4. THE ABBEY OF CALDER
The abbey of Calder is situated in a wooded
recess nearly a mile from the village of Calderbridge, on the high road midway between
Egremont and Gosforth, in the south-west of
the county, not far from the priory of St.
Bees. It was an affiliation of the neighbouring monastery of Furness and at first of the
order of Savigny which in 1148 was united
to the Cistercian Order. (fn. 1) As no chartulary
of the house is known to exist, we are dependent for its history on incidental notices
gathered from various sources.
From a trustworthy narrative of the founding of the abbey of Byland in Yorkshire (fn. 2) by
Philip the third abbot of that monastery, we
derive almost all we know of the early history of Calder with great fulness of detail. As
Abbot Philip obtained his information from
Roger his predecessor, one of the original
monks of Calder, and as his story fits in well
with the local events of the period and contradicts no ascertained historical facts, it may
be taken that his narrative is worthy of credit.
Other evidences of undoubted authority seem
to support his statements.
This abbey is the third house in the county
which owes its origin to the great and famous
family of Ranulf Meschin, the first Norman
lord of Cumberland. The priory of Wetheral
was founded by him in the early years of the
reign of Henry I., and the priory of St. Bees
was founded by his brother, William Meschin,
soon after 1120, both as cells of the Benedictine abbey of St. Mary, York. It may be
admitted that Ranulf, the son of William,
took an interest in St. Bees, which lies within
the fee of Coupland, and was a great benefactor of his father's foundation. The time
came, perhaps after his father's death, when
this Ranulf founded another house at Calder (fn. 3)
a few miles from his baronial seat at Egremont. The abbey was founded on 10 January 1134, when Ranulf gave the land of
Calder (Kaldra) with its appurtenances for
that purpose. It was at a later date probably
that he added 'Bemertone' and 'Holegate,' a
burgage in Egremont, two saltpans at Whitehaven, fisheries in the Derwent and Egre, pasture for the cattle of the monks in his forest,
and materials for building their houses. A
colony of twelve monks with Gerold as their
abbot went out from Furness and occupied
the new foundation. Abbot Philip of Byland
has left their names on record, viz. Robert
de Insula, Tocka de Loncastre, John de
Kynstan, Theodoric de Dalton, Orm de
Dalton, Roger the sub-cellarer, Alan de
Wrcewyk, Guy de Bolton, William de Bolton, Peter de Pictaviis, Ulf de Ricomonte
and Bertram de London. These monks remained in community at Calder for four
years, living in great hardship and privation
under the constitutions of the order of Savigny
in Normandy, to which at that time the abbey
of Furness belonged.
The political troubles which followed the
death of Henry I. were disastrous to the
new institution at Calder. David, King
of Scots, while he was laying siege to the
castle of Norham, sent William son of Duncan, his nephew, into Yorkshire, who wasted
the province of Craven and obtained possession of Furness. The atrocities committed during that expedition by the Picts
and Galwegians of the Scottish army are
well known. (fn. 4) Philip of Bywell tells us that
the abbey of Calder was one of the victims
of the raid. Thirsting for the blood of the
English, 'the barbarian Scots' came unexpectedly with great fury on the newly founded
(nuper inceptam) abbey and took away all they
could lay hold of, entirely spoiling the house.
The desolate monks sought refuge at the gate
of Furness, but they were refused admittance.
It was said in excuse for the cruelty of the
convent that as Abbot Gerold was unwilling
to resign his office and absolve his monks from
their profession to him, it would have been
inconvenient to have had two abbots with
their communities dwelling in the same abbey.
Others have assigned a more sordid motive to
the monks of Furness. We need not follow
the wanderings of the monks of Calder till,
under the protection of Archbishop Thurstin
and by his mediation, they were established
at Byland. One cart drawn by a team of
eight oxen was sufficient to convey all their
books and household stuff as they set out from
Calder never to return. As soon as Abbot
Gerold had found a resting place and begun
to increase in this world's goods, fearing lest
the abbot of Furness would exercise a patronal
jurisdiction over him, he set out to Normandy
and laid the whole truth of his departure
from Calder before Serle, abbot of Savigny.
On the feast of St. John the Baptist, 1142,
a chapter general of the Order was held and
he was released from his allegiance to Furness.
Returning to England in haste, he repaired
to York, where he died on 24 February
following. Roger, who had come from Furness with him and was sub-cellarer at Calder,
was chosen abbot in his place. When the
news of these proceedings was noised abroad,
the abbot and convent of Furness, perceiving
that they had been outwitted by the deceased
Gerold, and that the monks who were driven
from their gates had submitted themselves and
their successors to the church of Savigny and
were settled elsewhere with no intention of
returning, ordained Hardred, one of their
monks, and sent him out, in or about 1143,
at the head of another community to occupy
the deserted house of Calder. Thus was the
succession resumed and the original foundation revived.
