16. THE CARMELITE FRIARS OF NOTTINGHAM
The house of the White Friars or Carmelites
of Nottingham was situated between Moothall
Gate and St. James's Lane in the parish of St.
Nicholas. It is generally reputed to have been
founded about 1276, by Reginald, Lord Grey of
Wilton, and Sir John Shirley, kt.; (fn. 31) but all the
foundation that was permissible for a friary of the
mendicant orders was the gift of a site. There
is, however, an entry on the Close Rolls at
the end of the reign of Henry III which shows
that the Carmelites had been established here
at a far earlier date. In 1272 they obtained a
grant from the king of ten oaks to repair their
church. (fn. 32) That Reginald de Grey was the donor
of a site is, however, established by a confirmation charter granted by Edward II in March
1319, wherein he is mentioned as granting to
the brethren of Mount Carmel two (adjacent)
plots of land, the one described as being in the
French borough of Nottingham and the other in
St. James's Lane. The same charter mentions
a variety of subsequent grants of adjoining plots
of land for the extension of their site, which were
the only gifts of land permissible to be held by
friars, by William de Crophill and Agnes his wife,
John de Wymondswold, William le Chaundeler,
William de Watton, Henry Putrel, William de
Lonnesdale, Ralph de Lokynton, Alice widow of
John le Palmere, Henry Curtyse and Agnes his
wife, Nicholas de Shelford, William de Strelley,
John le Collier, William de Chesterfield and
Claricia his wife with their sons and daughters,
John le Netherd and Sarah his wife, Robert le
Carter, Ranulph le Leper, John son of Walter
de Thorneton, William de Mekesburgh, Thomas
de Radford, chaplain, Cecilia daughter of Ralph de
Ufton, and Robert de Ufton. The king concludes his confirmation charter by granting remission to these friars of all secular exactions, as
well as a rent of 5s. 6d. due to the Crown from
certain of the places, 'on account of the special
affection that we have and bear to the said prior
and brethren, and in order that they may the
more freely and devoutly attend to divine services.' (fn. 33) These numerous small gifts of parcels
of land or tenements, chiefly situated in Saturday
Market and Moothall Gate, are clear evidence
of the affection of the townsfolk for these White
Friars.
Three years prior to this Edward II, when
at Clipston, had made an important grant to
these Carmelites, not recited in the confirmation charter, whereby he assigned to them the old
chapel of St. James adjacent to their dwellingplace, which had belonged to the priory of Lenton, but which the king had induced that convent
to exchange for another piece of land in order
that he might bestow it on the Carmelites. (fn. 34)
In October 1319 licence was obtained for the
bestowal on the friars of yet another plot of land,
80 ft. in length by 60 ft. in width, the donor
being Hugh de Bingham, chaplain. (fn. 35)
Licence was obtained in 1327 for the Prior
and friars of the order of Mount Carmel, Nottingham, to acquire a rent of 13s. 4d. in Nottingham and to convey the same to the parson of
St. Nicholas, in exoneration of the same sum
due from them to him as tithes for land within
his parish, acquired for the enlargement of their
house. (fn. 36)
The earliest reference in the town records
to the Carmelities is under the year 1311, when
an agreement that had been made on 25 March
1307, in the garden of the Friars Carmelite, as
to an association for sustaining the light of Our
Lady, is cited. (fn. 37)
On 3 April 1379 Brother Robert, Prior of the
Nottingham Carmelities, made plaint in the local
court against John Carter, his servant, on a plea
of trespass and contempt against the statute. But
John placed himself in misericordia, and swore
before the mayor and bailiffs on the Holy Gospel
to serve the prior and convent faithfully until
the feast of St. Nicholas, and to be no more rebellious against them. (fn. 38)
Henry de Whitley of Nottingham in October
1393 killed his wife Alice in the night-time and
fled to the church of the Friars Carmelite for
sanctuary, and could not be taken as he kept to
the church. Whereupon the town authorities
seized his goods as those of a felon; they were
valued at 11s. 2½d. (fn. 39)
Mention is made in 1442, in an action for the
detention of goods, of Robert Sutton, B.D., who
was at that time Prior of the Nottingham Carmelites. (fn. 40)
John Mott, Prior of the Carmelites, complained
of John Purvis, in 1482, that on Monday next
before the feast of All Hallows he came with
swords and clubs and other arms and broke into
the house and chamber of the prior and took
away two copes, one of worsted and one of white
say, valued at 6 marks; a violet scapulary of
woollen cloth, valued at 15s.; a silvered maser,
ornamented and gilded, 26s. 8d.; a silver cup,
£4; a set of amber beads, 10s.; a gold signet,
40s.; and divers other things, £10; making a
total damage of £23. The defendant appeared
in person, justifying all that he did, and the
court ordered the matter to be placed before a
jury. (fn. 41)
In March 1494-5 Thomas Gregg, Prior of
the Carmelites, took action in the Nottingham
court against Thomas Newton, draper, for having
on 6 November last, by force and arms, to wit
with clubs and knives, entered the house and inclosure of the White Friars, dug up the soil with
the plaintiffs' spades and picks, pulled down a large
tenter, (fn. 42) broke a furnace of lead, and done other
grievous damage to the extent of 40s. At the same
time Gregg brought a second action against the
same defendant for neglecting to well and sufficiently repair, within a certain time according to
promise, the plaintiff's house or mansion wherein
he dwelt, at the gates of the house of friars, whereby he had sustained damage to the value of 20s. (fn. 43)
In the following year an action was brought
against Prior Gregg by William Stark, mason,
to recover the sum of 10s. alleged to be due as
balance for the repair of the east window of the
quire of the Carmelite church, over the high
altar. Stark and another had convenanted to do
the work for £3, but they had only received 40s.,
and the prior would not pay the balance of 20s.
