The veftry room appears to have been on the north fide of the chancel, which, like every other part of the building, is now entirely rooflefs.

apart

THE fecond or inner court is furrounded by double walls, and contained the cells of thefe folitary monks; the doors of which though now walled up, may be diftinctly traced; there being four on the east, five on the weft, and five on the north. On the fide of each door there is a fmall zig-zag opening in the wall, to communicate with the ments; and fo contrived, that victuals, &c. might be conveyed into the cell, without the perfon being feen. Around this court, which meafures 8c paces from north to fouth, and 73 paces from eaft to west, there appears to have been a fhade or covering, to fhelter the religious in their proceffions; and in the weft wall, under an arched recefs, is the pifcena, or ciftern, where a pump feems to have been fixed, and refembles one in a vaulted veftry, at York Minster: this was probably for the priests to wash in, before the performance of divine fervices.

FROM the north-eaft corner of this court, there is a finall stream of clear water, which, at prefent, runs in an open channel, till it reaches the centre of the court; from whence, it is arched over, and conveyed beneath the buildings, till it comes in front of the farm houfe, where it breaks out, and terminates in a fine flowing well.

On the fouth of the first court or quadrangle, the faint vestiges of many buildings appear, which we are led to conjecture might have been the barns, kilns, and other out-offices, that once fupplied the monaftry.

SUCH are the most prominent features of this venerable ruin; every part of which, even the loofe fragments that lie fcattered around, are luxuriantly covered with ivy, and confpire with the furrounding fcenery, to imprefs the mind with that calm compofure and pleasing melancholy, which arifes from vifiting the facred ruins of time.

AT fome diftance, on the fummit of the mountain that shelters the monaftry, on the eaft, are the ruins of an ancient building, called the

LADY-CHAPEL,

which was founded in the year 1515. † The edifice has been but of fmall dimenfions; and from the prefent remains, appears to have contained nothing remarkable, in point of architecture. The road from the monaftry to this chapel, which leads up the steep brow of a lofty mountain, is rugged; and by the growth of trees, rendered at present, a painful and difficult afcent.

NUMEROUS miracles are reported to have been performed at this chapel, by our lady's help; fuch as the fudden recovery of a child that feemed dead, and the cure of many from the fweating fickness, and other afflicting maladies; but thefe carry with them fo much the appearance of fuperftition, that we, at prefent, forbear any further repe

tition.

+ If we may be allowed to hazard a conjecture, as to the motives for fuch erections, which were fometimes contiguous to the prior-church, it will be found, perhaps, that this chapel was placed at a distance from the monaftry, not only to fignify that those who would rightly reverence the Holy Virgin's contemplation, should sometimes lay afide and forget the troublesome noise of towns and cities; and go as it were with Mofes to the mount; but also, that thofe, who came for devotion to the chapel of our lady, might receive encouragement from the example of the religious, whofe life they might, by enquiring, know; while the religious themselves might remain quiet and undisturbed by the frequent vifits of strangers:

$ 2

THE PARISH OF WHORLTON ;

pa

OR, as it is fometimes written, Wherevelion, Querelton, Quarlton, Ferwelthun; and in Domesday-book, Wereltun, appears to have been fo named from a detached and conical formed mountain within the rish, of no great elevation, called Wharl, or Whorl-Hill, which, according to Minshew, is conjectured to be derived from the Belgic word, WERVELEN, in Orbem vertere; or rather perhaps, according to Somner, from the Saxon Ppeopra, verticulum; an etymology that points out the remains of our aboriginal language, which have furvived the lapse of fo many centuries, and the fhock of fo many revolutions.

THE parish is about five miles in extent from north to fouth, and four miles broad; being bounded by the parishes of Rudby and Face-, by on the east; by Arncliffe and Rudby on the weft; by Rudby on the north; and by a range of hills, running eastwards, which divide it from Ofmotherly and Bilfdale on the fouth. It is divided into the townships of Whorlton and Pottowe; and befides thefe, comprehends the village of Swainby; and the feveral hamlets of Huthwaite, Scarthe-wood, Trenbolme, and a part of Faceby.

