complimentary appreciation of the prior's long service to
the church. For forty years he had lived as
a canon regular under the rule (doctrina) of
St. Augustine in the venerable assembly of
the convent of his cathedral church, and for
twenty-one years and more he filled the
laborious office of prior in times of war and
troubles, and now, as he had stated, he was so
burdened with cares and stricken with age
that he was no longer able to remain. In
these circumstances the bishop determined,
with the unanimous vote of the chapter, to
make suitable provision for his comfort as
long as he lived. Among the particulars of
his pension may be mentioned the new
chamber which the prior had built for himself
and those who ministered to him daily;
rations equal to three times those of an ordinary canon according to the custom of the
priory; the tithe sheaves of Langwathby
towards the expenses of his household, for as
he was the scion of a noble family in the
diocese, a provision in proportion to his
station and the hospitalities expected of him
should be made; an allowance of twenty
marks yearly for his clothing; one servant
and a boy to wait upon him; and when he
went outside the precincts of the monastery
for a change of air (ob æris intemperiem), or for
recreation, or to visit the granges or manors
of the priory, or any of his friends within the
diocese, or for any lawful reason, the prior
and convent for the time being, under their
debt of obedience, were obliged to provide him
and his household with suitable means of
travelling. (fn. 19)
The traditional relationship of the cathedral as the chief temple of the diocese to the
parish churches was preserved and perpetuated
by an annual homage made by the parish
priests during the week after Pentecost.
Though the practice was not confined to the
church of Carlisle, it is interesting to notice
how jealously the bishops of that see insisted
on its observance. In 1372 Bishop Appleby,
on the complaint of the prior and sacrist that
some of the rectors and vicars failed to put
in an appearance, issued a mandate to the
official of the diocese to proceed against the
truants. The clergy were bound, the mandate continued, to visit the cathedral church
once a year and to join in the procession in
their surplices with the cross carried before
them (processionaliter in superpelliciis crucem ante
se deferri facientes), and to do other things
requisite to show the reverence due from them
to the bishop's seat. This custom which had
been observed ab antiquo should on no account
be allowed to fall into disuse. It was one of
the most beautiful and instructive phases of
medieval ritual in its assertion of the corporate
life and work of the church. From a subsequent mandate in 1386 we learn that the
procession wended its way up to the high
altar when the clergy made their oblations due
to God as a sign of their subjection to the
cathedral church. (fn. 20) In this way annually, on
some appointed day in Whitsun week, the
clergy paid the cathedraticum due from every
benefice in token of subjection to the bishop's
jurisdiction and of allegiance to the church
which represented the unity of the diocese.
Processions of various descriptions were not
of unfrequent occurrence at the cathedral,
inasmuch as it usually led the way in all
matters affecting the welfare of the district.
It was to the prior and official of Carlisle that
the bishop addressed himself in 1365, when
he instituted special processions with the solemn chanting of the seven penitential psalms,
the litany and other suitable prayers to be
undertaken in the cathedral and all churches
collegiate and non-collegiate throughout the
diocese, for good weather. The autumn of
that year was remarkable for violent storms
of wind and rain and the crops were much
injured by the rains and floods. (fn. 21) Much the
same procedure took place when processions
were ordered as propitiatory ceremonies for
the averting of a threatened pestilence or for
success of the English arms against the Scots. (fn. 22)
Another great day in the Christian year at
Carlisle was Ash Wednesday, when penitents
flocked from places far and near to receive
the sacrament of reconciliation in the mother
church of the diocese. It was the privilege
of the bishop to attend personally on these
occasions, but in his absence the duty was
assigned to the prior. It was by the bishop's
licence or commission that the prior was able
to introduce penitents into the cathedral and
reconcile them to the church ut est moris. (fn. 23)
A peculiar privilege was enjoyed by the
prior and convent on very high authority.
Pope Alexander IV. granted them an indult
in 1258 to wear birettas or caps in the choir
on account of the cold, provided they were
removed at the Gospel and the elevation in
time of mass. (fn. 24) At a subsequent period, when
the utilitarian convenience of the privilege
was forgotten, the canons of Carlisle were
collated to their prebends by the delivery of a
biretta (per byretti nostri traditionem) from the
bishop, perhaps, like the verge or rod in civil
life, as a symbol of seisin. This custom was
in force at Carlisle throughout the reign of
Elizabeth. (fn. 25)
From an early period the enclosure of the
priory or monastic precinct at Carlisle has
been called 'The Abbey,' though the church
had never an abbot distinct from the bishop.
Freeman (fn. 26) has pointed out that the same
peculiarity existed at Bath and Durham. (fn. 27)
It was customary for the bishops at their
first visitation to demand an inspection of the
title deeds of all holders of ecclesiastical preferment or spiritual endowments within the
diocese. When these were produced, letters
of dimission were issued confirming the
holders in possession. Numerous deeds of
this nature are on record with respect to the
spiritualities of religious houses to which
churches within the bishop's jurisdiction were
appropriated. From one of these records of
dimission we may take a schedule of the
spiritual possessions of the priory of Carlisle in
1355, in which the ecclesiastical status of
each of the churches is declared as they existed at that date: the parish churches of the
blessed Mary and St. Cuthbert, Carlisle, with
the chapel of Sebergham, the churches of
Hayton with its chapels, Cumrew and Cumwhitton (Comquityngton), the churches of
Crosscanonby (Crossebye in Allerdale), Camerton, Ireby, Bassenthwaite (Beghokirk),
Castle Sowerby (Soureby), Rocliffe (Routhecliff), Edenhall with the chapel of Langwathby, and Addingham with the chapel of
Little Salkeld (Salkeld), all of which were held
in proprios usus. In the churches of St. Mary
and St. Cuthbert, Carlisle, Hayton, Rocliffe,
Ireby, Crosscanonby, Camerton and Bassenthwaite vicars were never instituted, nor were
the vicarages ever taxed or 'ordained,' but all
of them were served by stipendiary chaplains
(per capellanos conducticios). The prior and
convent also possessed the following pensions
from churches, viz. 26s. 8d. from Lowther,
26s. from Kirkland, 6s. 8d. from Ousby
(Ulnesby), 2s. from Hutton in the Forest
(Hoton), 2s. from Castle Carrock, 2s. from
Cambok, 6s. 8d. from Bewcastle (Bothecastre),
2s. 6d. from Allhallows (Ukmanby), and £6
from the abbot and convent of Holmcultram. (fn. 28) If this schedule be compared with the
ecclesiastical surveys of 1535 and 1540, (fn. 29) it
will be seen that the only addition of consequence which was made in the spiritualities of
the priory, during the intervening period, was
the rectory and patronage of the parish
church of St. Andrew, Thursby, which Sir
Robert Ogle, lord of Ogle and Thursby, and
Isabel his wife gave to the prior and canons
in 1468, with permission to appropriate the
said church and serve it by a canon of their
cathedral or any other suitable chaplain, without endowment of a vicarage in the church or
compulsion to distribute a yearly sum of money
to the poor of the parish. (fn. 30) The churches belonging to the priory in the diocese of Durham
were not included in Bishop Welton's dimission as they were not within his jurisdiction.
