View source for Prioresses of Kirklees

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[[File:walker-john-william-plate-facing-p44.jpg|thumb|right|360px|Gravestone of Elizabeth de Staynton; see further text in image / {{:Walker, John William 1944a}}, plate facing p. 44. Public Domain.]]
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<p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2015-09-01. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}.</p>
According to the ''[[Gest of Robyn Hode]]'' and ''[[Robin Hood's Death]]'', a prioress of Kirklees and her illicit lover were responsible for Robin Hood's death. The prioress is not given a name in either tale, and it is quite uncertain if their authors had a specific historical prioress in mind. Nonetheless a list of prioresses follows here. I believe it includes all known incumbents, yet it is quite incomplete, and unless major new discoveries are made, it will probably remain so.

Note that a single year listed for an incumbent means that she is known to have been prioress (at least part of) that year. It does not mean she was not prioress the preceding or following year, only that it is not known if this was the case. Only for three prioresses do we know both the first and last year of the incumbency with reasonable certainty: Cecilia Hyk, Cecilia Topcliffe, and Joan Kyppes. Kirklees Priory was dissolved on 24 November 1539.<ref>{{:Dodsworth, Roger 1881a}}; see p. 75 n. 1; {{:Armytage, George John 1906a}}; see p. 176.</ref>

== Prioresses of Kirklees ==
* 1234 ''or earlier'' &ndash; 1240 ''or later''. Sybill.<ref>Unless otherwise stated, information in this list is taken from {{:Chadwick, S J 1901a}}, see p. 321 (and footnotes on that page); this in the main supersedes {{:Chadwick, S J 1888a}}, see p. 85. Also {{:Dodsworth, Roger 1882a}}; see p. 404. All have Sybill as prioress in 1240. For her incumbency dating from 1234 or earlier, see: {{:Armytage, George John 1908a}}, see pp. 31-32, and {{:Anonymous 1911d}}.</ref>
* 1306. Margaret de Claworthe.<ref>The dates of her incumbency are given as 1306.10.04&ndash;?1307.01.14 in {{:Chadwick, S J 1888a}}; see p. 85.</ref>
* 1307 &ndash; ''after'' 1331.04.05. Alice de Screvyn.<ref>{{:Chadwick, S J 1901a}}, see p. 321, has her as prioress during 1307&ndash;1308 only. For later references, see {{:Lister, John 1917a}}, pp. 147 (25 July 1316), 154 (August 1316); {{:Walker, John William 1945a}}, pp. 173 (12 March 1331), 174 (5 April 1331). If Margaret de Claworthe's incumbency ended on 1307.01.14 (see note to preceding item), Alice de Screvyn's presumably started the following day.</ref> Scriven is a village just north of Knaresborough.<br/>
** [[1316 - Alice de Scriven, Prioress of Kirklees (1)]]
** [[1316 - Alice de Scriven, Prioress of Kirklees (2)]]
** [[1327 - Alice de Scriven, Prioress of Kirklees]]
** [[1331 - Alice de Scriven, Prioress of Kirklees (1)]]
** [[1331 - Alice de Scriven, Prioress of Kirklees (2)]]<br/>
* 1350. Margaret de Seyvill. She was the daughter of Sir John Seyvill.<ref>{{:Chadwick, S J 1888a}}; see p. 85.</ref>
* ''After'' 1350, ''and prob. before'' 1403. Elizabeth de Staynton.<ref>Staynton is put between Seyvill and Mountenay based on the fact that she had been sent to the nunnery by, and probably not very long before, 1347: {{:Walker, John William 1923a}}, see pp. 265-66.</ref> 
* 1403. Alice de Mountenay.
* 1472 &ndash; 1491. Cecilia Hyk. Her surname is also cited as Hill or Hiks.<ref>{{:Chadwick, S J 1888a}}, see p. 85. The earliest known date for Hyk's incumbency had previously been 1486, but she was in fact appointed alrady in 1472: {{:Armytage, George John 1908a}}, see pp. 30-31.</ref>
* 1491 &ndash;. Joan Stansfeld.<ref>Also {{:Chadwick, S J 1888a}}, see pp. 85-86.</ref>
* 1499.04.24 &ndash;. Margaret Tarlton.<ref>{{:Chadwick, S J 1901a}}, see p. 321.</ref>
* 1505.03.10 &ndash;. Margaret Fletcher.<ref>Also cf. Chadwick (1888), see pp. 85-86.</ref>
* 1527.07.09 to 1538.05.13 ''or later''. Cecilia Topcliffe.<ref>{{:Clay, John William 1912a}}, p. 127. Also see Chadwick (1888), p. 86.</ref>
* 1538.05.14 ''or later'' &ndash; 1539.11.24. Joan Kyppes, Keps, Kepax ''or'' Kepast. The last prioress of Kirklees.<ref>Clay, p. 127. Also see Armytage (1906), p. 180; Chadwick (1888), p. 86.</ref>

== Background ==
* {{:Roberts, Kai 2011a}}.

== Also see ==
* [[Gest of Robyn Hode]]
* [[Kirklees Priory]]
* [[Kirklees Priory Gatehouse (Kirklees)]]
* [[Robin Hood's Grave (Kirklees Priory)]]
* [[Robin Hood's Death]].
== Notes ==
<references/>


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