HOUSES OF BENEDICTINE NUNS
7. THE NUNNERY OF ARMATHWAITE
The nunnery of Armathwaite was situated
in a lovely glen near the junction of the river
Croglin with the Eden in the southern angle
of the parish of Ainstable, a few miles from
the vill of Armathwaite on the other side of
the river Eden in the forest of Inglewood.
At an early period it was known as the nunnery of Ainstable from the name of the parish.
It was said to have been founded by William
Rufus on 6 January 1089 for black nuns of
the Order of St. Benedict in the honour of
Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
but no one at the present time credits the extraordinary charter upon which the allegation
was made. Freeman stated that the charter
was 'spurious on the face of it,' (fn. 1) and the
editors of the Calendars of Patent Rolls have
pronounced it 'a forgery.' (fn. 2) The genuineness of the document was accepted without
question by the older writers, no doubt for
the reason that it was confirmed in 1480
by Letters Patent of Edward IV. It is
very difficult to conceive how a document
so full of anachronisms could have imposed
on anybody. By this so-called charter
William Rufus, King of the English and
Duke of the Normans, was supposed to give
the nuns the 2 acres of land upon which
the house was built, and in addition the 3
carucates of land and 10 acres of meadow
lying next the nunnery, 216 acres in the
forest of Inglewood on the north of a certain
water called Tarnwadelyn, common of pasture throughout the same forest for themselves
and their tenants, sufficient wood for their
buildings by delivery of his foresters, an annual rent of 40s. from the king's tenements
in Carlisle to be paid by the keeper of the
city at the feasts of Pentecost and St. Martin,
and freedom from toll throughout the whole
of England. Besides it was claimed in this
charter that Rufus had granted to the nuns,
within their house and their lands adjoining,
all the liberties which he had conceded to the
monastery of Westminster without molestation of any of the king's sheriffs, escheators,
bailiffs or lieges. All these privileges were to
be had and enjoyed from the king and his
heirs in pure alms of his free will and concession 'as hert may it thynk or ygh may it
se.' (fn. 3) It cannot be said that the nuns were too
modest in their desire for special privileges.
On the strength of the forged charter a
claim to the liberty of sanctuary was put forward, for we are probably justified in ascribing to this date the erection of the square
pillar about 3 yards high, inscribed with a
cross and the words 'Sanctuarium 1088,'
which was placed on rising ground above the
nunnery, and by which the nuns bolstered up
their claim to exercise the rights in this respect enjoyed by the abbey of Westminster.
This sanctuary stone (fn. 4) has been the delight
and puzzle of antiquaries for many generations.
Very few authentic references to this house
which may be said to possess the element of
interest have been found. (fn. 5) The earliest notice of its existence that has been met with
may be dated about 1200. It occurs in a
charter of Roger de Beauchamp to the priory
of St. Bees, wherein it is stated that the land
he gave to that monastery was near the land
of the nuns of 'Ainstapillith' in 'Leseschalis'
or Seascale on the western coast. (fn. 6) Like the
rest of the religious houses the nuns of
'Ermithwait' suffered heavy losses during
the Scottish wars. Edward II. compassionating the state of the poor nuns of 'Ermynthwait' who had been totally ruined by the
Scots, granted them pasture for their cattle in
Inglewood Forest during pleasure. (fn. 7) In 1331
they were excused the payment of £10 due
to the Crown for victuals bought by them in
the previous reign, for the reason that their
lands and rents were greatly destroyed by the
wars with Scotland. (fn. 8)
It is fortunate that we have at least one
undoubted record which throws a good light
on the internal constitution of the nunnery
and its relation to the diocese of Carlisle.
From this we learn that the nuns had the
liberty of free election of a prioress, and that
with the bishop, to whom she made obedience,
rested the confirmation and institution of the
person elected. There is little doubt that the
bishop exercised a jurisdiction in the visitation
of the house. (fn. 9) In their petition to Bishop
Welton in 1362 the nuns stated, through
Cecily Dryng the sub-prioress, that the convent, wishing to provide a prioress in the
room of Dame Isabel deceased, assembled in
the chapter house on the Thursday next after
the Feast of St. Bartholomew for the purpose
of consultation, and unanimously elected
Dame Katherine de Lancaster, their fellownun, to the vacant post. A record of the
election was sent to the bishop under the
seal of the house, whereupon he confirmed
it and committed to Dame Katherine the cure
and administration in spiritualities and temporalities of the said priory, due profession of
obedience having been first made. On 2
September the bishop issued his mandate to
the Archdeacon of Carlisle to assign to the
said prioress her stall in the choir and place
in the chapter. (fn. 10)
When we come to the period when the
foundation charter was forged we get some
hint to account for its fabrication, and to explain why it was that the nuns were able to
impose on the authorities. From letters
patent of Edward IV., dated 9 April 1473,
we learn that it was represented to the king
by the prioress and convent of the house
or priory of 'Armythwayte,' situated near
the marches of Scotland, which was of the
foundation of his progenitors and of his
patronage, that the houses, enclosures and
other buildings of the said priory had been
destroyed by the Scots, and that the house
had been despoiled of its goods, relics, ornaments, books and jewels, and the charters
and other muniments burnt or carried off,
and in these circumstances the king confirmed
the nuns' estate in the priory and all its possessions, and especially in an ancient close
called 'the Noune close,' (fn. 11) that they might
pray for his good estate and the good estate
of Elizabeth his consort and of Edward his
son, and for their souls after death. (fn. 12) Seven
years after this date, that is on 20 June 1480,
Isabel the prioress and nuns, bereft of charters and title-deeds, presented their compilation, which they ascribed to William Rufus,
and had it inspected and confirmed as already
mentioned.
