19. THE COLLEGE OF KIRKOSWALD
The collegiate church of Kirkoswald,
situated in the Eden valley about fourteen
miles to the south of Carlisle, was of late
foundation and only existed for about twentyfive years before it was dissolved. It served
as the parish church for an area of 11,000
acres. Though the instrument of ordination
cannot be traced, there is evidence enough to
show that the institution was founded by
Thomas, Lord Dacre, who died in 1525. The
value of the benefice before the church was
made collegiate was taxed at £48 1s. 5d. in
1291, (fn. 1) and at £5 in 1318, (fn. 2) owing to the
devastation of the Scottish wars. In 1486, (fn. 3)
on the death of Lord Dacre, the advowson
was declared to be appurtenant to the manor
and to belong to Thomas, his son and heir,
at that time eighteen years of age.
In the ecclesiastical survey of 1535 the
college is called 'the rectory and college of
Kyrkowswald and Dacre,' and the superior is
styled 'the master or provost of the collegiate
church of St. Oswald of Kyrkoswald and
Dacre.' The college was endowed with the
advowsons and fruits of the associated churches
of Kirkoswald and Dacre, both of which
were in the patronage of the Dacre family.
The foundation consisted of a master or provost and five chaplains, together with two
perpetual vicars for the pastoral oversight of
the parishes. (fn. 4) The total value was assessed
at £78 16s. 6d., out of which several payments were due in rents, stipends and pensions. The perpetual vicars of Kirkoswald
and Dacre received individually a stipend of
£8 a year, and each of the five chaplains
£6 13s. 4d. After all outgoings were
deducted, there remained £27 17s. for the
stipend of the master, £4 of which was
in dispute between the college and the Bishop
of Carlisle. The names of the collegiate
staff were John Hering, LL.D., master or
provost; Thomas Moyses, perpetual vicar of
the church of Kirkoswald; Thomas Langrig,
perpetual vicar of Dacre, and John Scailes,
Roland Dawson, John Blencarne, Peter
Levyns, and William Lowthyan, perpetual
chaplains of the college. (fn. 5) The patronage of
the college in head and members belonged to
Lord Dacre.
The advisers of Edward VI. were a little
too precipitate in their attempt to dissolve this
college under the authority of the Act of 37
Henry VIII. cap. 4. On 19 April 1547
they despatched letters to Rowland Threlkeld
(Thirkeld), the provost, intimating the alteration of the college to another use and promising pensions of reasonable sort to the members.
On the following day, when the commissioners
arrived at Kirkoswald and took possession, it
seems that the provost refused to surrender
the house and offered resistance. There are
no signatures to the deed of surrender, (fn. 6) and
as the impression of the seal is broken and
very much obliterated, it is impossible to
say whether the official seal of the college,
if one existed, was used for that purpose.
Later on, 8 June, it was intimated that the
privy council had once resolved to have
punished the disobedience to the king's commissioners and make an example for the
terror of others, but as the members of the
college were now grown more manageable
and were bent on compliance, and seemed
sorry for their former stubbornness, it was
thought fit to continue them on the premises
till further orders should be taken for their
pensions and for the disposal of the college.
For the present only an inventory of the
goods should be taken. (fn. 7) In this way a virtue
was made of a necessity and the commissioners retired with as much dignity as they
could under the circumstances.
Under the Act of 1 Edward VI. cap. 14
the privy council was on surer ground. The
surveyors of chantries and colleges, appointed
on 14 February 1547-8 by the powers given
under the above Act, stated that the parish of
'Kirkeswolde' contained 500 'howseling
people,' and that the 'colledge in the parishe
churche there' was 'off the foundacon of
Thomas late lorde Dacres, (fn. 8) father of the
lorde Dacres that nowe is.' The lands and
tenements belonging to the college were
valued at £89 10s. 9d., and 'Rowlande
Threlkelde, clerke, provoste there, of th'age
of 68 yeres, hathe yerely for his salarye, over
and besides £52 in other places, £20. (fn. 9)
Some of the particulars of the dissolution
of the college are not devoid of interest. It
transpired that 'one thowsand howseling
people,' no doubt including the inhabitants of
the parish of Dacre, were dependent on the
college, and that there were 'too vycars indewyd in the sayd colledge, viz. John Scoles,
vycar ther, and Rowlande Dawson, serving
in the churche of Dacre appropriate to the
same colledge, eyther of theym having £8
yerely.' The total revenue of the house was
set down at £79 19s. 6d., and 'so remayneth
clere' £71 19s. 6d., after deducting £8 'for
the wages' of the vicar of Dacre. The net
stipends 'whych the sayd incumbents yerelye
recevid for ther lyvynges' were as follow:
'Roland Threlkeld, master of the sayd colledge, for his pencion and fyndynge of the
howse, £35 19s. 6d.; John Scalles, £7 6s. 8d.;
Robert Thomson, John Blenkerne, Robert
Redshawe, William Lauthean and William
Hayre, £6 each.' The incumbents of the
two parishes were allowed to remain in spiritual charge, but the master and five chaplains
were ejected, the former receiving an annual
pension of £17 10s., and each of the latter
£5. (fn. 10)
As the last master of the college was in
many respects a remarkable man, the account
of him written in 1677 by Richard Singleton
may be given here. In describing the church
of Melmerby, of which Roland Threlkeld
had been rector, he says:—
The window at the east end of the quire hath 3
lights, proportionable to the rest of the building,
wherin formerly hath been store of curious
painted glasse. In the midlemost of which lights
towards the top ther is yet to be seen a coat of
the Threlkelds in its colours, a maunch gules in
a ffield argent: and in the midst of the uppermost
part of the maunche there is, I take it, a trefoil.
In the light between the said midle light and the
vestry hath been set up or painted in his gown and
cassoke I conceive (not much unlike to ours at this
day) one Rol[and] Thr[elkeld] which is yet to be
seen entire from his midle to his feet, and his
right arme is yet extant, with this inscription
underneath at the bottom, in black letters: 'Orate
pro anima Rolandi . . . . . (under that these
words) Dutton.' I suppose this inscription hath
gon all along the bottom of the three lights and
sett out all his titles, ffor report tells us, he was
rector of Dufton and vicar of Lazonby as well as
rector of Melmorby: he was rector also of Haughton in the Spring neer Duresme and prebendary
of Carlisle and master of Kirkoswald Colledge.
'Twas he that built a bridge at Force mill for his
own convenience to passe between Melmoreby (wher
he most resided) and Lazonby. He was not
married, nor did he admitt any womane to manage
about his house, but kept (as I have heard by
some) a dozen men, by another, sixteen men to
wait on him, and for every man he usually kild a
biefe at Martinmasse time (pluralities sure were
not scrupled then since a man might have enjoyed
tot quot).
From the same narrative (fn. 11) we learn that while
master of Kirkoswald he made considerable
additions to the church of Melmerby.
Masters of Kirkoswald
John Hering, LL.D. 1523, (fn. 12) 1535 (fn. 13)
Roland Threlkeld, last master, 1539, 1543, (fn. 14)
1548.