The cathedral served as the parish church
of St. Mary, Carlisle, from the date of its
foundation, as the priory church of Lanercost had done for that parish. It can scarcely
be denied that the churches with which
Walter the priest endowed the priory, when
he took the religious habit on becoming an
inmate thereof, were those of St. Mary and
St. Cuthbert, Carlisle, and Stanwix. The
rectory of the latter church was equally
divided between the bishop and the convent
in the great award of the papal legates, but
the rectories of the two Carlisle churches
were wholly appropriated to the canons. The
church of St. Cuthbert may be numbered
among the earliest ecclesiastical institutions in
the diocese of Carlisle, of which authentic
record has come down to us. A house near
it was given to the priory by Waldeve son of
Gospatric, one of its first benefactors. We
have found no trace of a church of St. Mary
apart from the cathedral and no vicarial jurisdiction over the parish of that name, except
what was exercised by the prior as the impropriator of the revenues. An attempt was
made in 1342 to raise it from its position as
a chapelry to the dignity of a vicarage, and
the provincial court of York was moved by
the parishioners for that purpose. In the appeal to the metropolitan it was stated that the
church of the Blessed Mary from its foundation had been and was at that time a parish
church with an independent cure (per se
curata), having people separate from the
parishioners of other churches and a wide and
extensive parish with limits and bounds of its
own, insomuch that its own parish church
had abounded in times past and did then
abound with powers, issues, fruits and revenues
sufficient to maintain a perpetual vicar of its
own and to support all ecclesiastical claims
upon it. Furthermore the parishioners complained that the sacrist of the priory, to whom
the issues of the parish were committed, had
neglected the cure of souls and that insufficient
ministrations were supplied to the people.
Notwithstanding the espousal of the cause of
the appellants by the provincial court, the
Bishop of Carlisle gave judgment in favour of
the priory, because we have found, he said,
after due examination of the evidences, that
the prior and chapter are well able to serve
the church through their own chaplains
under the care and direction of the prior for
the time being, no other vicar having been
ever instituted in the same. (fn. 31) The parish of
St. Mary was not unfrequently called the
parish of Carlisle cathedral, (fn. 32) and the churchyard or burial ground around the church was
known as the churchyard of St. Mary's or the
churchyard of the canons of St. Mary's, Carlisle. (fn. 33) The parish church remained within
the cathedral, probably in the nave, ab antique
as it was within living memory, till 1869,
when the present church of St. Mary was
built within the abbey.
The ownership of the tithes arising from
assart lands in the forest of Inglewood was a
constant source of irritation and dispute between the bishop and the priory. It has been
already mentioned that these tithes were
granted by Henry I. to the church of Carlisle
and confirmed by Henry II. In the division
of the church property by the papal legates,
the ownership of the tithes of lands to be
assarted in the future was not clearly laid
down. Edward I. however acknowledged in
1280 the claim of the priory to the tithe of
venison in the forest. (fn. 34) The whole matter
was reviewed in the king's court in 1290,
when claims were separately set up by the
bishop, prior and parson of Thursby for the
tithes of two places, Linthwaite and Kirkthwaite, newly assarted in Inglewood, the
king intervening as owner of the forest.
Bishop Ralf stated that the places in question
were within the limits of his church of
Aspatria: Henry de Burton claimed that they
were situated in his parish of Thursby; the
prior of Carlisle produced a certain horn of
ivory (quoddam cornu eburneum), by means of
which, he said, Henry the old king enfeoffed
the canons of Carlisle with the said tithes. (fn. 35)
Ultimately judgment was given in favour of
the king's claim, but in 1293 that claim
was relinquished and the tithes were regranted to the canons. (fn. 36) From time to
time the right of the canons was afterwards disputed by the king's foresters or by
the bishop's, but the position of the canons on
inquiry remained unshaken. It was found,
after inquisition in 1330, that the prior and
his predecessors were seised of the tenth
penny arising from all extra-parochial agistments within the forest of Inglewood in the
times of all keepers of that forest by the
hands of the receiver of the issues thereof,
from the time of the foundation of the priory
by grant of Henry son of the empress (imperatoris), until Henry le Scrop, the late
keeper, detained the said tenth penny. The
king confirmed them in their possession. (fn. 37) It
was at this date that a long dispute raged
between Bishop Ross and Prior John de
Kirkby about the tithes, resulting in the
excommunication of the prior and the death
of the bishop. (fn. 38) The revival of litigation
was the means of procuring a confirmation from the Crown, in the shape of a
notification of the record of a cause between
Edward I. and Adam, then prior, tried at
Carlisle before the justices itinerant, on the
morrow of All Souls, 1285, on a writ of quo
warranto touching the following liberties in
Inglewood Forest: common of pasture in
right of their church for themselves and their
tenants within the metes of the forest: tithes
of venison and of hay, pannage, after-pannage, agistment of foals, calves, lambs, swine,
goats and other animals, also of fish taken
in the lake of Tarnwadling, called 'laykebrait,' the hides of all beasts found dead by
the foresters, the right to hunt the hare and
fox with their hounds without the covert, and
that their hounds be quit of expeditation; the
right to a charcoal burner to make charcoal
from all dead wood in the grass and to such
oaks thrown down by the wind as they and
their servants can, before others, mark with an
axe stroke to the core: all which the canons
claimed by immemorial usage, producing a
horn which they said was given with the
liberties by Henry I. the founder of their
house. Edward III. also confirmed a writ,
dated 7 February 1286, whereby these
liberties were permitted to the canons with
the exception of trees blown down by the
wind. (fn. 39) It is probable that the horn of ivory
above mentioned was seen by Tonge (fn. 40) in his
heraldic visitation of the northern counties in
1530, when he described it as a 'great horne
of venery, havyng certeyn bondes of sylver
and gold and the versus folowyng graven upon,
"Henricus primus nuster foundator opimus ac
dedit in teste carte pro jure foreste."' The
dean and chapter of Carlisle still possess certain
objects catalogued in the inventories of the
cathedral furniture as 'one horn of the altar in
two parts' or 'two horns of the altar,' which
have given rise to much antiquarian discussion. (fn. 41)
The property of the priory, scattered in
small parcels over the border and central
districts of the county, was frequently wasted
and destroyed by the inroads of the Scots.
Again and again the canons petitioned for
redress or alms on account of their poverty
and sufferings. The documentary evidences
of the fourteenth century are burdened with
appeals and complaints from Carlisle and the
other religious houses describing the woes and
wrongs perpetrated by the hereditary enemy. (fn. 42)
It would serve no useful purpose to recount
the numerous licences and gifts made in
response to such appeals. The strong walls of
Carlisle were insufficient to protect their
church and cloisters from fire and damage.
In 1316, when the Scots were particularly
aggressive, the canons petitioned for a grant
of timber to renovate their burnt cathedral, (fn. 43)
and complained against the conduct of Sir
Andrew de Harcla, sheriff of the county, who
made a 'fosse' through the prior's ground
under the wall of the city and set fire to all
the priory houses outside the walls, which
could not be replaced for £100. As the
damage had been done for the safety of the
priory as well as the town, owing to the
rigorous necessities of the siege, the brethren
were requested to wait for peace and the
king would not forget their interests. (fn. 44) So
heavily lay the destroying hand on the priory
at this period, that Edward II. sent writs to
the abbots of Leicester and Thornton on
Humber, and to the priors of Thurgarton,
Bridlington, Worksop and Kirkham, each
to receive into their houses one of the canons
of Carlisle to be nominated by the prior's
letters patent and to maintain him as one
of their own canons until the priory of
Carlisle was relieved from its present state, as
its goods were so robbed and wasted by the
Scottish rebels that they were insufficient for
the maintenance of the canons of the house. (fn. 45)
It was a privilege of the Crown to exact a
corrody from all the religious houses of royal
foundation, and in times of prosperity the
king was accustomed to demand it from the
priory of Carlisle. In 1331 Richard Champion, in consideration of his good service to
Edward I. and Edward II., was sent to the
convent to receive such maintenance as Peter
de Kirkoswald, deceased, had in that house
at the request of the former king. (fn. 46) But the
time came when the kings were obliged to relinquish the privilege. In 1386 Richard II.,
in consideration of the great losses and
destruction by the Scots, remitted to the prior
and convent and their successors for ever the
right of corrody or maintenance, which his
progenitors were accustomed to give therein
and which the king in his time had given to
John Hobcrone. (fn. 47) At that time their losses
were exceptionally severe. As late as the
reign of Queen Mary it could be said that
the Scots 'are verey cruell at present.' (fn. 48)
The kings must have stayed several times
at the priory on their various visits to Carlisle.
