Oj 
 
 
 u/€^rm^ay 
 
 ^^^'^.../^^^t^^ c>^^/lv7<^^2^ 
 
AN 
 
 HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 |:ipfts!a1I 
 
 YORKSHIRE, 
 ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHCEOLOGICAL ; 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 LIVES OF ITS ABBOTS, 
 
 From the Foundation to the Dissolution of the House, 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES| WARDELL, 
 
 Auihor of " The Municipal History of ike Borough of Leeds^'' '''The 
 
 Antiquities of the Borough of Leeds" '■* Poems ^ Historical and 
 
 Sacred,'^ '^Tradesmen's I okens relating to Yorkshire,^'' *' A Tour 
 
 along the Roman Wall''' '■'• Historical Notices of Ilkley, ^'c. 
 
 Member of the Royal Archcelogical Institute of 
 
 Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Yorkshire 
 
 Archaelogical and Topographical Association. 
 
 Sixth Edition. 
 
 Edited and Revised by 
 
 \V. M. Nelson, f.r.h.s., m.s.s. ; m.r.a.s., belg., 
 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 SAMUEL MOXOK. PRINTER, QUEEN'S COURT. 
 
 1890. 
 
AN 
 
 HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 YORKSHIRE, 
 ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHCEOLOGICAL ; 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 LIVES OF ITS ABBOTS, 
 
 From the Foundation to the Dissolution of the House, 
 
 JAMES WARDELL, 
 
 W 
 
 Author of " The Municipal History of the Borough of Leeds^'"' '''The 
 
 Antiquities of the Borough of Leeds,^^ ^* Poems, Historical and 
 
 Sacredy'' ""^ T radesmen^ s '/ okens relating to Yorkshire, ^'' "A Tour 
 
 along the Roman Wall^ " Historical Notices of Ilk ley, &-^. 
 
 Member of the Royal Archcelogical Institute of 
 
 Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Yorkshire 
 
 Archcelogical and Topographical Association. 
 
 Sixth Edition, 
 
 Editkd and Revised by 
 
 W. M. Nelson, f.r.h.s., m.s.s. ; m.r.as.,. ^i^elg. 
 
 &C., &C., &C. ^ J V J, ' 
 
 SAMUEL MOXON, PRINTER, QUEEN'S COURT. 
 
 1890. 
 
lt5?5W5 
 
 ••JEWRY MonuE sr£iH4g||^ 
 
 Enteeed at Stationeks' Hall. 
 
Kirtisfall mHiti- 
 
 [SECTION I. 
 
 H— 
 
 ht €i0t^r€i^n <^bbtB of 
 
 Kirkstall, situate on the River 
 Aire, in one of the most romantic 
 valleys in England, at about 
 three miles from the large manu- 
 facturing town of Leeds, is per- 
 haps the best known monastic 
 ruin in Yorkshire, and is surpassed by none in 
 picturesque beauty or architectural and antiquarian 
 interest. The monastic order to which it belonged 
 had its origin at Cisteaux, in France, in the early 
 part of the 12th century. The first monastery of 
 the order founded in England was at Rievaux, 
 in the most romantic part of the East Riding. 
 The Kirkstall community, however, was instituted 
 first at Bernoldswic by a colony of monks, of the 
 Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary, at York. The 
 Prior, Sub-Prior, and several brethren desirous of 
 a stricter rule, left that community, and founded 
 a branch of the severer order at Bernoldswic, in 
 
 868850 
 
10 
 
 Craven, having for some time previously become 
 the temporary inmates of the Abbey of Fountains. 
 Henry de Lacy, grandson of Ilbert de Lacy, a 
 leader in thf; ^rmy of WilHam L, and Lord of 
 the extensive Hoqor and Castle of Pontefract, 
 haying ir- sickness made a vow that on his re- 
 covery he would dedicate an Abbey to the Blessed 
 Virgin, sent for the pious and self-denying Abbot of 
 Fountains, and to him the grateful and repentant 
 chieftain assigned, by charter, the vill of Bernolds- 
 wic, in Craven, for the purposes of the proposed 
 foundation. The Abbot received the gift, and forth- 
 with caused the necessary offices to be erected on 
 the estate for the reception of a suitable colony of 
 monks ; and the whole proceedings were confirmed 
 by Henry Murdac, Archbishop of York. On the 
 14th of the kalends of June, (19th May,) 1147, 
 according to the regulations of the order, Alexander, 
 Prior of Fountains, who was then elected Abbot, 
 with twelve monks and ten lay brethren, departed 
 from the parent house for^ their future home, the 
 name of which was appropriately changed to 
 |ft0Uttt ^t. iK^tJJ. The estabHshment however, did 
 not prosper ; the monks on taking possession of 
 the vill, wished to retain it entirely in their own 
 hands, and to effect this object most unwisely 
 ejected the inhabitants, and demolished the parish 
 church, for the reason that it was situate near to the 
 newly-established monastery, and the resort of the 
 people to it interfered with the quiet and comfort of 
 the monks. This harsh and injudicious mode of 
 procedure gave rise to legal proceedings before the 
 Archbishop, and, eventually, before the Pope, who 
 decided in favour of the monks, because it seemed 
 
11 
 
 to him just that a church should fall, provided an 
 abbey should be constructed for it, — that a lesser 
 good should give way to a greater, — and that part 
 should be preferred which should produce the richest 
 fruits of piety. It is but justice to the monks to state 
 that another church was erected by them, at a 
 greater distance from the monastery than the one 
 demolished by their orders : yet these matters, as 
 might have been expected, produced ill-feeling on 
 the part of the people, and some retaliation, which 
 with the frequent plundering of their goods, the 
 failure of their crops, and the inclemency of the 
 climate, at length induced them ardently to desire 
 a more peaceful and sheltered place for the per- 
 manent erection of the monastery. 
 
 The Abbot having occasion to travel on business 
 connected with his house, happened to pass through 
 the valley of the Aire, in a secluded part of which, 
 on the northern side of the river, some pious anchor- 
 ites had taken up their abode, and perceiving at 
 once the beauty and advantages of the situation, he 
 enquired of them their manner of living, the form 
 of their religion, and from whence they had come. 
 One of them, named Seleth, who was their head, 
 answered him, " I was born in the southern part 
 *' of this kingdom. A revelation from heaven being 
 ** made to me, I came hither, for when I was in the 
 ** land of my nativity, a voice came to me during 
 ** sleep, saying, * Arise, Seleth, and go into the pro- 
 *' * vince of York, and search dihgently for a valley 
 *' * which is called Airedale, and a certain place which 
 ** * is called Kirkstall, and there provide a future 
 ** * habitation for brethren to serve my son.' I said, 
 ** * Tell me, I pray thee, who is thy son,' She said, 
 
12 
 
 ** * I am Mary, and my son is called Jesus of Nazareth, 
 *' * the Saviour of the world.' Awaking, I considered 
 " what I should do concerning the revelation made 
 **to me, and then casting my hope on the Lord, 
 **left my home and domestics, nothing doubting, 
 ^' and hastily departed. She who called me leading 
 " to this valley, which thou seest I have not reached 
 ** without difficulty. But first I learned from the 
 ** shepherds and herdsmen, that this place, in which 
 '* we now dwell, was called Kirkstall. I was alone 
 *' for many days, feeding on roots and herbs, and 
 ** the alms which the neighbouring people charitably 
 " administered to me. Afterwards, those brethren, 
 *' whom thou seest, joined themselves to me, holding 
 ** me for their ruler and master. We live after the 
 " form of the brethren of Serath, having all things 
 " in common, and seeking food and clothing by the 
 "labour of our hands." The Abbot proceeded to 
 admonish the brethren as to the welfare of their 
 souls, their small number, and their being laymen 
 without a priest, and concluded by advising a 
 stricter form of religion, and greater perfection to 
 them. On leaving the place he repaired to his 
 patron, and laid before him the present poverty and 
 distress of the establishment, informed him of the 
 desirable spot he had found, and asked for his 
 approval and assistance for their removal to it. 
 Henry de Lacy not only approved of the proposed 
 step, but obtained from William de Poictou, the 
 owner of that portion of Airedale, a grant thereof in 
 perpetuity for the purposes required, at the annual 
 rent of five marks. De Poictou appears to have 
 given his consent readily, and the intercourse which 
 took place on this occasion, between these feudal 
 
13 
 
 chiefs, seems to have been the means of extinguish- 
 ing some enmity which had previously existed 
 between them. The Abbot having thus secured 
 this commodious place, and profiting doubtless by 
 his previous experience, made equitable terms with 
 the anchorites for its possession, some of whom 
 agreed to remain and join the order, and the others 
 being satisfied in respect of their claims, took their 
 departure. He then proceeded to clear the ground, 
 and to erect a temporary church, with such buildings 
 as were requisite for immediate accommodation : 
 and on the 14th of the kalends of June (19th May), 
 1 152, after a residence of five years of privation 
 and suffering, the colony left Bernoldswic for their 
 recently- acquired habitation, the former one being 
 converted into a grange for the supply of the new 
 monastery. It will be observed that the date of 
 the departure of the brotherhood from Fountains 
 to Bernoldswic, and from the latter place to Kirk- 
 still, is on the same day of the month, rendering it 
 possible that there may have been design in this 
 coincidence, the monks observing the day of their 
 separation from their parent house with a certain 
 amount of respect as the commencement of their 
 independent existence. 
 
 In the preceding legendary account of the found- 
 ing of the house, it is related that Seleth learned 
 from the shepherds that the place was called 
 '' Kirkstall," while in the ancient Chronicle it is 
 stated that the Abbot called the monastery by that 
 name. These statements are clearly at variance 
 with each other, and at this length of time after the 
 occurrence related, it would be fruitless to attempt 
 to reconcile them ; yet a similar circumstance 
 
14 
 
 occurs in the history of the Abbey of Meaux.^ 
 Dr. Whitaker is very severe upon the monks for what 
 he terms their '* falsehood '' and *' inconsistency '* in 
 the matter, and states that he has reason to believe 
 that for some time the monastery was called after 
 the name of the township in which it stands, for in 
 a very early charter in the Bodleian library, relating 
 to this house, is the attestation, *' Monacho de 
 Hedinleia."2 
 
 I may state that there are no remains of the early 
 monastery existing at Bernoldswic. The buildings 
 probably consisted of little more than a small church, 
 and the requisite offices for the brethren, and would 
 be constructed principally of timber, but the traces 
 of occupation are, however, still distinguishable in a 
 field which rises gently from the northern bank of a 
 rivulet on the west side of the village, known by the 
 name of the " Monk's Rood," and close by which is 
 a spring of water called " St. Mary's Well." Though 
 the inmates of this home in the wilderness have long 
 since departed, and the grass waves over the desert- 
 ed place, yet I felt a melancholy pleasure in visiting 
 the site of the humble abode which first gave 
 shelter to the ancient fathers of the house of 
 Kirkstall. The Church of Bernoldswic, erected 
 by the monks in place of the old parochial one 
 demolished by their orders, as already related, is 
 dedicated to St. Mary, and is situate in a silent and 
 retired place, near to a deep valley or '' gill," from 
 which circumstance it derives its name of " Gill-kirk." 
 Some alterations have been made in the original 
 building, but its venerable appearance is not des- 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. I., Pre/, p. xv., 76 and 77. 
 2 History of craven, page 62. Note. 
 
15 
 
 troyed ; the massive square tower, when viewed 
 from the south, is especially interesting. The Abbey 
 arms, carved on a circular piece of oak six inches 
 in diameter, were formerly to be seen on the north- 
 east end of the stalls in the choir ;^ but this interest- 
 ing evidence of the founding of the church has been 
 removed from its original position, and fixed in the 
 wall above the Communion table. 
 
 The new site at Kirkstall would, at this period, 
 and for centuries afterwards, be a very beautiful one. 
 It was well selected, being in a secluded vale on the 
 banks of a murmuring river, pure from its magni- 
 ficent source amidst the hills of Craven ; sufficiently 
 low to be sheltered from the inclemency of winds, 
 yet beyond any ordinary possibility of being reached 
 by floods. The wide-spreading forest, the growth 
 of many centuries, approaching the house on its 
 northern and western sides, would give an additional 
 charm to the scene. Southward, the elevated tract 
 of ground on which Bramley was situated, bounded 
 the view in that direction ; while eastward, the 
 opening valley, attractive in its spring-tide bloom, 
 extended to the Castle of Leeds, the embattled home 
 of the Paganells, sub-infeudatories to the powerful 
 founder of the house. 
 
 After the removal of the estabHshment to this 
 eligible site, the favour and piety of De Lacy con- 
 tinued; he supplied the monks with corn and money, 
 — laid the foundation of the church with his own 
 hands, which with some of the adjoining buildings, 
 he completed at his own expense, — and to a liberal 
 endowment, subsequently added the means of pro- 
 viding the vestments of the Abbot, and also a lamp 
 
 1 Whitaker's History of Craven, p. 70. 
 
16 
 
 to be kept burning day and night before the high 
 altar. The progress of the works so auspiciously 
 commenced was satisfactory, and after the expiration 
 of thirty years, the venerable Alexander and his 
 noble patron had the pleasure of beholding the 
 completion of the "^am^Ut^ 0f ^t P^ty at Kirk- 
 stall. 
 
 The records of the Treasury of the Dean and 
 Chapter at York state, that at the request of Abbot 
 Alexander and the monks, the two chapels of Brace- 
 well and Marton, in Craven, were erected by Arch- 
 bishop Murdac into mother churches, with their 
 own parishes, as they still remain.^ In 1156, Pope 
 Adrian IV. took the monks, their Church, and all 
 that belonged to them, under his protection ; he 
 confirmed all their donations and compositions for 
 tythes, gave them certain privileges and immunities, 
 and forbade all persons in any manner to disturb 
 them or to diminish their possessions. At this 
 period Henry II. also confirmed to the Abbey what 
 possessions then belonged to it. Yet, notwithstand- 
 ing these things, the brethren experienced a little 
 trouble, for a dispute arose about the possession of 
 the valuable grange of Bernoldswic, which Hugh, 
 Earl of Norfolk, claimed as part of his possessions, 
 Henry De Lacy having only held of him as tenant 
 at an annual rent. This claim appears to have lain 
 dormant for many years, as neither De Lacy nor the 
 monks appear to have been aware of it : but the 
 Earl succeeded in establishing his claim in law, and 
 the monks were evicted. The Abbot, however, 
 earnestly interceded with the Earl, and at length 
 prevailed with him to allow them to hold the estate 
 
 1 Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol I., p. 91. Nofe. 
 