From the fourteenth century wills on record in the diocesan registers, we learn that
this nunnery had some friends and received
bequests as well as the other religious institutions in the county. In 1356 Dame Agnes,
the consort of Sir Richard de Denton, bequeathed 10s. and in 1358 John de Salkeld
40s. to the prioress and her sisters of
'Hermythwayt.' Richard de Ulnesby, rector of Ousby or Ulnesby, was good enough
in 1362 to bequeath them a cow which he
had in that parish, while a citizen of Carlisle,
William de London, in 1376, and a country
gentleman, Roger de Salkeld, in 1379, made
them bequests of money. (fn. 13)
In the valuation of 1291 the temporalities
of the prioress of 'Ermithwayt' were assessed
at £10, but in 1318 they were not taxed as
they were totally destroyed (fn. 14) by the Scots.
The value of the priory in 1535 (fn. 15) amounted
to the sum of £19 2s. 2d., which included
£6 from the rectory of the church of 'Aynstablie,' of which the prioress was patron.
The annual outgoings, amounting to 110s. 2d.,
were composed of a pension of 12d. to the
priory of Wetheral, 2s. 6d. for procurations
to the bishop, and 106s. 8d. for the stipend
of the chaplain of the nunnery. There is no
evidence to show by whom or at what date
the rectory of Ainstable was appropriated to
the nunnery, and, strange to say, there is no
record of any institution to the benefice in
the mediæval registers of the see of Carlisle.
The real property of the house at the time of
the dissolution was scattered in small parcels
so far apart as Ainstable, Kirkoswald, Cumwhitton, Blencarn, Kirkland, Glassonby,
Crofton and Carlisle. The most extensive
estate they possessed in one place was 'the
Nouneclose,' consisting of 216 acres, and
split up into several tenements. The 40s.
rent in Carlisle said to have been 'given
by William the Conqueror' was worth
nothing. (fn. 16)
The house seems to have been dissolved soon after 31 July 1537, when the inventory of its possessions was made. It
consisted of a prioress and three nuns, against
none of whom did the commissioners bring an
accusation in their notorious Black Book.
Anne Derwentwater received a pension of
53s. 4d. a year, and was still in receipt
thereof in 1555. (fn. 17) The priory and rectory of Ainstable were leased to Leonard
Barowe of Armathwaite on 20 July 1538, (fn. 18)
but the manor was afterwards sold by
Edward VI.
In the neighbourhood of this house many reminiscences of the nuns still survive to tell of
their former occupation. The site of the priory
has been called Nunnery from the dissolution
to the present time, and the name of Nunclose
in the forest of Inglewood near Armathwaite
has not changed. When Mr. Samuel Jefferson wrote in 1840, part of the wall of the
monastic buildings was standing on the west
side of the dwelling house. (fn. 19) The field in
which the sanctuary pillar was erected is still
called 'Cross Close' to the north-east of the
site. At a short distance was the burial
ground, a small square of land surrounded by
lofty trees. At this place was found a monk's
head with a cowl very rudely cut in stone.
When the old nunnery was taken down, as it
is said, in 1715, a small painting on copper
of a Benedictine nun, with a rosary, cross, a
book in her hand and a veil on her head, was
found in a niche in the wall. In the northwest end of the present house a stone from
the old buildings was inserted bearing the
following couplet:—
Though veiled Benedictines are remov'd hence,
Think of their poverty, chastity, faith, obedience.
Near the site of the old house there is a
spring still called the Chapel Well. Nicolson
and Burn, (fn. 20) writing in 1777, printed a facsimile of an old inscription on a bed-head at
Nunnery, then called the nun's bed, which
may be read, 'Mark the end and yow shal
naver doow amis.' Hutchinson, (fn. 21) a few years
later, could not trace the inscription or find
anybody who had ever seen it.
Prioresses of Armathwaite
Isabel, (fn. 22) died 1362
Katherine de Lancaster, (fn. 23) elected 1362
Isabel, (fn. 24) occurs 1480
Isabel Otteley, (fn. 25) died 1507
Agnes or Annis Elvyngton, (fn. 26) died 1507
Agnes or Anne Derwentwater, (fn. 27) occurs
1535, 1537