The confusion arising from disputed jurisdiction did not end with Gerold's renunciation
of Furness. Abbot Hardred of Calder set up
a claim to jurisdiction over Byland on the
ground of affiliation, as the monks had departed from his house and the church of
Savigny had unjustly obtained their allegiance.
Roger, then abbot of Byland, answered with
becoming dignity that no such claim could be
entertained, and reminded Hardred of their
rebuff from the gates of Furness. Ultimately
a friendly arrangement was made and the
claims of Calder were abandoned. On the
other hand the convent of Furness challenged
jurisdiction over Byland by similar arguments,
but at a general chapter in the presence of
many abbots and priors of the northern
counties, with the famous Ælred of Rievaulx
as referee, the claims of Furness were disallowed.
It is needless to say that the successors
of Ranulf Meschin in the barony of Coupland, including William son of Duncan, his
brother-in-law, who had previously ravaged
the district, continued to befriend the abbey
and augment its possessions. Cecily, Countess
of Albemarle and lady of Coupland, confirmed the monks in all their lands, for the
souls of her father and mother and of King
Henry, to which Master Robert the constable,
Isaac de Scheftling, Simon de Scheftling,
William Chirtelig, William de Scheftling and
Thomas, chaplain of the countess, were witnesses. The example of the founder's successors was followed by the landowners in the
vicinity. William de Esseby and Hectred
his wife, benefactors of St. Bees, gave Beckermet and the mill of that place in memory of
William, Earl of Albemarle, and Cecily the
countess, and of Ingelram the earl's brother,
as the donor had received it from the earl.
The witnesses of this deed were Richard,
prior of St. Bees, Robert priest (presbiter) of
Ponsonby, Roger priest of Egremont, Jurdan
parson of Goseford, Richard son of Osbert of
St. Brigid, Richard vicar of the same church,
and Ketel son of Ulf. Beatrice de Molle bestowed on the monks 5 oxgangs of land in
Little Gilcrux (Gillecruch) and the fourth
part of the mill in Great Gilcrux. The land
had been previously confirmed to Beatrice by
Adam son of Uhtred, her uncle, as the gift
of William, his nephew, as the charter of the
said William son of Liolf de Molle testified.
Richard de Boisville gave 10 acres of land in
his part of Culdreton with common of pasture
pertaining thereto.
The lords of Millom were also benefactors
of Calder. By a charter given at 'Milnam'
in the month of April, 1287, John de Hudleston bestowed on the abbey pasture for six
cows, four horses and forty sheep with their
following on the common of Millom, saving
to the monks the other privileges granted by
his ancestors. At a later date in 1291, John
son of John de 'Hideleston' gave William
son of Richard de Loftscales his 'native' and
all his belongings, quit of all villenage as far
as the donor was concerned. (fn. 5) The abbot
paid a fine in 1300 for the alienation in
mortmain to his convent by John de Hudleston of 8½ acres of land, 1 acre of meadow
in Bootle, and a place in Millom called
'Barkerhals' containing 9½ acres of land and
1½ acres of meadow. (fn. 6)
The abbey had also been endowed by John
son of Adam and Matthew his brother with
the whole land of 'Stavenerge'; by Robert
Bonekill, with a carucate in Little Gilcrux
(Gillecruz) which Ralf the clerk of Carlisle
occupied, 12 acres and 1 perch in Little Gilcrux,
1 acre of meadow between these two places
and pasture for twenty oxen, twelve cows and
six horses with their following of one year;
by Roger son of William with land in 'Ikelinton' and 'Brachamton' and part of the
mill in the latter place; by Richard de Lucy,
with a moiety of the mill in Ikelinton (fn. 7) ; by
Thomas son of Gospatric, with a toft in
Workington, an annual gift of twenty salmon,
and a net in the Derwent between the bridge
and the sea; and by Thomas de Multon,
with a moiety of the vill of 'Dereham in
Alredale' with the advowson of the church
of the same vill. These donations were confirmed to the monks in 1231 by charter (fn. 8) of
Henry III.
The convent was called upon from time to
time to defend its title to its possessions.
Adam son of Gilbert de Comwyntyn impleaded the abbot in 1279 in respect of a
messuage in Cockermouth as the right of
Emma his wife. (fn. 9) Certain manorial privileges
of the abbey lands were questioned by the
Crown in 1292, when it was stated that the
monks had enjoyed them since the reign of
Richard I. From this suit at law we gather
that the house possessed 3 carucates of land
in Gilcrux, a carucate in Dearham, an
oxgang in Millom, 10 acres in Irton and 2
oxgangs in Bootle. (fn. 10)
The abbey was not rich in appropriated
churches. At the time of the dissolution,
the monks only possessed the rectories of
Cleator, Gilcrux, and of St. John and St.