17 
 
 at the accustomed rent, which he afterwards, on the 
 soHcitation of the King, generously remitted, and 
 bestowed the whole estate upon the monastery. 
 The house continued to prosper during the adminis- 
 tration of Alexander, some of its most valuable 
 possessions having been acquired by him ; — he 
 finished the whole of the monastic buildings, which, 
 with the Church, the two Dormitories, the Refectory, 
 the Cloisters, the Chapter House, and the other 
 necessary offices, he covered with tiles ; he also 
 planned and set in order the several granges, — 
 preserved the woods, — and after an abbacy of thirty- 
 five years, departed this life, both in word and deed, 
 a good, and a very old, man. It has been supposed 
 that the noble patron of the monastery terminated 
 his earthly career about this time while in the Holy 
 Land ; but other and more reliable accounts state 
 that he died at home, and was interred within the 
 walls of the house which his piety had founded.^ 
 
 Ralph Hageth, the 2nd Abbot, occurs in 1182. 
 He was a venerable man, first a monk, and after- 
 wards Prior, of Fountains, and followed in early life 
 the profession of arms, but being dissatisfied there- 
 with, and longing for peace and solitude, he was 
 induced to join the brethren at that house. On his 
 being placed at the head of the establishment at 
 Kirkstall, he entered on a troublesome period, con- 
 sisting of contentions without, fears within, mor- 
 tality of cattle, loss of possessions, and scarcity of 
 provisions ; but the most serious event of all was 
 the loss of the grange of Micklethwaite, the largest 
 and best support of the monastery. Henry 1 1 . 
 seized the grange as part of the forfeited estates 
 
 1 Boothroyd's History of Pontefract, p. 68, 
 
18 
 
 of Roger de Mowbray, of whom the monks held 
 it, and gave it, with the fees of ColUngham and 
 Bardsey, to Adam de Bruce, in exchange for the 
 castle of Danby. The monks severely blamed the 
 Abbot for the loss of this grange, as well as for that 
 of a golden chalice, and a copy of the gospels, which 
 he had given to the King to conciliate his favor on 
 the preceding occasion. Dr. Whitaker states that 
 he was pleased with the dissatisfaction of the monks 
 on this account, and was willing to hope they really 
 prized the gospels as gold, and that if it was their 
 only copy, which is far from being improbable, their 
 loss was indeed to be deplored.^ This loss of pro- 
 perty caused the dispersion of the brethren amongst 
 the other houses of their order, but the King dying 
 without making any restitution, the convent re- 
 assembled, and reduced their expenses in proportion 
 to their revenue, but were never able to pay their 
 creditors in full. Hageth subsequently became 
 Abbot of Fountains, where he led a pious and con- 
 templative life, and died in peace, being buried in 
 the Chapter House there, where an uninscribed 
 stone on the north side of Abbot William is thought 
 to cover his remains. ^ 
 
 Lambert, the 3rd Abbot, occurs in 1191. He was 
 one of the original colony who left Fountains for 
 Bernoldswic, and was a man of great piety and sim- 
 pHcity, but attended more to spiritual than to tem- 
 poral matters. In his time the grange of Clivacher 
 was claimed by a knight called Richard de Elland, 
 and the Abbot perceiving his claim to be well 
 founded, resigned the estate into the hands of his 
 
 1 History of Craven, p 63. 
 * Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol. I., Note, pp. 124, 133. 
 
19 
 
 patron, Robert de Lacy, from whom he had received 
 it, who bestowed the vill and park of Akarington 
 upon the monastery instead, and the Abbot on 
 obtaining possession, proceeded to repeat the former 
 harsh course of ejecting the occupants, in order to 
 reduce it to a grange. The inhabitants, by this 
 unwise proceeding, being altogether dispossessed of 
 their property, displayed their angry feelings by 
 burning the grange with its contents, and the three 
 lay brothers, Norman, Umfred, and Robert, who 
 managed it, perished miserably in the flames. The 
 Abbot, extremely grieved at this untoward circtim- 
 stance, commended the souls of the dead to God, 
 and committed their bodies to the grave ; he then, 
 repairing to his patron, related the matter to him 
 with many tears; and that nobleman, being very 
 indignant, proceeded to punish the offenders by 
 banishing them with all their relations. This severe 
 sentence caused the authors of the outrage to seek 
 the Abbot, and falling at his feet, by the permission 
 of their offended chief, they made full satisfaction to 
 God and the monks, and swore to abjure the grange, 
 both for themselves and their successors, and what- 
 ever right they possessed to it they conferred on the 
 monastery ; and concluded by giving a sum of money 
 as compensation for the losses they had occasioned. 
 Therefore, peace being made, the Abbot re-built the 
 grange, and all things else been suitably finished, he 
 died in a good old age, in the 9th year of his admin- 
 istration. Robert de Lacy also died during this 
 abbacy, in 1193, and was buried in the monastery.^ 
 TuRGESius, the 4th Abbot, occurs in 1200. He 
 was a man of holy memory, of exemplary abste- 
 
 1 Dugdale's Monasticon, vol. V., p. 300. 
 
20 
 
 miousness, and a most severe chastiser of his own 
 body. He subdued all unlawful passions by wearing 
 a rough garment, bearing in mind those words of 
 the gospel, "they that wear soft clothing are in kings' 
 houses."^ His outer raiment consisted only of a 
 cowl and tunic, and in this manner he was clad in 
 winter as well as in summer. He never wore shoes, 
 nor used straw on which to lie, and though so 
 scantily clothed, yet he stood at the night service 
 when others in double garments were almost frozen 
 stiff, for he overcame the intense cold with the fervor 
 of the inward man. No one, however, was more 
 pleasant than he, and none more temperate; he was 
 constant in weeping, in compunction, and devotion. 
 After spending nine years at Kirkstall, he resigned 
 his office and retired to Fountains, where he died in 
 peace. 
 
 Helyas, the 5th Abbot, occurs in 1209. He had 
 previously been a Pelagian monk, but appears to 
 have renounced that heresy, and afterwards was a 
 monk in the Abbey of Roche. He was well expe- 
 rienced in temporal matters, and took immediate steps 
 to put the affairs of the house over which he presided 
 into a moderately prosperous condition ; but he 
 experienced a little difficulty with the patron of the 
 monastery, Roger de Lacy, who from some cause 
 conceived such a dislike to him that he would not 
 even deign to see him, or admit him to him presence. 
 This harshness on the part of this nobleman appears, 
 however, to have been at length subdued, for he 
 afterwards esteemed the Abbot as an intimate friend, 
 and the affairs of the house were in consequence 
 considerably promoted. Helyas, therefore, relying 
 
 1 Matthew, c. xi., v, 8. 
 
21 
 
 on the assistance of De Lacy, petitioned King John 
 for a restitution of the grange of Micklethwaite, 
 which King Henry, his father, had formerly taken 
 from the monks ; but though the Abbot's request 
 was supported by the great men of the Court, the 
 utmost that could be obtained from the King was, 
 that the monastery should hold the grange, together 
 with the manors of CoUingham and Bardsey, as a 
 fee at the king's hands, paying to him yearly the sum 
 of £^^0. About this time the soc of Adel and the 
 vill of Allerton, with other estates were added to the 
 possessions of the monastery; but on the other hand 
 it was dispossessed by the arbitrary conduct of the 
 King of the grange of Hutton and land at Thorpe. 
 The interdict of the Kingdom by the Pope occurred 
 in the early part of this abbacy ; but the state of the 
 establishment at this time is not even alluded to in 
 the Chronicle of the house. In that of Meaux it is 
 stated that the services of the church were celebrated 
 with closed doors, that the dead were not interred in 
 the cemetery, cloister, or other usual places, but were 
 buried in the orchard, and in a waste place outside 
 the precincts of the monastery.^ No doubt similar 
 proceedings would take place at Kirkstall ; and if in 
 future years the remains of interments should be 
 found in any of the fields adjoining the Abbey 
 enclosure, they may with great probability be 
 referred to this period. 
 
 Ralph de Newcastle, the 6th Abbot, was the 
 companion of the pious Ralph Hageth, the successor 
 of Alexander, subsequently Abbot of Fountains, 
 and was with him at Clairvaux, on his return from a 
 Chapter General of the Order, when from severe 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. I., pref^ p, xl., and pp. 342, 343. 
 
22 
 
 sickness his life was despaired of, as related in the 
 Chronicle of the former house. ^ He died in the 
 reign of Henry HI., on the gth of the ides of April. 
 
 Walter, the 7th Abbot, died in the same reign, 
 on the 2nd of the ides of October. 
 
 Maurice, the 8th Abbot, succeeded in 1222. In 
 1224 his seal, with that of the Abbot of Byland, was 
 appended to a Deed of Composition between the 
 Monks of Fountains and Jerveaux, relating to their 
 lands at Horton in Ribblesdale.^ In the same year 
 it was commanded by the King that the Bailiffs of 
 York should suffer one vessel of the Abbot of Foun- 
 tains, and another of the Abbot of Kirkstall, freighted 
 with wool, to depart wherever they pleased. ^ The 
 Cistercian Orders were great dealers in wool, and 
 these vessels most likely were bound to the port of 
 Hull, where the cargoes would be re-shipped for 
 Flanders, which country was at this period the seat 
 of the woollen manufacture. About this time a 
 monk of the house being at Rome brought Papal 
 Letters to the Abbot and Convent of Meaux, on the 
 appropriation of the Church of Skryne by that 
 monastery.* In 1225 this Abbot was appointed, by 
 a Rescript of Pope Honorius III., with the Abbots of 
 Fountains, Byland, and Jerveaux, to enquire into 
 several matters in dispute between the Hospital of 
 St. Peter, at York, and the Abbey of Meaux. ^ He 
 died on the 7th of the kalends of April, 1249. 
 
 Adam, the gth Abbot, succeeded on Friday seven- 
 night after Easter, in the last-named year. 
 
 1 Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol 1., pre/, p. Ixi., and 123. 
 « Ibt'd., vol. I., p. 137, Noie; » Vol. I., p. 138, Note, 
 4 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol-ill., p. m. 
 
 fi Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol. I., p. 176. Wilson's MSS. 
 Meaux Abbey, p. 64. Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. I., p. 431. 
 
23 
 
 Hugh de Mikelay, the loth Abbot, was created 
 on the 17th of the kalends of April, 1259. In 1261 
 Henry HI. extended his protection to the Abbot and 
 Convent, and all their possessions. This Abbot died 
 on the kalends of June, 1262. 
 
 Simon, the nth Abbot, was created on the i5tb of 
 the kalends of June, 1262. He was summoned to 
 the Parliament held at London in 1265 (49 Henry 
 ni.),^ which is the earliest to which our modern 
 notions of such an assembly can attach themselves, 
 as the writs of summons, in addition to ecclesiastical 
 and temporal peers, first included knights of the 
 shire and citizens or burgesses. 2 This Abbot died 
 on the 13th of the kalends of March, 1269. 
 
 William de Ledes, the 12th Abbot, succeeded 
 in the 2nd of the nones of March, on a Thursday in 
 the last-named year, and exercised his office to 
 the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, 1275. ^^ ^ 
 charter of the Abbey relating to lands in Chapel- 
 Allerton, which may be assigned to the latter end of 
 the reign of Henry HI., the chapel at this place is 
 mentioned, which, as the monastery possessed large 
 estates there, was probably founded by the Abbot 
 and monks, either solely or jointly with the Lord of 
 the manor and the inhabitants.^ 
 
 Gilbert de Cortles, the 13th Abbot, was created 
 on the morrow of the octave of the Assumption of 
 the Blessed Virgin, in the last-named year. He 
 exercised his office three years one month and four 
 days, when he resigned. He was created a second 
 time on the 3rd of the ides of December, and exer- 
 cised his office to the Feast of St. Peter-ad-Vincula, 
 
 1 Dugdale's Monasticon, vol. VI., Part III., Appendix, p. 1635. 
 
 2 Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute, Yorkshire, pp. i, a. 
 » Whitaker's Loidis and Elmete, p. 128. 
 
24 
 
 i28o. During this abbacy, in 1276, the protection 
 of Edward I. was obtained by the monks, for the 
 term of five years, to enable them to pay their debts- 
 
 Henry Karr, the 14th Abbot, was created on the 
 vigil of St. Andrew the Apostle, 1280. In 9 Edward 
 I., (1281) this Abbot was Lord of the manor of 
 Bramley ; and there is every reason to believe that 
 the Church in this place was founded about this time 
 by the Abbot and monks for the use of the villeins 
 and others. It was dedicated to St. Margaret, but 
 not a vestige of the original fabric is remaining.^ 
 
 Hugh de Grimstone, the 15th Abbot, was created 
 on the day of St. Lambert the Bishop, 1284. The 
 following was the state of the House at this time, 
 as taken and certified by the brethren, and Henry, 
 Abbot of Fountains, under iheir seals, and recorded 
 in the Chronicle: — Yoke oxen, 16; cows, 84; heifers 
 and bullocks, 16; asses, 21 ; sheep, none. The debts, 
 by the revision made before the Barons of the 
 Exchequer, were ;^4,402 12s. yd. ; in addition, Jacob 
 de Pistolis and others held bonds to the amount of 
 500 marks, and the Abbot of Fountains, one of 50 
 marks ; there were also 59 sacks of wool, and 9 
 marks due to Bernard Taldi for washing them ; and 
 also moneys due to John Taylden, to the amount 
 of 340 marks. The total amount of debts appears to 
 have been ;^5,248 15s. yd., besides 59 sacks of wool. 
 The establishment had now for some time been 
 gradually sinking under an accumulating amount of 
 debt, and at this period their creditors pressed mat- 
 ters to a crisis with their demands for payment. 
 The monks were under the necessity of applying 
 through their patron, Henry de Lacy, to King 
 
 1 Whitaker's Loldis and Elraete, p. T15. 
 
25 
 
 Edward I., to procure, by the royal interposition, an 
 extension of time for satisfying the claims made 
 upon them ; and having determined upon this course 
 of proceeding, the Abbot was under the necessity of 
 going beyond the sea to find the King, who was then 
 at St. Sever, in Gascony. The letter of the Abbot, 
 who appears to have been a thorough man of busi- 
 ness, detailing the perils of the journey, and the many 
 difficulties encountered in bringing the business to a 
 successful termination, is recorded in the Chronicle 
 of the House from whence it has been extracted by 
 Dr. Whitaker,! whose translation I have adopted 
 with a few slight emendations. In the original some 
 legal documents are set forth, which it is not neces- 
 sary to repeat here. 
 
 •' Brother Hugh, called Abbot of Kirkstall, to his beloved 
 in Christ, the Convent of the same House, health and 
 blessing in the bond of peace : 
 
 •• Our distresses at the last General Chapter with respect to 
 Simon versus Walter being ended, v/e set out for Gascony on an 
 uncertain errand, and with a bitter and heavy heart, as our 
 beloved brother and son John de Bridesall will inform you. But 
 after many hindrances, and with great difficulty, both from the 
 unexpected length of the journey and the extreme poverty of 
 Burgundy, which we traversed through thickets, rather than 
 through highways, we met with the King in the remotest part of 
 Gascony. On the way we were afflicted with a quartan fever, 
 which reduced us so low that we despaired of life ; but blessed 
 be the heavenly physician ! nothing more than a trifling remnant 
 of the complaint now hangs about us. Here we found our 
 patron, the Earl of Lincoln, with other great men of the Court, 
 attending upon the King; and to him we explained fully and to 
 the best of our ability the distresses of the house. He was 
 touched with pity at the representation, and promised us all the 
 information and assistance in his power. 
 
 1 History of Craven, p. 65—68, 
 
26 
 
 "And that the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer afore- 
 said may faithfully execute these writs, we have letters of 
 recommendation addressed to them from all the earls, bishops, 
 barons, and other counsellors of the King, attending on him at 
 this place. But because the King was not inclined to interfere 
 with the debt due to the Cardinal, or to Tokes, the London Jew, 
 or with the wool, although we had many intercessors with him ; 
 yet by the grace of God, obtained through the mediation of your 
 prayers, and by the mediocrity of our understanding, reflecting 
 that if either of these debts remained undischarged, it w^ould be 
 productive of great inconvenience to the house, we hit at length 
 upon a remedy which is likely to be effectual. 
 
 " For having shewn to the Earl and his counsel the extent of 
 our lands in Blackburnshire (Excewisle excepted), and of our 
 lands in Roundhay, and rents in Shadwell and Seacroft, it appear- 
 ed that the above-mentioned lands and rents, with the addition 
 of ^4, which for several years last past we have received out of 
 the exchequer of Pontefract, deducting everything which in rea- 
 son ought to be deducted, would amount to £/^i ys. gd. yearly. 
 Now this revenue might be sold for ;f4i3 75. 6d. What need 
 of more words ? Let there be no buying or selling of these 
 premises, but a dexterous exchange, so that instead of this 
 /41 ys. gd.j deducting uncertain and untried improvements, the 
 possibility of which we are not convinced of, we shall receive 
 yearly out of the exchequer at Pontefract twenty-four marks for 
 ever, with this excellent condition annexed, that the said Earl, in 
 order to discharge the debt due to the Cardinal and the Jew, 
 engages for the payment of 350 marks, under the penalty of 
 repairing whatever damage may accrue to us by any irregu- 
 larity in the payment. But what it was that touched the said 
 Earl with compassion, by what reasons he was overcome, and 
 how induced to give up a great deal for a little, it would not be 
 prudent to trust to paper. And, that we might not be deceived 
 in any of the premises, we have been careful to enrol in Chancery 
 the obligations we have received for payment of the above sums, 
 and the contract in like manner. Both these, moreover, are 
 ratified by the King's confirmation, which is in our hands. 
 
 "And now, brethren, from what has gone before, ye may in 
 some measure understand what trouble we have undergone. If 
 therefore we have done well, think of a recompense ; if other- 
 wise, or that we have been lukewarm in your concern, spare our 
 infirmity. 
 
27 
 
 " But we require you that ye labour day and night to the 
 utmost of your ability, that everything belonging to you, except- 
 ing the crops upon the ground, which cannot be removed' with- 
 out being destroyed, may be entirely taken away before the Earl's 
 messenger, whom we purposely detain here with his horse and 
 groom, shall arrive to take livery and seisin of the lands. And 
 whatever is incapable of being removed, abandon peaceably, 
 because the said Earl by his letters, directed to Sir Richard de 
 Salvaine, which he will receive by the bearer of these, hath 
 required him to purchase at a fair price whatever you are inclined 
 to sell within his bailiwick, and to afford you every other accom- 
 modation consistent with the livery of the lands. It will not be 
 prudent to shew these letters to any one ; but, until you have 
 all safe, keep your own counsel secret from every one out of the 
 bosom of the chapter. And because we desire to be informed of 
 what has happened since out departure, before we make any 
 new contract, which might possibly interfere with your present 
 circumstances, we require you on sight and hearing hereof to 
 inform us of your situation by the swiftest messenger you have. 
 Send some money too by the same hand, however you come by 
 it, even though it be taken from the sacred oblations, that we 
 may at least be able to purchase necessaries while we are 
 labouring in your vineyard. In this we earnestly entreat you 
 not to fail, for in truth we were never so destitute before. 
 Farewell my beloved ! Peace be with you. Amen. 
 
