THE GILBERTINE PRIORY OF WATTON, IN THE

EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE.

By W. H. ST. JOHN HOPE, M.A.

Watton is a small village in the wapentake of Harthill in the East Riding of Yorkshire, about eight miles due north of Beverley, and some five miles south of Driffield. It lies at the foot of the wolds, on the edge of the broad alluvial flat extending from Driffield to Hull.

According to Tanner,' and other writers, there was a nunnery here about 686; but the only authority for this statement seems to be an account by Bæda2 of a miracle wrought by St. John of Beverley after he became bishop of York in 705, on a visit "ad monasterium virginum in loco qui vocatur Uetadun, cui tunc Heriburg abbatissa præfuit."

Ethelred or Aelred, abbot of Rievaulx, 1146 to 1166, in his description of another "notable miracle" wrought at Watton in his time, thus describes the place, which was then evidently considered identical with the "Uetadun" of Bæda:

Inter monasteria virginum quæ vir venerabilis ac Deo dilectus pater et presbyter Gilelbertus per diversas Angliæ provincias miro fervore construxit, unum in provincia Eboracensi situm est in loco qui aquis et paludibus septus ex re nomen accepit. Dicitur enim WATTON, id est humida villa. Qui quondam, ut refert in historia Anglorum venerabilis presbyter Beda, magno sanctarum mulierum pollebat examine: ubi et beatus pontifex Johannes puellam ob incautam sanguinis diminutionem fere desperatam salubri tactu et oratione sanavit. Quoniam igitur in eodem loco prædicti patris industria renovatur antiqua religio, antiqua nichilominus miracula renovantur.3

Of the Saxon monastery there is no further record. If such actually existed at Watton it had ceased to be at the time of the Norman Conquest, inasmuch as there

'Thomas Tanner, Notitia Monastica, ed. Nasmith (London, 1787), s.v. Yorkshire, cxx.

2 Hist. Ecclesiast. Gentis Anglorum. lib. 5, cap. 3.

3 Historia Anglicanæ Scriptores Decem (London, 1752), i. col. 415.

B

is no mention of it in Domesday Book, though Watton then possessed a priest and a church.

The existing parish church, which dates from the thirteenth century and onwards, stands within the precinct of the priory. This is roughly an oblong area, bounded and intersected by a series of banks and ditches, and containing about forty-two acres. If an older monastery stood here, some of these earthworks may be of Saxon origin, but the construction of such enclosures was the first duty the first duty of every Gilbertine monastery.

Previous to the draining of the country the site of the priory no doubt corresponded with Aelred's description. The Gilbertine Priory of St. Mary at Watton is said to have been founded about 1150 by Eustace FitzJohn, who, with Agnes his second wife, certainly gave "to the nuns who serve God at Watton the vill of Watton itself, and other possessions. The various charters printed by Dugdale in the Monasticon Anglicanum' say nothing as to Eustace FitzJohn being the founder, and it may be that Aelred's statement concerning Gilbert the priest refers to the establishment by him of a monastery at Watton, which was afterwards endowed by Eustace FitzJohn.

Of the history of the monastery down to its suppres sion practically nothing is known, but it was then in a flourishing condition, its clear value being reckoned at £360 18s. 10d., an amount exceeded by only seven other Yorkshire houses.

The Priory was surrendered on 9th December, 31 Henry VIII. (1539), by Robert the commendator," Thomas Webster the sub-prior, and seven other priests, with Joan Warcoppe, prioress, Agnes Warner, prioress, Anne Ellerker, sub-prioress, and eleven other nuns. The Pension List gives the names of nineteen more nuns, making thirty-three in all, and nine sisters. The signatures of the nuns in the deed of surrender are all written in one hand.

The Order of Sempringham, as it was called, to

Ed. Caley, Ellis, and Bandenel (London, 1830), vi. part ii. 955-957.

2 Robert Holgate, bishop of Llandaff, afterwards archbishop of York, who held the priory in commendam.

which the Priory of Watton belonged, was founded about 1139 by Gilbert, rector of Sempringham and Tirington,' owing to the desire of seven maidens, who lived in Sempringham, to lead a strict religious life. Gilbert accordingly built for them a cloister and offices on the north side of and adjoining the parish church of Sempringham, and to this monastery they retired. These first nuns of the Order were completely secluded from the outer world, and with it they held communication by means of a window only, through which necessary things could be introduced.