due to Stark, though frequently asked. (fn. 44)
In 1513 an action was brought by Thomas
Smithson the Carmelite prior, in conjunction with
Thomas Bradley his brother friar, against Thomas
Marsh, clerk of the vicar of Marnham, for a debt
of 2s. 8d. which he owed them. The friars stated
through their attorney that whereas Marsh had
engaged Thomas Bradley to celebrate mass in
the chapel of St. James on the bridge over the
Trent for three days a week during five weeks,
and although Bradley had duly celebrated for
the five weeks and for one day besides, at the
rate of 4d. for each mass, the sum of 2s. 8d. was
still owing, although payment had often been
asked. (fn. 45) No friar could receive personal payment: the mass money would go to the community; hence the action to recover was taken
in the name of the prior as well as in that of the
friar who had performed this service.
When Henry VIII was at Nottingham in
August 1511, in the days when he was zealous
for the unreformed faith, he made an offering,
doubtless in person, at the Rood of the White
Friars. (fn. 46)
Richard Sherwood, Prior of the Nottingham
Carmelites, obtained a pardon from the king on
10 May 1532 for having killed William Bacon,
one of his brother friars, by a blow given in a
quarrel which arose when they were drinking in
a chamber of the house. The blow was struck
on 21 February, and the recipient died on the
following day. (fn. 47)
The general popularity of both houses of Nottingham Friars throughout their history is attested
by the frequency of small bequests, such as they
were allowed to receive. Among such bequests
by will may be mentioned those of Simon de
Stanton, 40s. in 1346; Thomas de Chaworth,
6s. 8d. in 1347; Richard Collier, 20s. in 1368; (fn. 48)
John de Wollaton, 40s. in 1382; (fn. 49) Robert de
Morton, 5 marks in 1396; John Tannesley,
5 marks in 1414; (fn. 50) Sir Henry Pierrepont, 40s.
in 1419; (fn. 51) Sir Gervase Clifton, 22s. in 1508;
Robert Batemanson, 10s. in 1512; (fn. 52) Roger Eyre,
of Holme, Derbyshire, ten fodder of lead and 40
days' work of a mason, in 1515; Sir R. Basset, of
Fledborough, 6s. 8d. in 1522; Thomas Willoughby, alderman of Nottingham, 10s. in 1524;
and John Rose, alderman of Nottingham, £5 in
1528. (fn. 53)
The surrender of the house of the Nottingham
Carmelites was made on 5 February 1539 and
signed by Roger Cappe, prior, and six of the
brothers, namely William Smithson, William
Frost, Robert Wilson, William Cooke, John
Roberts, and William Thorpe. Ambrose Clarke
and John Redyng were appointed their attorneys
to deliver possession to John London and Edward
Baskerfield, clerks, for the king's use. (fn. 54)
In November 1541 the Crown granted the
late priory of White Friars in Nottingham, with
a garden and other lands in the parish of St.
Nicholas and certain lands in the parish of St.
Mary, to James Sturley of Nottingham. (fn. 55)
Two of the Carmelite Friars of the Nottingham house were of some celebrity during the
14th century. Philip Boston, a native of Nottingham and a Carmelite Friar of the same town,
'studied Philosophy and Divinity at Oxford, but
returned again to Humanity and became a famous
poet and orator, yet so as that he was a frequent preacher to the people, and according to
Leland, left behind him in writing learned Sermons and Epistles and died in 1320.' (fn. 56)
John Clipston, a Carmelite Friar of Nottingham, was also born in this town. He was Doctor and Professor of Divinity at Cambridge:
'he taught Divinity there long and explained
Divine Mysteries with much applause to himself
and improvement to his hearers, ever following the
paths of virtue and religion, as close as those of
literature.' He left behind him many writings,
including Expositions of the Bible, a Commentary on St. John, Scholastic Disputations and a
variety of sermons for particular seasons and festivals. He died and was buried at his monastery
in Nottingham in the year 1378. (fn. 57)
Priors of the Carmelites
Robert, occurs 1379 (fn. 58)
Robert Sutton, B.D., occurs 1442 (fn. 59)
John Mott, occurs 1482 (fn. 60)
Thomas Gregg, occurs 1495-6 (fn. 61)
Thomas Smithson, occurs 1513 (fn. 62)
Richard Sherwood, occurs 1532 (fn. 63)
Roger Cappe, surrendered 1539 (fn. 64)
There is a cast of a 15th-century impression
of the seal of this friary at the British Museum. (fn. 65)
It represents within a carved and cusped border
of eight points the Blessed Virgin crowned, with
the Holy Child on the right arm. Before her
kneels the founder (Reginald Lord Grey) holding
his shield of arms, barry of eight, a label of eight
points. The background is diapered with lozenges. Legend:—
. . . COMVNITATIS D . . . NOTINGAMIE ORDINIS
BEATE MARIE DE CAR . . . . . .