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Doncaster
Historical and geographical information
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Introduction
Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
Headlines of the history of the
Doncaster are in brown.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Contextual history is in purple.
This webpage about the Doncaster has the following
section headings:
·
The
Farndales of Doncaster
·
The
History of Doncaster
·
Loversall
·
Campsall
·
Doncaster
Timeline
·
Links, texts and books
See also the History of
the Parish of Doncaster.
The Farndales of Doncaster
The following Farndales are associated
with Doncaster:
(Sir) William
Farndale (FAR00038), was Vicar of Doncaster between about 1396 and 1403. We
first see his name in a grant of land in Latin by Walter de Thornton, the vicar
of Doncaster, and Wm de Farndell, his chaplain on 11 April 1355. Perhaps
William may have been about twenty then, so perhaps he was born in about 1335.
The Black Death had ravaged Doncaster from about 1349, and its population had
been reduced to about 1,500. So William must have
survived the Black Death. Perhaps he was already a chaplain then, experiencing
the horrors with pastoral responsibilities. Or perhaps it was his survival of
those horrors that was his path to the church. We then spot him again in the patent rolls
of 1358. On 7 December 1368, Robert Ripers
transferred five acres of land at Lovershall (just
south of Doncaster) to Sir William Farndale, still chaplain. The term ‘sire’
was used as an address to religious men such as priests, it does not denote a
knight. ‘Know men present and to come that I Robert Ripers
of Loversall have given, granted, and by this my
present charter confirmed to Sir William Farndale, chaplain, 5 acres of land
with appurtenances lying in the fields of Loversall,
extending from the meadows of the Wyke to the Kardyke,
of which 1 acre 1 rood lie in Wykefield between the
land of Robert son of John son of William, son of Robert on both sides. And 2
1/2 acres lying in the Midelfild between my own land
on the west and the land of Richard son of Robert on the east. And 1 rood lying
in Wodfild between my own land on the west and the
land of John of Wakefield on the east. To have and to hold the said 5 acres of
land with appurtenances to the said William and his heirs and assigns, freely,
quietly, well and in peace, from the chief lords of the free by the services
then owed and customary by right. And I, said Robert, and my heirs, will
warrant the said 5 acres with appurtenances to the said Sir William, his heirs
and assigns against all men for ever. In witness whereof I have affixed my seal
to this present charter. These being in witness; Sir John of Loversall, Chaplain; William Vely,
Robert Clerk, Richard Rilis, John
son of William son of Roger and others. Given at Loversall
on Thursday after the Feast of St Nicholas, 42 Edward III. (7 Dec 1368).’ Sir
William Farndale then became the Vicar of Doncaster from 8 January 1397 (aged
about 61) to 31 August 1403 (aged about 68) when he resigned.
William
transferred his land at Lovershall to John Burton in
1402; “‘Know men present and to come that I, William Farndalle,
Vicar of the Church of Doncastre, have given, granted
and by this present charter confirmed to John Burton of Waddeworth,
his heirs and assigns 5 acres of land with appurtenances lying in the fields of
Loversall. Viz, those 5 acres of land which I had as
gift and feoffment of Robert Ryppes of Loversalle and which extend from the meadows of the Wyke to
the Kardyke as the charter drawn up for me by Robert Ryppes more fully sets out. To have and to hold the said 5
acres of land with appurtenances to the said John Burton, his heirs and assigns
from the chief of the lords of the fee by the services thence owed and
customary by right. And I William Farndalle and my
heirs will warrant the said 5 acres of land with appurtenances to the said John
Burton, his heirs and assigns against all men for ever. In witness whereof I
have affixed my seal to this present charter. These being witnesses; John Yorke
of Loversalle, Robert Oxenford of Loversalle,
William Ryppes of the same, John Millotte
of the same, William Clerk of the same and many others. Given at Loversalle 6 April 3 Henry IV. (6 April 1402).”
In 1403 we see
the installation of William Couper as the vicar of Doncaster, on William
Farndale’s resignation.