Edward I. was certainly a guest there in
August 1306, for on the tenth of that month
he requested James de Dalilegh, his agent in
Cumberland, to put the houses of the priory
in readiness for his reception as he intended
to occupy them immediately. (fn. 49) The cloisters
were sometimes utilized as a storehouse for
the provisions of the army. It was one of
the complaints against Sir Andrew de Harcla
in 1319 that his brother John broke through
the wall of the 'lunge celer' in the priory
and the doors of others, and took out twenty
tuns of the 'élite' of the king's wine. (fn. 50)
The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary
was a conspicuous figure among the 'ornaments' of the cathedral, as we should expect
in a church entitled in her name. If we consider the ecclesiastical relation of the cathedral
to the diocese we can in a measure understand the meaning of Bishop Welton's phrase
when he spoke of the people under his jurisdiction as 'the subjects of God and the glorious Virgin Mary, His mother, in whose
honour the said church was erected.' (fn. 51) The
cult of the Virgin was a devotional instinct
of considerable power in the religious life of
the city and diocese of Carlisle. In 1363
Bishop Apple by obtained from the pope
indulgences extending over ten years for
penitents who visited the cathedral (which
had been burned) on the five feasts of the
Blessed Virgin, or who lent a helping hand
to the fabric. (fn. 52) When the Scots were
assaulting Carlisle in the time of Richard II.,
a woman appeared to them and announced
the near approach of the king's army, but
that woman, said Henry of Knighton, (fn. 53) was
believed to be the glorious Virgin Mary,
the patroness of Carlisle, who had often
appeared to the inhabitants of that city. In
1380 Joan, wife of John de Dundrawe, bequeathed a girdle wrought in silver for the
image of the Blessed Mary in the cathedral. (fn. 54)
The prior and convent, inflamed with the
energy of pious devotion, made application to
Bishop Close and Archbishop Kempe in 1451
for an indulgence to aid them in procuring
a richly decorated statue of the Virgin for the
cathedral of Carlisle. Nothing would satisfy
them short of an image or statue covered with
plates of silver and overlaid with gold, gems,
precious stones, and many other costly ornaments, for the praise of God, the increase of
the veneration and honour of the most glorious Virgin and for provoking the devotion of
Christ's faithful people daily flocking there on
pilgrimage. (fn. 55) In 1469 John Knoblow, parson
of Lamplugh, gave a legacy to the prior and
convent that five candles might be lighted in
honour of the five joys of the Blessed Virgin
in front of her image in the conventual church
every night after compline when the antiphon,
Salve Regina, was sung. (fn. 56) This fervid devotion to sumptuous imagery was general
throughout the diocese in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries. (fn. 57)
Though it was a special veneration for the
Blessed Virgin which was the chief cause of
making Carlisle a place of pilgrimage, its
possession of some relics of the saints contributed not a little to its fame. According to
a statement of J. Denton, (fn. 58) Waldeve son of
Earl Gospatric brought from Jerusalem and
Constantinople a bone of St. Paul, and another
of St. John the Baptist, two stones of Christ's
sepulchre, and part of the Holy Cross, which
he gave to the priory. There can be no
doubt that Alan son of the said Waldeve gave
the Holy Rood which was in their possession
as late as the fourteenth century. But it is
not stated whether or not it was part of the
real cross of our Lord. (fn. 59) Waldeve and Alan
were great benefactors of the church of Carlisle in various other ways. As Hugh de
Morvill, one of the assassins of Archbishop
Becket, had a family connection with the
diocese, it is not to be wondered at that some
relics of the martyr should find their way to
Carlisle. In the early years of the thirteenth
century, when John de Courcy founded an
establishment of regular canons at Toberglorie
in the suburb of Downpatrick (Dun) in
Ulster, and made it a cell of Carlisle, the new
institution was entitled in the honour of St.
Thomas the martyr out of respect to the
canons of the mother house. (fn. 60) At that date
it is evident that St. Thomas must have been
held in high esteem in the church of Carlisle.
At a later period we learn the cause. It was
in the cathedral in presence of Bishop Halton
that Robert Bruce in 1297 swore on the holy
mysteries and on the sword of St. Thomas to
be faithful and vigilant in the cause of King
Edward. (fn. 61) It must have been the possession
of this relic that made so great an impression
on that king, for on several of his visits to the
city he paid special veneration to the memory
of the saint. In 1300 the king made
his oblations at the altar in the church of
the priory in honour of St. Thomas the
martyr. (fn. 62) At a later visit in 1307, a few
weeks before his death, the old warrior endowed the canons with the advowson of the
church of Castle Sowerby for the devotion he
bore to the glorious Virgin Mary and the
relics of the blessed Thomas the martyr and
other saints which they had. (fn. 63) In 1536,
before the dissolution of the religious houses,
the royal commissioners reported that the
priory had a portion of the Holy Cross, the
sword with which Thomas of Canterbury
was martyred, (fn. 64) and the girdle of St. Bridget
the virgin.
The only relics of the ancient ritual of the
priory which have survived to our day are two
copes, one of which has been ascribed to the
fifteenth century and the other to the sixteenth. The older vestment has richly embroidered orfrays with representations of the
saints, and the other is of cloth of gold. In a
seventeenth century inventory of 'things to
be provided, corrected, ordered and done in
the cathedral church of Carlisle and about its
revenues,' it was directed 'that the two copes
be mended and worn by the Epistler and
Gospeller.' The date of the inventory
appears to be 1685-6. How long after they
continued to be worn at Carlisle is not
known. (fn. 65)
The revenues of the priory varied greatly
from time to time according to the peaceful
or disturbed state of the border. The value
of the temporalities in 1291, which may be
taken as a normal period, was assessed by the
commissioners of Pope Nicholas IV. at £96
19s.; whereas in 1319, after the devastations of the Scottish wars, the value had fallen
to £20. (fn. 66) The spiritualities, consisting chiefly
of tithes and pensions, would fluctuate in a
corresponding proportion. The prior contributed £4 to the subsidy granted by the
clergy of Carlisle to Richard II. in 1379, the
value of his benefice having been assessed at
£200; each of the eleven canons contributed
3s. 4d. (fn. 67) In the valuation of 1535 the gross
value of the spiritualities was set down at £332
5s. 10d.; and the temporalities at £150 2s. 3d.,
which make a total of £482 8s. 1d. The necessary outgoings in Crown and manorial rents,
pensions, ecclesiastical payments, alms, and
fees to civil officials, amounted to £64 4s. 8d.,
leaving a net revenue of £418 3s. 4d. (fn. 68) The
alms exacted of the canons by ordination or
foundation are of the greatest interest. The
schedule enumerates (fn. 69) stated sums by ordination
of Henry I., the founder of the priory, and
Maud his queen, for the souls of themselves
and their successors: by ordination of William
Strickland, Bishop of Carlisle, for the celebration of a solemn obit for himself annually and
for priests celebrating for his soul: by ordination of Bishop Marmaduke Lumley, for a
wax candle to be continually burning before
the most venerable sacrament of the Eucharist
in their church for ever: by ordination of
Bishop Gilbert Welton for a solemn obit
celebrated for him and for priests celebrating
annually: by ordination of Edward IV. given
to three bedells annually: by ordination of
the same king to priests celebrating for the
souls of himself, Elizabeth his consort, and
all his successors (fn. 70) : and by ordination of Sir
Gilbert Ogle, lord of Ogle, (fn. 71) for an annual
obit. Of the monastic houses in the county,
the priory of Carlisle ranked after the abbey
of Holmcultram in point of revenues. These
two houses, having incomes of more than
£200 a year, were reckoned among the greater
monasteries, and thus escaped the first dissolution.
