ECCLESIASTICAL MIDDLESBROUGH IN MEDIEVAL TIMES. Up to quite modern times Middlesbrough was a place of so small importance that its name rarely occurs in local records. Of its medieval history little is known except that it formed part of the Bruce fee, and that a cell, dependent on the great Benedictine house of St. Hilda at Whitby, was founded here about 1120. With the view of filling up in some measure the blank, this paper, compiled from the records at York, has been written. The earliest document from these records is printed at length below. It is dated in 1452 and is a reply to a petition of Richard Godeale, or Godale, prior of Middlesbrough (who had held that office from as early as 1438),1 praying leave to serve the parish church there by himself, or his fellow monk, instead of a secular chaplain, as had hitherto been the custom. The reason alleged by the prior for desiring to suppress the secular chaplain and save his salary, was that the church was much impoverished by the diminution of its income, which consisted of fruits, oblations, and tithes. It seems probable that the old arrangement had been going on since the foundation of the cell, over three hundred years, and it would have been more satisfactory if the reasons of this impoverishment had been given. There may have been special local causes, though the condition of the country was so bad that distress must have been general. Jack Cade's rebellion had been raging only two years before, and in the year following, with the great Earl of Shrewsbury's death at Chatillon, the English lost all their dominions in France except Calais. sea they were no longer invincible. a contemporary writer, in his Illustrious Henries,—“Our enemies laugh at us. They say, 'Take off the ship from your precious money, and stamp a sheep upon it to signify your sheepish minds.' We who used to be the conquerors of all nations are now conquered by all. 1 Monastic Notes (Yorkshire Record Series), i, 138. Another prior is mentioned in these registers. On Jan. 25, 1397-8, a commission was issued by the dean and chapter of York during a vacancy of the see to Sir Stephen de Ormesby, prior of Midelisburgh, to Even at "Our enemies," says Capgrave, The men of old used to say that the sea was England's wall, now our enemies have gotten upon the wall; what think you they will do to the defenceless inhabitants? Because this business has been neglected for so many years it now happens that ships are scanty, and sailors also few, and such as we have unskilled for want of exercise. God take away our reproach and raise up a spirit of bravery in our nation." The situation of Middlesbrough on the estuary of the Tees, near the sea, would render it peculiarly liable to attacks by pirates, and it is more than possible that one of the chief causes of the depreciation of the church's property arose from the depredations of the French or Scotch. But whatever the reason of the depreciation the archbishop was convinced of its reality, as he gave his assent to the proposed arrangement. As there is no mention in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, made about 1534-5, of any chaplain here, nor of any charge for one in the ministers' accounts1 (1539), this arrangement must have remained undisturbed up to the time of the Reformation. The remaining documents are all wills. The earliest of these, which is only a year later than the licence, is that of Thomas Lynehous of Leventhorpe, now Linthorpe, in the parish of Middlesbrough. It appears to be nuncupative, as it only gives the day of his death, Thursday after Michaelmas (Oct. 4), 1453, and not that of the execution of the will. After desiring to be buried in the churchyard of St. Hilda of Middelburch, he gives, as was customary, a beast for his mortuary, or corpspresent, that is the gift made by a man at his death to his parish church. He mentions four lights in the church, those of the Holy Rood, the Blessed Mary, St. Katherine, and St. Hilda. To the first three he left a “jak deffence,” a coat for war, and to the last a blue cloak (togam de blodio), which had been his mother's. Alexander Grenacres got a cloak, a tunic, and a pair of boots, all russet colour, also a "tying cote," a shirt, a pair of trousers and shoes, and a cap. After making some bequests of corn, a quarter of wheat, a quarter of barley, and a couple of quarters of "radicole" and some sheep, he left 16d. to the lights of Holy Rood and the Blessed Mary in the church of the adjoining parish of 4 1 Whitby Chartulary, ii, 760. 