о THE REGISTER OF THE PRIORY OF WETHERHAL EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY J. E. PRESCOTT, D.D. CANON OF CARLISLE CATHEDRAL, ARCHDEACON OF CARLISLE, FORMERLY FELLOW OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. KENDAL, T. WILSON. I PREFACE. T is perhaps natural that a member of the Cathedral Church of Carlisle should take a special interest in the Register of the Priory of Wetherhal, whose property was transferred to that Church 350 years ago. A careful examination shewed that this Register had a more than ordinary value. It did not merely present the ancient deeds of certain lands and privileges. Its early charters, of older date than any local documents now extant, had historic importance. A very incorrect opinion of these charters has been formed even in later days, and from them very erroneous deductions have been drawn. Again, the number of local references was found to be large; and the names of persons recorded in the charters unusually numerous. Some of these are persons who are here mentioned for the first time; others are characters well known in early English History. Much of this importance is, no doubt, due to the connection of the Priory with the famous Abbey of S. Mary at York. The error in the local histories, which ascribed the conquest of the district to William I. instead of William Rufus, has been refuted by Lappenberg and Dr Luard. It received some support from the ridiculous addition to P. b the Register termed "Distributio Cumberlandia" (No. 245), which was quite at variance with the early charters. But the local histories contain other errors which made it impossible to reconcile many of the statements in this Register. Two may be mentioned, as each is dealt with later in an Appendix. The foundation of the Priory of Carlisle as early as 1102 seemed very improbable; and the episcopate of the second Bishop of Carlisle, Bishop Bernard, placed in the 12th century, whether beginning in 1156 or 1186, was equally improbable. Further investigation has shewn that these assumptions were clearly mistakes. By their correction, many local characters and incidents fall into their true position, and not a few problems are solved. Some confusion is caused by the great variations of spelling, both in place names and personal names. When references or quotations are given, the spelling there used is retained and not necessarily that of the charter. There are mistakes in the language and in the letters of the words of the charters, due to the transcriber or the original writer. These in some very glaring instances have been corrected. The local histories, ancient and modern, give hardly any authorities for their statements; it is therefore difficult, often impossible, to verify them. I have endeavoured to give early authorities in many cases, such as have come under my own notice, enough to shew how much has yet to be done. Few references are given to the well-known writers of the 17th and 18th centuries; where possible, earlier sources of information have been used. Great assistance has been obtained from some of the unpublished local manuscripts, which I have reason to think will not long remain in manuscript only. |