Their

needs were supplied from without by certain poor girls, serving in secular habit. But these subsequently became lay sisters, who lived in the monastery and there attended to the wants of the nuns. Gilbert also established a body of lay brothers to see after the external affairs of the nuns, their farms, etc.

Other houses beginning to be founded on the same model, Gilbert drew up the Rule. This, which is printed at length in the last edition of Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum, opens with a chapter by Gilbert narrating his establishment of (1) the nuns and (2) the lay brothers and sisters, all of whom followed the strict and austere Rule of St. Benedict as observed by the Cistercian Order.

Owing to the multiplication of houses of the new Order, chaplains became necessary, and these were to be canons, following the Rule of St. Austin. They were not to have any access to the nuns, except to those who were dying and in need of unction and the last rites of the Church, and then only in places specially appointed for the purpose in the church and infirmary, and in the presence of many on each side. They were even to sing mass with a wall interposed, so that the canons and nuns could neither see nor be seen by one another. The church of the canons, where they kept the hours, etc. and their house and cloister were to be disjoined and shut off from the court and enclosure of the nuns, as was also the

1 Probably "West Teryngton," which belonged to the sister house of Bullington at the Suppression; now called West Torrington. 2 Vol. vi. part ii. *v

lodging of the conversi or lay brothers. The nuns were responsible for the clothing and sustenance of the canons, as well as the lay brothers; and four discreet canons, proctors (procuratores) as they were called, viz. the prior, the cellarer, and two illiterati, looked after the external business affairs of the house. The proctors had charge of all sheep and other animals, and were to know their number, etc.

The prior of Sempringham, if unable from pressure of other matters to visit the other houses, might appoint two canons and a lay brother as scrutators, and likewise two lettered nuns and one unlettered to visit the nuns.

As the nuns were strictly secluded, all business between them and their proctors was arranged ad fenestram sororum, and at it all moneys were paid in or out. One of the cellarer's officers was known as frater fenestrue, and acted as the medium of communication between the nuns and the canons. Two trustworthy nuns at least were assigned to attend to the great turning window (magna fenestra versatilis), one of whom did the necessary talking and gave out victuals, etc. thereat. This window was in a place called the window-house (domus fenestrae).

In each house of the Order there were to be at least seven canons, and never more than thirty, unless means allowed it. They were to hold the office of clerks at masses and the hour services. No boy was to be taught letters within the monastery unless a novice. None could be received as a novice under the age of fifteen, nor become a canon under twenty. In each house two laymen magnae auctoritatis, or even more, might be received. Every canon had three shirts (tunicae), a pilch or cassock (pellicea) of sheep's wool, and a white cloak; also a cap, two pairs of boots and socks, and day and night socks; also a linen (quire) cope. In cloister and in the frater they wore their cloaks. At labour they wore white scapularies. The canons kept chapter, etc. like other Augustinians. All their churches were to be dedicated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all sculptures and superfluous pictures in them were forbidden. Only painted crosses

might be used. On feast days a sermon was to be preached in the nuns' church (in ecclesia monialium), a carpet or cloth being hung up between the two sexes.

The fraters of the canons and lay brethren were to be so constructed that the victuals could be served to them by the nuns or sisters per fenestras versatiles. These were to be so made that the men could not be seen by the sisters, nor the sisters by the men. There were to be one cellar and one kitchen for all, under the care of the prioress and nuns. A fire was allowed in the frater in winter. All flesh meat was forbidden, except in the infirmary. The warminghouse (calefactorium) might not be entered without leave. The dorter could be entered at any time without leave, but with hoods drawn. When visiting the reredorter (domus necessaria), the canons were to cover their faces as much as possible. The chief officers among the canons were the prior, cellarer, sub-prior, and sub-cellarer; the last named had charge of the guests.

The lay brothers seem to have been farm labourers, serving men, workmen, etc. and for the most part to have lived at the granges under the supervision of a

granger.

From the moneys of the nuns there were to be reserved three marks every year to inclose their houses with a ditch and a wall or hedge, until there be security of complete seclusion, and no expense was to be spared to prevent the nuns being seen or accessible. No one was allowed to enter their court (curtus).

The nuns

were governed by three præpositae or prioresses, under whom were a sub-præposita or subprioress, a cellaress, etc. They could talk with their parents and others, always in the presence of one or more witnesses, at a window as long as a finger and as broad as a thumb, and bound round with iron. window at which they made their confessions was similar.

The

Each nun had five smocks, three for labour, and two cowls for use in cloister, church, chapter, frater, and dorter; also a scapulary for labour. Each had further a pilch of sheep's wool, and a chemise of thicker stuff,