Kirklees Priory Gatehouse (Kirklees): Difference between revisions

Locality
Coordinate	53.695732, -1.737452
Adm. div.	West Riding of Yorkshire
Vicinity	Kirklees Priory grounds, Brighouse
Type	Building
Interest	Local tradition
Status	Extant
First Record	1906

Latest revision as of 13:51, 7 January 2021

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The gatehouse

Kirklees Priory Gatehouse / Humphrey Bolton, 29 May 2006.

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-07.

The gatehouse at Kirklees is where, according to tradition, Robin Hood shot his last arrow and died. He was to be buried where the arrow landed (see Robin Hood's Grave). The gatehouse is the only part of Kirklees Priory left, and it seems to have been extensively rebuilt during the Elizabethan period. At a talk he gave to members of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1906, the then owner of the Kirklees estate, George John Armytage, had this to say about the gatehouse:

There is a mention of an old almshouse without the gate, and another, 40 feet long and 18 feet broad, by the beck side. This may refer to the present gate-house now standing [...]. This is supposed to be the house in which Robin Hood died, but that is another history, to which I do not propose to refer to-night. Mr. Bilson, however, thinks that this is a post-dissolution building. It has evidently been built at two different periods, the wooden portion being older than the stone.^[1]

The B version of the ballad of Robin Hood's Death (c. 1767) ends with what is the earliest version of the famous scene of Robin Hood's death, where the outlaw shoots an arrow at random, asking to be buried where it lands. Although the ballad is silent about this, it was widely believed that the Gatehouse at Kirklees Priory was the scene of Robin Hood's death. Popular tradition connects several other pairs of localities through arrows shot by Robin Hood and/or Little John. For these see the page on Places connected by bowshot.

Gazetteers

Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.

Sources

Armytage, George John. 'Account of Excavations at Kirklees Priory, Yorks.', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Second Series, vol. XXI (1906-1907), pp. 175-86 [+2 pp. plates]. Report of a presentation on the history of the priory and surviving documentary materials relating to it, on excavations, the Armytages' long ownership of the etstate, rediscovered nun's graves etc.
Armytage, George John. 'Kirklees Priory', Yorkshire Archæological Journal, vol. XX, part 1 (1908), pp. 24-32 [+2 pp. plates], p. 26 and n 1.
Roberts, Kai. Grave Concerns: the Follies and Folklore of Robin Hood's Final Resting Place (Woolsery, Bideford, © 2011).

Maps

Brief mention

Anonymous. 'Meetings of Antiquarian Societies', The Antiquary, vol. III (1881), pp. 226-31, see p. 229.

Also see

Notes

↑ Armytage, George John. 'Account of Excavations at Kirklees Priory, Yorks.', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Second Series, vol. XXI (1906-1907), pp. 175-86 [+2 pp. plates]; see p. 178.

Image gallery

Click any image to display it in the lightbox, where you can navigate between images by clicking in the right or left side of the current image.

Kirklees Priory Gatehouse / Photo: Humphrey Bolton, 29 May 2006.
"The Room Robin Hood died in". Eearly 20th cent. postcard / HTN collection.
Lilywhite Ltd. Old Priory Containing Robin Hood's Room, Kirklees (KKS 4) ([Halifax?], [s.d.]). Photographic postcard (monochrome). 137 x 87 mm. / HTN collection.
Anonymous. Kirklees Priory where Robin Hood Died ([s.l.], [s.d.]). Photographic postcard (b./w.). 87 x 137 mm. / HTN collection.
The Gatehouse / Turner, J. Horsfall. The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893), p. 198.
The Gatehouse / Turner, J. Horsfall. The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893), p. 199.
The Gatehouse; cut by F. W. Fairholt / Walker, J. W. 'Robin Hood Identified', Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, vol. 36, part 1 (1944), pp. 4-46, plate facing p. 37. Public Domain. From J. M. Gutch, ed., The Robin Hood Garlands and Ballads
Little John shoots his last arrow / Ritson, Joseph, ed. Robin Hood: a Collection of Poems, Songs, and Ballads Relative to that celebrated English Outlaw (The Universal Library, vol. 1) (London and Glasgow, [c. 1853]), t.-p.; HTN collection.