On 29 October 1564 a
wedding took place between a William
Farndell and a Margaret Atkinson in the Church of St Magdalene in the
village of Campsall, which is only a few miles north of Doncaster. So on a balance of probabilities, it seems more likely than
not that William Farndell who married in 1564 came from the same line of
Farndales as William Farndale, the vicar of Doncaster. There must have been a
generation or two between them. It is possible that William the Younger was
descended from a brother of William the Elder, or perhaps he was a direct
descendant.
It is believed
that Nicholas Farndale (FAR00059)
and Agnes Farndale (FAR00060),
who both died in Kirkleatham, were born in Campsall or thereabouts, around
Doncaster, perhaps in about 1512 and 1516 respectively. If so, they were likely
descended from William Farndale (FAR00038),
the Vicar of Doncaster, or at least from his wider family (his brother
perhaps). William Farndale junior (FAR00063)
was born in say 1538, and Jean Farndale (FAR00064)
in say 1540 to Nicholas and Agnes. William Farndale married Mary Atkinson at
the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Campsall in 1564. Between 1564 and 1567, the
family moved to Kirkleatham. We don’t know why. Maybe that was Agnes’ ancestral
home. Perhaps more likely Jean had met Richard Fairly, a relatively well established fellow, whose family were Scottish, but who
had more recently become associated with Cleveland and Kirkleatham. Perhaps the
family saw opportunities by a move north. On 16 October 1567, Jean married
Richard Fairley in Kirkleatham. The family lived generally at Kirkleatham until
Nicholas and Anne’s death in 1572 and 1586, though William had by then
realigned slightly eastward, to Skelton. This established
the family tree for the Doncaster-Kirkleatham-Skelton
Line of Farndales.
Others associated with Doncaster were
William Farndale (FAR00063);
Thomas Farndale (FAR00474);
James Farndale (FAR00669)
who worked in animal husbandry and served with animals in both world wars.
The History of
Doncaster
Modern Doncaster is
strongly characterised by its industrial past. However
the Doncaster of relevance to the history of the Farndale family was a very
different place.
It was the
place of a significant Roman Fort. After the Norman Conquest, Nigel Fossard had built a Norman Castle. By the thirteenth
century, Doncaster was a busy town. In 1194 Richard I had given the town
recognition by bestowing a town charter. There was a disastrous fire in 1204
(fires seem to feature heavily in Doncaster’s history) from which the town
slowly recovered.
In 1248, a
charter was granted for Doncaster Market to be held in the area surrounding the
Church of St Mary Magdalene, which had been built in Norman times. But over
time the parish church was transferred to the church of the old Norman castle,
the castle which by then was in ruin. The new parish church was the
original Church of St George. During the 14th century, large numbers
of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm
and preaching. In 1307 the Franciscan friars (Greyfriars) arrived, as did
Carmelites (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century. Other major medieval features
included the Hospital of St Nicholas and the leper colony of the Hospital of St
James, a moot hall, a grammar school and a five-arched
stone town bridge with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Bridge.
Doncaster 1857
Loversall
A Descriptive
Catalogue of Ancient Deeds: Volume 5. Originally published by His Majesty's
Stationery Office, London, 1906:
A 11356. Feoffment by Adam
son of Pain (Pagani) of Alworthlay, to Robert son of John
de Rypers of Loversall and
Alice his wife in survivorship, and the heirs begotten between them, of a
messuage [in Loversall]. Witnesses:—John
de Rypers, lord of Loversall,
and others (named). Tuesday, the feast of St. John of Beverley, 1331.
A 11368. Feoffment by William Mar of Loversall to Robert Repas, John Yowll,
John York and John Anten of
the same and the heirs and assigns of Robert, of a dovecot there. Lady Day, 6
Henry VI. Seal. (1427?)
A 11391. Indenture being a grant by
Robert Twyer of Doncastre,
Thomas Chamberlayn, William de Wombewell,
and John Frankys to Thomas Rypas
of Loversall and Joan his wife of the lands in Loversall which they had by his gift and feoffment,
those lands there and in Heghellers excepted which
they had granted by charter to Thomas son of the said Thomas Rypas and Isabel his wife, in tail; to hold to the said
Thomas and Joan for their lives in survivorship with remainder, land in 'le Mydelfelde,' &c. excepted, to the said Robert son of
Thomas Rypas, in tail, with remainder to Thomas'
heirs, and with remainder as to the said land in 'le Mydelfelde,'
&c. to the said Robert and Isabel, in tail, with remainder to Thomas'
heirs; attorneys to deliver seisin, [Thomas] Rypas of
Doncastre or John de Lee. Witnesses:—John
Rypas of Doncastre, Robert Rypas and others (named). 10 August, 9 Henry V. (1395?)
