Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/150

 132 ST. MARYS CHURCH, NUN-MONKTON, YORKSHIRE. nuns or their prioress at that period. They were accused of wearing divers furs, "even grej furs," silk go is', silk veils, rings on their tingers, (Src, and neglecting their proper costume, the cloak and hood, even in their chapel, and of holding too familiar intercoiurse with John Monkton, alias Alanson, and others; the prioress especially was accused of having acted as biu-sar; of selling a large quantity of timber; of having too easily restored nims who had lapsed into sin: of allowing them to receive presents fn>m their friends, towards their maintenance: and of having frequently invited John Monkton to feasts in her own chamber, there playing at "tables' with him, and being served by him with drink; by which practices the house was much scandalized. They were strictly forbidden by the injunctions issued on the >^th of July following, to hold any intercourse with the said John Monkton and others enumerated, except in the presence of two senior nuns of good repute; or to allow clerks to frequent the priory without good cause, or to con- tinue any of the other practices complained of. By a survey of the possessions of the prior)', 29 Henr>' Vlll., it appears that the annual rental amounted to £132. 15s., equivalent to at least iloOO a yeaj* of our money. At the Dissolution the property was granted to Lord Latymer, (Sir John Neville^.) It seems probable that the church now standing was the chapel of the nimnery, which may partly account for its very singular arrangement. From the style of the architec- tim? there can be no hesitation in assisrnin^ the end of the twelfth century as the period of its erection. There does not appear to be any ground for siqiposing that there was a more ancient structiu-e which was removed to make room for the present one. On the contrary, it is far more prol)able that the other buildings of the priorv- would be erected before the chapel: the eastern part, now destroyed, may have been built soon after the fomidation, or about the middle of the twelfth centiuy: but the editice pn^gressed slowly, changing its character according to the style in use when each part was erected: thus, the work having been half a centiuy in hand, the later portions became pure Early English. The chiurch a^ if stands at present i> n sm.-ill but very
 * " Aliqoibus jupis. AQgli«:ic. v';«««?i." * iloaasucou. voL iv. {^i. U^J — I9u.