17. THE OBSERVANT FRIARS OF NEWARK
When Henry VII became a special patron of
the reformed branch of the Franciscans termed
Friars Observant, he founded several English
houses, which were chiefly refoundations of
original Franciscan establishments. But there
appears to be no evidence that there was any house
of Grey Friars at Newark prior to the days of
that king. His founding of the Newark house
of this severe order occurred about the year
1499. (fn. 66) By a codicil to his will, Henry VII in
1509 left £200 to the convent 'that by his
succour and aid was newly begun in the town of
Newark.' (fn. 67)
In the Dodsworth MSS. occurs the mention
of 'Gabriel, fader of the Observant friers at
Newark.' (fn. 68)
Among payments made by Henry VIII in
1538 there is entry of 40s. to Richard Lucas for
'bringing one Bonaventure a friar of Newark.' (fn. 69)
Early in 1539 Dr. London, who was the
chief instrument of Henry VIII in the suppression of the friars, wrote asking for a commission
from Cromwell to take the surrender of the
friars at Newark. (fn. 70)
The ex-friar Richard Ingworth, Bishop of
Dover, writing to Cromwell in March 1539
said that he had recently received 'to the king's
use' twelve houses of friars, one of which was
that of Newark; they were all poor, each house
had a chalice of 6 to 10 oz., and those he had
with him. (fn. 71)
Richard Andrewes, of Hailes, Gloucestershire,
and Nicholas Temple were the recipients, in
July 1543, of much monastic property in the
Midlands: inter alia of the site, churchyard and
certain gardens of the 'late house of Augustinian
Friars' in Newark, Notts. (fn. 72)
Footnotes
| 66 |
Coll. Anglo. Minorit. i, 211; ii, 39. |
| 67 |
Brown, Hist. of Newark, 42. There can be no
doubt that this refers to the Observant Friary; owing
to a misconception as to the word 'convent' there
has been much idle local speculation as to the site of
this convent and as to the order to which it belonged. |
| 68 |
Dods. MSS. (Bodl.), xcix, fol. 200. |
| 69 |
Arundel MSS. xcvii, fol. 28b. |
| 70 |
L. and P. Hen. VIII. xiv (1), 3. |
| 71 |
L. and P. Hen. VIII, xiv (1), 413. |
| 72 |
Pat. 35 Hen. VIII, pt. iii, m. 12. There is no
other reference to any settlement of Austin Friars in
Newark, and it seems clear that it is a slip. The
seal attributed to the Austin Friars by Brown (Hist.
of Newark, 63) is shown by its legend to be that of a
secular cleric. |