 •' From Castle Reginald, on the Morrow of St. 
 Martin, in the year of our Lord 1287." 
 
 The following was the state of the House in 1301, 
 as taken and certified by Richard, Abbot of P'oun- 
 tains, in like manner as the preceding one : — Oxen, 
 215; cows, 160; bullocks and yearlings, 152; calves, 
 go ; sheep and lambs, 4,000. The debts amounted 
 to only ;^i6o, which shews the care and business- 
 like habits which were exercised by the Abbot. 
 Everything therefore having been with great wisdom 
 and perseverance satisfactoril)' arranged, and the 
 affairs of the estabUshment brought into a much 
 more prosperous state, as related in the preceding 
 
28 
 
 letter and statement, the Abbot died on the kalends 
 of ]y[ay, 1304. 
 
 John de Bridesall, the i6th Abbot, succeeded 
 in 1304. He appears to have been a pious man, 
 yet the house seems to have been again in difficul- 
 ties, as may be gathered from a letter of his, also 
 recorded in the Chronicle, and written by him from 
 Canterbury to the convent, on his way to embark 
 for the continent to seek an interview with the King. 
 I have adopted Dr. Whitaker's translation of this 
 letter,^ with some additions. 
 
 "To his Reverend Brethren, the Prior and Convent of the 
 Monastery of Kirkstall, John, styled Abbot of the 
 same, wishes health and grace, and that they may labour 
 more earnestly after the things which concern religious 
 peace and charity. 
 "Beloved, we have written this letter in haste from Canter- 
 bury, knowing that an account of the success of our journey 
 will be pleasing to you. In the first place, our dear brother 
 who was present, will inform you that on the morrow of St. 
 Laurence we were met by letters from the King, in a very 
 threatening style : that we were apprised of robbers who laid 
 wait for us in the woods, under a rock ; and that we were 
 bound under the penalty of forfeiting all our goods, to abide 
 the King's pleasure. However, having been at length dismissed 
 from his presence with honour, we proceeded on our way, and 
 notwithstanding the delay in London, arrived at Canterbury 
 on Monday evening, ourselves, our servants, and horses, being 
 all well. We are not without hope, therefore, that our feeble 
 beginnings will be followed by better fortune. On Wednesday 
 morning, the wind blowing fair, we put the horses on board a 
 ship. For the time to come we commend you, dear brethren, to 
 God, and our bodily safety to your prayers ! But especially pray 
 for the salvation of our souls, for we are not greatly solicitous 
 if this earthly part of us be delivered into the hands of the 
 wicked one, so that the spirit be saved in the day of the Lord, 
 
 1 History of Craven, p. 65 — 68. 
 
29 
 
 which we hope for through the assistance of your intercessions, 
 yet we should wish, if it be the will of God, to be committed to 
 the earth by your hands, wherever you shall dispose. But know 
 assuredly, that if we return, whoever shall have been most 
 humble in conversation, and active in business during our 
 absence shall receive an ample measure of grace and recom- 
 pense from God, and shall every hour be more affectionately 
 regarded by us. 
 
 " We entreat and enjoin brother Richard Ekeleslaye to prepare 
 himself for the duty of preaching on the nativity of our Lord, 
 unless we return in the meantime, that so great a festival may 
 not pass without a sermon, a thing which hath never yet 
 happened, nor, by the grace of God, ever shall do. We wrote 
 unto certain persons, ' Abstain from every appearance of evil, 
 and avoid it beforehand, whatever is or can be pretended in its 
 behalf.' God shall give you the knowledge of these things. 
 We adjure you, brethren, by the bowels of mercy in Jesus 
 Christ, that if ye hear of our departure, ye will pray for us 
 faithfully, remembering the labours and distresses which we 
 endured in the beginning of our creation, and of which ye are 
 reaping the fruits in peace. Ye know, dearly beloved, that 
 worldly occupations such as we have been long entangled in for 
 your sakes, are not without danger to the soul. But we derive 
 great hopes from your compassion, seeing that we aim at no 
 earthly advantage, nor consume the revenues of the monastery 
 without cause. Salute our dear friends, William de Finchden, 
 John de Podesay, Richard de Goldsbrough. Adam de Kopton, 
 and William de Leventhorpe, and especially our dearest com- 
 panion, William de Franke, to whom we would have some one 
 interpret this letter. When he hears it he will scarcely be able 
 to refrain from tears, which he shed abundantly at our parting. 
 We commend our poor mother to your compassion. Salute one 
 another with an holy kiss. The salutation of me, John, your 
 minister, such as I am, who am studying to do everything in 
 my power for your advantage and honour. We commend you 
 again and again to God and the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 " Written at Canterbury, on the 3rd of the octaves 
 of St. Mary, with abundance of tears." 
 
 The feeling of piety pervading this letter is 
 very pleasing, and forms a striking contrast to the 
 
30 
 
 preceding one. This Abbot was summoned to the 
 Parliament held at Carlisle, by writ dated 21st 
 January, 1307^ (35 Edward I.). He appears to have 
 died in office. 
 
 Walter, the 17th Abbot, was elected in 1313, 
 and in 1319 (13 Edward II.) he was commanded by 
 writ to attend a Council at York, on Monday next 
 after the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene in that 
 year, 2 to consult on the best means to be adopted 
 to enable the King to carry on the war with Scot- 
 land. 
 
 William, the i8th Abbot, occurs in 1334, in 
 which year he was commissioned by William de 
 Melton, Archbishop of York, either alone, or with 
 the Abbot of Fountains, to absolve the body of 
 Simon Warde, Knight, deceased, of certain sins 
 committed by him in his lifetime, but which com- 
 mission appears, however, to have been carried 
 into effect by the Abbot of Fountains alone. Sir 
 Simon was a great man of his time, both in the 
 council and in the field ; but what he had done to 
 incur that extreme censure of the Church, which 
 required one of its highest dignitaries to perform 
 so solemn and awful a ceremony as this, is not 
 recorded. It was a form that in those days was 
 absolutely necessary to enable him to have Christian 
 burial ; but whether he obtained it in the Priory of 
 Esholt, which his ancestors had founded, or else- 
 where, is unknown. 3 In the last-nam„ed year an 
 Inquisition was taken at York, before William de 
 Denum, John Gifford, Adam de Hopetoun, and 
 
 1 Wilson's MSS. Kirksiall Abbey. 
 2 Palgrave's Parliamentary Writs, vol. II., p. 1059. 
 3 Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol. I., p. 196—198, 
 
31 
 
 Thomas Deyvill, Commissioners, in the presence of 
 Peter de Saltmarsh, Sheriff, and a jury elected for 
 that purpose, in respect of the manor of Bernoldswic 
 and its appurtenances, from a portion of which, 
 amounting to 800 acres, the Abbot and Convent 
 had been ejected by Henry de Lacy, late Earl of 
 Lincoln. The jurors, after due enquiry, found that 
 the monks had been illegally ejected from this por- 
 tion of their estate; that restitution should be made 
 to them ; and that none had a right therein but the 
 said Abbot and Convent. In this abbacy Richard, 
 son of Roger Tempest, of Bracev^ell in Craven, 
 released and quit claimed all his right in the advow- 
 son of the church of that place, and all the lands and 
 other things belonging to the said church, to the 
 Abbot and Convent of Kirkstall. In 1347 this church 
 was appropriated to the said Abbot and Convent b}^ 
 William de la Zouch, Archbishop of York, who 
 ordained a vicarage therein. 
 
 Roger de Ledes, the 19th Abbot, was confirmed 
 on the 15th December, 1349. A bequest of books to 
 him occurs in the testament of Thomas de Haiton, 
 Rector of the Church of Adel, in 1375 — namely, the 
 Sixth Book of the Decretals, the Constitutions of 
 Clement, one book called " Pars Oculi," and another 
 called " Casus Bernardi." The testator appointed the 
 Abbot one of the executors of his will.^ It may be 
 remarked that copies of the two first-named of these 
 books were amongst those which were publicly burnt 
 by Luther, at the eastern gate of Wittenberg, in the 
 presence of a great number of doctors and students, 
 at the commencement of the Reformation. 2 
 
 1 Testamenta Eboracensia, vol. I., p. 156. 
 a Daubigne's History of the Reformation, vol. II., p. 150. 
 
32 
 
 John de Thornberg, the 20th Abbot, occurs in 
 1367 ; in which year he, along with the Abbot of 
 Fountains, took a prominent part in the dispute 
 amongst the monks of Meaux as to the election of 
 an Abbot. He proposed to solve the difficulty 
 by offering himself for election, but the Convent 
 thought it best to elect one of their own number.^ 
 In 1390 this Abbot, amongst others, was a witness 
 to the affixing of the common seal of the Abbey of 
 Meaux to a document relating to the reception at 
 that house, of Thomas, Duke of Gloucester and 
 Lord of Holderness, as patron, founder, and advo- 
 cate of the monastery. 2 
 
 John de Bardesey, the 21st Abbot, occurs in 
 1392. In 1395 the Abbot and monks purchased the 
 Alien Priory of Burstall, in Holderness, with a 
 considerable portion of its possessions, including 
 the churches of Aldborough, Burstall, Burstwick, 
 Owthorne, Paul, Skeffling, and Withernsea, and the 
 chapels of Golden, Frodinham, Holm, Marflete, 
 Newham, Thorngumbald, and Wareham, the monks 
 receiving the revenues, and providing priests to 
 attend to the spiritual requirements of the people. 
 This house was a Benedictine foundation, but owing 
 to the frequent seizing of the estates of foreign 
 monasteries during the wars with France, the order 
 to which it belonged deemed it best to dispose of 
 it. The monks of Kirkstall, on obtaining posses- 
 sion, attached it to their own monastery as a cell, 
 and so it continued until the dissolution. ^ As it 
 was situate on this perpetually changing coast, the 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. III., p. 163. 
 
 » Wilson's MSS., Meaux Abbey, p. 118. 
 
 3 Poulson's History ol Holderness, vol. II., p. 504. 
 
33 
 
 encroachments of the sea have swept away every 
 vestige of the building. In 1396 this Abbot and 
 the Abbot of Fountains were appointed visitors of 
 the Abbey of Meaux, and to receive the resignation 
 of WilHam de Scardeburg, the venerable Abbot of 
 that monastery, which resignation appears to have 
 been received by this Abbot solely, who was in 
 consequence involved in the litigious proceedings 
 relating to the election of his successor. ^ In the 
 latter part of this century this Abbot, along with 
 those of Rievaulx, Fountains, and Byland, appointed . 
 the Abbot of Meaux their Procurator, to attend a 
 General Chapter of the Cistercian Order, held at 
 Vienna, by order of Pope Boniface IX. 2 In 1401 a 
 Rescript was addressed to this Abbot by the Abbot 
 of Fountains, whereby license was given by the 
 latter dignitary, in the exercise of his plenary 
 jurisdiction over this house, and to ensure the salva- 
 tion of souls, which he states will undoubtedly be 
 obtained by women as men, to allow the former to 
 j/isit the Church at Kirkstall solely on certain days 
 in the year, but prohibiting their admission to any 
 other part of the building. In a previous history of 
 the Abbey, published some years ago,^ the account 
 of this transaction is assigned to the time of Abbot 
 William Grayson, but I think it appertains to this 
 abbacy. In 1410 the seal of this Abbot, along with 
 those of others, was affixed to a letter in testimony 
 of the election of Roger Frank to the abbacy of 
 Fountains.^ On the 15th October, 1444, a Commis- 
 sion from the Archbishop of York was issued to this 
 Abbot to veil Joan, widow of William Lacy, Esq., 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. III., p. 233. a Ibid.^ p. «66. 
 8 Historical Account of Kirkstall Abbey, 1817, p. 110. 
 4 Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol. I., p. 207. 
 
34 
 
 of Halifax, 1 which event would perhaps take place 
 at the neighbouring nunnery of Esholt. On the 15th 
 February, 14..., Robert Calverley, of Calverley, in 
 his will, wished the Abbot of Kirkstall to say mass 
 and dirge for his soul, in such manner as he would 
 be agreed with. 2 In 1456 the church of Middleton, 
 in Pickering-Lythe was appropriated to the Abbey 
 of Kirkstall by William Boothe, Archbishop of 
 York, who ordained a vicarage in the said church. 
 During this abbacy a large bell was provided for 
 the monastery ; it is now in the ancient tower of the 
 church at Kirkthorpe, in a secluded valley near 
 Wakefield, and bears the following inscription : — 
 
 i^iSJ^^:g^^-^i-P0* The year in which it was 
 cast has not been placed upon it for want of space. 
 It appears to have been called "Laurentius," either 
 in honor of the donor, or of the saint of that name, — 
 and at the time of its founding it would be conse- 
 crated with all the impressive rites which the church 
 used on these occasions. It may be concluded that, 
 on many a dark and stormy night, on the passing 
 away of a brother its loud and solemn sound would 
 be heard by the Airedale peasant, who, doubtless — 
 raising his head to listen — would breathe an earnest 
 prayer for the welfare of the departing soul. There 
 is a tradition that the bell at the old Chapel at 
 Morley was brought from Kirkstall, ^ but considering 
 that the date thereon is post mediaeval, this could not 
 have been so. This abbacy appears to have been 
 a very long one, if the dates are correct, but it is 
 probable that the list of Abbots is defective, and 
 that one or more names are lost. 
 
 1 Testamenta Eboracensia vol. III., p. 329. * /3/i., vol. IV., p. 158. 
 3 Smith's Rambles about Morley, p. 135. 
 
35 
 
 William Grayson, the 22nd Abbot, occurs in 
 1460, in an original charter in my possession. He was 
 present at the enthronisation of George Nevile, 
 Archbishop of York, in 1466, and at that extravagant 
 banquet, given on the occasion at Cawood Castle, 
 he sat with the other great northern heads of 
 religious houses at the second table, the temporal 
 Barons present being placed at an inferior one. It 
 is stated that this Abbot was deposed. 
 
 Thomas Wymbersley, the 23rd Abbot, was con- 
 firmed on the 6th April, 1468. On the 13th March, 
 1498, Robert Hirste, of Leeds, by his will, gave him 
 an old noble, weighing a ryall, to pray for his soul.^ 
 
 Robert Kelynbec, the 24th Abbot, was elected 
 on the 2ist August, 1499. It is asserted that this 
 Abbot built, or gave the stone for building, St. 
 Mary's, otherwise '* Our Lady's Service," at the 
 east end of the north aisle of the late Parish Church 
 of Leeds. It is now demolished, but the work was 
 evidently of this period, and the stone was grit of 
 Black Moor, which belonged to the Abbot and 
 Convent of Kirkstall.2 
 
 William Stockdale, the 25th Abbot, was elected 
 on the loth December, 1501. On the 25th February, 
 1506, John Stockdale, Alderman and Merchant of 
 York, appointed his brother, the Abbot of Kirkstall, 
 supervisor of his will, and gave him for his labour 
 two precious stones, which he had belonging to him.^ 
 It appears that the sanctity of the place did not 
 always preserve the property of the monks from 
 depredations, for it is recorded that in 1507 one 
 William Midgley, of Horsforth, '* drove away," or 
 
 1 Testamenta Eboracensia, vol. IV., p. i6i. 
 
 2 Whitaker's Loidis and Elmete, p. 50. 
 
 » Testamenta Eboracensia, vol. IV., p. 257, 
 
36 
 
 in other words, stole, twelve oxen and a cow belong- 
 ing[ to the Abbot and Convent, and sold them in the 
 bishopric of Durham ; for which theft, and other 
 causes, one of which was his being present at a mur- 
 der committed some 3'ears previously, he took sanc- 
 tuary at Durham. 1 At the burial of the Archbishop 
 of York (Thomas Savage), on the 14th September, 
 1507, there was paid the sum of £1 is, 8d. for sixty- 
 eight masses said at Kirkslall for the soul of the 
 deceased dignitary. 2 
 
 William Marshall, the 26th Abbot, was elected 
 on the 5th of December, 1509, and during his 
 abbacy the injudicious step appears to have been 
 taken of raising the tower to its present height, as 
 appears by the initials of his name being carved on 
 the buttresses. On the 23rd April, 1527, an Inden- 
 ture was made between this Abbot and the convent, 
 and John Rodeley, of Bradford Dale, whereby the 
 former parties bargained and sold to the latter party 
 the custody and marriage of Elizabeth Watson, one 
 of the daughters and heirs of Richard Watson, with 
 power to him to marry her at any time during her 
 minority, to his son and heir apparent, or to any other 
 of his sons who at any time during such minority 
 should be his heir apparent. For which bargain and 
 sale the said John Rodeley covenanted to pay to the 
 said Abbot and Convent the sum of twenty marks on 
 the day of sealing and delivering the Indenture. 
 Provision was made for the issue of the marriage, if 
 it took place with any of the before-mentioned 
 parties, — and also in case the said Elizabeth dis- 
 agreed and refused the said marriage, or died before 
 
 1 Sanctuarium Dunelmense, p. 42, 47, 220, and 221. 
 
 2 Testamenta Eboracensia, vol. IV., p. 319, 
 
37 
 
 attaining her lawful age ; in either of those cases the 
 Abbot and Convent agreed to repay the said sum of 
 money lo the said John Rodeley, his executors or 
 assigns, within one month next after the death of the 
 said Elizabeth, or such disagreement or refusal by 
 her as aforesaid. It was also provided, that if all the 
 sons of the said John Rodeley should die before a 
 marriage could take place, then the said Elizabeth 
 should revert and come again to the keeping and 
 custody of the said Abbot and Convent, they repay- 
 ing the purchase money to the said John Rodeley. 
 The document, of which the preceding is an abstract, 
 is in the possession of Edward Hailstone, Esq., 
 F.S.A., and has evidently been prepared with great 
 care. The parties are respectable, — due provision 
 appears to have been made for any objection which 
 the young lady might thereafter have to its terms 
 being carried into effect, and for the return of the 
 money agreed to be paid to the Abbot and Convent 
 for the purchase of their rights in the matter. 
 