After the canons had obtained the privilege
of electing their own superiors, they usually
made choice of one of their body to fill the
office. Almost all the priors of Carlisle were
north-country men; several of them, like
Adam de Warthwyk, William de Dalston,
Thomas de Hoton, Simon Senhouse, and
Lancelot Salkeld, are known to have belonged
to families of distinction in Cumberland. As
the election of the bishop was vested in the
chapter, the way was open for a canon of
Carlisle to obtain the highest ecclesiastical
position. Perhaps it is to this consideration
that we owe the social status of the families
from which the priors of Carlisle were recruited. In the neighbouring priory of Lanercost, a house of the same religious order, no
such family distinction is observable. It is
scarcely necessary to suggest that some of the
bishops, like Halton, Kirkby and Appleby,
had been previously members of the cathedral
chapter. Had the choice of the canons been
always unfettered and had their elections been
uncontrolled by the political necessities of the
Crown or the growing arrogance of the papacy,
the number of bishops of Carlisle trained in
their own house would have been much
greater. It amounted almost to a scandal
that Prior John de Horncastle, who had been
elected bishop by the chapter in 1352 and
confirmed by the king, should have been
ousted from the bishopric by a papal intrigue
before his consecration. In other ways also
preferment was open to the canons. In
1273 Geoffrey de Stok, canon of Carlisle, was
appointed abbot of St. Patrick's, Saul, on the
nomination of the Bishop of Down, with the
counsel and consent of the king's lieutenant
in Ireland. (fn. 72)
The priors of Carlisle were frequently employed in secular affairs as the occasions of
state demanded. In the great controversy
about the hereditary claims of the royal line
of Scotland over the northern counties, the
prior was appointed one of the king's assessors
in 1242, for the purpose of assigning 60
librates of land in Cumberland to King Alexander towards a settlement, with instructions
to return the 'extent' in writing under his
seal that the king might know of what the
allotments consisted. (fn. 73) It is not necessary to
pass in review the various posts of trust they
were called upon to fulfil from time to time
in the civil administration of the district.
The prior of Carlisle was found a convenient
coadjutor or substitute for the sheriff, either
as paymaster or overseer of the various repairs and alterations required in maintaining
the fortifications of an important frontier
town. (fn. 74) In 1524 a commission was issued
to Thomas Lord Dacre, the prior of Carlisle,
Sir Christopher Moresby and Richard Salkeld
to settle disputes which had arisen between the
subjects of the two kingdoms relative to the
fishgarths of the river Esk. (fn. 75) Up to the very
last the priors of Carlisle were found useful
agents in forwarding the civil and philanthropic
interests of the community.
Adelulf is reputed by a venerable tradition to have been prior of Carlisle when the
bishopric was founded in 1133. The statement was accepted as early as the fourteenth
century. On 17 September 1343 a return
was made by the prior and chapter of Carlisle
of the succession of the bishops of the see, as
far as it could be ascertained from the chronicles and ancient books in their possession, at
the request of the prior and convent of Conishead, with the view of settling some dispute
about the church of Orton in Westmorland
which had been appropriated to the latter
house. In that return it was stated on the
evidence then at their disposal that Adelulf,
prior of Carlisle, was consecrated Bishop of
Carlisle in the year 1133. (fn. 76) If that be the
case, he is the first prior on record, but we
have not discovered his name in any contemporary document.
Walter, prior of Carlisle, was a prominent
figure in some notable functions of great interest in the ecclesiastical history of the district. With Bishop Adelulf he witnessed
the foundation charter of the abbey of Holmcultram on 1 January 1150, and was also
present at the courts of David I. and Malcolm IV. when the said charter was confirmed. (fn. 77) When Robert de Vaux founded
the priory of Lanercost about the year 1169,
Prior Walter of Carlisle witnessed the charter. (fn. 78) These two events are of considerable
importance in fixing the exact period in
which this prior lived. Walter witnessed two
charters of Alan son of Waldeve, by which he
granted land in 'Scadebuas' and 'Goseford'
to the monks of St. Bees. (fn. 79) He must have
lived for some time after 1169, for he witnessed several subsequent charters to the
priory of Lanercost granted by Robert de
Vaux and others of that neighbourhood. (fn. 80)
His name is also found in connection with
several deeds in the monastic registers of
Wetheral and Whitby. (fn. 81) It is usually maintained that Prior Walter is the same person as
Walter the priest who endowed the priory of
Carlisle with all his possessions before he took
the religious habit in that house, but no such
supposition can be entertained without violence to chronology.
Gilbert, prior of Carlisle, made a composition with Robert de Vaux in the presence
of Robert, Archdeacon of Carlisle, renouncing
the right which his convent claimed in the
churches of Irthington and Brampton. He
also witnessed a charter of David son of
Terry and Robert son of Asketill to the
priory of Lanercost on the church of Denton
and the hermitage which Leising held. (fn. 82)
John appears to have been prior of Carlisle
for a considerable period, as his name is often
found in local evidences of the reigns of
Richard I. and John. In the monastic registers of Holmcultram, Lanercost and Wetheral
there are recorded several deeds to which he
is mentioned either as a party or a witness. (fn. 83)
John was prior when the convent of Carlisle
leased 'Waytecroft' to Thomas son of Gospatric, and quit-claimed the tithes of Scotby to
the priory of Wetheral. With a number of
Cumberland men, he was present at Winchester in 1194 when King Richard granted Old
Salkeld to Adam, cook of Queen Eleanor, for
his good services. (fn. 84) In 1196 Prior John had
come to an agreement with Henry de Wichenton about the third part of the church of
Lowther, and a similar agreement was arrived
at between him and Ralf de Bray in 1204
with respect to the church of Rocliffe. (fn. 85)
The priory was vacant on 6 May 1214, when
the king bestowed the latter church on Odo de
Ledreda his clerk. (fn. 86)
In the summer of 1214 four canons of
Carlisle were deputed to carry the record of
the election of a new prior for the confirmation of King John. (fn. 87) On 25 August in that
year the king informed the archdeacon of
Carlisle by letters close that Brother Henry,
canon of Merton, was canonically and with
his assent elected to the priory of Carlisle and
had done homage: he was to be admitted
without delay to the office. (fn. 88) The Chronicle
of Lanercost, which gives his name as Henry
de Mareis, adds that the appointment received papal confirmation in November 1214. (fn. 89)
After the death of Bishop Bernard, Prior
Henry confirmed the appropriation of the
church of Crosby Ravensworth made by that
bishop to the abbey of Whitby, (fn. 90) and did a
similar service to the priory of Lanercost
in respect of certain of their churches. (fn. 91)
Bartholomew was prior during some portions of the episcopate of Bishops Hugh and
Walter. He was not only a witness to the
charter whereby the former bishop confirmed
the spiritual possessions of the priory of Lanercost, but also granted a charter to the same
effect on behalf of the convent of Carlisle. (fn. 92)
This prior did a similar service to the abbey
of Whitby (fn. 93) in respect of the church of
Crosby Ravensworth in Westmorland. He
witnessed a charter which Bishop Hugh
granted to the priory of Wetheral, confirming to the monks the churches of St. Michael
and St. Laurence, Appleby; (fn. 94) and in company with Bishop Walter and Archdeacon
Gervase he was a witness to the charter of
Ivo de Vipont, granting lands in Alston to
the priory of Hexham. (fn. 95) He also confirmed
a charter of Bishop Hugh to the abbey of
Newminster, (fn. 96) and witnessed the licence given
by the same bishop to the priory of Conishead to appropriate the church of Orton in
Westmorland. (fn. 97) Prior Bartholomew died in
1231. (fn. 98)
Ralf Barri, nephew of Bishop Walter, succeeded Bartholomew in 1231 and ruled the
priory till his death on 9 February 1247. (fn. 99)
When Bishop Walter confirmed the church
of Burgh-by-Sands to the abbey of Holmcultram on 12 April 1234 Prior Ralf and
Archdeacon Gervase were witnesses to the
charter. The same prior afterwards issued a
charter to the same effect on behalf of the
convent of Carlisle. (fn. 100) With Bishop Walter
and William, prior of Wetheral, he witnessed the charter whereby Roland de Vaux
granted certain land of his fee in Treverman
to the canons of Lanercost for the soul of
Robert de Vaux his brother. (fn. 101) In 1235-6
Ralf de Duffeld and Emma his wife brought a
suit in the king's court against Bishop Walter
and Prior Ralf for an unjust ejectment from
their free tenement in Sebergham, which
had been previously bestowed on Prior Ralf
by William Wasthose, father of the said
Emma. (fn. 102) About the same period the dispute
between this prior and the abbey of Holmcultram about the tithe of fish caught in the
river Eden was submitted to the adjudication
of Walter, Bishop of Carlisle. (fn. 103) Prior Ralf
was a party to several deeds and leases belonging to the priory of Wetheral. (fn. 104)
When Robert succeeded in 1247 the custody of the lands of John de Vipont was
delivered to him on the same condition
as Ralf his predecessor had held it, the
lands having been taken into the king's hand
by reason of the death of the said Ralf,
prior of Carlisle. (fn. 105) On 22 October 1248
Bishop Silvester of Carlisle and Robert, prior
of the same, gave a bond to the prior and
convent of Durham that they should be held
free of cost and expense if they would confirm the appropriation of the churches of
Newcastle, Newburn, Warkworth, Corbridge and a moiety of Whittingham, which
Bishop Nicholas of Durham had made to the
church of Carlisle on the ordination of Masters
William de Kilkenny, Archdeacon of Coventry; Thomas de Wymundeham, precentor of
Lichfield; Odo de Kilkenny and Walter de
Merton, clerks. (fn. 106) Robert was prior on 2 September 1249, when the ordination already referred to was made between Bishop Silvester
and the priory about the final redistribution
of the property of the church of Carlisle.
