Prioresses of Kirklees

From International Robin Hood Bibliography

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2015-09-01. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-06-20.

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. Kirklees Priory was dissolved on 24 November 1539.[1]

Prioresses of Kirklees

  • Unknown date. Elizabeth de Staynton.[2]
  • 1234 or earlier – 1240 or later. Sybill.[3]
  • 1306. Margaret de Claworthe.[4]
  • 1307 – after 1331.04.05. Alice de Screvyn.[5] Scriven is a village just north of Knaresborough.
  • 1350. Margaret de Seyvill. She was the daughter of Sir john Seyvill.[6]
  • 1403. Alice de Mountenay.
  • 1472 – 1491. Cecilia Hyk. Her surname is also cited as Hill or Hiks.[7]
  • 1491. Joan Stansfeld.[8]
  • 1499. Margaret Tarlton.[9]
  • 1505.03.10. Margaret Fletcher.[10]
  • 1527.07.09 to 1538.05.13 or later. Cecilia Topcliffe.[11]
  • 1538.05.14 or later – 1539.11.24. Joan Kyppes, Keps, Kepax or Kepast. The last prioress of Kirklees.[12]

Background

Also see

Notes

  1. ↑ Armytage, George John 1881a; see p. 75 n. 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. 176.
  2. ↑ Unless otherwise stated, information in this list is taken from Chadwick, S J 1902a, see p. 321 (and footnotes on that page). This in the main supersedes Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105, see p. 85; it is supplemented by Armytage, George John 1909a.
  3. ↑ Chadwick, S J 1902a, see p. 321; Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105, see p. 85; and [Dodsworth, Roger], compil.; Ellis, Alfred S., ed. 'Dodsworth's Yorkshire Notes (Agbrigg) [part 3]', Yorkshire Archæological and Topographical Journal, vol. VII, part XXVII (1882), pp. 401-28; see p. 404, all have Sybill as prioress in 1240. It was later shown that she was already prioress in 1234: Armytage, George John 1909a, see pp. 31-32.
  4. ↑ The dates of her incumbency are given as 1306.10.04–?1307.01.14 in Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105; see p. 85.
  5. ↑ Chadwick, S J 1902a, see p. 321, has her as prioress during 1307–1308 only. For later references, see Lister, John, ed.; [Stokes, Ethel, transcr.] Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, vol. III (Yorkshire Archæological Society, Record Series, vol. LVII (1917), pp. 147 (25 July 1316), 154 (August 1316); Walker, J.W., ed.; [Stokes, Ethel, transcr.], Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield. Vol. V. 1322-1331 (Yorkshire Archæological Society, Record Series, vol. CIX) (1945), 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.
  6. ↑ Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105; see p. 85.
  7. ↑ Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105, 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 1909a, see pp. 30-31.
  8. ↑ Also Chadwick, S. J. 'Kirklees Nunnery', Yorkshire Notes and Queries, vol. I (1888), pp. 82-94, 97-105, see pp. 85-86.
  9. ↑ From 1499.04.24, cf. Chadwick, S J 1902a, see p. 321.
  10. ↑ Also cf. Chadwick (1888), see pp. 85-86.
  11. ↑ Clay, John William, ed. Yorkshire Monasteries: Suppression Papers (The Yorkshire Archæological Society, Record Series, vol. XLVIII) ([s.l.], 1912), p. 127. Also see Chadwick (1888), p. 86.
  12. ↑ Clay, p. 127. Also see Armytage (1906), p. 180; Chadwick (1888), p. 86.


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