 John Ripley, the 27th Abbot, was elected on the 
 2ist July, 1528. He appears, from a copy of an 
 Award, dated in 1532,1 to have had a long dispute 
 with Sir William Calverley, of Calverley, Knight, as 
 to certain lands in Bramley and Burley, near Otley, 
 and which was then concluded on terms chiefly in 
 his favour. The Arbitrators, however, for the pre- 
 vention of further disputes, ordered that a double 
 ditch should be made from the east end of a valley 
 in Bramley Moor, lying between Coal Hill and 
 Bradley Hill westward, to the brook running near 
 the east end of Farsley Lane, at the equal costs and 
 charges of both parties. The " good old times " at 
 
 1 Wilson's MSS. Kirkstall Abbey. 
 
38 
 
 Kirkstall were, however, drawing to a close, dark 
 clouds overspread the political horizon, — 
 
 Behind, a darker hour ascends ! 
 
 The altars quake, the crozier bends. 
 
 The ire of a despotic King 
 
 Rides forth upon destruction's wing ; 
 
 and this Abbot, the last of a long line, surrendered 
 the monastery to the Crown on the 22nd November, 
 1540, and soon the impress of desolation was fixed 
 upon it ; its stately church, once vocal with the 
 song of praise, was laid open to the winds of heaven, 
 and the lamp before the high altar, which the noble 
 founder fondly thought would perpetuate his memory 
 for ages, was for ever extinguished. The Abbot and 
 the monks were pensioned — the former receiving 
 ;f66 13s. 4^. per annum, an amount less than that 
 given to the heads of many of the other great houses 
 in the country. Tradition states that the Abbot, with 
 feelings similar to those of the Prior of Bolton, could 
 not tear himself away from the scenes he loved so well, 
 and amidst which he had held so distinguished a 
 position, but took up his abode in the principal Gate- 
 House, in which lonely retreat, after meditating over 
 his blighted hopes, and the desecration of his once 
 noble house, he died and was buried. His last mo- 
 ments may, I think, to some extent, be realised, and the 
 event would form a fitting subject for a poet or painter 
 to delineate. It may have occurred at midnight's 
 lonely hour, when the wild winds from the far Atlantic 
 swept in loud gusts over the woods of Airedale, — 
 while, on an oaken pallet in a corner of the stone- 
 ribbed apartment, would be seen, by the flickering 
 light of a solitary lamp, the pale and sinking frame 
 of the dying man. The few surviving monks of his 
 
39 
 
 house, who still lingered in the precincts, would 
 gather in deep grief around their deposed, but still to 
 them their lawful and venerated head ; — the last rites 
 of his religion, to which he had clung through weal 
 and woe, would be administered,— and while the 
 crucifix, the emblem of his faith, was held before his 
 fading eye, his wearied spirit would pass awa}^ it is 
 hoped, to a place where the tyranny of kings and the 
 exercise of lawless power have no existence. Then 
 would succeed the placing of the pallid remains in 
 the coffin procured from the Abbey, — with, probably, 
 the hasty burial in the night to avoid publicity, — and 
 beneath the vaulted roof of the Norman gateway, 
 — without vestment, — without pomp,— without pass- 
 ing bell, — with few only to lament his departure, — 
 was laid the last of his line, while the deeply impres- 
 sive, but lowly-murmured hymn for the dead, would 
 close the solemn scene. 
 
 I am glad of the opportunity afforded me here, to 
 correct some inaccuracies which occur in several 
 historical works in relation to this Monastery. It is 
 stated in Willis's History of Abbeys,^ that the name 
 of the last Abbot of the House was " John Browne ;'* 
 but on what authority I cannot tell, as by a reference 
 to the Deed of Surrender, the Abbot is expressly 
 stated to be *'John Ripeley." In a note to the 
 Catalogue of the Library of the Abbey of Meaux, 
 contained in the Appendix to the Chronicle of that 
 House, 2 it is stated that " Serlo " was "an English 
 writer in grammar, Abbot of Fountains, and after- 
 wards of Kirkstall." If the writer means the vener- 
 able Serlo who dictated the Chronicle, he never was 
 
 1 Vol. II., p. 275 
 « Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, Appendix^ Note, vol. Ill,, p. xciii, 
 
40 
 
 Abbot, but only a monk of Fountains, and afterwards 
 of Kirkstall. It is also stated in Poulson's History of 
 Holderness,^ that Philip, elected the second Abbot 
 of Meaux in i i6o, was previously** Prior of Kirkstall ;" 
 and this statement is repeated in Walbran's Memo- 
 rials of Fountains, 2 but which is evidently an error 
 of transcription, as by reference to the Chronicle of 
 the former House, it is seen that he held that office 
 in the Monastery of Kirkstead, in Lincolnshire. ^ 
 It is also stated in the Volume of Sermons, published 
 at the re-opening of the Parish Church of Leeds, and 
 in Taylor's Biographical Sketches of the Worthies of 
 Leeds, that ** Elizabeth Stainton was prioress of 
 Kirkstall,''* which is evidently an error, as it is well 
 known that no such person could be in that establish- 
 ment, it being one for monks only, and the lady in 
 question was the first elected to that office in the 
 Priory of Kirkless, near Dewsbury.^ 
 
 The records of this Monastery, in common with 
 those of others, shew that, amongst other property 
 given to it, grants of bondmen, or as they are 
 designated, " nativi," with their goods, chattels, and 
 offspring, were frequently made. The state of the 
 bondmen of the monastic orders was, I should say, 
 much more to be desired than those of the laity, their 
 services were not exacted with the same amount of 
 harshness and severity, and religious instruction, such 
 as it was, was not withheld from them, as evidenced 
 by chapels in some places being erected for their use; 
 and they sometimes appear to have been able to 
 cause no small amount of trouble and annoyance to 
 
 1 Vol. II., p. 294. 2 Vol. I., p. 297, Note. 
 
 3 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. I., p. 159. 
 
 4 Page 70. 
 
 4 Dugdale's Monasticon, vol. V., p. 73S. 
 
their feudal possessors. ^ It is well known, says Dr. 
 Whitaker, that this unhappy condition, though the 
 subjects of it were treated with great gentleness, was 
 suffered to continue amongst the tenants of religious 
 houses after it was abolished everywhere else. It 
 appears from the simple and touching language of a 
 petition from the inhabitants of a village in Graven, 
 which had formed part of the possessions of the 
 Abbey of Salley to the Earl of Cumberland, to whom 
 it had been granted, that some remains of personal 
 slavery existed even in the reign of Elizabeth. ^ 
 
 In addition to what was bestowed by the rriuni- 
 ficent founder, rumerous estates, bequests, and 
 privileges were from time to time conferred upon this 
 establishment, thereby raising it to the rank of one 
 of the most opulent and important in the kingdom, 
 some of the Abbots being occasionally summoned 
 to Parliament. 3 It has been seen that these digni- 
 taries, during a period of nearly four hundred 3'ears, 
 succeeded each other with various vicissitudes of 
 fortune, the house over which they presided being at 
 times wealthy and prosperous, and at others over- 
 burdened with debt, as appears from the letters of 
 Abbots Hugh de Grimstone and John de Bridesall, 
 before referred to. I have not thought it necessary 
 to extend this account of the monastery by inserting 
 notices of the agreements as to tythes between it and 
 other Houses, or the grants of estates and other 
 possessions made to it at various times, as they may 
 be found at length in other works. ^ I cannot learn 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, vol. III., pref , p. ig. 127. 
 
 2 History of Craven, p. 137. 
 
 3 Burton's Monasticon Eboracense, p. 297. Selden's Titles of Honor. 
 
 (1651), p. 274. 
 
 4 Burton's Monasticon Eboracense, p. 288. Dugdale's Monasticon, 
 
 vol. v., p. 545, 
 
42 
 
 that any event of national importance has occurred 
 in connection with this monastery, — its chronicle is 
 silent as to such, — it does not even record a royal 
 visit, — and the desolating tide of war appears to 
 have never approached its walls. When civil strife 
 was raging throughout the land, — the blanched rose 
 and its blushing rival alternately triumphing, — when 
 the shout of the northern foe was heard on tlie hills 
 of Craven, and the trembling Canons of Bolton fled 
 for their lives, — when the venerable church of St. 
 Wilfrid, with many others, were plundered or given 
 to the flames, — or when the banners of a misguided 
 populace were raised in rebellion, — the monks of 
 Kirkstall appear to have rested in peace, their home 
 unscathed by fire, their service undisturbed, and the 
 sanctuary of their pride unpolluted by the foot of 
 the stranger. 
 
 On the surrender of the monastery to the Crown, 
 its yearly income was estimated at ;^5i2 13s. 4^.;^ 
 and assuming the amount to be correct, the annual 
 revenue may be calculated to have been equal to 
 nearly ^10,000 of our present currency, exclusive of 
 the value of the granges retained by the monks in 
 their own occupation. The members of the estab- 
 lishment were pensioned, and on the ist May, 1553, 
 the following monks remained on the list: — Leonard 
 Windress, Anthony Jackson, Richard Batson, 
 Edward Heptonstall, John Howard, William 
 Lupton, Edward Sandal, Paul Mason, Thomas 
 Pepper, John Shaw, Thomas Monk, and Henry 
 Claughton. At this period, the site of the monas- 
 tery, with some of the adjoining property, were 
 granted by the King to Archbishop Cranmer and his 
 
 1 Burton's Monasticon Eboracense, p, 296. 
 
43 
 
 heirs, in exchange for other lands, and were settled 
 on Peter Hammond, Esq., in trust for that prelate's 
 younger son. The estate appears to have again 
 reverted to the Crown during the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth, as it was granted by her to Edmund 
 Downyinge and Peter Asheton, gentlemen, and their 
 heirs for ever. It is not known in what manner it 
 left these families ; but it was, with the adjoining 
 manor of Bramley, purchased by the Saville's of 
 Howley Hall, and since passed by marriage to the 
 Duke of Montagu, and subsequently to the Earls of 
 Cardigan. 1 
 
 To the late G. S. Beecroft, Esq., the ante- 
 quarian world is deeply indebted, as he, in the 
 exercise of a judicious taste, was the means of 
 causing the long-neglected ruins to be cleared, to a 
 great extent, from the accumulated rubbish of cen- 
 turies, and also of preventing, as far as practicable, 
 their further dilapidation ; and as one whom he 
 honoured with his friendship, I have much pleasure 
 in bearing this testimony to his memory. He will 
 long be remembered for his amiable disposition, and 
 the genuine kindness of his heart. It is a matter 
 of congratulation that the remarks made by me in 
 a previous publication on this subject do not now 
 apply, 2 but it still remains to be regretted, that 
 many persons visiting the place should hasten its 
 demolition by acts of wanton mischief, and by 
 so doing, destroy what they cannot appreciate. 
 There is, however, a great deal remaining to be 
 done in respect of excavating and removing the 
 rubbish from several parts of the building, and care- 
 fully repairing those portions requiring it, as by the 
 
 1 See Preface. « Antiquities of Leeds, p. 27. 
 
'44 
 
 percolation of water through the roofs of the choir 
 and aisles of the church, the chapter house, and the 
 rooms adjoining, it is only a question of time, a few 
 years at most, before these interesting portions of 
 the monastery will share the fate of the west dor- 
 mitory, and become a mass of crumbhng ruins. 
 The present lessee, J. O. Butler, Esq., is, however, 
 using every endeavour to preserve the place in its 
 present condition. ^ 
 
 Of the several monastic foundations in this country 
 which derive their origin from Fountains, still 
 standing in almost all its pristine beauty, Kirkstall 
 -alone retains its original features, rearing its ven- 
 erable walls, replete with associations of the past, 
 on the verge of a densely peopled district ; while 
 the wasted ruins of Salley have only recently been 
 retrieved from the dust, — the deserted site of Meaux, 
 covered by the green sward, serves as a grazing 
 place for cattle, — and Roche survives but in the 
 fragments of its once beautiful church. 
 
 I would here remark, that, although the visitors 
 appointed by the Crown to report on the state of the 
 monasteries found great irregularities existing, to 
 use nq harsher term, in many of them ; yet this 
 state of things did not always exist ; on their found- 
 ing and for many years afterwards, numbers of pious 
 persons, wearied of the world's rude warfare, sought 
 a refuge within their peaceful walls ; and amongst 
 others in this county who deserve to be thus re- 
 membered, are those humble and self-den3dng men, 
 who left the luxurious halls of St. Mary at York, to 
 find a home, and to found a house, amidst the priva- 
 tions of a desert life in the valley of the Skell, and 
 
 1 For particulars connected with the acqtiisition of the Abbey. by the 
 Town of Leeds, see Preface. 
 
45 
 
 what is recorded of them may be related of many 
 others.! There can be no doubt that many a monk 
 looking beyond the observances of the church and 
 the rules of his order, found comfort and peace of 
 mind not in the crucifix placed before him, but in 
 the merits and death, of Christ received by faith in 
 his heart, and as a necessary consequence *' many a 
 tonsured head now rests in Abraham's bosom." I 
 am glad that the truth of this remark is sustained 
 by several writers of eminence and piety, to whose 
 statements on the subject I am only too happy to 
 refer the reader. 2 In subsequent ages, however, 
 the religious orders becoming wealthy, departed 
 from their primitive piety ; the truths proclaimed 
 by prophets and apostles were superseded by the 
 grossest superstition ; the Bible was a sealed book, 
 its perusal prohibited under severe penalties, and 
 worship due to the Lord alone was paid to the 
 blessed virgin and a host of saints. The glorious 
 Reformation at length broke through the darkness of 
 the Middle Ages, the pure faith of the gospel was 
 again preached, and primitive Christianity became 
 re-established, the minds of men were opened to 
 comprehend the truth, and the period arrived when 
 these establishments ceased to be of public utility, 
 as it was found to be no longer necessary or agree- 
 able to be immured within the walls of a cloister. 
 The unsettled state of previous ages had gradually 
 approximated to something like order; the abilities 
 and energies of all persons were required in the 
 arduous duties of daily life, and in this country the 
 ' monasteries of all descriptions were dissolved, their 
 inmates dispersed, and their possessions vested in 
 
 1 Walbran's Memorials of Fountains, vol. I., /r-/. pp. xxv. and xxxvii. 
 
 a Elliott's Horae Apocalyptia, vol. II., p. 62. Daubigne's History of the 
 
 Reformation, vol. I., p. 58— 94 to loj. 
 
46 
 
 the Crown. The only regret is, that the vast pro- 
 perty with which these Houses had been endowed 
 should have been disposed of without any provision 
 being made for the maintenance of many public 
 objects which urgently required it ; but in express- 
 ing regret at the occurrence of this state of things, it 
 must be borne in mind that these proceedings were 
 authorised by both Houses of Parliament, composed 
 chiefly of members holding the same faith as the in- 
 mates of the establishments which they suppressed 
 and whose estates they confiscated. 
 
 Since then, their much renowned aqd sumptuous fanes 
 
 Throughout the land have sunk into decay ; 
 
 The cloister and the shrine deserted both, 
 
 Save when some traveller, or antiquary, 
 
 Roams o'er the vast and solitary place, 
 
 To muse on the events of other days. 
 