Fragments of seals.
A Topographical
Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848: LOVERSALL,
a parish, in the union and soke of Doncaster, W. riding of York, 3½ miles (S.)
from Doncaster, on the road to Worksop; containing 159 inhabitants. The parish
comprises about 2150 acres, of which 720 acres, with the manor and Hall,
are the property of the Rev. Alexander Cooke, and 1300 acres that of
Miss Elizabeth Banks; the scenery is generally of pleasing character, and in
many parts beautifully picturesque. Loversall Hall,
the seat of the Rev. A. Cooke, is a handsome mansion of stone, in a well-wooded
demesne. St. Catherine's, the seat of Miss E. Banks, is a spacious and elegant
structure in the later English style of domestic architecture, embellished with
porticos, turrets, and pinnacles, and beautifully situated on an eminence
commanding richly-diversified prospects: in the
grounds is St. Catherine's well, much celebrated in former times, and from
which the house derives its name. The substratum of the parish abounds with
limestone, which is quarried for the roads and for building. The living is a
perpetual curacy; net income, £53; patron, the Vicar of Doncaster. The
church, originally a small ancient structure, was enlarged in the reign of
Henry VIII., by the erection of a chapel on the south side of the chancel,
by the Wyrrall family: it contains an altar-tomb over
the remains of the founder; in the chancel is a recumbent effigy of a knight,
probably one of the Middleton family, and in the churchyard is a tablemonument with a cross fleuri.
1857
Campsall
1066
From early times the parish of Campsall
consisted of six townships or hamlets; Campsall,
Askern, Fenwick, Moss, Norton and Sutton. At the time of the Domesday survey in
1086, the area was in the possession of Ilbert de Lacy, the founder of
Pontefract Castle. The fact that Domesday does not mention a church here is
no proof that such did not exist, since cases are to be found where there is
similarly no such reference. Yet the existing church contains work of
pre-Conquest date; there may have been merely a chapel attached to the manor
without parochial rights. The earliest existing work in the church is of
twelfth century date.
The manor of Campsall thrived after the
Conquest, rather than retracting, and was largely owned directly by Ilbert de
Lacy (Hunter 1831, 463).
1285
Calendar of Patent Rolls,
Edward I: Volume 2, 1281-1292,
in 1285: to deliver the gaol of Oxford of William de Campsale,
who was put in exigent …
1288
In the reign of Edward
I Henry Lacy obtained a royal charter for a market at Campsall,
which would suggest that it was a place of some consequence by that time. By
1288 the benefice was in the Taxatio of Pope
Nicholas IV (1291) and had an annual value of £66 13s. 4d. By a curious
arrangement, the chapel of St. Clement in Pontefract Castle had a share in
tithe. The probable explanation of this anomaly is the fact that Ilbert de Lacy
and his successors held both estates and adopted this method of supporting the
chapel which was an important foundation in its own right.
1336
In 1336 there was a composition under
the sanction of the Archbishop of York in the name of Thomas de Bracton, Rector of Campsall, and William de Mudene,
Prebendary of the chapel, by which one hundred shillings was to be paid by the
Rector in lieu of the tithe.
1481
A great change took place in 1481 when
Edward IV granted the rectory of Campsall to the Priory of Wallingwells
in Nottinghamshire, a small house of Benedictine nuns. In the following year
Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York, appropriated it to this purpose and
decreed that henceforth the benefice should be served by a Vicar, and
gave the appointment to Cambridge University. After the dissolution of
the monasteries under Henry VIII the rectorial tithes
passed into lay hands.