2 Reg. Test., ii, 294d. 3 The mortuary was the best beast of any kind. "Meum optimum animal" is a phrase continually occurring in medieval wills. "My best beast to be my mortuary, as costume is," is found in the will of William Barker, of Tadcaster, made in 1521 (Thoresby Society, ix, 166). In 1520 Robert Hansby, of Old Malton, It left his horse, saddle, reins, sword, shield, 4 Radcolle, Raphanus, herba est (Catholicon Anglicum). The dictionaries say that raphanus means radish, but it must mean some larger root crop. Acklam. For the entertainment of his friends and neighbours at his funeral, or arval feast,' as it was called, an ox, a quarter of wheat, and a quarter of barley, no doubt for the beer, were provided. The residue of his property was left to his executor, John Wilkinson, for the support of his six children, and he appointed him their guardian. The next will, dated Sept. 8, 1439, is that of Robert Thomson, otherwise Panyerman, of Middelburgh. His alias is interesting, as it shows he belonged to a trade now extinct. Canon Atkinson in his Cleveland Glossary defines a pannierman as "the person in charge of a pack saddle laden horse or company of horses, in the old days of horse-traffic especially. As lately as fifteen or sixteen years since (the Glossary was published in 1868), long strings of mules or ponies, each laden with a long sack of coals slung over a pannel, that is a pad, or saddle without the wooden framework or 'tree' in it, used to thread their way across the moors out of Durham into this district. There were generally two men in company, driving the string." The testator, after commending his soul to Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin, and all the Saints, and desiring to be buried in the churchyard of his parish church, left certain pious and charitable bequests; his mortuary was to be his best beast; two pounds of wax were to be burnt around his body when he was buried; the rector, who in this case was the abbot of Whitby, was to have 2s. for unpaid tithes; a linen cloth was to be given to the high altar of his parish church; 12d. for the light of St. Hilda, and for the other lights in his parish church 2s. 8d.; to his own church 4s.; to Marton church 12d.; to the fabric of St. Peter's of York 4s.; to the fraternity of St. Thomas of Canterbury, probably at York, 2s.; for his poor neighbours 45.; and half a quarter of wheat, three pecks of barley, a calf, and two sheep, to make a feast at the meeting of his friends and neighbours, that is, after his funeral. His toft in Middlesbrough and his tenement in Hartlepool (Hertilpole) he entailed on his sons, Robert and William, and his elder daughter, with remainder to the monks of Mount Grace, who were to pray for his soul, that of Agnes his wife, and for the souls of all his benefactors, and of all deceased Christians. His holding property at Hartlepool inclines one to believe he was interested in the coal trade, and that in his capacity of a pannierman he distributed the coal through Cleveland, including probably Danby, where Canon Atkinson saw his successors still plying the same trade some four centuries later.3 His executors, Sir John 1 The word is still used in northern dialects. See Atkinson's Cleveland Glossary. 2 Reg. Test., iii, 587. 3 In the East Riding the pannierman means a hawker of fish. "Mock no panyerman, your father was a fisher" (The English Dialect Dictionary). Colyn, chaplain, and John Badyrsby, were directed to dispose of the residue for the good (utilitatem) of his soul, by having masses celebrated at Middlesbrough. Amongst the witnesses to his will was John Rede, prior of Middlesbrough. The last will to be noticed is that of John Hexham of Mydlesbroughe, clerk,' dated Jan. 19, 1554-5. He is no doubt the same person as the John Topcliffe or Hexham, who was abbot of Whitby between 15272 and 1538, when he resigned, probably because he disliked the changes he saw impending. In the spring of the year succeeding his resignation he obtained from the Convent a lease, for his life, of their property at Middlesbrough, worth 25/i. 18s. 5d., of which he was in possession at the time of the Dissolution.3 As the will is of interest it is given at length. From his being called in the codicil Mr. Hexham, he must have been a graduate of one of the universities, as this was the invariable meaning of the title Master. The combination of master and esquire, foolish as it sounds nowadays, was then reasonable enough. The commendation of his soul to the holy company of heaven, instead of relying, as a good Protestant would have done, only on the merits and intercession of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, shows