Robert had ceased to be prior about 1258.
On 17 December 1258 Pope Alexander IV.
issued a mandate to the priors of Hexham,
Lanercost and Wetheral, on the petition of
the prior and convent of Carlisle, to inquire
about the conduct of Robert, a canon, then
prior, who, submitting to the bishop's visitation, and thinking that on account of his
excesses he was about to be removed, resigned; on which the bishop ordered him to
reside in the church of Corbridge in Northumberland with one canon at least, and to
pay from its proceeds 40 marks a year to the
prior and chapter, keeping the rest, which
was estimated to amount to 90 marks, for
their sustentation. The Bishop of Durham
admitted Robert to the said church by order
of the Bishop of Carlisle on the petition of
the convent whose church it was. But the
new vicar of Corbridge broke out into dissolute living, and was likely to perish, placed as
he was outside all discipline. The pope
ordered the priors, if the facts were found as
stated, to cause Robert to return to his cloister and to remain there under his prior's
obedience. (fn. 107)
The names of Adam de Felton and Alan
are usually introduced after Robert de Morville
in lists of the priors of Carlisle, but no reasons
have been given for their adoption. As
Nicolson and Burn (fn. 108) have apparently followed
the list of Hugh Todd, (fn. 109) these priors should
be received with the greatest suspicion till
some evidence is put forward to establish
their titles.
John, prior, and the convent of Carlisle,
confirmed, on 15 May 1263, an ordination
made by Bishop Robert de Chause between
Isabel, prioress of Marrick, and Ralf de
Kirkandres, chaplain, with respect to the
church of Kirkandrews on Eden. (fn. 110)
Robert was prior of Carlisle on 27 December 1278, when the convent elected Ralf,
prior of Gisburne, to be Bishop of Carlisle. (fn. 111)
On 16 July 1282 Bishop Ralf de Ireton confirmed the appropriation of the church of
Addingham with its chapel of Salkeld to him
and the convent, the advowson of which had
been granted by Christiane, widow of Robert
de Brus. The prior and canons had petitioned for the licence on the ground of the
extraordinary burdens the cathedral church
had to bear by reason of its geographical position and the frequent concourse of clergy and
people in confinio duarum regionum. (fn. 112) On
24 April 1283 Prior Robert confirmed a pension to Adam de Coupland, clerk, by grant
of the same bishop. At a subsequent period
it was stated that Robert had vacated the
priory by resignation at a time when the
house was in a good financial condition. (fn. 113)
The next prior was named Adam, against
whom Edward I. in 1285 issued a writ of quo
warranto touching certain liberties which the
priory claimed in Inglewood Forest. (fn. 114) The
full name of the prior afterwards appears as
Adam de Warthwyk. In 1287 this prior
confirmed the taxation of Walton vicarage
ordained by Bishop Ralf de Ireton for the
priory of Lanercost, (fn. 115) and in 1303 did a similar service to the abbey of St. Mary, York,
by confirming the appropriation of the church
of Bromfield to that monastery. (fn. 116) His name
is inscribed on the famous Ragman Roll (fn. 117) of
1296 as Adam 'prior de Cardoyl del counte
de Are,' a county in which the priory probably had some property. At the bishop's
visitation in 1300 he heard some grievous
complaints against the prior's negligent administration of the house, and delivered a
code of drastic injunctions (fn. 118) for a speedy reformation. These injunctions have been already referred to. Adam de Warthwyk resigned the priory of his own free will and
accord on 18 September 1304, when a very
liberal pension and ample privileges were
conceded to him, because he was a cadet of
a noble family in the diocese (quia a magnatibus et personis nobilibus nostre diocesis procreatus
et oriundus). He had been forty years a
canon and twenty years and more prior of
the house. The pension was decreed by
Bishop Halton with the unanimous consent
of the chapter. (fn. 119)
William de Hautewysil was prior for only
four years, as he resigned on 28 September
1308. On the same day licence was obtained
by Robert the sub-prior for the canons to
elect a successor. (fn. 120)
On the cession of the last prior, Robert de
Helpeston was canonically elected, and the
Bishop of Carlisle, having examined the record of the election and found that it had
been conducted according to the decrees of
the holy fathers, confirmed him in the priory
on 1 October 1308. (fn. 121) On the same day a
mandate was sent to the official of the diocese
to induct and install him. In 1320 Prior
Robert demised to Robert de la Ferte a messuage, 13 acres of land and 2 acres of meadow
in Salkeld, lands which were afterwards forfeited by the adherence of Robert de la
Ferte to the Scots and delivered back to the
priory. (fn. 122)
Simon de Hautwysell succeeded, but died
after a short incumbency. On 13 July 1325,
Roger, the sub-prior, and the chapter of Carlisle petitioned the bishop for his licence to
elect a successor, William de Hurworth, a
canon of the house, being the bearer of the
petition. As Bishop Ross had just been consecrated, the canons had previously sent him
a laudatory letter informing him that the receipt of the papal bulls announcing his appointment to the see of Carlisle had filled
their breasts with ineffable joy. (fn. 123)
It is said that William de Hurworth was
the next prior, but we have not succeeded in
finding any good authority for the statement.