St Mary Magdalene at
Campsall
St Mary Magdalene, Campsall is a large
church with at least two main phases of twelfth century building identifiable:
at first it had a cruciform plan; later, nave aisles enclosing a west tower
were added. Pevsner 1967, 154, says Campsall
church has ‘the most ambitious Norman west tower of any parish church in the
Riding’. Subsequently, alterations were made to the aisle arcades, windows,
chancel and south doorway. The church was restored
between 1871 and 1877 by G. G. Scott (Borthwick
Institute Faculty Papers 1871/2 with plan) and piecemeal after.
Restoration of stonework on the tower was in progress in 2005. Romanesque
sculpture is on the west doorway and tower; one chancel window (inside and
out); arches at the crossing; and numerous loose and reset fragments.
Hunter 1831, 460, says 'Campsal
church was the joint work of the Lacis, the chief lords, and the Reineviles, the subinfudatories.
It exceded [the churches of Bramwith,
Owston and Burgh] in magnificence as much as it did in the extent of country
that was attached to it'
There were originally two rectors, one
appointed by each family; and this continued until about the time of Henry III
(Hunter 1831, 463).
1324
Writing to the Dean of Doncaster, on 14
July 1324, the archbishop directed the prioress to make Thomas de Raynevill undergo the penance imposed upon him for
committing the sin of incest with Isabella Folifayt,
nun of Hampole. The penance was that on a Sunday,
while the major mass was being celebrated in the conventual church of Hampole, Thomas de Raynevill was
to stand, wearing a tunic only and bare-headed, holding a lighted taper of a
pound weight of wax in his hand, which after the offertory had been said he was
to offer to the celebrant, who was to explain to the congregation the cause of
the oblation. Also that on two festivals more penitencium he should be beaten (fustigetur)
round the parish church of Campsall (A
History of the County of York: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria
County History, London, 1974).
1328
Calendar of Patent Rolls,
Edward III: Volume 1, 1327-1330,
in 1328: Meldon, parson of the church of Campsale.
July 14. Wenlock. Licence …
1335
Close Rolls, Edward III:
June 1335, Calendar of
Close Rolls, Edward III: Volume 3, 1333-1337, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Thomas de
Brayton, parson of Campsale church, diocese of
York.
1391
Market Privileges
1391-1395, (British History
on Line) 19/10/1391, London, Boston (Lincolnshire),
Campsall (Yorkshire), Aldborough (Norfolk) -Pardon of outlawry to John
Wayte, parson of Campsall, alias of Aldborough, for non-appearance to
answer Roger Broun of Boston, or Walter Godard, citizen and brewer of London,
for debts of £34. and £33. 2s. respectively. [CPR 1388-92, 452]
1415
Calendar of Papal
Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland:
Volume 6, 1404-1415, Camporegali, A. de, 100. Campsall, Campsale
[co. York, W.R.], 384, 411. Camus ... Corryngham, Coringam, Coringham, Coryngham, John, rector of Campsall, 384, 411.
J. L. Kirby, 'Index of Persons
and Places: A', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem:
Volume 18, Henry IV (London, 1987), pp. 414-418, John, parish clerk of Campsall, 854
1427
Calendar of Papal
Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland:
Volume 8, 1427-1447.
Campsall, St. Mary Magdalen, Campsale [co.
York, W.R.], 16, 662. … Corngham, John, canon of
Windsor, rector of Campsall and St. Michael le Querne,
London, afterwards of Clewer and St. Michael le Querne,
London, 662.
1848
A Topographical
Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848: CAMPSALL
(St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Doncaster, Upper division of
the wapentake of Osgoldcross, W. riding of York;
containing 2149 inhabitants, of whom 385 are in the township of Campsall, 8
miles (N. N. W.) from Doncaster. The parish consists of the townships of Askerne, Campsall, Fenwick, Moss, Norton, and part of
Sutton; and comprises by computation 9700 acres, of which 1470 are in the
township of Campsall, including the hamlet of Barnsdale. The village is
pleasantly situated on a gentle acclivity, about seven miles distant from the
river Don on the south, and on the north the same distance from the Aire. Stone
of good quality is quarried. Camps Mount, the seat of George Cooke Yarborough, Esq., is an elegant mansion, standing at the head of a fine
lawn, and embowered in luxuriant foliage; and Campsall Park is also a handsome
residence. The living is a perpetual curacy, valued in the king's books
at £16. 16. 8.; net income, £128; patron and impropriator, Mr. Yarborough. The
tithes were commuted for land in 1814. The church is a large ancient edifice, and has some fine specimens of Norman architecture.