 OF THE House, as at present known, are as follows: — 
 One has the Virgin and Child on a throne, within an 
 ornamental shrine, between the letters T. T., with 
 the legend ^ sigillv. . . commvne . de » kyrkestal. — 
 (see ivoodciit) ; another is stated by Thoresby,^ and 
 subsequently by Dr. Burton, 2 to have had a similar 
 bearing, with the legend ^ t. qvid . pate . . . vna . 
 VALET. And there is another stated to be appended 
 to a lease dated in the year 1312, from the Monastery 
 to Laurentius de Arthington, of meadow and land 
 on Arthington Bank, having the legend sigillvm . 
 conventvs . DE . KIRKSTALL.3 Of the Seals of the 
 Abbots, the following varieties occur : — One bearing 
 the Virgin and Child, with the legend >b s . abbacie . 
 DE . KiRKESTAL, is appended to a charter of Adam, 
 which occurs in the year 1249. The seal of Hugh 
 
 1 Ducatus Leodiensis, p- 165. « Monasticon Eboracense, p. 297. 
 8 Jone's History of Harewood, p. 230. 
 
47 
 
 de Mikelay, who was Abbot in the year 1259, and a 
 counter-seal of the house, are given by Dr. Whitaker.^ 
 The former consists of an Abbot holding a crosier 
 and a book, with the legend ^ sigillvm . abbatis . 
 DE . KiRKESTAL ; and the latter of a hand holding a 
 crosier, in the field a star, with the legend contra . 
 siGiL . DE KiRKST .... (see woodcuts). 
 
 1 History of Craven, flate^ p. 55. 
 
48 
 
 There is also a seal of Abbot Hugh de Grymston, 
 who occurs in the year 1284. 
 It bears the figure of an Ab- 
 bot with a chalice and cro- 
 sier, on the dexter side a 
 human face, with a cross 
 above, and a fleur-de-lis be- 
 neath : on the sinister, the 
 principal object is defaced, 
 and there only appears a 
 star above and a cross be- 
 neath, with the following 
 legend : axis . de . 
 
 KIRKESTALL. — {se& WOodcut,) 
 
 For the notice of the first-named common seal and 
 that of Abbot Hugh de Grymston, I am indebted to 
 William Boyne, Esq., F.S.A., who states, in his 
 letter to me, that they are attached to a deed in the 
 office of the Duchy of Lancaster, dated in the year 
 1287. This Common Seal is also attached, but in a 
 broken state, to a deed in the possession of Edward 
 Hailstone, Esq., F.S.A., dated 2nd July, 151S, relat- 
 ing to some property at Bowling, near Bradford. 
 
 of the monastery, are azure, three 
 swords, their points in base, hilts, 
 and pommels, or; (see woodcut). — 
 Although it was usual for religious 
 houses to assume the armorial 
 bearings of their founders, yet this 
 has not been the case with Kirk- 
 stall, as these are the arms of 
 William de Poictou, the chief 
 
49 
 
 lord of the fee, on a portion of which the monastery- 
 was erected. I have found, on looking over a 
 manuscript collection of copies of Charters relating 
 to the Abbey, one from this nobleman, with a draw- 
 ing of his seal appended, — a shield bearing three 
 swords, with the legend sigil : willi : pictavesis : 
 These arms are, as previously stated, carved in oak, 
 in the church of Bernoldswic, and they were formerly 
 to be seen in stained glass in one of the windows 
 of the Parish Church of Leeds. ^ 
 
 would doubtless consist of works on theology and 
 the classics, lives of saints, and the usual legendary 
 lore of the period ; but no catalogue has, that I am 
 aware of, been transmitted to our times. Many 
 monasteries contained large and valuable libraries, 
 our early chronicles were compiled in the cloister, 
 and the well-known work of Richard, of Cirencester, 
 on Roman Britain, had its origin there. But the 
 studies of the monks were sometimes of an unprofit- 
 able character, alchemy and astrology occupying no 
 inconsiderable portion of their time,^ as is evidenced 
 by the contents of the libraries of some of the larger 
 houses, and by Sir George Ripley, a Canon in the 
 Priory of Bridlington, having a dispensation from 
 the Pope to exempt him from attending to his 
 devotional duties to allow him time to discover the 
 philosopher's stone, ^ It was a rule of the Cistercian 
 Order that no works on canon or civil law should be 
 kept in the libraries of their monasteries, perhaps 
 
 1 Thoresby's Ducatus Leodiensis, Appendix, plate xiii., p. 120. 
 
 s Prickett's History of the Priory Church of Bridlington, p. 28. 
 
 SWhitaker's History of Craven, p. 405. Young's History of Whitby, Vol. II. 
 
 p. 018. Chronica Monasterii do Melsa, Vol. III., Appendix, p. 83. 
 
50 
 
 with a view to check Htigious dispositions on the 
 part of the monks, ^ 
 
 It is interesting to know that the history of the 
 parent house of Fountains was written b)' Hugh, a 
 monk of Kirkstall, in the former part of the 13th 
 century, from the dictation of Serlo, a venerable 
 monk of this place, who had lived to a patriarch's 
 age, and was present at the secession and the subse- 
 quent departure of the brotherhood from St. Mary's 
 at York, and had witnessed most of the varied 
 scenes he has so graphically recorded. 2 
 
 The Chronicle of Kirkstall, compiled in the 13th 
 century, and preserved in the Bodelian Library, 
 Oxford, contains the history of the establishment 
 from the first settlement at Bernoldswic to the time 
 of Abbot John de Bridesall. I have a translation of 
 it in my possession, I should say the only one, which, 
 although rather verbose, is a most interesting docu- 
 ment, and is the source from which the information 
 as to the succession of the Abbots and the affairs of 
 the House, to the commencement of the 14th century, 
 is principally taken. 
 
 Robert de Lacy, 1193. Henri de Paulino, son of 
 William de Alreton. Robert de Bernes. Thomas, 
 son of Ralph de Beston. Walter, son of Adam 
 Sampson, of Pudsey. William, son of Hugh de 
 Lelay. William de Lelay. Nigel de Horsforde. 
 Sigherit, daughter of Samson de Alreton. Adam 
 Samson , of Pudsey. Robert, son of Hugh de Alreton, 
 Margaret, widow of Heli ad Fontem, of Bramhope. 
 
 1 Chronica Monasterii de Melsa, Vol. J.,pref., p. 12. 
 « Walbran's Guide to Ripon, &c. (5th Edition) p. 64. 
 
51 
 i:iist at gtMots. 
 
 12 Stephen i Alexander elected ir^ May . , 1147 died. 
 
 Henrj'II. ... 2 Ralph Hageth occurs... 1182 resigned. 
 
 Richardl.... 3 Lambert occurs... iigx died, 
 
 John 4 TuRGESius occurs.., 1200 resigned 
 
 Do 5 Helyas occurs... 1200 
 
 Do 6 Ralph de Nkwcastlb ... died. 
 
 Do. 7 Walter ... died. 
 
 Henry III... 8 Maurice , succeeded... 1222 died, 
 
 33 Do 9 Adam succeeded \^ April... 1249 
 
 43 Do 10 Hugh de Mickelav. created x6 March... 1259 died. 
 
 Do It Simon created x^ May... 1262 died. 
 
 53 Do 12 William di< Ledes succeeded 6 March... X26q resigned. 
 
 3 Edward I.... 13 Gibert de Cortles, ...created z^ Aug... 1275 resigned. 
 
 9 Do., 14 Henry Karr created ici November... 1280 
 
 Do 1% Hugh de Grymston created \t Sept, 1284 died. 
 
 Do i6 John de Bridesall succeeded... 1304 died. 
 
 Edward II. 17 Walter elected.. 1313 
 
 Edward III 18 William occurs.. 1334 
 
 Do , 19 Roger de Ledes confir7ned \^ Dec ... 1349 
 
 Do 20 John df 3 hornberg occurs... 1369 
 
 Richard II. 21 John de Bardesey occurs... 1392 * 
 
 Henry VI... 2? Whxiam Grayson occurs..^ 1451 deposed.. 
 
 7 Edward IV 2s Thos Wy.mbersley, C£?«/2;-}7/^^6 ^^rr/... 1468 died. 
 
 14 Henry VII. 24 Robert Kelynbec... elected z\ August... 1499 
 
 17 Do 25 William .Stockdale elected xo Dec... 1501 
 
 I Henry VllL 26 William Marshall elected ^ Dec... 1509 
 
 31 Do ?7 John Ripeley, <r/Vt/<?rf 21 Jtily, 1^7.%. iS^osut rendered. 
 
i 
 
 KirbfaK mitu. 
 
 c-,''crNi9(Si>^'^^-9 
 
 One holy Henry reared the Gothic halls, 
 And bade the prior inmates rest in peace ; 
 
 Another Henry the kind gift recalls, 
 And bids devotion's hallowed echoes cease. 
 
 HE monastic ruins of Yorkshire 
 have been remarked upon as 
 amongst the most valuable ex- 
 amples of art remaining in the 
 country, and, owing to the se- 
 questered sites of most of them, 
 have preserved a freshness and 
 sharpness of sculptured detail which are sought in 
 vain among similar remains in the midland and 
 southern counties.^ 
 
 The ruins of this Monastery give a very correct 
 idea of its original construction, which was in con- 
 formity with the general disposition of Cistercian 
 Houses ; it is said to be, in one respect, the most 
 interesting of any of the monastic edifices in this 
 country ; in that more of the original Norman 
 arrangement of the offices surrounding the cloister 
 
 1 Archseological Journal, vol. Ill, p. 101. 
 
court is preserved, than in any other building of the 
 kind ; ^ and that it is for scientific purposes, or 
 rather for the history of architectural science, a 
 perfectly unwrought mine.^ In the original fabric 
 there have been no deviations from the first plan, it 
 has had the advantage of having been erected under 
 the care and supervision of one man, — of no mean 
 order of mind — the Abbot Alexander — and though 
 in ruins, it remains a monument of his skill, taste, 
 and perseverance. 3 
 
 They dream't not of a perishable home, 
 Who thus could build. 
 
 The architecture is of the transition period, from 
 Norman to Early English, with considerable additions 
 of a later date ; but this transition v^as gradual, 
 rendering it occasionally very difficult to decide on 
 the character of some of the remains.* The principal 
 additions may be briefly enumerated as follows : — 
 The insertion of the East and other windows in the 
 Church, the placing of the lanterns on the angles of 
 the Nave and Choir, and the Transepts, and the 
 turrets on the gables between them ; the enlargement 
 of the Chapter House ; the improvement of the 
 Lavatory ; the south extension of the Eefectory ; 
 the reconstruction of the Kitchens ; the erection of 
 the Abbot's House ; the Hospitium and its Offices, 
 and subsequent alterations therein ; the raising of 
 the Tower to its present height ; and the closing of 
 several ancient doorways. 
 
 It is stated that amongst the remains of this 
 description in the North of England, the second 
 place may be assigned to Kirkstall, whether as a 
 
 1 Report of M. H. Bloxam, Esq. 2 Letters of J. Walbran, Esq., F.S.A^ 
 3 Whitaker's Loidis and Elmete, p. 118. 4 Rickman's Architecture, p. I5! 
 
picture in a landscape, or as a specimen of archi- 
 tecture ; in the former view it must yield the pahn 
 to Bolton, and in the latter to Fountains. ^ 
 
 The West entrance to the Church of Fountain is, 
 however, much inferior, both in design and work- 
 manship to that of Kirkstall, and I think the same 
 remark will apply to the interior of part of the 
 former House, the plain, though massive columns of 
 Kirkstall, will not bear comparison with the elegant 
 clustered ones and the imposing perspective of 
 Fountains. 
 
 The (Sate ^m^t was situate in the boundary wall 
 on the west side of the enclosure ; it has, with th^ 
 exception of its solitary portals, been demolished, 
 and the materials removed ; but the old road to the 
 Monastery still passes through, and a stone tablet, 
 having inscribed upon it ''Vesper's Gate, a.d., 1152," 
 is affixed in the south side. A beautiful view of the 
 Abbey is obtained by approaching it through this 
 gateway. 
 
 The D:0fth ^Hte ^on^t, situate about 120 yards 
 north-west of the Abbey, is in a good state of 
 preservation ; the lower portion, having the arches 
 enclosed, forms a spacious vaulted apartment in the 
 residence of the late J. 0. Butler, Esq. A circular 
 staircase, in the western wall, leads to the upper part 
 of the building. According to tradition, the last Abbot 
 resided here after the surrender of the establishment 
 and the dark oak panelling therein was brought 
 thence at that period. A stone coffin was found a 
 few years ago in the centre of the apartment, about 
 three feet below the surface, containing some moulder- 
 ing bones, and a large quantity of dust ; also a small 
 
 1 Whitaker's History of Craven, p. 69, 
 
silver spoon, and a silver farthing of Edv^ard IV., 
 struck at the York Mint, but much defaced; it had 
 at the time of interment been placed under the head 
 of the deceased. The coffin v^as removed to the 
 Chapter House. I believe that these remains were 
 those of the last Abbot, interred privately here by 
 some of his surviving friends, as previously alluded 
 to, and in accordance v^ith the rites of his Church. 
 The oak bedstead in which this Abbot died, and 
 some other pieces of furniture formerly belonging to 
 the Monastery, are yet known to be in existence. 
 
 On recently making some alterations outside this 
 building, a carved stone, about three feet in length, 
 represented by the annexed woodcut, and a small cup, 
 were discovered. 
 
 The fflbuftft is cruciform in character, but does not 
 stand due east and west ; perhaps for the reason that 
 the line points to that part of the horizon where the 
 sun rose on the day of dedication. It measures 
 224 feet and 6 inches in length: 118 feet and 3 inches 
 in breadth, including the transepts ; and 62 feet and 
 6 inches across the nave and aisles ; and is, with the 
 exception of part of the north wall, and two of the 
 adjoining columns, in an almost perfect condition. 
 The west doorway is very beautiful, consisting of 
 ^Ye receding semi-circular arches, the centre one 
 bearing the zig-zag moulding, the others plain; but 
 the cylindrical shafts, formerly attached to the sides, 
 
have all been removed. This part of the building 
 was thickly covered with ivy, until the occurrence of 
 the great 'storm in the early part of the year 1839, 
 when it was destroyed by the influence of the spray 
 brought by the wind from the western coast. The 
 North-west doorway, which appears to have had a 
 porch, is also highly ornamented ; it is of the same 
 order as the other, the outer one bearing the embattled 
 moulding, an inner one the zig-zag, and the others 
 plain. It is much to be regretted that this entrance 
 has sustained some little injury, and is now walled 
 up. The nave is divided from the aisles by two rows 
 of massy clustered columns, each eight in number, 
 including the piers adjoining the transepts, with 
 square pedestals, some of which are left in an 
 unfinished state. 
 
 The annexed woodcut represents an ornament of 
 interlaced scroll work on one of 
 them.^ The columns support 
 pointed arches, over which is a 
 range of semi-circular arched 
 windows, and two doorways, of 
 the same order, lead from the 
 south side of the church into the 
 cloister court. A circular staircase, still in good 
 condition, at the west end of the south aisle, gives 
 access to the upper portion of this part of the fabric ; 
 and a similar one, now ruinous, leads from the steps 
 of the dormitory to an open arcade of six semi-cir- 
 cular arches, supported by circular columns, (two of 
 which have been removed and ought to be replaced,) 
 across the south transept to the upper portion of 
 this part of the church. The roofs of the nave and 
 
 1 See Appendix, Note A, 
 
10 
 
 transepts, being originally of 'wood, covered with 
 lead, no longer exist ; but those of the chancel and 
 the aisles being of stone, yet remain nearly perfect. 
 From the marks on the tower it is evident that there 
 have been two roofs at two different periods. Some 
 iron rings for the suspension of lamps may yet be 
 seen affixed to the intersecting ribs of the vaulting 
 of the south aisle. In the south wall of the chancel 
 is an arched recess, which bears the marks of having 
 been cut away in some places, probably for the 
 oaken seats of the sedilia ; on each side of this recess 
 is a piscina and ambra, the former — the most easterly 
 one — is represented in the annexed woodcut. 
 
 Extending across the chancel is the usual elevated 
 footpace for the high altar, which is stated to have 
 been of white freestone, and to have been destroyed 
 in the early part of last century. A tradition states 
 that the perpetrators of this deed of mischief came 
 to an early and untimely end.i 
 
 A trench was recently dug across the chancel, 
 
 1 Gough's Camden's Britannia, Vol. III., p. 283. Gent's History of Ripon, 
 Travels, p. 28, 
 
11 
 
 about four feet deep, in the expectation of finding 
 some remains of the altar, but with the exception of 
 some bones and a few encaustic tiles, the search was 
 fruitless. It is pleasant to linger on this spot, though 
 despoiled and ruinous, and to recall the past, when 
 the vested Abbot stood on solemn festivals amidst 
 circling clouds of incense, and accompanied by the 
 chaunt of the monks celebrating mass. 
 