In fact the evidences are against it, inasmuch
as his name is found as a canon of the house
for many years during subsequent priorates. (fn. 124)
On 8 February 1329 Thomas Peytefyn,
chaplain, was presented to the vicarage of
Edenhall, which was in the king's gift by
reason of the priory of Carlisle being in his
hand. (fn. 125) We know for certain that John de
Kirkby was prior in 1330, and that Bishop
Ross issued an excommunication against him
on 3 January 1330-1 for failing to pay the
papal tenth granted to John XXII. by the
clergy of Carlisle. (fn. 126) About this time there
was a long and bitter dispute between the
bishop and the priory as to the tithe of assart
lands in the forest of Inglewood which was
ultimately referred to the secular courts. (fn. 127)
The controversy was brought to a sudden
termination by the death of Bishop Ross and
the elevation of Prior Kirkby to fill his
place. When William de Hurworth and
Richard de Whytrigg, canons of Carlisle,
brought the news of the bishop's death to the
king, letters patent were sent to the convent
authorizing the election of a bishop to the
vacant pastorate who should faithfully serve
his church, king and country. (fn. 128) On 8 May
1332 the king signified to the Archbishop
of York his assent to the election of John
de Kirkby, prior of Carlisle, to be Bishop of
Carlisle. (fn. 129) By a similar writ the temporalities
of the bishopric were restored to him in the
following July. (fn. 130) By an order in 1334 the
prior of Carlisle was respited for rendering
his account to the king for the time when
the late prior (John de Kirkby), his predecessor, was receiver of the money for the
victuals of the king and his father, sold in
Cumberland. (fn. 131) From this it would appear
in the absence of direct proof that John de
Kirkby was the prior that succeeded Simon
de Hautwysell, or at least that he was prior
for some time during the reign of Edward II.
Geoffrey was the next prior, for on 8 March
1333-4, Bishop John de Kirkby acknowledged that he owed him £400, which was
to be levied, in default of payment, on his
lands and chattels in Cumberland. (fn. 132)
It is said that John de Horncastle was prior
in 1352 when he was elected to fill the see
of Carlisle. As the elect and confirmed but
not the consecrated Bishop of Carlisle, he
performed certain diocesan acts which are on
record. (fn. 133) In 1363 a plenary remission at the
hour of death was granted by the pope to
'John de Horncastell,' prior of Carlisle. (fn. 134)
Bishop Appleby cited the prior and convent
to undergo his visitation in 1366, to which
citation the prior expressed his readiness, and
conveyed to the bishop the names of the
capitular body. It is interesting to note their
names: John de Horncastell, prior; John de
St. Neots, sub-prior; Thomas de Warthole;
Thomas de Colby; Richard Bully; William
de Dalston; Thomas de Penreth; Adam del
Gille; John de Overton; Thomas Orfeor;
William Colt; Robert del Parke and Robert
de Edenhale, that is, a prior and twelve
canons. It was intimated that Thomas de
Penreth was absent for purposes of study,
which was held to be a valid excuse. John
de Horncastle signified his intention to the
bishop in November, 1376, of retiring from
the priorate on account of old age and bad
health, and the Archdeacon of Carlisle was
commissioned to receive his resignation and to
absolve him from his duties. (fn. 135)
In obedience to the bishop's licence to elect
a successor, the choice of the canons fell on
John de Penreth. This prior had a dispute
with Robert de Clifton, the cellarer, in 1379,
with the result that the cellarer was removed
from his office. The whole case was ultimately submitted to the arbitration of the
bishop. (fn. 136) Prior John de Penreth was associated with Robert de Rawebankes, abbot of
Holmcultram, and Lambert de Morland,
abbot of Shap, in 1379, as collectors of a
subsidy granted by the clergy of the diocese
of Carlisle to Richard II. in the second year
of his reign. (fn. 137) In the return of the collectors
the benefice of the prior of Carlisle was assessed at £200, the amount of his contribution being equal to that of the bishop, viz.
£4. The following canons were named in
the assessment at the rate of 3s. 4d. each:
Thomas de Warthehole, Thomas de Colby,
John Cole, Robert Bury, Robert de Clyfton,
John de Overton, Richard Herwyk, Richard
Bellerby, Richard Brumley, Thomas Dalston
and Hugh Thoresby, (fn. 138) a prior and eleven
canons. For certain lawful causes the priory
was resigned by John de Penreth on 9 August
1381. (fn. 139)
The Bishop of Carlisle, having learnt by
proclamation that there was no opposition to
the election of William de Dalston, a canon
of the house, decreed that he should be installed in the vacant priorate. That was in
August 1381. The choice of the canons
was the source of a great scandal in the diocese of Carlisle. The prior had refused to
make the declaration of canonical obedience
to the bishop which led to his excommunication. He was ultimately persuaded to resign
on 28 September 1385, after he had made
the requisite declaration. (fn. 140) This prior had
been employed under the Crown in January,
1384-5, as surveyor of the works for the repair of the castle of Carlisle. (fn. 141)
After the cession of Prior Dalston, (fn. 142) great
circumspection was exercised by the bishop
before he admitted a successor. The official
of the diocese was commissioned to see that
the election was conducted according to law,
and to certify the formalities to the bishop.
Having satisfied himself that Robert de Edenhall was the choice of the canons, and that
there was no opposition, he directed his letters
to the Archdeacon of Carlisle on 10 October
1385, to give the said Robert corporal possession of the prior's stall in the choir and
his place in the chapter house. (fn. 143)
It is difficult to distinguish the priors
during the fifteenth century, inasmuch as
all those that have been met with bear
the same Christian name. In the old lists
no fewer than five priors of the name of
Thomas have been mentioned. John Denton
has given the order of succession as Thomas
Hoton, Thomas Barnby, Thomas Huthwaite
and Thomas Gudybour. (fn. 144) In their revised
list, Nicolson and Burn have placed between
Hoton and Barnby the name of 'Thomas
Elye who built the grange of New Lathes
near the city (of Carlisle) on the walls of
which his name is legible.' From the latter
source we learn that 'Thomas de Haythwaite
erected the bishop's throne in the quire on
the back part whereof his name was inscribed.' (fn. 145)
Neither of these inscriptions is now to be
found.
A few dates may help to ascertain the
chronological order with more certainty.
By letters patent, dated 4 January 1413-4,
William, Bishop of Carlisle, appointed Thomas
de Hoton, prior of the cathedral church of
Carlisle, to collect the subsidy granted to the
Crown by the convocation of York on 27
July 1413. (fn. 146) It was certified by Thomas,
prior, and the convent of Carlisle, on 20 September 1423, that Joan, wife of John de
Gaytford in the county of Nottingham, formerly wife of Elias de Thoresby, deceased,
and daughter of Master John de Welton, was
legitimate and born of the said Master John
and Alice his wife in holy wedlock. (fn. 147) Thomas
Barnby, prior of Carlisle, was returned in a
list of gentry of the county of Cumberland
by certain local commissioners, one of whom
was Marmaduke Lumley, Bishop of Carlisle,
in the twelfth year of the reign of Henry VI.
1433-4. (fn. 148) In the muniment room of Lowther
Castle there is an original lease of a tenement
in Cardew, dated at Rose on 11 August 1457,
and given by William, Bishop of Carlisle.
The lease was confirmed by Thomas de
'Huthuayte,' prior of Carlisle, on behalf of
the convent. Damaged impressions of the
seals of the bishop and prior still remain.
During an inquisition for proving the age
of Hugh, son and heir of Hugh Lowther,
late of Lowther, taken on 8 November,
1482, it was deposed that he was born at
Lowther on the Feast of the Assumption
in 1461 and baptized in the church of that
vill, the godfathers being Richard Wherton,
rector of the said church, and Thomas, prior
of Carlisle, and the godmother, Elizabeth
Moresby. (fn. 149)
In the statute of 13 Edward IV., 1473, it
was provided—
that this Acte of Resumption, or any other made
or to be made in this present Parlement, extend not nor in any wise be prejudiciall, disavauntage, derogation or hurt to Edward Bishop
of Carlill, nor to his predecessours nor successours, nor to Thomas Priour of Carlill, and
Covent of the Monestery or Priorie of Carlill, nor
to their predecessours nor successours, nor to any
of theym, nor to any yefte or yeftes, graunte or
grauntes, licence or licences, ratifications, releases,
assignations or confirmations to theym, or to their
predecessours, or to any of theym, made, graunted
or had, by what name or names the Bishop or
Priour and Covent of the seid Monestere or
Priorie, or their predecessours be or were named
or called in the same. (fn. 150)
It is not known precisely at what date the
priorate of Thomas Gudybour began or ended.