West Riding of Yorkshire place-names

Yorkshire place-names

Place-names

[1] Armytage, George John. 'Account of Excavations at Kirklees Priory, Yorks.', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Second Series, vol. XXI (1906-1907), pp. 175-86 [+2 pp. plates]; see p. 178.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
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-{{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}~{{#replace:{{PAGENAME}}|&#39;|'}}|width=34%|service=leaflet|enablefullscreen=yes}}<div class="pnMapLegend">The gatehouse</div>
+{{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}~{{#replace:{{PAGENAME}}|&#39;|'}}|width=34%|enablefullscreen=yes}}<div class="pnMapLegend">The gatehouse</div>
-[[File:Kirklees Priory Gatehouse, Clifton - geograph.org.uk - 177762.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Kirklees Priory Gatehouse / [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kirklees_Priory_Gatehouse,_Clifton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_177762.jpg Humphrey Bolton], 29 May 2006.]]
+[[File:Kirklees Priory Gatehouse, Clifton - geograph.org.uk - 177762.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Kirklees Priory Gatehouse / [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kirklees_Priory_Gatehouse,_Clifton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_177762.jpg Humphrey Bolton], 29 May 2006.]]<div class="no-img">
 <p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}.</p>
-<div class="no-img">
 The gatehouse at Kirklees is where, according to tradition, Robin Hood shot his last arrow and died. He was to be buried where the arrow landed (see [[Robin Hood's Grave (Kirklees Priory)|Robin Hood's Grave]]). The gatehouse is the only part of Kirklees Priory left, and it seems to have been extensively rebuilt during the Elizabethan period.
 At a talk he gave to members of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1906, the then owner of the Kirklees estate, George John Armytage, had this to say about the gatehouse:
 <blockquote>There is a mention of an old almshouse without the gate, and another, 40 feet long and 18 feet broad, by the beck side. This may refer to the present gate-house now standing [...]. This is supposed to be the house in which Robin Hood died, but that is another history, to which I do not propose to refer to-night. Mr. Bilson, however, thinks that this is a post-dissolution building. It has evidently been built at two different periods, the wooden portion being older than the stone.<ref>{{:Armytage, George John 1906a}}; see p. 178.</ref></blockquote>
-The B version of the ballad of ''[[Robin Hood's Death]]'' (''c.'' 1767) ends with what is the earliest version of the famous scene of Robin Hood's death, where the outlaw shoots an arrow at random, asking to be buried where it lands. Although the ballad is silent about this, it was a widely believed that the Gatehouse at Kirklees Priory was the scene of Robin Hood's death. Popular tradition connects several other pairs of localities through arrows shot by Robin Hood and/or Little John. For these see the page on [[Places connected by bowshot]].
+The B version of the ballad of ''[[Robin Hood's Death]]'' (''c.'' 1767) ends with what is the earliest version of the famous scene of Robin Hood's death, where the outlaw shoots an arrow at random, asking to be buried where it lands. Although the ballad is silent about this, it was widely believed that the Gatehouse at Kirklees Priory was the scene of Robin Hood's death. Popular tradition connects several other pairs of localities through arrows shot by Robin Hood and/or Little John. For these see the page on [[Places connected by bowshot]].
-{{PnItemQry}}
+{{PlaceNamesItemAllusionsAndRecords}}
 == Gazetteers ==
 * Not included in {{:Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a}}, pp. 293-311.
@@ Line 14: / Line 13: @@
 == Sources ==
 * {{:Armytage, George John 1906a}}. Report of a presentation on the history of the priory and surviving documentary materials relating to it, on excavations, the Armytages' long ownership of the etstate, rediscovered nun's graves etc.
+* {{:Armytage, George John 1908a}}, p. 26 and n 1.
+* {{:Roberts, Kai 2011a}}.
 == Maps ==
@@ Line 24: / Line 25: @@
 == Brief mention ==
 * {{:Anonymous 1881c}}, see p. 229.
-{{PnItemAlsoSee}}
+{{PlaceNamesItemAlsoSee}}
 == Notes ==
 <references/>
+</div>
-</div>
+<div id="gallery">
-{{ImgGalleryIntro}}
+{{ImageGalleryIntroduction}}
 <gallery widths="195px">File:Kirklees Priory Gatehouse, Clifton - geograph.org.uk - 177762.jpg|Kirklees Priory Gatehouse / Photo: [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kirklees_Priory_Gatehouse,_Clifton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_177762.jpg Humphrey Bolton], 29 May 2006.
-File:Postcard Anonymous 19xxb.jpg|"The Room Robin Hood died in". Eearly 20th cent. postcard / Private collection.
+Postcard Anonymous 19xxb.jpg|"The Room Robin Hood died in". Eearly 20th cent. postcard / HTN collection.
-File:Lilywhite Ltd 19xxa-r.jpg|{{:Lilywhite Ltd 19xxa}} / Private collection.
+Lilywhite Ltd 19xxa-r.jpg|{{:Lilywhite Ltd 19xxa}} / HTN collection.
-File:Anonymous 19xxzi-r.jpg|{{:Anonymous 19xxzi}} / Private collection.
+Anonymous 19xxzi-r.jpg|{{:Anonymous 19xxzi}} / HTN collection.
-File:Turner j h 1893a kirklees.jpg|The Gatehouse / [[Turner, Joseph Horsfall 1893a|Turner, J. Horsfall. ''The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme'' (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893)]], p. 198.
+Turner j h 1893a kirklees.jpg|The Gatehouse / [[Turner, Joseph Horsfall 1893a|Turner, J. Horsfall. ''The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme'' (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893)]], p. 198.
-File:Turner j h 1893a kirklees gatehouse.jpg|The Gatehouse / [[Turner, Joseph Horsfall 1893a|Turner, J. Horsfall. ''The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme'' (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893)]], p. 199.
+Turner j h 1893a kirklees gatehouse.jpg|The Gatehouse / [[Turner, Joseph Horsfall 1893a|Turner, J. Horsfall. ''The History of Brighouse, Rastrick, and Hipperholme'' (Bingley, Yorkshire, 1893)]], p. 199.
-File:Ritson-joseph-1853a-title-page.jpg|Little John shoots his last arrow / {{:Ritson, Joseph 1853a}}, t.-p.; private collection.
+walker-john-william-plate-facing-p37.jpg|The Gatehouse; cut by F. W. Fairholt / {{:Walker, John William 1944a}}, plate facing p. 37. Public Domain. From [[Gutch, John Mathew 1850a|J. M. Gutch, ed., ''The Robin Hood Garlands and Ballads'']]
+Ritson-joseph-1853a-title-page.jpg|Little John shoots his last arrow / {{:Ritson, Joseph 1853a}}, t.-p.; HTN collection.
 </gallery>
+</div>
+{{PlaceNamesItemNavigation}}
-{{PnItemNav}}
 [[Category:Yorkshire postcards]]