 This part of the church was paved with encaustic 
 tiles of varied design. ^ The east window is of much 
 later date than the others, it was inserted, most 
 likely, during the latter part of the 13th century, in 
 the place of the three Norman lights, but its beauti- 
 ful tracery is entirely destroyed. The wall below is 
 modern, and has been built higher than the original 
 one, and ought to be taken down, so as to shew the 
 window in its full proportions. The old engravings 
 of the Abbey shew that its grounds were at one 
 period open, a public footway passing through the 
 church, and many were the injuries the building sus- 
 tained in consequence, not only from persons in the 
 neighbourhood, but from parties of gypsies, who 
 frequently made this part of the Monastery their 
 camp, the marks Of their fires are yet to be seen on 
 several parts of the walls. 
 
 On each side of the Chancel are three Chapels, 
 with vaulted roofs, entered through pointed arches. 
 It has not been ascertained to what saints they were 
 dedicated : in the south wall of each of them is a 
 piscina and ambra. The ambra in the most north- 
 erly Chapel, is in the North Wall. The altar stones 
 are irretrievably lost ; on the floor of the most south- 
 erly Chapel, the greatest portion of the decorative 
 tiles found in the Abbey have been relaid with care 
 
 1 Thoresby's Diary, vol. II., p. 286, 
 
12 
 
 and attention to t^eir combined design, the whole 
 being preserved from injury by an iron raiHng, but 
 a few more winters will deface them. On a number 
 of the smaller of these tiles several letters of the 
 alphabet occur in the characters of the period. 
 The windows of the Chapels are not the original 
 ones, but have been enlarged at a much later period, 
 all being of a different style of architecture. In 
 the centre of the gable of the south transept is one 
 of those windows of pointed oval form, known by 
 the name of Vesica Picis, the religious symbol of the 
 fish, in which a window of later date has been 
 inserted. 
 
 Four pointed arches, springing from as many 
 massive clustered piers at the angles of the nave, 
 transepts, and chancel, supported the tower, which, 
 according to the practice of the twelfth century, 
 was carried only a little higher than the roof, 
 as shewn by the Norman corbels yet remaining ; 
 the tower was raised to its present height only a 
 short time before the dissolution. ^ On the night of 
 the 27th January, 1779, one of the piers on which 
 the tower rested suddenly gave way, and the entire 
 north and west sides, with a portion of the east one, 
 were thrown to the ground ; part of the debris re- 
 mained in the north aisle and transept until recently, 
 it being considered inexpedient to remove it, as it 
 formed a kind of abutment to the adjoining angles of 
 nave and transept.^ 
 
 What does not fade ? 
 The tower that long had stood 
 The crash of thunder, and the warring winds, 
 Shook by the slow but sure destroyer, Time, 
 Now hangs in doubtless ruins o'er its base. 
 1 See Appendix, Note B. Report of M. H. Bloxam, Esq. 
 
13 
 
 It has, however, been carefully removed, and the 
 angle in question secured by other means, thus 
 affording a full and unimpeded view of the whole 
 length of this noble Church. It is stated that within 
 a few days after the fall of the tower several small 
 smoking pipes were discovered, embedded in the 
 mortar, a proof that prior to the introduction of 
 tobacco, the practice of inhaling the smoke of some 
 indigenous vegetable prevailed in England. ^ 
 
 On the upper part of the buttresses of the shatter- 
 ed tower, at the angles of the walls yet standing, are 
 four shields, much defaced, bearing the letters W 
 and ^^t alternately, as shewn by the annexed woodcuts. 
 
 ^Im 
 
 1 Whitaker's Loidis and Elmete, p. 119, 
 
14 
 
 These letters, I have no doubt, are the initials of 
 Abbot WilKam Marshall, elected in 1509, and it 
 may thence be inferred that in his time the tower was 
 raised to its present height, perhaps for the purpose 
 of placing a peal of bells therein, but whether it 
 was ever carried into effect I have not been able to 
 ascertain. =•- 
 
 In all probability, therefore, but for Abbot 
 William Marshall's imprudent addition to this 
 Tower, the beautiful Norman one would have now 
 been in existence, and the body of the Church 
 would have remained entire. The elegant Turrets 
 at the several angles of the Church, with other 
 minor exterior ornainental work, were also added 
 about this period. With the exception of some 
 pieces of a tombstone grooved for a brass filleting, 
 no discovery of monumental remains has rewarded 
 the expense and labour of levelling this part of the 
 building, although, doubtless, it was the burial place 
 of many families of distinction. Some years ago 
 was found, within the west doorway, and only a few 
 inches below the surface, the place where the lead 
 was melted into bars for removal, when stripped 
 from the roof at the dissolution, together with a 
 quantity of scoria, and the stones of which the 
 furnace was constructed, reddened by the action of 
 fire, are still remaining. A breed of fine white owls 
 at one time took up their abode in this part of the 
 Abbey, and it was very interesting on a summer's 
 night to see them flit slowly about the silent and 
 lonely pile. 
 
 The ^KrtjSJtj) is a small vaulted apartment adjoin- 
 ing the Church, from which it is entered by a door- 
 
 i See Appendix, Note C. 
 
15 
 
 way in the south transept, in it was kept the vessels, 
 books, and vestments belonging to the Church, and 
 the real or supposed relics of saints. It is now used 
 as a place of deposit for tiles and other unimportant 
 articles found in the ruins. There has been a small 
 gloomy upper room in this place, as appears by the 
 holes in the walls for the floor, and a small window 
 still remaining. A large portion of the roof has, 
 however, fallen. 
 
 The ®a!Sit ^0mit0fJJ was for the use of the P0tt&]Sf, 
 access to it is obtained by a flight of steps leading 
 from the south transept of the Church, as before- 
 mentioned. 1 It extended from thence southward over 
 the Chapter House and the rooms adjoining, and 
 would originally be divided into separate cells by 
 wooden partitions on each side, with a broad walk 
 down the centre, lighted at nights by a large lamp. 
 Nearly one-third part of this Dormitory fell during 
 the winter of 1826, owing to the percolation of snow- 
 water through the floor. This extensive apartment, 
 with another of more recent date to the eastward, is 
 so placed as to afford the readiest and most sheltered 
 means of access for their occupants to the nocturnal 
 services of the Church. The raised road at present 
 leading from the Church to the above-named apart- 
 ments is very unsightly. 
 
 The (&U\^UX (Honxt is on the south side of the 
 Church — (See page 17). It includes an area of 
 143 feet long by 115 feet broad ; the north and east 
 sides yet remain in their original state, but the door- 
 ways on the south side, including a large semi- 
 circular archway, have been walled up, and a portion 
 of the wall on the west side being in a dangerous 
 
 1 Sec Appendix, Note D. 
 
16 
 
 state, has been partially rebuilt, and is also sup- 
 ported by buttresses. On each side of this court was 
 the g^mlrut^tatj), a covered walk, where the monks 
 could pass to and fro in wet weather, without 
 exposure ; holes in the wall shew where the beams 
 for supporting the roof were inserted. The exterior 
 sides of this walk have, doubtless, been of timber^ 
 but such erections were frequently of stone, as may 
 still be seen in several of our ancient Cathedrals. 
 The western portion must have been of stone, as a 
 wall appears to have extended from the north to the 
 south sides of the Court, thereby forming a passage, 
 to which the large archway alluded to above has 
 originally given entrances from the south side of the 
 Abbey, but has been walled up at a later period, 
 leaving only a small doorway remaining, now also 
 closed. The small narrow doorway, with a pointed 
 arch, in the south-east angle of this Court, probably 
 led to a staircase which afforded access to the rooms 
 above the Eefectory, and also to the Dormitory of 
 the monks, as appears by an entrance, now closed, 
 in the upper part of the western wall. It is to the 
 circumstance of this Court having, until recently, 
 been used as an orchard, that it owes in a great 
 measure its present almost perfect condition. 
 
 This part of the Monastery, from having been the 
 burial place of the monks generally, as well as for 
 the wealthy laity, might have been expected to have 
 furnished some memorials of those laid to rest within 
 its enclosure, but these have been few and unimpor- 
 tant. There is a fragment of a stone moulding, 
 bearing the letter ^, in high relief; part of a grave- 
 stone, inscribed ^oht^ . ^ . . ; and a broken 
 sepulchral slab, six feet in length, bearing an incised 
 
17 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 cross and sword, which may perhaps 
 be assigned to the 14th century. 
 The latter were found near the centre 
 of the Cloister Court, and beneath it 
 were the mouldering bones of a tall 
 man, who had, doubtless, once wielded 
 the sword represented on his tomb. — 
 (See annexed woodcut). Portions of 
 two other gravestones have also been 
 found here, of which nothing more of 
 the inscriptions were legible, than 
 
 on one ... p'nMto hwju^ At^mm 
 
 %§' mMM'f and on the other 
 ^iiCHtfl... The remains of a coffin, 
 consisting of plates of beaten iron,i 
 and also a stone one, containing 
 a skeleton of large size, the lid of 
 which was composed of encaustic tiles, 
 bearing various devices and letters, 
 were also discovered here last century. ^ 
 There are two men whose last resting places I 
 could wish to ascertain ; they are the pious and per- 
 severing Abbot Alexander and the venerable monk 
 Serlo ; the former would doubtless be interred in the 
 Chapter House, and the latter would sleep amongst 
 his brethren in the silent court. Their works, how- 
 ever, still remain to attest their worth, the one in the 
 noble Monastery, and the other in the pages of the 
 ancient Chronicle of Fountains. The view on enter- 
 ing the Cloister Court from the west is very beautiful, 
 
 1 Whitaker's History of Craven, p. 70. 
 
 2 Thoresby's Ducatus Leodiensis. Appendix, p. 138. History of the Abbey. 
 1799, p. 27. 
 
18 
 
 and is certainly the most attractive and picturesque 
 part of the Monastery, and it has been stated that 
 with the exception of that of Fountains, there is 
 perhaps no Monastic Cloister Quadrangle in the 
 kingdom so entire as this.^ 
 
 The ©ftHptet' ^m^t is entered from the west side of 
 the Cloister Court by two circular-headed doorways, 
 from which most of the cylindrical shafts have been 
 removed ; it measures 64 feet and 6 inches in length, 
 and 30 feet and 6 inches in breadth. It is supported 
 by two massive columns, from which spring the 
 intersecting arches of the groined roof; the column 
 nearest to the entrance has been surrounded by 
 detached cylindrical shafts, the bases of which may 
 still be observed. It has, with a view of preventing 
 its decay, been cased with unsightly modern masonry. 
 This room has been considerably enlarged since its 
 first erection, by the addition of the whole of the 
 eastern portion, in the early part of the four- 
 teenth century, the filling in of which is ragstone, 
 but that of the ancient vaulting is of rubble. 
 Several large stone coffins are in the walls and 
 in the bases of the deeply-recessed windows, in 
 one of which, a few years ago, the bones of an^ 
 aged person were found, but no inscription of any 
 kind has been discovered, although here doubt- 
 less repose the ashes of many of the Abbots, and of 
 benefactors to the Abbey. Other coffins have been 
 made use of as building material, by being filled up 
 solid, and inserted in both the interior and exterior 
 walls. The annexed woodcut represents one of the 
 
 1 Whitaker's Loidis and Elmete, p. 119. 
 
19 
 
 corbels in this apartment. 
 This place was lighted by two 
 large windows at the east end, 
 in addition to the small nar- 
 row ones adjoining, at the 
 north and south sides, but the 
 former ones have been des- 
 troyed by pulling down the 
 ancient wall, and erecting in 
 its place an unsightly modern 
 one, which I should like to see either removed 
 altogether, or constructed more in accordance with 
 the one it superseded. 
 
 This wall, which renders the apartment gloomy, 
 was not in existence in Gent's time, as he describes 
 the place **as an arched chamber leading to the 
 cemetery."^ The iron staples for the suspension of 
 lamps at the intersecting ribs of the groined roof 
 have been rudely torn away. 
 
 This interesting part of the building is not only 
 uncommon in design, but possesses much of the 
 sublime, and is likely to detain, for a time, the 
 Antiquary, the Historian, and the Scholar, to muse 
 over the various scenes which have here often occur- 
 red ; — the chapter met in solemn conclave, — the 
 election of Abbots, the arranging of processions, — 
 and all the other business connected with the affairs 
 of a large monastic establishment, the closing act of 
 which would be the enforced signing and sealing of 
 the surrender, and the breaking of the common seal 
 in the presence of the Royal Commissioners. ^ 
 
 I Gent's History of Ripon, Travels, p. 28. ? See Appendix, Note E, 
 
20 
 
 Adjoining the Chapter House, on the south, are 
 two small apartments, the nearest of which, I think, 
 has been used for the reception of the dead previous 
 to interment, and the other has been a staircase lead- 
 ing from the Cloister Court to the east dormitory. ^ 
 It will be observed that the window at the west end 
 is at present walled up, as well as a doorway in the 
 south wall. The former of these places was origi- 
 nally open to the Cloister Court ; the archway, it 
 appears, has been filled up by the present wall, con- 
 taining a low doorway, with a small window above 
 it, of the same character as the doorway in the 
 south-east angle of the court. Adjoining the latter 
 place is a long arched passage, now walled up at 
 the east end, which led from the Cloister Court to 
 the south-eastern part of the establishment ; and 
 south of this is what I believe to have been the 
 gtWofi^ ^xMf where that dignitary entertained his 
 friends and distinguished guests. It has been a 
 large vaulted apartment of very superior construction, 
 with a row of four columns down the centre, support- 
 ing a series of semi-circular arches, and measures 
 about 76 feet in length, and 29 feet 6 inches in width ; 
 it became a hopeless ruin during the winter of 1825, 
 owing to the cause stated in the account of the dormi- 
 tory of the monks, beneath which it is situated. A view 
 of the interior of this apartment, as it appeared pre- 
 vious to its fall, is given in the Dugdalis Monasticen,^ 
 and is there designated the "crypt," but erroneously 
 so, as there is no such place about the building. 
 Immediately south of this room is a passage, which 
 formerly communicated with it, and adjoining which 
 
 1 See Appendix, Note F. 
 2 Gentleman's Magazine, 1806, vol. V., p. 527. 
 
21 
 
 is found the usual conveniences for the Abbot and the 
 monks. 
 
 The remains of the '^muUx^i, situate between the 
 entrances to the ancient Eefectory, now closed, still 
 form an interesting feature in the south wall of the 
 Cloister Court ; the upper portion is of the decorated 
 English style, and has probably been inserted near the 
 close of the thirteenth century. The annexed woodcut 
 exhibits a part of it, but the continuance of the work 
 is broken by injudicious modern repairs. 
 
 The lower portion in which the monks performed 
 their ablutions has beeu destroyed, but long pieces 
 of the lead piping which supplied it with water ha>ve 
 recently been discovered. 
 
 The '^tUxiOX}} is situate to the south-east of the 
 Cloister Court, from which it was entered by three 
 doorways, now walled up, and, as originally con- 
 structed, extended from east to west, about 70 feet. 
 Either the increase of the household, or an alteration 
 in the rules of the Order, caused this ancient apart- 
 ment to be considerably enlarged, or altogether 
 superseded by another and more spacious one, erected, 
 
 D 
 
22 
 
 it is thought, in the fifteenth century, commencing 
 at and including the western portion of the original 
 structure, and extending thence in a southwardly 
 direction about 98 feet. On the western side of 
 this room is a fireplace about six feet in width. Over 
 the Eefectory would be the Eibtatg, interesting to 
 the Historian, as being the place where the Ancient 
 Chronicles of Fountains and Kirkstall were written 
 and kept. South-west of which are the remains of 
 the ^ittfett and other offices in connection therewith. 
 In clearing away the rubbish from the former place, 
 the ovens, together with the flues under them, as 
 well as the site where an iron cauldron had been fixed, 
 were found in a moderately perfect state. At the 
 south-west angle of this room is the hatchway, through 
 which the provisions were passed to the Eefectory. 
 Westward of the Eefectory is the gi;0mm0tt-^00m of 
 the monastery, and adjoining is a passage, about 
 20 feet wide, with a circular-headed archway at each 
 end, leading to the Church and Cloister Court ; the 
 northern one has long been closed, but that on the south 
 is still open, and attracts attention by its ample 
 dimensions. There is a small beehive-shaped oven in 
 the west wall of this passage. 
 