The remains of a Roman road may be traced.
1857
Campsall 1857
Doncaster Timeline
First
Century CE
Doncaster grew
up on the site of the Roman fort known as Danum of the 1st century CE,
at a crossing of the River Don.
764
in 764 the chronicler
(Symeon of Durham in his Historia Regum) groups York
with London, Doncaster, and other places, repentino igne vastatae (destroyed by a sudden fire). (A History of the County of York: the
City of York. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1961).
Ninth Century
Doncaster is
generally identified with Cair Daun
listed as one of 28 British cities in the Ninth century History of the Britons traditionally ascribed to Nennius.
It was
certainly an Anglo-Saxon burh, and in that period received its present
name: Don (Old English: Donne) from the settlement and river and caster
(ceaster) from an Old English version of the
Latin castra (military camp; fort).
1003
It was
mentioned in the 1003 will of Wulfric Spott.
1086
Shortly after
the Norman Conquest, Nigel Fossard refortified the
town and built Conisbrough Castle.
By the time of Domesday
Book, Hexthorpe in the wapentake of Strafforth was
said to have a church and two mills.
“In Estorp (Hexthorpe), Earl Tosti had one manor of three
carucates for geld and four ploughs may be there. Nigel has [it] of Count
Robert. In the demesne, one plough and three villanes
and three bordars with two ploughs. A church is there, and a priest having five
bordars and one plough and two mills of thirty two
shillings [annual value]. Four acres of meadow. Wood, pasturable, one leuga and a half in length and one leuga
in breadth. The whole manor, two leugae and a half in
length and one leuga and a half in breadth. T.R.E.,
it was woth eighteen pounds, now twelve pounds. To
this manor belongs this soke – Donecastre (Doncaster)
two carucates, in Wermesford (Warmsworth)
on carucate, in Ballebi (Balby) two carucates, in Geureshale (Loversall) two
carucates, Oustrefeld (Austerfield) two carucates and
Alcheslei (Auckley) two carucates. Together fifteen
carucates for geld, where eighteen ploughs may be. Now [there is] in the
demesne one plough and twenty four villanes
and thirty seven bordars and forty sokemen. These have twenty
seven ploughs, wood, pasturable in places, in places unprofitable”
The historian
David Hey says these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also
suggests that the street name Frenchgate indicates
that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the
town.
The Lords
of Doncaster:
·
Robert, Count of Mortain in Normandy and
Earl of Cornwall in England was handsomely rewarded for his service at Hastings.
The number of manors given to him is variously stated, but it must have
approached near to 800.
·
Nigel Fossard was one of the principal under-tenants
of Count Robert, of whom he held some 91 manors. Hexthorpe was his chief
holding in Yorkshire. It appears highly probable that on the forfeiture of
Count Robert’s estates, Nigel was advanced to the dignity of a tenant in capite, that is, to hold his lands directly from the King,
and not through a second person as he had previously done. He appears to have
been what would now be termed a generous man. Included in his gifts to the
Abbot and Convent of St Mary, York, was the gift of the church of Doncaster and
neighbourhood. He was succeeded by his son Adam, who founded the priory of Hode
(Hood Grange, Yorkshire).
·
Robert Fossard, who succeeded him paid a fine of 500
marks to the King to repossess the Lordship of Doncaster, “which he had
parted to the King to hold in demesne for twenty years”. The reason for the
surrender to the King and the high price for the repossession is not apparent.
It has been suggested that Robert had not paid the whole of the fee due to the
King on his succeeding to the patrimonial inheritance, hence the lease and
release; but it was not unlikely that it was a transaction to enable the King
to raise some needed cash.
