THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For OCTOBER, 1759. Monafticon Eboracenfe: and the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Yorkfire. Containing an Account of the first Introduction and Progrefs of Chriflianity in that Diocefe, until the End of William the Conqueror's Reign. Alfo the Defcription of the Situation, Fabric, Times of Endowments of all Churches, collegiate, conventual, parochial, or of peculiar Jurifdiction; and of other Religious Places in that District, and to whofe Memory they were dedicated. Together with an Account of fuch Monuments and Infcriptions as are worthy of Notice, as well as of the Rife, Progrefs, Eftablishment, Privileges, and Suppreffion of each Order, Religious or Military, fixed therein. With the Catalogues of all the Abbots, and other Superiors of those Places, and of all the Patrons, Rectors, Vicars, Cantariffs, &c. of each Church, Chapel, &c. from the earliest Account down to the prefent Time.-Collected from the beft Hiftorians and ancient Manufcripts in the Bodleyan, Cottonian, and other Libraries in London, Oxford, Cambridge, and several Cathedrals; as alfo from other public Records, Regifters, and Chartularies in the Tower and other Offices in London, and in the Archiepifcopal, Epifcopal, and Deans and Chapters Offices in the Cathedrals of York, Durham, and Chester, and in private Hands, and from Parochial Regifters. With above Two Thousand Copies of original Charters and Deeds, never yet publifhed.-Adorned with Copper-Plates, reprefenting the Ichnographies of fome of their Churches, Abbies, Ruins, &c. Cint other curious Things worthy of Observation.To which is addVOL. XXI. eds ed, a Scheme and Propafals, in order to form a Society for Compiling a compleat Civil and Natural Hiftory of the ancient and prefent State of Yorkshire. With a Chorographical and Topographical Defcription thereof; and for a Set of accurate Maps, taken from actual Surveys. To this is fubjoined, a Short Hiftorical Account of the Parish of Hemingbrough, as a Specimen; fhewing what Materials the Author has collected toward affifting fuch a Society, according to the above Propofals. By John Burton, M. D. Folio; l. 11s. 6d. in Sheets. York printed by N. Nickfon; and fold by T. Ofborne in London. W HERE an Author has expended fo much time and money, as fuch a work as the book before us neceffarily requires, we are apt to think ourselves greatly obliged to his induftry, even tho' we do not meet with all the accuracy and precifion that might reasonably have been hoped for. We are unwilling, therefore, to take any fevere notice of fuch errors as occurred to us in the perusal of this laborious performance; efpecially as fome of them may be rather owing to the Printer than the Author, who owns, nevertheless, that he has been lefs attentive than he ought; but will be ready to correct any mistakes, or explain obfcurities, (in the next volume) upon being acquainted therewith, in a proper manner. The prefent volume, which contains only part of the Author's plan, is divided into four books; in the first of which he treats Of the Rife, Progrefs, &c. of Christianity in England, in general, and particularly in the diocese and county of York.' Book II. treats- Of the Rife of our Spiritual Courts; Foundations of Appeals to Rome; Difputes between the fees of Canterbury and York about Primacy; Contests between the fee of Rome and this Kingdom, about the right of Inveftitures and Patronage to ecclefiaftical benefices, down to the reformation of Henry the eighth's time.' In the third book he treats- First, of the Original, Progrefs, and Increase of Monks and Monafteries in these Parts. 2dly, Of the different Orders of Munks, Nuns, and Friers. 3dly, Of the Difference of Abbies, Priories, &c. with the Officers of the Houfe, &c. 4thly, Of the Diffolution of thefe Religious Houfes.' Book IV. contains the Hiftory of the [particular] Religious-Houfes in this county.' In In the first and fecond books we find little but what may be met with in other Writers; fo that we shall pass them entirely over, as well as the beginning of the third, wherein we are informed of the Nature of each religious Order, and the difference betwixt Abbies, Priories, and other Foundations. of that kind, and proceed to what is faid concerning the Dif folution of them, which our Author fhews to have been brought about, in the main, by the Roman Catholics themfelves. Hear what he fays, page 65. C . As to the diffolution of thefe religious foundations, we may obferve, that in A. D. 1390, William of Wickham, Bishop of Winchester, by leave of the Pope and King, bought fome alien Priorics, and fettled them on his new college at Oxford (a). His example was followed by Archbishop Chicheley, in A. D. 1437, and by King Henry the fixth, in A. D. 1441. Their example was followed by others; and A. D. 1505, Margaret, Countefs of Richmond, obtained the Pope's licence to fupprefs the abbey of Creyke in Norfolk, and fome others. And Cardinal Wolfey obtained the Pope's bull to diffolve as many of the [leffer] monafteries as would raise a revenue not exceeding 3000 ducats per annum (b). The cafting off the Pope's Supremacy, and the Monks being looked upon only as a fort of half-fubjects, ever ready to join any foreign power, which fhould invade the nation, whilst the King [Henry VIII.] was excommunicated by the Pope; and fome of their revenues not being employed to the intent and defign of the donors; together with the [former] alienation of the leffer houses, were urged for feizing the reft; to which the King's want of a large fupply, and the people's willingness to fave their own 6 pockets, greatly contributed; and accordingly, a motion fhortly after was made in Parliament, that, to support the King's ftate, and fupply his wants, all the religious houses 'might be conferred upon the Crown, which were not able to expend clearly above 2001. per annum. This Act paffed about March, A D. 1535. 