 The ^loi^ttX^ are situate on the west side of the 
 Court, and were 172 feet 6 inches in length, and 
 29 feet in breadth ; when entire, there was a row of 
 ten columns down the centre, supporting a series of 
 semi-circular arches, constituting a long double- 
 arched walk for the monks, over which was the 
 Wt^t g0tmit0tj), appropriated for the use of the 
 ^ay '^XOihtX^, but now no longer in existence, it 
 having fallen during the winter of 1746. According 
 
23 
 
 to the plan given by Dr. Burton, ^ this part of the 
 building was entered from the Abbey grounds by a 
 doorway in the west wall, apparently of considerable 
 width, while others on the eastern side gave access 
 to the Cloister Court, and the large open passage 
 leading to it. His plan also shews a small apart- 
 ment at the north end, the existence of which is 
 not borne out by an inspection of the place. It is 
 much to be regretted that this part of the Monas- 
 tery has been so much destroyed ; a considerable 
 portion of the west wall was, however, standing at 
 the close of the last century, as appears by a plan 
 then published. 2 Some of the corbels from which 
 the arches sprung yet remain in the walls, and a 
 fragment of one the columns may be seen a few 
 yards west of the site. In the eastern wall are to be 
 seen the remains of an arch, the stones of which are 
 fitted together in a peculiar manner. This kind of 
 arch, though rare, occurs in other ecclesiastical 
 buildings ; and in recently perusing a work on 
 Eastern Travels, ^ I find that others of a similar 
 character are to be found in the ruins of a khan , at 
 a place called Douraan, and in the ancient theatre at 
 Smyrna, this form being adopted for greater stability. 
 The ^hW^ ^tMtntt, with the Offices usually 
 attached thereto, are situate to the south-east of the 
 Monastery ; the residence forms no part of the 
 original structure, but is altogether of a later date 
 and different composition, and in the worst state of 
 preservation. In one of the rooms is a fireplace 
 worthy of attention, the stones composing the backing 
 being laid in the herring-bone pattern, as shewn by 
 
 1 Monasticon Eboracence, plate, p. 288. 2 Gentleman's Magazine, 1790, 
 3 Hamilton's Researches in Asia Minor, vol. I., p. 324. 
 
24 
 
 the annexed woodcut. ^ There is also a water drain in 
 the west wall, and a similar convenience and fireplace 
 in the wall of the room formerly over this. These, 
 
 I believe to be the sitting-room and lodging-room of 
 the Abbot, the only occupant of which is now a 
 goodly elm tree. Adjoining these apartments is a 
 staircase, and westward of which are the private 
 kitchens attached to the Abbot's house, which have 
 been vaulted and substantially built, and appears to 
 be of much older construction than his residence. 
 There are two square cupboards in the west wall of 
 the first of these rooms, and the fireplace has been 
 closed at a later period and an oven constructed there- 
 in. Outside the south door of the second room is the 
 place into which the refuse of the kitchens were 
 thrown, and in which broken pottery, beef bones, 
 oyster shells and cockle shells were found, the latter 
 being of small size, and almost as fresh as when 
 
 1 Thcresby's Diary, vol. I., page 288. 
 
they were removed from the table of the last Abbot. 
 A similar discovery occurred during the recent exca- 
 vations at Fountains Abbey, in respect of which 
 it has been remarked, that trifling and worthless as 
 these objects are, they seem, as coming from the 
 place where forgotten hands had cast them, to con- 
 nect the spectator with those whom three centuries 
 have divided from personal association more inti- 
 mately than the ruins of the vast building in which 
 they had so long been hidden from view.^ As to 
 the enduring nature of oyster shells, it is stated by 
 the Eev. Dr. Bruce, that they have been frequently 
 found in stations previously occupied by Eoman 
 troops more than fourteen centuries ago. ^ Over 
 the kitchen was the glbftot';^ ©fcaprf, identified by 
 the Vesica Piscis in the west gable, now walled up, 
 the entrance to which was from the before-named 
 staircase, but the floor has long since fallen down, 
 and the materials taken away. In recently exca- 
 vating on the north side of the Abbot's kitchen, 
 amongst other minor articles there was found a 
 large Gurgoyle, formed of a distorted human face, 
 with the mouth wide enough to allow the rain water 
 to pass through. 
 
 Until recently, the ground to the north of this por- 
 tion of the Abbey was covered with shrubs, partially 
 concealing broken walls, and lines of foundations ; 
 these have, to a great extent, however, been cleared 
 away, with a very satisfactory result, disclosing to 
 view the remains of the long-lost §i0iSlpitinm, with its 
 requisite outbuildings and offices, erected on the site 
 of a more ancient one. The Wt^t ItMI has at one 
 
 1 Williams' Guide to Ripon, &c., (5th edition), p. 89. 
 2 History of the Roman Wall, p. 138. 
 
26 
 
 time been a very spacious apartment, measuring 83 
 feet in length by 48 feet and 9 inch in breadth, with two 
 rows of stone columns, extending from east to west, 
 the spaces between which appear to have been at a 
 later period walled up, evidently by unskilled hands, 
 and the apartment reduced in size. The fireplaces, 
 two of them with hearths and stone fenders attached, 
 and a circular one near the east end, over which may 
 have hung a cauldron, are yet remaining. At the 
 • south west angle is a small square room, probably 
 the buttery or pantry, with a separate entrance ; and 
 in a place outside, a few steps below the level of the 
 ground, a small quantity of coal was found, being 
 the remains of the last supply. Above the hall would 
 be the dormitories, the foundations of a staircase, 
 roughly built, giving access thereto, may yet be seen. 
 A well-constructed sewer, with a pointed arch yet 
 to be seen, connected the drainage of these buildings 
 with the main drain of the Abbey. This place was 
 probably reduced to its present state by the stones 
 having been taken away for the purpose of repairing 
 the bridge at Leeds, as appears by the accounts of 
 the Churchwardens of that town for the year 1538 ; ^ 
 at the same time it is highly probable that the upper 
 stories of this and many of the domestic buildings 
 were *'post and pan" work,^ and that, consequently, 
 they would either soon be removed for the sake of the 
 timber, or would rapidly fall to decay. I am inclined 
 to believe that some of the monks, after the surrender 
 of their home, being without a place of refuge, may 
 have made some alterations in this portion of the 
 buildings to meet their new requirements, and have 
 
 1 Thoresby's Ducatus Leodiensis, p. 81. 
 2 Letter from J. B. Walbran, Esq., F.S.A. 
 
27 
 
 continued to dwell in it during the remainder of their 
 lives. Where is the heart which could not feel some 
 amount of commiseration for those old and lonely- 
 men bereft of all they had once' possessed, and 
 thrown upon an unsympathising world, yet unwilling 
 to leave their late abode, and scantily subsisting on 
 pensions 1 doled out to them with a niggard hand. 
 Their ideas of what was right might be at variance 
 with ours, yet they display the feelings common to 
 all, the love of home, and their disinclination to 
 leave it. 
 
 The (Stannty, a most interesting building of its 
 kind, with narrow loophole windows, adjoins the 
 cloisters at the south-west angle, extending west- 
 wardly about 65 ft., and is in a fair state of preservation, 
 in some measure owing to its having been used partly 
 for the purpose for which it was erected. The arch- 
 ways in the lower portion are walled up on both 
 sides, and two modern buttresses have been built 
 against the south side to keep it in position. There 
 is a well in the eastern part of this place, now 
 covered over. Dr. Burton, and others following him, 
 designate this building the Infirmary, but from the 
 absence of fireplaces, and for other reasons, I think 
 it has been what I describe it. The lower part may 
 have been used as a thrashing floor, in addition to 
 which would allow laden waggons to enter, from 
 which grain might be raised to the upper floor ; but 
 if this be correct, I am at a loss as to the portion of 
 the building to which the f ttfifmKtJJ should be 
 assigned. It may probably have been over the 
 (ffommott %00ta and the large passage before des- 
 cribed, which is not an unlikely place, as this portion 
 
 1 See Appendix, Note G. 
 
28 
 
 of the Monastery was not occupied solely by the sick, 
 but infirm aged monks were allowed to retire there 
 to linger out their few remaining years. It is possible 
 that the upper portion of the building might be used 
 as an Infirmary for the Lay-Brothers, but still the 
 same want of conveniences occurs. 
 
 In 1741, an outbuilding, stated to have been a 
 granary, was taken down, it was covered with slates 
 brought from Elland, near Halifax, which had be- 
 come so hardened as to resemble steel rather than 
 stone. 1 
 
 The (S/tfXti ^ill is situate about 80 yards north-west 
 of the Abbey, its foundations have been partially 
 uncovered, and the chiselled blocks of stone, for the 
 placing of the wheel and other purposes, were found 
 as they had originally been laid down. This Mill 
 appears to have been standing some years after the 
 dissolution, as it is stated in the pages of Camden, 
 ''the mill and the grange remain, and the well that 
 supplied the Abbey with water." ^ There are two 
 mills mentioned as belonging to the Abbey, in a sur- 
 vey in the Augmentation Ofi&ce, made in the reign of 
 Henry VIII. 
 
 The site of the ^lill ^OOX is distinctly observable in 
 a field north of the road leading from the West Gate- 
 house, now called Vesper's Gate, which road has 
 also served the purpose of an embankment to the 
 pool, being composed of the soil taken from it. In 
 the centre of it is a square outlet, which would allow 
 the water to be drawn off when requiring it into the 
 Eiver Aire. The water supply was drawn from a 
 rivulet, called Oil Mill Beck (Oyl-mil-beck),^ flowing 
 
 1 Parson's History of Leeds, vol. I., p. 401. 
 
 2 Guaylie Camden's Britannica, vol. IV., p. 44. 
 
 3 Ducatus Leodiensis, p. 168. 
 
29 
 
 through Horsforth ; also from a small rivulet receiv- 
 ing its waters from the adjacent hills, passing through 
 Hell Hole Gill. The remains of the water-race to 
 the pool may yet be seen a mile in length from Ves- 
 per's Gate, in a south-westerly direction, half-a-mile 
 of which, westerly to the beck, is still in use, and 
 suppHes the Upper Works at Kirkstall Forge ^ with 
 water, having also within the last few years furnished 
 water for two ancient over-shot water wheels, now, 
 however, not in existence. Close by may be found 
 a noted well^ (now called Diggery Well), near which 
 lead pipes have been found in the ground, also oaken 
 pipes with a bore of four inches diameter, made out 
 of young oak trees, bored out of the solid, whence it 
 is supposed that this spring water was conveyed for 
 the use of the Abbey. The water, after leaving the 
 mill, entered a large covered drain of quadrangular 
 form, still remaining in a perfect state, and passed 
 beneath the granary and other offices, situate south 
 of the Monastery, into the river. A short distance 
 north-west of the granary is a place where the 
 stream could either be turned off by another channel 
 directly into the river, or allowed to reach the Abbey 
 and cleanse the drain, by the raising or lowering of 
 a small floodgate, the grooves in the masonry for 
 which are yet plainly distinguishable. 
 
 The m^imin^, ^^nxcUn^t, ^mu&, mioxUUov^. 
 
 and other outbuildings, were situate on the north- 
 western part of the walled enclosure, below the 
 gateway, the two fields there being at present called 
 the '* Upper Malthouse Ing," and the '* Lower Malt- 
 house Ing;" and in the survey referred to, a close 
 called *' Brewhouse Croft " is mentioned, which 
 
 1 See Appendix, Note H. 2 Ducatus Leodiensis, p. 167. 
 
30 
 
 names plainly indicate the sites of these buildings. 
 In the two first-mentioned fields, several ancient 
 tiles have been found in ploughing, of the kind 
 formerly used in maltkilns. 
 
 The <gij6f& ^mA^, two in number, lay between the 
 Monastery and the river, the larger one immediately 
 south of the Abbot's House, and the smaller one 
 further westward, their outline could, until recently, 
 be traced, but the latter has been filled up with the 
 rubbish removed from the building. There was 
 formerly a small spring of pure water a little to the 
 west of these fish ponds, which is now lost. 
 
 The ^m&tti^ mA ®tch»r(lj6l were situate in the 
 north-east portion of the walled enclosure, which 
 gently sloping to the south, would be the best and 
 most salubrious site for such necessary appur- 
 tenance to a large establishment. They are men- 
 tioned in the survey previously referred to, and I 
 have spoken to persons who remembered, some 
 fifty years ago, a few aged plum trees remaining in 
 this particular place, the descendants doubtless of 
 those of the monastic period. There are no trees 
 of historic interest standing near the Abbey, as at 
 Fountains, Easby, and other places, rich with asso- 
 ciations of the past, those now flourishing amidst the 
 ruins, whatever charm they may add to them, and on 
 this account I would not wish their removal, are but 
 of comparatively recent growth, having arrived at 
 maturity since the dissolution of the Monastery, 
 There is the *' Oak Farm," a short distance north 
 of the Abbey, the name of which plainly denotes the 
 site where some well-known denizen of the wood 
 once reared its leafy honors ; and in the adjacent 
 village of Headingley, in the last stage of decay, 
 
31 
 
 is the venerable Shire Oak, from which the Wapen- 
 take derives its name, and under whose wide-spreading 
 branches many a monk, on visiting the distant Grange 
 of Moor-Allerton has found a welcome shelter, alike 
 from sunshine and storm. 
 
 There are considerable portions of the original 
 boundary wall of the g^ftfeg &UH still remaining, 
 but in a ruinous state, on the east, west, and north 
 sides thereof, that on the latter being the most per- 
 fect, the line of the fosse outside being yet distin- 
 guishable. The river formed the southern boundary, 
 and the extent of land enclosed within it and the 
 walls would be about forty acres. It is matter of 
 regret that the turnpike road from Kirkstall to Otley 
 and Ilkley should have been made through the Abbey 
 enclosure, as the seclusion of the place is thereby 
 completely destroyed. 
 
 According to tradition yet extant amongst the 
 people residing in the neighbourhood, an old house 
 built of stones taken from the Abbey, situate a short 
 distance north-west of the principal gateway, known 
 by the name of *'Hark to Rover," and where the 
 keys of the place were kept more than a century 
 ago, was a small secluded inn, of bad reputation, 
 and used as a place of meeting by Highwaymen 
 and Poachers. The well-known legend of **Mary 
 the Maid of the Inn," attached to this lonely house, 
 and many are the wild and desperate adventures 
 which are stated to have been told within its walls 
 by the lawless characters who assembled there. 
 
 A ground plan of the Monastery may be found 
 in Dr„ Burton's " Monasfcicon Eboracense." 
 
 There are several early engravings of the Abbey, 
 
32 
 
 published in 1223 1744, and 1746-7, on the latter 
 of which it is stated that the Abbey was founded 
 in the year 1147, which is an error, as that year 
 is the date of the going forth of the colony from 
 Fountains to the original settlement at Bernoldswic. 
 I'his is one of the best of the old prints, shewing the 
 tower in its original state ; they have all become rare, 
 but I have been fortunate in obtaining a good im- 
 pression of the latter. A ^tmt (SXi^^^ formerly stood 
 some distance south of the Abbey by the side of the 
 Old Koad to Bradford, at the junction of the lane 
 leading to Bramley, called the Outgang, but no 
 remains of it are left ; the site, however, is still 
 known by the name of " Stump Cross Stile." Whether 
 this cross marked the extent of some boundary, or 
 was erected by the monks or others for the purposes 
 of devotion for wayfarers, I am unable to ascertain. 
 Another dixo^^, called ^Mittfltotfe (HjXO^^, from being 
 erected by either the Abbot of Kirkstall or the Vicar 
 of Leeds, of that name, formerly stood by the road 
 side at the south end of Sheepscar Bridge, in Leeds. 
 
 If opportunity serves, the reader should visit 
 Kirkstall by moonlight; but for the purpose of 
 distinctly viewing every part for antiquarian re- 
 search and examination, and for thoroughly under- 
 standing the relation of one portion of the building 
 to another, the day, by all means, must be selected. 
 If, however, it be wished to indulge the imagination 
 in recalling the scenes of the misty past, then visit 
 these venerable ruins alone in the starry eve, — no 
 jarring element is there to interrupt the train of 
 thought, — a solemn silence pervades the vast and 
 solitary pile, while in the moon's pale ray, arch and 
 
33 
 
 column, choir and transept, the vast proportions of 
 the noble Church as dimly seen, will unite to 
 impress the mind with a placid feeling, and raise it 
 far above the ordinary events of common life. 
 