Bridgid, Beckermet. (fn. 11) An attempt was made
by Thomas de Multon to transfer the advowson of Dearham from the priory of Gisburn,
to which Alice de Romelly had given it, but
the attempt failed, and the church continued in the appropriation of the Yorkshire
house to the last. (fn. 12) In 1262 the Archdeacon
of Richmond prevailed on the abbey to bestow
upon him the church of Arlecdon (Arlokedene), as he had no convenient retreat in
Coupland wherein he could lodge for the
exercise of the duties of his vocation. (fn. 13) That
powerful official had only a poor opinion of
the natural features or the climate of Cumberland. It needed the attraction of the
church of Arlecdon to induce him to cross
the sands of Duddon and to brave the swollen
rivers and uncertain weather of that outlying
portion of his spiritual charge. (fn. 14) An arrangement was made apparently to the advantage
of the abbot as well as the archdeacon. The
church of Arlecdon had been a trouble to the
abbey, inasmuch as the abbot had paid a fine
of 40s. in 1255 for having an assize of last
presentation against Richard son of John le
Fleming. (fn. 15) The church of St. John lay near
to Calder and to the parish church of St.
Bridgid which already belonged to the monks.
By judgment of the Archbishop of York, St.
John's was appropriated to the abbey in
consideration for the abbot's consent to the
appropriation of Arlecdon to the archdeaconry
of Richmond. It is stated by J. Denton (fn. 16)
that John le Fleming had given the patronage
of the rectory of Arlecdon to Jollan, abbot of
Calder, in 1242. The abbot and convent
proved their title to the church of Gilcrux in
1357 before Bishop Welton of Carlisle. (fn. 17)
Little on record has been found about the
history of the abbey church or precincts. J.
Denton was of opinion that the abbey 'was
not perfected till Thomas de Multon finished
the works and established a greater convent
of monks there.' In 1361 Bishop Welton
issued a licence with indulgence to a monk of
that house to collect alms in his diocese for
the fabric of the monastery. (fn. 18)
It cannot be said that Calder was ever a
rich house. In 1292 its temporalities were
valued at £32 a year, (fn. 19) and in 1535 the gross
revenues of the abbey amounted only to
£64 3s. 9d., which, after deducting certain
outgoings, was reduced to the clear annual
income of £50 9s. 3d. (fn. 20)
The abbots of Calder do not often appear
in the public life of the country. They occasionally come into notice when applying for
royal protection to go beyond the sea on the
business of their house or to attend the general
chapters of the Cistercian Order. (fn. 21) In the
fourteenth century they were sometimes employed in the collection of ecclesiastical subsidies. (fn. 22)
The abbey was visited by the king's commissioners (fn. 23) in 1535 and an unfavourable report
was made in the Black Book. Five monks,
Robert Maneste, William Car, John Gisburne, Matthew Ponsonby, and Richard
Preston were accused of uncleanness; William Thornton and Richard Preston of incontinency; and John Gisburne and Richard
Preston were said to desire freedom from their
conventual vows. The only relic of superstition found in the monastery was a girdle
of the Blessed Virgin supposed to be efficacious to women in child-bed. (fn. 24)
The monastery seems to have been surrendered to the commissioners and dissolved
on 4 February 1536, Richard Ponsonby, the
abbot, receiving a pension of £12 a year
which was to date from the Feast of the
Annunciation following. William Blithman
was the actual agent in its overthrow. The
rectories of St. Bridgid, St. John, St. Leonard,
and Gilcrux were leased to William Leigh,
but the house and site of the abbey and the
adjoining lands were granted to Thomas
Leigh, LL.D., the notorious commissioner for
the northern suppression. To Dr. Leigh
were also given a right of common on Coupland Fells and the fishery called Monkegarth
on the sea sands near Ravenglass. (fn. 25) The clear
annual value of the doctor's grant was
£13 10s. 4d., and the rent of 27s. 1d. due to
the Crown continued to be paid by the owners
of Calder Abbey till its late owner redeemed it.
Abbots of Calder
Gerold, 1134, afterwards abbot of Byland, Yorks
Hardred (Hardreus), circa 1143 (fn. 26)
Adam, towards the close of the twelfth
century (fn. 27)
David, circa 1200 (fn. 28)
John, circa 1211 (fn. 29)
G., circa 1218 (fn. 30)
Ralf (fn. 31)
Jollan, 1241-6 (fn. 32)
John, 1246 (fn. 33)
Nicholas, circa 1250 (fn. 34)
Walter, circa 1256 (fn. 35)
William, circa 1262 (fn. 36)
Warin, circa 1286 (fn. 37)
Elias, 1298 (fn. 38)
Richard, 1322, (fn. 39) 1334 (fn. 40)
Nicholas de Bretteby (Birkby), 1367 (fn. 41)
Richard, circa 1432 (fn. 42)
Robert de Wilughby (fn. 43)
John, 1462 (fn. 44)
John Whalley, 1464
John Bethom, 1501
Lawrence Marre, 1503-13
John Parke, 1516
John Clapeham, 1521
Richard Ponsonby, 1525-36
Only one impression of the seal of this
house is known. (fn. 45) It is a pointed oval, showing
an abbot in vestments. The legend is much
mutilated: + . . . TIS DE CALDRA.