、 By this act about three hundred and eighty houses were diffolved, and a revenue of 30,000l. per annum came to the Crown, befides 100,000 I. in plate and jewels.' (a) Newport's Repert. vol. II. p. 366, 688. (b) Rymer's Fœd. vol XIV. p. 24. 6 ་ In about two years afterwards, we are told, that the King refolved to fupprefs the reft of the Monafteries, and thereupon, A. D. 1537, appointed another Vifitation, requiring the Vifiters, amongst other things, to examine particularly into the conduct of the Abbots, Priors, and Monks, during the late commotions, [which had been occafioned < by the fuppreffion of the leffer houfes.] This caufed the greater Abbots to furrender a-pace; for fome of them having been faulty in the late rebellion, were liable to the King's difpleafure, and furrendered to fave their lives. Some began to like the Reformation, and were, upon that account, eafily perfuaded to it; others, feeing their diffolution approaching, had fo much embezzled their revenues, that they were fcarce able to keep up their houses.-Many petitions were made, even by thofe that were for the Reformation, that fome of thefe houfes might be spared (c); but a refolution being taken at Court to extirpate them all, the petitions were rejected. And in the feffions of Parliament which began the 28th of April, A. D. 1539, in the thirty-first year of the King's reign, an Act was paffed, by which all the religious houfes, which fince the former Act were fuppreffed, diffolved, relinquifhed, forfeited, or given up; or which fhould thereafter be fuppreffed, forfeited, or given up, were confirmed to the King and his fucceflors; and all the rents, profits, and revenues of them given to be difpofed of for the King's profit.-By this Act no houfes were fuppreffed, but all the furrenders, which either were made, or fhould be made, were confirmed: the • mitred or parliamentary abbies were all in being at the paffing of it, and eighteen Abbots were prefent at the first reading of it, twenty at the fecond, and feventeen at the third; and yet none of them either oppofed it, or voted against it; but were every one brought fhortly to furrender, except three, who were afterwards accufed of high treafon, and executed, and their abbies feized, as forfeited to the King by attainder. The next year, April 22d, A. D. 1540, a Bill was brought in for fuppreffing the Knights of St. John of Jerufalem, and paffed in a fhort time, and thereby all their revenues were given to the King; who, by the fuppreffion of thefe greater houses, obtained a revenue of about 100,000l. per annum.' . If what our Author obferves be true, that the estates of religious houses were fuppofed to be really worth ten times more than they were rated at, even at the time of their dif (e) Burnet's Hift. Ref. vol. III. App. p. 95. folution; : folution; and if to this we add the difference in the value of money betwixt that time and the prefent, one would think that fuch an addition of revenue to the Crown might have been fufficient, almoft, to have fuperfeded the neceffity of any other taxes. But instead of that, a few years faw the whole of this immenfe revenue diffipated, and fquandered, amongst a set of hungry Courtiers, without producing any lafting benefit either to the Crown in particular, or the public in general. The obfervations made by Dr. Burton, on these Diffolutions, are as follow. Firft, That the diffolution of thefe houfes was an act, "not of the Church, but of the State, prior to the Reformation, by a King and Parliament of the [Roman] Catholic communion in almost all points, except the Supremacy; and confirmed by others of the fame communion (d).' Secondly, That very few of the Papists wrote against the diffolution of thefe houfes, and that feveral, both of their Clergy (e), and Laity (ƒ), accepted grants of their lands. Thirdly, That almost all the Bishops of the new learning, as the Reformers were then called, were against the mifapplication of the abbey lands. Fourthly, That many popish Bishops were as great ali<enators of the lands of their bishoprics (g), as any of the • proteftant ones were in the reign of King Edward the sixth, and of Queen Elizabeth. . 6 Fifthly, That if King Henry the eighth diffolved Monafteries, and erected Bifhoprics out of them; Pope Pafchal the fecond, and King Henry the firft diffolved the abbey of Ely, and erected a Bishopric there, A. D. 1108. (d) By Queen Mary, and her Parliament;-Kennet's Cafe of Appropriations, [Impropriations] p. 141, 143, and Act of 1 and 2 ‹ Phil. and Mary, in the Statutes at large, vol. II.' с (e) The Bishop, Dean, and Chapter of Litchfield bought Fairwell, for the use of their church, &c.' (f) The Duke of Norfolk had several and Sir William Petre, ancestor to the Lord of that name, purchased Ingarstone, &c. the new [now] feat of that family.-Queen Mary granted away twenty fites of religious houfes in the first year of her reign.' (g) Heylin's Reform. p. 121.-Collier's Hift. vol. II. p. 324.' U 3 |