·
William Fossard, his son and
heir, succeeded him. He was the last of the Fossards
in the male line. He was one of the northern barons who fought against the Scots
in the Battle of the Standard. In 1142 he was with Stephen’s forces against the
Empress Maude at the Battle of Lincoln and was taken prisoner. On the
collection of scuttage, a tax paid in lieu of
Military service etc, by those who held land by Knights service, he paid £12, a
fairly large sum in those days, at other times he paid £21 and a further sum of
£31 10s, the last amount was levied upon him because he was not in the Irish
Wars. He was especially exempted from contributing for the redemption of King
Richard I. He left a daughter, Joan, who was married to Robert de Turnham.
·
Robert de Turnham had
two sons, Robert and Stephen. It was Robert the
younger who married Joan Fossard. He was a crusader, and was reputed to be a powerful and valiant man.
Some historians say that he died on an expedition to the Holy Land but there is
no evidence for this statement. He appears to be with the King in the Holy Land, and was entrusted to bring the King’s harness back to
England. For the services on that journey he was
discharged from the payment of scuttage levied for
the Kings ransom. Being in the Kings confidence he probably exerted himself in
obtaining from the king, a charter confirming to the burgesses of Doncaster
whatever ancient privelages they then possessed. He
obtained a grant of two more days to be added to the fair that had anciently
been kept at his manor of Doncaster in County Ebor, upon the eve and day of St
James the apostle. At his death in 1199, the yearly value of the lands held by
him in right of Joan, his wife, was entered at £411. 9s. 2d. He left a
daughter, Isabell, who became a ward of the King.
·
A long
line of Peter de Mauleys successively held
the Lordship of Doncaster. The first of these is said to have committed an
infamous crime at the instigation of King John. On the death of King Richard,
his brother John, “knowing that he could not succeed him by reason that
Arthur, son of Geoffry of Brittany, was alive, got Arthur into his power and
implored Peter de Mauley, his esquire, to murder him and in reward gave him the
heir of the barony of Mulgref”. Some doubts have
arisen as to the truthfulness of this statement. If Mauley really did commit
the act at the instigation of John, and was led to
expect that he would receive the Kings ward to wife and the free enjoyment of
her lands, he was decieved; for Peter de Mauley paid
a fine of 7000 marks “for entrance to the inheritance of the daughter of
Robert de Turnham”. He gave the body of his wife to be buried at the Abbey
of Meux, Holderness, endowing the Abbey with a rent of Sixty shillings per
year. He died before 1241. In 1247 the King took the homage of his heir, Peter,
for all his fathers lands. Some six years later this
Peter de Mauley obtained a charter of Free Warren in his demesne lands, which
included Doncaster. He died in 1279.
·
The
next Peter paid £100 relief for all lands held of the King in capite of the inheritance of William Fossard.
From a document from 1279 we catch a glimpse of a part of the Mauley holdings
for which the above relief was paid.
1136
Doncaster was
ceded to Scotland in the Treaty of Durham and never formally returned to
England. The first treaty
of Durham was a peace treaty concluded between kings Stephen of England and
David I of Scotland on 5 February 1136. In January 1136, during the first
months of the reign of Stephen, David I crossed the border and reached Durham.
He took Carlisle, Wark, Alnwick, Norham and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. On 5 February 1136, Stephen reached Durham with an
imposing troop of Flemish mercenaries, and the Scottish king was obliged to
negotiate. Stephen recovered Wark, Alnwick, Norham
and Newcastle, and let David I retain Carlisle and a great part of Cumberland
and Lancashire, alongside Doncaster.
1194
Richard I had
given the town recognition by bestowing a town
charter.
1204
There was a
disastrous fire in 1204 from which the town slowly recovered.
1248
In 1248, a charter was granted for
Doncaster Market to be held in the area surrounding the Church of St Mary
Magdalene, which had been built in Norman times.
1307
During the 14th century, large numbers
of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm
and preaching.
In 1307 the Franciscan friars
(Greyfriars) arrived, as did Carmelites (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century.