*

WHORLTON, in the Conqueror's time, was ancient demefne of the crown, it being entered in Domesday-book, under the title of

* GREAT confufion is fometimes met with, in the boundaries of parishes; of which Whorlton affords a particular instance, being intermixed with Facely, a part of which lies within this parish; as appears from a petition prefented to Archbishop Sharpe, in the year 1706, (wherein the parishoners defired a minifter that might refide among them,) fetting forth, "that the parish of Whorlton "confiits of fix towns: viz. Whorlton, Huthwaite, Scarthwood, Swainly, Pottee, and the greatest part Archbishop Sharpe's MSS. of Facely."

Terra ad I. Car.

Terra Regis.

Manerium in Wereltun. Golpatric I. Car. et dimid. ad geldum. Dunc eft ibi in Dominio I. Car. et VII. Willaní cum II. Car. et IIII. Acris prati. Silva paft. III. Duarent. Totum manerium I. Leuca lony. et III. Duarent. lat. T. R. E. valebat X. Solid. modo VI. Solid. et VIII. Denar.

FROM the above furvey it appears that before the conqueft, this manor was held by Gofpatric, probably the fame who was Earl of Northumberland, and forfeited his estates for treafon, in taking part with the rebels at York against the Conqueror; it contained at that time only one carucate and a half of land, charged with the tax of Danegeld; with arable land fufficient for one plough. There was then in Demesne one carucate, and feven villeins † with two ploughs, and four acres of meadow. There was alfo a wood with pafturage for cattle or deer, containing three quarentens. The manor was one mile long, * and three quarentens broad; and in the time of Edward the Confessor was valued at ten fhillings; but at the time of the furvey, was worth no more than fix fhillings and eight pence. It also appear's from another part of the survey that there were twenty villeins with eight ploughs here, which were within the foke or liberty of the manor of Hutton, at that time held by Robert, Earl of Mortain in Normandy, who was half-brother to the Conqueror.

THE Meinills, at an early period after the conqueft, became lords here; of which family we find mention made of Stephen, fon of Robert de Meinill, who, in the time of King Henry I. founded a religious houfe at Scarthe, in this parish. This Stephen was fucceeded by Robert his fon, who married Emma, daughter of Richard de Malbiffe,

THE Villani, or Villeins, were tenants of fuperior degree to Ser vi, and held fome cottage and lands; for which they were burthened with fuch fervile works, as their lords had annexed to them. *THE word kuca fignifies a mile, which in Domefday-book is 1000 paces. Quarenta was the ufual menfuration of woodlands. Kennet's Parach. Antiquities.

Knight; he died in the 8th year of King John's reign, Emma his wife
furviving; the benefit of whose second marriage was granted to her
father, on the payment of three hundred marks to the King. * He
was fucceeded by his fon Stephen, who being under age at his father's
death, Robert de Turnham had a grant of his wardship, and marriage
(9. John,) for the fum of one thousand marks. † In the fecond year
of Henry III. the cuftody of his whole barony within the county of
York was given to the Archbishop of Canterbury, it being of his fee. ‡
Nicholas de Meinill, his fon, fucceeded; to whom, for his
great fervices
in the wars against the Welch, § King Edward I. remitted a debt of
one hundred marks; and granted to him free warren throughout his
manors of Whorlton, Grenehowe, Seamer and Efton; as alfo free-chace
in all his woods within the faid lordship. He died 28. Edw. I. and
was fucceeded by his fon Nicholas, then 24 years of age; who, doing
his homage, had livery of his lands, except the manor of Efton, and
certain lands in Pottowe, which were affigned as the dower of his mo-
ther Chriftian then furviving. This Nicholas died 15. Edward II.
without lawful iffue; John, his brother being found his next heir; but
left a natural fon, named Nicholas, by Lucia, daughter and heir of
Robert de Thweng, his concubine,

*CLAUS. S. John. m. 3.

+ Ror. Pip. 9. John. Ebor.

REx dedit feizinam totius Baronie Roberti de Menill, Archiepifcopo Cantuar.

Claus. 2. Hen. III. m. 6.

NICHOLAS, fil. Domini Steph. de Menill, pro bono fervitio fuo nuper in exercitu Regis in Waliia, perdonatur debit. Ico marcis, quibus juftę tenebatur.

Com. Term. Michus. A. 9. Edward I.

THIS Nicholas brought a charge against Chriftian his wife (18. Edw. I.), that fhe had an intent to poison him, and accufed her before the Archbishop of York; where, though fhe manifefted her innocence, yet would he not be reconciled to her; fo that fhe was obliged to complain for ali mony, not daring to live with him without good fecurity, that fhe might be treated as a wife. Dugd. Baron, vol. 2. p. 119.