Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Joan Cockell of Pylmore Hall, Brafferton parish, widow aged 70, for seven years together, next and immediately before the days or time of the dissolution of the monastery or nunnery of Moxby, dwelt and remained at the nunnery, and by all the said time went yearly in hay-time forth with the prioress and nuns there to see the hay-makers of such hay as growed in the grounds belonging to the nunnery, and see the hay yearly mown, made into cocks and led away.

Margaret Newstead of Thornaby, wife of Roger Newstead, grassman, aged 72, for 11 years together next and immediately before the dissolution and suppression of the nunnery of Moxby was a professed nun there, and for diverse years before dwelt and continued in the monastery, all which time she sayeth that she amongst other young nuns of the nunnery helped to do such necessary business as was to be done about the same, and especially she sayeth yearly during the time aforesaid helped in hay time to make the hay.

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Comment

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

Isabel Murton of Sutton in Galtres widow aged 60 . . .
.. for six yeres together ended about xxxv yeres ago was houshoulde servante to Lyonell Taylor then dwellinge at the nunnrie or monasterie of Moulsebie and occupyinge certain groundes belonginge to the monasterie and especiallye these groundes folowinge viz. the Wood Close the Myll Close the Stock Inge the Lyones Garth twoo closies called Warme Parkes . . .

Joan Cockell of Pylmore Hall parochie de Brafferton vidua etatis sue lxx annorum . . .
… for vii yeres together nexte and immediatlye before the dayes or tyme of the dissolucion of the monasterie or nunnrie of Moulsebye dwelte and remayned at the nunnrie and by all the said tyme wente yerelie in hay tyme furthe with the priores and nunnes there to see the hay maikars of suche hay as growed in the growndes belonginge to the… nunnrie and see the hay yerelie mowne maid into cockes and ledd away
[There was no tithe hay paid]… of hir knowledge beinge butler at the monasterie or nunnrie duringe the said vii yeres… and was privie to the commodities commynge in and goinge furthe of the monasterie or nunnrie. She named: Dame Agnes Tuite laite pryores of the monasterie who died aboute foure or fyve yeres before the dissolucion of the monasterie; Dame Phillipp Jennyson next Prioris after; Dame Margaret Cuniston an ould nun of the nunnrie; Dame Joan Ellarie an oulde nun there Also Dame Joan Hunton then a nun there and yet levinge; Dame Agnes Posgait an ould nun Also Dame Eliz. Burnet her conteste, Dame Dorothie Standishe, Dame Margt. Thormanbie also hir conteste all nunns of the said nunnrie at the dayes of the dissolucion thereof or a litle before . . .

Eliz. Burnett of Helperbie spinster aged 73…
… for xiii or xiiii yeres together dwelte contynewed and remayned at the monasterie or nunnrie of Moulsebie next and immediatlie before the dissolucion or suppression of the said . . . nunnrie and was a nunn there hir selfe aboute v or vi yeres before the said dissolucion.
… she hir selfe did yerely for the moste parte in hay tyme helpe to strawe and coke the hay…

Margt. Newstead of Thornabie uxor Rogeri Newstead gresman, aged 72 …
… for xi yeres together nexte and immediatlye before the dissolucion and suppression of the . . . nunnrie of Molseby was ae professed nunn there and for dyvers yeres before dwelte and contynewed in the monasterie all which tyme she saithe that she amongste other yoounge nunns of the nunnrie helped to do suche necessarie busines as was to be done aboute the same and especiallye she saithe yerelye duringe the tyme afforesaid helped in hay tyme to maike the hay…

453 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Augustinians (2) ·
• Convent (2) ·
• Dissolution of the monasteries (9), the set of administrative and legal processes 1536-41 by which Henry VIII disbanded Catholic monasteries, priories, convents, and friaries, seized their wealth, disposed of their assets, and provided for their former personnel and functions ·
• Harvest (2) ·
• Hay (9) ·
• Henry VIII (1491-1547) (16), ruled 1509 until his death, initiator of the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority and introducing the theory of the divine right of kings, dissolved convents and monasteries, invested heavily in the navy ·
• Long-term memory (5) ·
• Marton-cum-Moxby (1) ·
• Moxby Priory (1) ·
• Thornaby-on-Tees (1) ·
• Tithe (8) ·

All tags.

Similar

• 3 March 1607: During a tithe case at Kirkbymoorside, George Hutton (82) recalls Roland Blyton hunting at Skiplam and Welburn before the Dissolution 70 years ago
• 19 February 1557: At a tithe hearing, Ralph Dicconson (60) of Malton recalls his visits 40 years ago as a pedlar to Kirkham Priory before its dissolution in 1539
• 3 May 1641: On the day of the discovery of the True Cross, Driffield folk start moving their livestock out of town to high summer pasture, endangering crops
• 20 January 1536: Thomas Cromwell’s dissolvers of monasteries, Richard Layton and Thomas Legh, report allegations of whoring and theft by William Thirsk, Abbot of Fountains
• 13 January 1536: Richard Layton, dissolver of monasteries, writes to Thomas Cromwell claiming that Yorkshire clergy use birth control
• 7 July 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) starts haymaking
• 12 October 0709: St Wilfrid of York’s soul departs with the birds to the sound of Psalm 104 at Oundle (Northants)
• 27 December 1132: The foundation of Fountains Abbey by dissidents from St Mary’s, York, retold by a Victorian antiquary using Cistercian chronicles
• 29 August 1570: On arriving in Yorkshire, Archbishop Grindal declares war on bloody-minded folk-Catholicism
• 16 September 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) begins to harvest peas, and describes the technique required