It is certain that he was prior of Carlisle in
1476, for in the early part of that year he
was present at Hexham when William Bywell
was elected head of that house. (fn. 151) It is probable that he was in office for a considerable
period. During his time the cathedral church
had been renovated, (fn. 152) the legends of the saints
stencilled on the back of the choir stalls, and
the tithe-barn near St. Cuthbert's church
built. His initials in monogram, T(homas)
G(udybour) P(rior), have been found in various parts of the cathedral and monastic buildings, and it was stated in an inscription on
the door of an old cupboard in the sacristy
that the house flourished under his rule (domus
hec floruit Gudebowr sub tegmine Thome). In
1484 King Richard III. granted to Thomas,
the prior, and the canons of the cathedral
church, a great part of the possessions of
which had been destroyed by the Scots, two
tuns of red wine of Gascony yearly in the
port of Kingston on Hull for use in their
church, that they might pray for the good
estate of the king and his consort Anne,
Queen of England, and for their souls after
death and the souls of the king's progenitors. (fn. 153)
Among the muniments of the city of Carlisle there is an 'indenture made at Karlell'
on 1 March 1484-5 'betwixt the right
worshipfull ffather in God, Thomas Gudybour,
priour, and his brethre the convent of the
cathedrall kirke of Karlell,' on the one part,
and the mayor and citizens of Carlisle on the
other, about 'the teynde multure of the
mylnes belongyng to the said Citee.' To
this deed the seal of the priory is attached, together with a counter-seal of singular design. (fn. 154)
Simon Senus, Senose, or Senhouse, is said
to have been chosen prior of Carlisle in 1507,
but there must be an error of some years in
the date. On 10 December 1505 Thomas,
Lord Dacre, and Sir Edward Musgrave entered into a recognizance of 1,000 marks
for the finding of four sureties before Simon,
prior of Carlisle, and Cuthbert Conyers,
clerk, for the payment of 540 marks due
to the king. The money was paid and
the debt cancelled on 12 July 1509. (fn. 155) By a
deed 'geven att Karlisle the xiii. day of June
the viiith yere of the reign of our most
naturall Soverayn lord king Henry the VIIIth'
(1516), Simon Senhouse, prior of Carlisle, joined
Thomas Lord Dacre, the lord warden of the
Marches, Sir Christopher Dacre, Robert Coldale, 'maire of the citie of Karlell,' and other
gentlemen, aldermen and bailiffs of the city
in an appeal for funds for 'the reedifyeng and
bulding of a new brige of xxi jowelles adionyng the wallis of the forsaid Citie standing
over the river of Eden now beyng decayed,
and a perte of the same fallen down.' (fn. 156) On
15 July 1518 a grant in frankalmoin was
made by the Crown to Simon, prior, and the
canons of Carlisle, of the fishery of Carlisle
at the annual rent of one mark, and of one
tun of red wine annually at the port of Newcastle for sacrament. (fn. 157) While Senhouse was
prior, his chamber or residence was rebuilt or
renovated, for in a room, now the drawingroom, of the deanery, there remains a curiously decorated ceiling with quaint couplets
inscribed on the crossbeams. A drawing of
one of these verses by Miss Close, daughter
of the Dean of Carlisle, was exhibited at the
meeting of the Archæological Institute held
at Carlisle in 1859, (fn. 158) the record of which is as
follows:
Symon Senus Prior sette yis roofe and scalope here,
To the intent wythin thys place they shall have
prayers every daye in the yere.
Lofe God and thy prynce and you nedis not dreid
thy enimys.
Among the painted ornaments on the ceiling
are roses, birds, the escallop shell, the ragged
staff, and escutcheons of arms. Other verses
have been recorded by Hutchinson, (fn. 159) but they
have no particular interest. The whole of
the ornamentation of the chamber is now
very faint. The altar-tomb in the north
transept of the cathedral, in front of the consistorial court, is reputed to commemorate this
prior, but the inlaid brass plates, now to be
found there, are no parts of the original
structure.
Christopher Slee must have been prior for
some time before 1528, for in that year the
north-western gate of the precincts of the
abbey was built. Around the elliptical arch
on the inside, facing 'the Fratry,' there is an
inscription now very much worn by the
weather, but still legible: 'Orate pro anima
Christoferi Slee prioris qui primus hoc opus
fieri incepit A.D. 1528.' Christopher, prior
of Carlisle, was joined in a commission on
22 September 1529, with Sir William Pennington, Sir John Ratclyf and Richard Irton
to survey the castle of Carlisle, and to deliver
the ordnance found in it to Sir Thomas
Clifford and the castle to William Lord
Dacre. (fn. 160) In 1534 'Christofer prior of the
cathedrall churche of Karliol' was one of the
signatories of the inventory taken on 9 May,
26 Henry VIII., of the 'moveables' of Lord
Dacre remaining at his house of Naworth by
the Earls of Westmorland and Cumberland. (fn. 161)
He was returned in the ecclesiastical valuation
of 1535 as prior of Carlisle and vicar of
Castle Sowerby, a church appropriated to the
priory. (fn. 162) In the discredited report of the
royal commissioners on the condition of the
religious houses, ascribed to the year 1536,
Prior 'Slye' was charged with incontinency. (fn. 163)
Soon after this date Prior Slee was deposed,
but for what reason we have not ascertained.
In an undated letter addressed 'to the ryght
worshupffull Master cecretorie to ye kynges
grace be this letter delyvered,' Robert Cokett
thus informed Cromwell of the event:—
Right worshupffull Sr. I (thowgh unable) have
me recomendyt unto yor discreitnes, besechynge
you of yor grett goodnes to have me excusyd of
my rude and symple letter. Pleasyth it yow to
know that ye Prior of Carelell is deposed and put
downe, wherapone yf it pleas yow of yowr goodnes
to be so good unto one kynsmane of myne called
Sr Will Florens, chanon of ye foresaid howsse, as
make hyme Prior yerof, for of a trewth he is most
able reportynge me unto ye kynges grace vicitours,
and both he and I shalbe bownd unto yow to pay
unto ye kynges grace all suche thynges as it shall
pleas yow to require, and yow to have for yowr
payn takynge an hundreth markes. Besekynge
yow of yowr answere by ye berer hereof. Yor bedman, Robert Cokett. (fn. 164)
Lancelot Salkeld, a canon defamed in the
report of the royal visitation, was made prior
of the house for the purpose of its surrender.
From an entry in Cromwell's accounts (fn. 165) under
date 17 February 1538-9, 'prior of Carlyle
by Dr. Bellysys, 40 marks,' we may gather
that he had not been long appointed, (fn. 166) as the
receipt suggests the amount for which the
post was purchased. Sir Thomas Wharton
was not a welcome visitor to the priory when
he took up his abode there in December 1539,
in anticipation of the coming of the commissioners for the suppression. He complained to
Cromwell that he was 'straitly lodged,' and,
while pleading for better accommodation, he
urged his preferential claim to what was sold
or let for the king's use. (fn. 167) The priory was
surrendered with all its possessions by Lancelot Salkeld, prior, and the convent on 9
January 1540, and acknowledged the same
day before Richard Layton, one of the clerks
of Chancery. (fn. 168) Pensions were assigned on
the day following to those canons who had
retired, viz. a pension of £6 13s. 4d. to John
Birkebek, and £5 6s. 8d. each to Richard
Throp and William Lowther. (fn. 169) By letters
patent, dated 2 May 1541, the king reconstructed the late monastery of St. Mary,
Carlisle, as a cathedral of one dean and four
prebendaries to be the see of Robert Aldridge,
Bishop of Carlisle, and his successors, the
new establishment to consist of Lancelot
Salkelde, dean, William Florence, first prebendary; Edward Loshe, second; Barnaby
Kyrkbryd, third; and Richard Brandeling,
fourth. (fn. 170) A few days later, on 6 May, by
royal charter, the new institution, henceforth
to be known as the Dean and Chapter of the
Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity of Carlisle, was endowed with the revenues of the dissolved priory of St. Mary,
and with most of the revenues of the dissolved
priory of Wetheral. (fn. 171) Lancelot Salkeld, the last
prior of the old institution, became the first dean
of the new, thus perpetuating the succession.