The White Friars
A
History of the County of York: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria
County History, London, 1974: THE HOUSE OF WHITE FRIARS, DONCASTER
Founding in 1350
The Carmelite friary—' a right goodly
house in the middle of the town ' (Leland, I tin. i, 36. See F. R. Fairbank, 'The Carmelites of Doncaster,'
in Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 262-70) —was
founded in 1350 by John son of Henry Nicbrothere of Eyum with Maud his
wife and Richard Euwere of Doncaster, who gave the
friars a messuage and 6 acres of land. The priors of the order asked permission
of the Archbishop of York to have the place consecrated in 1351. The earliest
bequest to them recorded was made by William Nelson of Appleby, vicar of
Doncaster, in 1360. (Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 191) In 1366 Roger de Bangwell, formerly rector of Dronfield, made his will in
the house of these friars, in whose church he wished to be buried;
… A provincial chapter was held at this friary in 1376. (Tanner, Bibliotheca, 562) The friars in 1397
received the royal pardon, on paying 20s., for acquiring without licence
several small plots, worth 12s. 6d. a year, 'for the enlargement of the
entrance and exit of their church. (a Pat. 20 Ric.
II, pt. ii, m. 22) Two friars of the house, John Slaydburn
and John Belton, were appointed papal chaplains in 1398 and 1402. (Cal of Papal Letters, iv, 305, 315).
John of Gaunt was regarded as one of the
founders, and his son Henry of Bolingbroke on his journey from Ravenspur in July 1399 lodged at the friary, (Hardyn, Chron. (ed. Ellis), 353) where also Edward IV was entertained in 1470, Henry VII in
1486, and the Princess Margaret Tudor in 1503. Edward IV in 1472 conferred the
privileges of a corporation on the convent, 'which is of the foundation of the
king's progenitors and of the king's patronage,' and licensed the friars to
acquire lands to the yearly value of £20. At the beginning of the 16th century
the Earl of Northumberland claimed the title of founder of the house.
Writing
Several members of the house attained some
distinction as writers. Such were John Marrey, who
died in 1407, John Colley who flourished c. 1440, John Sutton, provincial prior
1468, and Henry Parker, who got into trouble by preaching on the poverty of
Christ and His apostles and attacking the secular clergy at Paul's Cross in
1464; he is probably the author of the dialogue entitled Dives et Pauper which
was printed both by Pynson and by Wynkyn
de Worde at the end of the 15th century. John Breknoke,
keeper of the Dragon Inn at Doncaster, left the friars some books in 1505.
Sixteenth century
… On 15 July 1524 William Nicholson of Townsburgh attempted to cross the Don with an iron-bound
wain in which were Robert Leche and his wife and their two children; being
overwhelmed by the stream they called on our Lady of Doncaster and by her help
came safely ashore; they came to the White Friars and returned thanks on St.
Mary Magdalen's Day, when 'this gracious miracle was rung and sung in the
presence of 300 people and more.' (Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 558; Hist. MSS. Com. xiv, App. iv, 1)
On the eve of the Dissolution the house
was divided against itself. The famous John Bale, about 1530, being then a
friar at Doncaster, and perhaps prior, taught one William Broman 'that Christ
would dwell in no church made of lime and stone by man's hands, but only in
heaven above and in man's heart on earth.'
In the Pilgrimage of Grace, though the
lords used the White Friars as their head quarters
while negotiating with Robert Aske at Doncaster, the prior, Lawrence Coke,
supported the rebellion. He was imprisoned in the Tower and in Newgate,
condemned by Act of Attainder a few days before Cromwell's fall, but pardoned
on 2 October 1540; it is not clear whether the pardon was issued in time to
save him from execution.
The house was surrendered by Edward Stubbis, the prior, and seven friars, on 13 November 1538
to Hugh Wyrrall and Tristram Teshe, who 'made a book
of the property' and notified to Cromwell that the tenements in Doncaster were
in some decay, and that the image of our Lady had already been taken away by
the archbishop's order. The plate sent to the royal jewel house was
considerable; 25 oz. of gilt plate, 109½ oz. parcel gilt, and 48½ oz. white
plate. The net profit from the sale of the goods seems to have been £21 18s.
4d. The site with dovecot and other houses, a garden and orchard all surrounded
by a stone wall and containing 2½ acres, was let to Wyrrall
for 10s. a year. The tenements in Doncaster included an inn called 'Le Lyon' in
Hallgate, already let by the prior to Alan Malster for forty-one years at 40s. a year in 18 August 1538, a messuage in Selpulchre
Gate similarly leased on 2 September 1538 to Emmota Parsonson
for 12s., and various tenements, shops, and cottages, the whole property
bringing in £10 17s. 4d. a year.
