FRIARIES
15. THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF LEICESTER
The date of foundation of the Franciscan
friary at Leicester is unknown, but the house was
already in existence by 1230. (fn. 1) It is most unlikely
that it can have been founded by Simon de
Montfort, as has been stated, (fn. 2) for Simon did not
obtain the lands of the Earldom of Leicester until
1231. (fn. 3) According to Stow, the founders were
Gilbert Luenor and his wife Ellen, (fn. 4) but the basis
for this statement is unknown. John Pickering is
also said, by Francis Peck, to have been either the
founder, or an early benefactor, of the friary, but
no evidence has been cited in support of this view. (fn. 5)
The Leicester Franciscan house was dedicated to
St. Francis, and was included in the Custody of
Oxford. (fn. 6) The chapel of the Leicester Franciscans
is first mentioned in 1255. (fn. 7) In 1349 a licence was
granted for the alienation in mortmain to the
Franciscans of a dwelling-house at Leicester, for
the enlargement of their dwelling-place. (fn. 8)
The sympathies of the Leicester Franciscans
for Richard II brought serious consequences
upon the friary in 1402. A Franciscan declared
to Henry IV that he and ten other friars of the
house at Leicester, together with a master of
divinity, had conspired in favour of the deposed
Richard. In consequence eight Franciscans of
Leicester, with the master of divinity, were
arrested and brought to London for trial. The
remaining two friars escaped. After two juries
had failed to convict, a third jury found the
prisoners guilty, and they were executed. Two
other Franciscans from Leicester, presumably the
two who had at first escaped, were executed at
Lichfield about the same time. (fn. 9) In 1402, at a
general chapter of the Franciscans held at
Leicester, it was forbidden to any of the Order to
speak against the king. (fn. 10)
Apart from this grim incident, practically
nothing is known of the history of the Leicester
Franciscans. Richard III was buried in the friary
church after his death at Bosworth. (fn. 11) In 1538
the house was surrendered by the warden and six
others. (fn. 12) The possessions of the friary consisted of
little else save the house itself, with its precincts. (fn. 13)
The First Minister's Account shows a net revenue
of only £1. 2s. (fn. 14)
Wardens of The Franciscans
Walter, occurs 1253. (fn. 15) No longer warden in
1279. (fn. 16)
Henry Tykesor, occurs 1378-9. (fn. 17)
John Holcote, occurs 1393. (fn. 18)
Richard, occurs 1479. (fn. 19)
Alan Bell, occurs 1520. (fn. 20)
William Gyllys, occurs 1538. (fn. 21)
The 14th-century seal of the Franciscans at
Leicester is a small vesica, 1½ by ⅞ in. It depicts
St. Mary Magdalene kneeling in the garden
before the risen Christ. Of the broken legend all
that can be deciphered is
'S' FRATRE . . . LEICEST' NOLI M' TANGERE.' (fn. 22)
16. THE DOMINICAN FRIARS OF LEICESTER
The house of the Dominican friars at Leicester
is said to have been founded by an Earl of Leicester
under Henry III. (fn. 1) The first reliable reference to
the Dominicans at Leicester relates to 1284,
when an inquisition was held concerning the proposed grant to them of two plots of land in the
borough. (fn. 2) Their friary stood on an island formed
by two arms of the River Soar. (fn. 3) According to
Nichols (fn. 4) the Dominicans obtained the parish
church of St. Clement, at Leicester, as their
conventual church. Such an arrangement would
have been very unusual, (fn. 5) and the evidence for it
seems to be inadequate. (fn. 6) A 15th-century seal of
the house bears the figure of St. Clement, (fn. 7) and the
friary church is said to have been dedicated to the
saint, (fn. 8) but these facts are hardly sufficient to prove
that the friars acquired possession of a parish
church.
In 1291 Queen Eleanor's executors gave £5
to the Leicester Dominicans, (fn. 9) and in 1301 they
received a royal gift of seven oaks from Rockingham Forest, for house building. (fn. 10) Provincial
chapters of the order were held at the Leicester
house in 1301, 1317, and 1334. (fn. 11) Royal gifts of
money to thirty Dominicans at Leicester in
1328-9, and to thirty-two in 1334-5, (fn. 12) indicate
the size of the convent in the 14th century. The
garden and cemetery of the friary are mentioned in
1336. (fn. 13) During the 14th and 15th centuries the
Dominicans received many minor gifts and bequests. (fn. 14) In 1489 Henry VII ordered oaks to be
delivered to the Dominicans of Leicester for the
rebuilding of their dormitory. (fn. 15)
The friary was surrendered in November 1538
by the prior and nine others. (fn. 16) Part of the property of the house was being leased, in 1538, for a
yearly rent of £2, and the remainder was valued
at only 1s. 8d. The net yearly income, as given in
the First Minister's Account, was only £1. 19s.
8½d. (fn. 17)
Priors of The Dominicans
John Garland, occurs 1394. (fn. 18)
William Ceyton, occurs 1505. (fn. 19)
Ralph Burrell, occurs 1538. (fn. 20)
The 15th-century seal of the Leicester
Dominicans is a large oval, 2⅛ by 1⅜ in.; it depicts
St. Clement standing under a canopy, his right
hand raised in blessing, and his left holding a cross;
The legend is:
'SIGILLF COMUNE FRATRF PREDICATORF CPVENTF
LEYC'.' (fn. 21)
17. THE AUGUSTINIAN HERMITS OF LEICESTER
The house of the Augustinian hermits of
Leicester is first mentioned in 1304, when
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, obtained a licence to
alienate in mortmain 3 messuages in a suburb of
Leicester to the Augustinian hermits for the
enlargement of their dwelling-place. (fn. 1) The date of
foundation of the friary, and the name of the
founder, are both unknown. The house is said
to have been dedicated to St. Catherine. (fn. 2) The
church of the Augustinian friars at Leicester is
first mentioned in 1306, (fn. 3) and in 1372 a general
chapter of the Order was held at Leicester. (fn. 4)
Thomas Ratcliffe, a friar of this house in the late
14th century, is said to have obtained renown as
a preacher. (fn. 5) The house was surrendered in
November 1538 by the prior and three others. (fn. 6)
At the surrender the property of the friary consisted only of the house itself and a few small
items of property in Leicester. The total net
yearly Value is given as £1 in the First Minister's
Account. (fn. 7)
Prior of The Augustinian Hermits
Richard Preston, occurs 1538. (fn. 8)
No other priors are known.
A seal (fn. 9) occurs on a 16th-century deed of surrender. It is a pointed oval 2½ by 1½ in., and
shows St. Catherine standing crowned, with her
wheel beside her, beneath a panelled canopy. The
surviving part of the legend reads:
HOSPITALIS . . . VILLE . . .
18. THE FRIARS OF THE SACK OF LEICESTER
The Friars of the Order of the Penitence of
Jesus Christ, commonly known as the Friars of
the Sack, first reached England in 1257. (fn. 1) In
1274 the Council of Lyons provided for the
gradual suppression of the Order, but some of its
houses survived for many years. (fn. 2) The Prior of
the Friars of the Sack at Leicester is mentioned
in 1283. (fn. 3) The house of the Order at Leicester
ceased to exist before 1295, when Bishop Sutton
forbade the conversion of the site of the friary to
secular uses. (fn. 4)
Prior of The Friars of The Sack.
Richard, occurs 1283. (fn. 5)
No other priors and no seal of the house are
known.