 •• And home returning, soothly swear, 
 Was never seen so sad and fair." 
 
 of articles of a miscellaneous character have occur- 
 red here at various times, consisting of numerous 
 fragments of plain and ornamented earthenware, 
 glass, lead piping, pewter spoons, a few unimportant 
 coins, and decorative pavement tiles from the Church 
 and the Abbot's Chapel, in considerable number, and 
 of almost every variety of pattern and shape, most 
 of the latter of which have been described and illus- 
 trated in coloured lithographs published by the 
 writer. 1 The most interesting article found in the 
 place is a chess piece, elaborately carved from a 
 tusk of the walrus, with figures of men and animals, 
 apparently the workmanship of the twelfth cen- 
 tury, and with it were found two circular pieces 
 of lead, which, from the description, may have been 
 Papal hullo3. I do not know in what part of the 
 building, nor under what circumstances this ancient 
 relic was turned up, but there is a description of it, 
 accompanied with accurate and beautiful drawings, 
 in the Archceological Journal. ^ In one of the 
 apartments south of the ruins, was found, during 
 the recent excavations, a mould in Caen stone, for 
 the purpose of casting escallop shells for disposal to 
 
 1 Antiquities of Leeds, Plates x. to xv. inclusive. 
 2 Vol. VI., p. 170. 
 
34 
 
 pilgrims and other persons 
 visiting the shrine of St. 
 Mary at Kirkstall; it has 
 been broken and re -united 
 with leaden rivets, and is 
 represented half the size of 
 the original in the annexed 
 woodcut; also the leaden 
 matrix of a seal, inscribed 
 
 >h SIGILL : ADE : FILII : 
 
 ROBERTi : represented in the 
 annexed woodcut, of the same size as the original. 
 Several ancient iron keys 
 have likewise been found 
 in or near the principal 
 gatehouse, two of which, in 
 j&ne condition, are figured 
 in the woodcut on the last 
 page. Thoresby's museum 
 contained several relics 
 discovered here ; amongst 
 which was a carving in alabaster of the entomb- 
 ment of our Saviour, supposed to have been an 
 altar piece, found in the latter part of the 17th 
 century; this was preserved for some years at 
 Horsforth Hall, but now lost. The others consisted 
 of a small iron box, perhaps a reHquary ; a brass 
 seal ring, bearing a Demi-Lion issuing from a 
 tower ; a large drinking glass ; a vessel for salt ; 
 and an ornamented iron stirrup; the three last- 
 named articles are stated to have belonged to the 
 Abbot. ^ 
 
 I have in my possession three ancient carved oak 
 
 1 Thoresby's Ducatus Leodiensis, p. 447, 487, 489. 
 
35 
 
 panels, which I beheve formed the front of a chest 
 belonging to the Abbey, or some of its dependencies ; 
 they were discovered in a yard behind a cottage in 
 Meanwood, where they had lain amongst a quantity 
 of rubbish for many years. The monks of Kirkstall 
 had possessions in this place, which is situate 
 midway between the Abbey and the Granges of 
 Headingley and Moor- Aller ton, and the workman- 
 ship is undoubtedly of a date previous to the 
 surrender of the House. These interesting objects 
 are each twelve inches in length and eleven inches 
 in breadth ; the subjects represented are on one 
 panel, the sun, radiated, surrounded by this inscrip- 
 tion, ^0^ ^M^ tU ,^m tftat X^ M^U ; on another 
 panel, the moon, side faced, with a flowing beard, 
 surrounded by this inscription, (god that X^ tht ^ing 
 Ot mijftt ^nvt the ^Umt, and on the centre panel a 
 talbot passant. There are also other specimens of 
 oak carving at present fixed in the passage wall of 
 the house of G. H. Nussey, Esq., at St. Ann's, 
 Burley, which are stated on good authority to have 
 been originally brought from the Abbey. They 
 consist of two circular pieces, each bearing the 
 arms of France and England, quarterly, within the 
 garter, which is inscribed with the motto honi Soit 
 QUI MAL Y PENSE, and surmounted with the royal 
 crown ; another piece, over these, bearing the initials 
 E. E., doubtless for Edwardus Bex; and another 
 bearing a large heraldic rose. 
 
 It is not surprising that numerous fragments of 
 oak carving yet remain in the vicinity of these large 
 monastic establishments, as they abounded with it. 
 Three panels of this description, carved with half- 
 length figures, were formerly to be seen in a house 
 
36 
 
 near to Salley Abbey, from whence they are supposed 
 to have been taken. 
 
 A large collection of charters relating to this 
 Monastery were discovered a number of years ago 
 in an old house in Chapel- Allerton ; they relate 
 almost exclusively to estates situate in that town- 
 ship, and many date from the latter part of the 
 twelfth century, and have the seals entire. This 
 discovery is recorded by Dr. Whitaker, who gives 
 fac-simile engravings of two of these interesting 
 documents, and copies of several others ; he states 
 that it had been conjectured they were taken by the 
 last Abbot, on his retirement from office, to this 
 part of his former domains ; but it appeared to him 
 more probable that the collection had been delivered 
 to one of the first purchasers of the estates in this 
 township, by whom they had been concealed and 
 forgotten.^ The latter is the more probable explana- 
 tion of the matter, as it will be remembered that 
 after the surrender of the Monastery it was believed 
 the last Abbot took up his abode in the principal 
 gate-house. 
 
 the reader has had placed before him a brief history 
 of the foundation, rise to opulence and fall, of one 
 of those sacred temples reared by the zeal of our 
 ancestors as a place of rest for individuals devoted 
 to a religious life. The impression which the perusal 
 of it will convey to a reflecting mind will be of 
 the mutability of early grandeur ; it is, however, in 
 this respect, not a solitary instance ; other temples, 
 
 1 Loidia and Elmete, p. 123. 
 
37 
 
 of greater magnificence and more extended fame, 
 have fallen under the hand of the destroyer, and are 
 only distinguishable by their mouldering remains. 
 Its cells, at one time the abode of piety and learning, 
 are now exposed to the summer sun and the winter's 
 blast, while the visitor, as he wanders over hallowed 
 precincts, hears but the echo of his own footsteps, 
 accompanied by the murmur of the adjacent river. 
 
^ppenbix. 
 
 Note A, Page g. 
 
 The Pulpit was placed against the south-west angle of the 
 fifth column, in the north aisle, counting from the west, — 
 Chartularium Kirkstallense, p. ii, Wilson's MS S. 
 
 Note B, Page 12. 
 
 The Choir occupied the space under the crossing, with two 
 bays of the structural nave, while the eastern arm, being wholly 
 beyond the stalls, was the sanctuary. The choir pavement 
 may yet be seen between the two bays on the south side. The 
 windows in the middle of the Nave Aisle, viz., in the third 
 Bay from the Tower, are of later date, introduced probably to 
 throw light upon the Altars against the Choir Screen. — Sir G. 
 Gilbert Scotfs Report, pp. 6—8. 
 
 Note C, Page 14. 
 
 A Bell now hanging in the steeple of St. Peter's, Kirkthorpe, 
 near Wakefield, is believed to have once belonged to Kirkstall 
 Abbey, The inscription upon it is in ornamental letters of the 
 so-called " Longobardic " character, but which would perhaps 
 be better designated as " mediaeval capitals." The words are 
 these : — >J< Laurentius : Iohes : de : Berdesay : Abbas Ao : 
 Di : Mo. The first word is preceded by a cross, as was the 
 case in almost all inscriptions of those days. 
 
 "Laurentius" is the name which the bell received at its 
 benediction, or "baptism," as it has often been called. We 
 may well believe that this very bell was in its early days known 
 among the monks of Kirkstall by its name of ' Laurence," for 
 it seems highly probable that it once hung in the now ruined 
 tower of Kirkstall Abbey. It bears the name of John de 
 Bardsey, who was Abbot in 1396, and thus we have a pretty 
 good notion of its date. Mediaeval bells were very seldom 
 
40 
 
 dated, but this bell has the beginning of a date, Mo. for 
 millessimo, which has not been finished for want of room ; or 
 possibly the inscription may have been completed on another 
 bell of the same set. — Report Huddersfield Archceological and 
 Topographical Association, Paper by the Rev. J. T. Fowler, 1869. 
 
 Note D, Page 15. 
 
 The small Cell on the right of the steps leading from the 
 South Transept to the East Dormitory, has had a vaulted 
 ceiling, now plainly visible. It has two narrow lights looking 
 into the Cloister Court, and also the remains of a stone sedilia 
 on the West side, and a door on the East side. This may have 
 been a penitential cell, or for the attendant on the before-named 
 monk's dormitory. 
 
 Note E, Page 19. 
 
 The surrender of the Abbey of Kirk stall with all its appurtenances into 
 the hands of King Henry VIII., 22nd November, 1540. 
 
 To all the faithful in Christ, to whom this present Writing 
 shall come; We, John Ripley, Abbot of the Monastry of Kirk- 
 stall, in the County of York, and the Convent of the same place, 
 everlasting greeting in our Lord. Know ye that we the afore- 
 said Abbot and Convent, by our unanimous assent and consent 
 with steady minds of our certain knowledge, and proper motion, 
 and certain just and reasonable causes, spiritually moving us 
 our souls and consciences, have freely and of our own accord 
 given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant, 
 surrender, deliver, and confirm, to the most Illustrious and 
 Invincible Prince our Lord Henry the Eighth, by the grace of 
 God King of England and France, Defender of the Faith, Lord * 
 of Ireland, and Supreme Head of the Church of England upon 
 Earth. All our House and Monastry as also all the Scite, 
 Ground, Circuit and Enclosure, and the Church of the same 
 Monastry, with all our Debts, Chattells, and Moveables, 
 belonging or appertaining to Us or the said Monastry, 
 as well those we at present possess, or those which are 
 due to Us or our said Monastry, either by bond or any 
 other cause any way whatsoever, Likewise all and singular 
 Manors, Lordships, Messuages, Gardens, Curtilages, Tofts, 
 
41 
 
 Lands and Tenements, Meadows, Grazings, Pastures, Woods, 
 Underwoods, Revenues, Reversions and Services, Mills, Pas- 
 sages, Knight Fees, Wards, Marriages, native Villains, with all 
 their Followers, Liberties, Franchises, Privileges, Jurisdictions, 
 Offices, Court Leets, and of Hundred, View of Frankpledges, 
 Fairs, Markets, Parks, Warrens, Wine-cellars, Moors, Fisheries, 
 Roads. Path, Wharfs, Wastes, Advowsons, Nominations, Pre- 
 sentations and Donations of Churches, Vicarages, Chapels, 
 Chantries, Hospitals, and other Benefices whatsoever ; Rec- 
 tories, Vicarages, Chantries, Pensions, Procurations, Annuities, 
 Tithes, Oblations, and all other and singular Emoluments, 
 Profits, Possessions, Hereditaments whatsoever, as well within 
 the said County of York, and in the County of Lancaster, and 
 City of York, and elsewhere within the Kingdom of England, 
 Wales, and the Marshes of the same, to Our said Monastry any 
 way belonging, appertaining, annexed, or incumbent ; and all 
 sorts of Charters, Evidences, Bonds, Writings and Muniments, 
 whatsoever, that belong or appertain to Us, or our said 
 Monastry, or Lands, or Tenements, or the other Premises 
 with their appurtenances, or to any Parcel thereof, in any 
 manner, to have, hold, and enjoy our said Monastry, and the 
 aforesaid Scite, Ground, Circuit and Precinct, and our Church 
 aforesaid with all our Debts, Goods, and Chattels, as all and 
 singular, our Manors, Lordships, Messuages, Lands, and Tene- 
 ments, Rectories, Pensions, and other Premises whatsoever, 
 with all and singular their appurtenances to the said most 
 invincible Prince our King aforesaid, his Heirs, Successors, and 
 Assigns, to the use of the said Lord our King his Heirs and 
 Successors for ever, to this behalf and to all effect of Law that 
 can or may thence follow. We as become Us do submit our- 
 selves and our said Monastry with all and singular the Premises, 
 and all that is Ours whatsoever way acquired, giving and 
 granting and by these presents. We do give and grant to his 
 said Royal Majesty, his Heirs, Successors, and Assigns, all and 
 all sorts of full and free Faculty, Authority, and Power, to 
 dispose of Us and our said Monastry, together with all and 
 singular ihe Manors, Lands, and Tenements, Revenues, Rever- 
 sions, and Services and singular the Premises with all their 
 Customs and appurtenances whatsoever, and to dispose of, 
 alienate, give, pass, or transfer them at his own free will and 
 
42 
 
 pleasure to whatsoever uses it shall seem good to His Majesty, 
 and we do ratify such Dispositions, Alienations, Donations, Con- 
 versions, and Translations, whatsoever way they shall be made 
 by his aforesaid Royal Majesty. Moreover we permit to the 
 end that all and singular the premises may have their due effect. 
 And We do renounce and disclaim, as we have renounced and 
 disclaimed, Elections, Suits, and Instances, and all other 
 remedies and redresses whatsoever for ourselves or our Suc- 
 cessors on pretence of the aforesaid Disposition, Alienation, 
 Translation, and Conversion, and of the other premises that is 
 or may be competent on account of Deceit, Dread, Fear, Igno- 
 rance, or other matter, wholly laying aside and quitting all 
 Dispositions, Exceptions, Objections, and Allegations, openly 
 publickly and expressly of our certain Knowledge and that of 
 our own accord, and we do recede from them in this Writing. 
 And We the Abbot, and Convent aforesaid, and our successors, 
 will by these presents, warrant and for ever defend against all 
 people to our aforesaid Lord the King, his Heirs, Successors, 
 and Assigns, to the aforesaid Use our said Monastry and all the 
 Scite, Ground, Circuit, Precinct, Mansion, and Church, afore- 
 said, and all and singular the Lordships, Manors, Messuages, 
 Gardens, Curtilages, Tofts, Meadows, Grazings, Pastures, 
 Woods, Underwoods, Lands, and Tenements, Revenues, Rever- 
 sions, Services, and all and singular the Premises with all their 
 Members and Appurtenances. In Testimony whereof We, the 
 aforesaid Abbot and Convent, have with our own Hands in our 
 name subscribed to this present Writing, and afifixed our com- 
 mon seal to these presents. Given in our Chapter House, the 
 22n(i Day of the month of November, in the thirty-first Year 
 of the reign of our most Invincible Prince and Lord King 
 Henry the Eighth, and in the Year of our Lord 1540. — 
 Chartularium Kirkstallense, p. 150. Wilson's MSS. 
 
 Note F, Page 20. 
 
 It was thought that one of these apartments had been used as 
 a Penitential Cell for minor breaches of monastic discipline, 
 but Sir G. G. Scott gives it as a Staircase leading from the 
 Cloister Court up to the East Dormitory. It is clear from 
 the indentions in the north and south sides now to be seen, that 
 the steps may be traced. 
 
43 
 
 Note G, Page 27. 
 
 John Ripley, elected Abbot 21st July, 1528, who surrendered 
 the Abbey and all its Lands, Chattels, &c., to King Henry 
 VIII., 22nd November, 1540, had an annual pension for life of 
 /66 13s. 4<?. ; also Leonard Windres and Anthony Jackson £^ 
 each; also Richard Bateson £j, Edward Heptonstall and John 
 Harewood /6 13s. 4^. each ; also William Lupton and Edward 
 Sandall £6 each : also Paul Mason, Robert Himsworth, and 
 Richard Wood £s 6s. 8^. each ; also Thomas Wilson, Thomas 
 Pepper, John Shaw and Thomas Wilson £^ each ; and Henry 
 Claughton £2, annual pensions for their lives. They were 
 all living in 1553. 
 
 Several of the Abbots were summoned to Parliaments. — 
 Chartularitim Kirkstallense , p . 6. Wilsou''s MSS. 
 
 Note H, Page 29. 
 
 Kirkstall Forge is supposed to be co-eval with the Abbey. 
 Remains of Ancient Iron Workings and Furnaces found in the 
 adjacent wood3 favour this belief. Thoresby says, writing of 
 Kirkstall, — "but what is most remarkable here is the Iron 
 " Forge, which might serve Vulcan himself and his Cyclops to 
 •' work in, and a Mill that Mr. Dickens of late years erected 
 " (1680 A.D.) for slitting Iron into small Bars or Rods, by which 
 "means there is a considerable manufacture of Nails in these 
 " parts." — Dw^fl^/s Leodiensis, p. 167. 
 
9 r-¥-;» 
 
 GROUND PLAN 
 
 OP 
 
 u^kyj»o».^4. 
 
JIefei\encb. 
 
 1.— Church 
 
 2.--CHAPELS 
 
 3.— Sacristy 
 
 4.— Cloister Court 
 
 5 —Chapter House 
 
 6.— Room for the Dead 
 
 /.^Penitential Cell 
 
 8,—Cloister8 
 
 9.— Granary 
 10— Common Room 
 11.— Old Refectory 
 12.— Nbw do. 
 13.— Open Court 
 14.— Abbots Hall 
 15.— Kitchens 
 16. -^Buttery 
 17.— Abbots House 
 
 ]g|. Abbots Offices 
 
 20.— Hospitium 
 
 A-^Pulpit <$uppo^<i poiUion) B br^Bniarged Hmt/cM^i 
 
 B— Sanctuary FF—North A South Tianaepts 
 
 0-— Nave H H — North and Sov th A is let 
 
 Scale of Feet 
 
 ao.nftMMu**'*!* f c 
 
 
 90 
 
 
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 ISO 
 
 
 
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14 DAY USE 
 
 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
 on the date to which renewed. 
 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
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