The canons of the priory submitted to the
new state of things with a bad grace. The
name of the institution had changed but that
was all: the old leaven was still there. It
took time to reconcile the canons to the
liturgical changes in the public service of the
cathedral. Master 'Hew' Sewell, M.A., one
of the most notorious of the local clergy of
the Tudor period, lodged an information with
the civil authorities against their non-compliance with recent ecclesiastical legislation.
He brought to the justices of the peace 'one
book called a legend' which, he said, was
daily 'occupied' in the church of the late
monastery of Carlisle, and in which, contrary
to the Acts of Parliament, the service of
Thomas Becket and the usurped name 'papa'
of the Bishop of Rome were unerased.
Lancelot Salkeld, late prior, and at that time
(1 May 1540) guardian of the monastery,
demanded the return of the book, and offered
sureties for it; but the justices, John Lowther,
Edward Aglionby, Thomas Dalston and
Lancelot Salkeld, thinking the matter too high
for their determination, sent it to the king together with the depositions of the sub-chanter
and another brother. The effect of the depositions was that Lancelot Robynson, one of
the deponents, would have rased out the service
of Thomas Becket, but William Florence,
chief chanter of the monastery, took the book
from him, gave it to the clerk of the choir,
and bade him keep it secret, for he would
correct it. Before they rose in the morning
of 2 May, Florence had disappeared. Salkeld,
the guardian, informed the constable of the
castle that the absent canon would return
by noon on that Sunday 'or else he to be
hanged.' Sewell added that John Austane, a
brother of the monastery, exclaimed when
the book was taken, 'Tush, it is but for a
book, it will be despatched well enough for
money.' (fn. 172) But matters soon settled down.
William Florence remained a canon of the
new capitular body till his death in 1547, when
he was succeeded by Sewell. (fn. 173) Austane was
one of the eight minor canons of the foundation. Salkeld died Dean of Carlisle on 3
September 1560, (fn. 174) leaving behind him a name
for piety, rectitude and consistency second to
none in the history of the diocese.
Priors of Carlisle
Adelulf, (fn. 175) ? circa 1133
Walter, (fn. 176) occurs 1150 and 1169
Gilbert (fn. 177)
John, (fn. 178) occurs 1194 and 1204
Henry de Mareis, (fn. 179) elected 1214
Bartholomew, (fn. 180) occurs circa 1224, died in
1231
Ralf Barri, (fn. 181) elected 1231, died 9 February
1247
Robert (fn. 182) de Morville(?), elected 1247, resigned circa 1258
Adam de Felton (fn. 183) (?)
Alan (fn. 183) (?)
John, (fn. 184) occurs 1263
Robert, (fn. 185) occurs 1278 and 1283, resigned
circa 1284
Adam de Warthwyk, (fn. 186) elected circa 1284,
resigned 18 September 1304
William de Hautewysil, (fn. 187) elected 1304,
resigned 28 September 1308
Robert de Helpeston, (fn. 188) elected 1308, occurs 1320
Simon de Hautwysell, (fn. 189) died before 13 July
1325
John de Kirkby, (fn. 190) occurs 1330, elected
Bishop of Carlisle 1332
Geoffrey (fn. 191) occurs 8 March 1333-4
John de Horncastle, (fn. 192) occurs 1352, 1363,
resigned 1376
John de Penreth, (fn. 193) elected 1376, resigned
9 August 1381
William de Dalston, (fn. 194) elected 1381, resigned 28 September 1385
Robert de Edenhall, (fn. 195) elected 1385
Thomas de Hoton, (fn. 196) occurs 1413 and
1423
Thomas Elye. (fn. 197)
Thomas Barnby, (fn. 198) occurs 1433-4
Thomas Huthwaite, (fn. 199) occurs 1457
Thomas Gudybour, (fn. 200) occurs 1476 and
1484-5
Simon Senus or Senhouse, (fn. 201) occurs 1505
and 1518
Christopher Slee, (fn. 202) occurs 1528 and 1535,
deposed circa 1536
Lancelot Salkeld, (fn. 203) appointed before 1
August 1537, surrendered 9 January
1539-40
Deans of Carlisle
Lancelot Salkeld, last prior and first dean,
1541; resigned in 1548
Sir Thomas Smith, knight, LL.D., 1548;
resigned quasi sponte in 1554
Lancelot Salkeld, restored in 1554; died
in 1560
Sir Thomas Smith, re-appointed in 1560;
died in 1577
Sir John Wolley, knight, M.A., 1577-96
Sir Christopher Perkins, knight, 1596-1622
Francis White, S.T.P., 1622-6
William Peterson, S.T.P., 1626-9
Thomas Comber, S.T.P., 1629-42
Guy Carleton, S.T.P., 1660-71
Thomas Smith, D.D., 1671-84
Thomas Musgrave, D.D., 1684-6
William Grahme, D.D., 1686-1704
Francis Atterbury, D.D., 1704-11
George Smalridge, D.D., 1711-3
Thomas Gibbon, D.D., 1713-6
Thomas Tullie, LL.D., 1716-27
George Fleming, LL.D., 1727-35
Robert Bolton, LL.D., 1735-63
Charles Tarrant, D.D., 1764
Thomas Wilson, D.D., 1764-78
Thomas Percy, D.D., 1778-82
Geoffrey Ekins, D.D., 1782-92
Isaac Milner, D.D., F.R.S., 1792-1820
Robert Hodgson, D.D., F.R.S., 1820-44
John Anthony Cramer, D.D., 1844-8
Samuel Hinds, D.D., 1848-9
Archibald Campbell Tait, D.C.L., 1849-56
Francis Close, D.D., 1856-81
John Oakley, D.D., 1881-3
William George Henderson, D.C.L., D.D.,
1884
The seal of the priory of Carlisle (fn. 204) is
round, representing the half length figures of
the Virgin and Child upon a bridge, between
two angels with outstretched wings censing.
A Gothic building stands on each side of
the bridge, which has two trefoiled arches,
within which, on the left, is an ecclesiastic,
probably a canon, and on the right a bishop
with mitre and crosier. Between the arches
is, in a small countersunk oval panel, a cross.
At the base is an embattled wall. The legend
is: SIGIL' . . . CCLESIE SANCTE MAR . . .
EOLI. Two impressions of this seal (fn. 205) are at
the British Museum attached to deeds about
the appropriation of the church of Bromfield
in 1303.
A counter seal, (fn. 206) perhaps that of Adam de
Warthwyk, the prior, is the impression of an
antique gem representing a winged Fortune
or Minerva with inscription in field: DIVS F . .
... In the metal setting at the points between the gem and the legend are two shields
of arms: top three bars base fretty.
The seal of the dean and chapter (fn. 207) is a
pointed oval showing the Virgin kneeling before an altar on which is an open book. Behind is a classical niche with a round headed
arch, and below is the shield of arms of the
chapter. The legend runs: SIGIL . DECANI .
ET . CAP . ECCL . CATH . B . MARIE . VIRG .
CARLIOL . 1660.