The Grey Frairs
A History of the County of
York: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1974: THE GREY FRIARS OF, DONCASTER
The Friars Minors established
themselves at this town on an island formed by the rivers Cheswold
and Don, at the bottom of French or Francis gate, at the north end of the
bridge known as the Friars' Bridge, some time
in the 13th century. Nicholas IV, 1 September 1290, granted an indulgence
to those who visited their church, which was of the invocation of St. Francis.
Archbishop Romanus in 1291 enjoined the friars of this house to preach the
Crusade at Doncaster, Blyth (Notts.), and Retford.
In 1299 Edward I gave the friars 10s.
through Friar Edmund de Norbury, on the occasion of his visit to Doncaster, 12
November: in January 1299-1300 he gave them 20s. for
two days' food and 6s. 8d. for damages to their house when he was at Doncaster,
by the hand of Friar de Portynden. On 8 June 1300 his
son Edward gave them 10s., and the king in January 1300-1 gave them 10s. for
the exequies of Joan, nurse of Thomas of Brotherton. The
friars at this time numbered thirty.
In 1316 Sir Peter de Mauley, lord of
the town of Doncaster, granted the Friars Minors a plot of land, 14 p. by 6
p., adjacent to their dwelling-place.
In 1332 Thomas de Saundeby,
the warden, and Friars Nicholas de Dighton, Thomas de Moubray, William de
Halton, and John de Brynsale, were sued by John de Malghum for having seized and imprisoned him. In 1335 the
king pardoned them for acquiring in mortmain without licence in the time of
former kings divers plots in Doncaster, now inclosed with a wall and dyke, whereon they had built a
church and houses. Between 1328 and 1337 the number of the friars varied
between eighteen and twenty-seven, as is proved by the royal alms granted to
them by the hand of Friars John de Bilton, Nicholas
de Wermersworth, and others.
Sir Hugh de Hastings, kt., in 1347 left
the friars 100s., 20 quarters of corn and 10 quarters of barley. A friar of
this house, Hugh de Warmesby, was authorized in 1348
to act as confessor to Lady Margery de Hastings, Sir Hugh's widow, and her
family. Her son Hugh was buried in the church of St. Francis at Doncaster,
1367. Another Sir Hugh Hastings in 1482 left a serge
of wax to be burned here in honour of the Holy Rood, and a quarter of wheat
yearly for three years.
Among the bequests may be mentioned that
of Roger de Bangwell, rector of Dronfield, of 20s. to
the convent and 12d. to each friar in 1366. Thomas Lord Furnival of Sheffield,
1333, and Sir Peter de Mauley, 1381, were buried in the church; the latter left
his best beast of burden as mortuary and 100s, to the convent. …
…Friar Thomas Kirkham was admitted D.D.
of Oxford in July 1527, his composition being reduced to £4 'because he is very
poor'; in November he was dispensed from the greater part of his necessary
regency because he was warden of the Grey Friars of Doncaster and could not
continually reside in Oxford. Thomas Strey, a lawyer of Doncaster, left 20
marks to the convent in 1530 and 26s. 8d. to buy the warden a coat.
… The house was quietly surrendered 20
November 1538 by the warden and nine friars, three of them novices, to Sir
George Lawson and his fellows, who were 'thankfully received.' …
A manuscript of the chronicle of Martin
of Troppau formerly belonging to this friary was in the possession of Ralph
Thoresby in 1712.
1536
But the Pilgrimage
of Grace was already afoot in West Yorkshire, and the movement soon
spread into the northern part of Lancashire. In the course of October the commons of Cartmel restored the canons to the
priory. The prior, however, more prudent or less
staunch than his brethren, stole away and joined the king's forces at Preston.
This was before he heard of the general pardon and promise of a northern
Parliament granted to the rebels at Doncaster on 27 October. (A History
of the County of Lancaster: Volume 2. Originally published by Victoria County
History, London, 1908).
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