his religious opinions. Like so many of his contemporaries he became possessed of property which had once been subject to religious trusts.5 The property which troubled his conscience was that which, as he was credibly informed, had belonged to Whitby parish church, a house and piece of ground in Kirkgate in Whitby. As a recompense for taking these and for the discharge of his conscience, he left 53s. 4d. to the parish church. LITTERA CONCESSA FRATRI ROBERTO GODEALE, MONACHO, QUOD POSSIT MINISTRARE SACRA PAROCHIANIS DE MIDELEBURGH. [Reg. Will. Booth, fo. 147d.] Willelmus, etc., dilecto in Cristo filio, fratri Ricardo Godale, monacho monasterii Beate Hilde de Whitby, priorique selle de Mideleburgh, nostre diocesis, graciam et benediccionem. 1 Printed below. 2 His election as abbot was confirmed on April 13, 1527, by William Clifton, decretorum doctor, commissary of Brian Higdon, LL.D., dean of York, Cardinal Wolsey's vicar-general (who was also rector of Stokesley), in the presence of Mr. Thomas Teste, LL.B., William Tyas, notary public, of the diocese of York, and John Chapman, comes Palatinus, the archbishop's registrar. The abbot elect had been a monk in the house (Reg. Wolsey, fo. 86). 3 Whitby Chartulary, ii, 760. 4 Mr. John Selbie, esquier, occurs in a will dated 1581 (Wills and Inventories, ii, 48). 5 Wills of the inmates of monastic houses who survived the Dissolution are rare. In volume vi of the Testamenta Eboracensia, the wills of Katherine Nandike, prioress of Wykeham, Elizabeth Lord, prioress of Wilberfosse, and Isabel Swales, a sister in Killingarthe, (query Killingwoldgraves), near Beverley, are printed. Ex parte tua nobis humiliter supplicando nuper extitit intimatum, quod licet ecclesia parrochialis de Midelebrugh predicta, in qua dicta sella constructa et fundata existit, deseruiri solebat per vnum capellanum secularem ibidem celebrantem, ac parrochianis eiusdem sua sacra et sacramentalia quecumque ministrantem; ipsa tamen ecclesia de suis fructibus, oblacionibus, decimis, et aliis prouentibus suis quibuscumque in tantum est depauperata et diminuta, quod omnes et singuli fructus eiusdem ad sustentacionem capellani huiusmodi non suppetant hiis diebus, nec sufficiant. Nos, supplicacioni predicte annuentes, volentesque graciam in hac parte tibi facere specialem, vt parrochianis ecclesie predicte sua sacra et sacramentalia quecumque per te, seu socium tuum, ministrare, et curam parrochie illius gerere et exercere, valeas, licenciam tibi tenore presencium concedimus specialem; dumtamen socium tuum huiusmodi habeas tecum in sella predicta commorantem; presentibus ad nostrum beneplacitum duraturis. Dat. in manerio nostro de Suthwell, viijuo die mensis Octobris, anno Domini millesimo ccccmo quinquagesimo secundo, nostrarunque consecracionis anno sexto, et translacionis1 primo. WILL OF JOHN HEXHAM OF MIDDLESBROUGH, CLERK. [Reg. Test. xv (2), 36.] Jan. 19, 1554-5. John Hexham of Mydlesbroughe, clarke. Fyrst I giue frelye and bequeathe my soul to God Almyghtye, my savior and redemer Jesu Chryste, and to all the holy company of heauen, and my body to be buryed wythin the paryshe churche whear yt shall please God to take me fro this transitory lyfe to the lyfe etarnall. Item I gyve to the paryshe churche of Whytbye liijs. iiijd., partlye for the discharge of my conscience for and concernynge the house lyinge in the Kyrkegaite of Whytbye, and one pece of ground, lyinge in John Boyes garthe; whiche house and pece of grounde hathe belonged to the paryshe churche of Whytbye, as yt ys credyblye informed me. Το the towneshipp of Mydlesbrough xvs. iiiijd. Item I gyue to be distribute emongest the poore people of Ormesbye iiijs. To the poore people of Marton xs. And I desyre of charytie all the preistes of all the said townes, to aske in my name the forgyvenes of all X'pen people, to whom I haue offended in the said townes. To Margaret Russel, my syster, XXXS., and a lytle counter. To Margaret Carlell, Robert Carlell wyfe, my worsett gowne, my best fether bedd, and halfe my householde goodes, that ys in Cleveland, in the handes of George Harryson. To Robert Jackson, my suster sonne, my lesser fetherbedd wythe bolster and a payre of shetes. To Jennet Haryson, George Harryson wyfe, the other halfe of my household stuffe that ys in ther handes. To Syr Thomas Watson, clarke, iijli. vjs. viijd. To Syr John Kyldaill, clerke, To Carlell, his doughter, iijli. vjs. viijd. XS. To Robert Carlell, iiiji. 1 Booth had been translated from Coventry and Lichfield. 2 That is, at Middlesbrough. The will was made at Whitby. |