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illuftrious by their intermarriages with perfonages of royal descent, as Robert de Ros in the reign of Henry II. married one of the daughters of William king of Scotland, of whom Lord William defcended in direct lineage. It was a handfome building, adorned with cloisters, and had a curious chapel. When the ifland was unhappily divided into two diftinct, and, too often, rival kingdoms, the English monarchs, when on their march northwards, with their armies, generally took up their refidence in this facred recefs. It was honoured by Margaret, eldest daughter of king Henry VII. who was fumptuously entertained at this house, along with the mayor and principal people of Newcastle. That princefs was then affianced to the king of Scotland, and was here, with a fplendid retinue, on her journey to that kingdom, on the 24th and 25th of July, 1503. Bourne fays, that in his time, there was ftill a complete quadrangle to be feen, the fouth fide of which has undoubtedly been the chapel. This feems to have been the ancient building, for Grey fpeaks of fome fumptuous additions that were made to this magnificent monastery. "In fucceeding ages, fays he, it was enlarged and beautified, with ftately buildings, cloifters, and a fair church." The kings of England, fince the conqueft, fays Bourne, kept houfe in it, when they came with a royal army against Scotland. And fince the fuppreffion of monafteries in the kingdom, it has been a magazine and ftorehouse for the north parts. Of late, that princely fabric has been laid level with the ground. "The pride, covetoufnefs, luxury, and idolatry, of thefe houses, adds the reverend author, brought

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fudden ruin upon themfelves, and their abodes of indolence and voluptuous luxury."

The order was that of St. Auguftine, contracted Austin. The name reflected honour upon the order; it is a pity, if, as Bourne fays, the order reflected difgrace upon the name. St. Auguftine was the molt celebrated of all the Latin fathers. His language is fo pure and claffical, his fentiments fo original, fo pious, fo fublime, that, let any one read, and enter into the fpirit of his tract, De civitate Dei, he will imagine himself tranfported into the celeftial abodes.

They were of the hermits, (inhabitants of the defert) and were fent into England, by Lanfrank, of Milan, the first general of the hermits of St. Austin, in the year 1252. And from wandering mendicants, they had the addrefs to fecure the favour of the great and powerful, and fo became one of the wealthieft, and most potent orders, under the hierarchy of Rome.

The celebrity of their name, and the reputed fanctity of their order, procured them the friendship of princes, nobles, barons, wealthy citizens, and merchants; so that they had lands, houfes, rents, tythes of manors, &c. uninterefting to our readers, and irksome to ourselves to enumerate, chiefly as we find thefe boly beggers made fuch a fhameful ufe of the well-intended benevolence of the charitable, and the virtuous.

By an ordinary of the fraternity of weavers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, dated the 31ft of Auguft, 1525, every brother of that fociety is enjoined to be "At the Sante Auguftine's, in the daye of the exaltacion of the holy croffe, in every year, and on the none of the fame to go to the dirge and fowle maffe

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to be done for the breders and fufters (brothers and fifters) of the faid fellowships. We will fee curious fpecimens of this farfical mummery, when we come to treat of the different companies.

It is remarkable that we find no record of any men of learning among Auguftine friars, in Newcastle; although there may have been fuch, but their names and memorial perished in the general deftruction of the monastery.

Be that as it may, this houfe was fuppreffed by Henry VIII. in the 30th year of his reign. Andrew Kell, prior, feven brethren, and three novices, furrendering their houfe January 9, 1539.

The Milbank MSS. informs us, that when king James I. came to the throne of England, in the firft year of his reign, this monaftery was adorned with cloifters, and a fair church, which a Scot, one of his attendants, begged of James. The king granting it, the rapacious Scotsman immediately stripped it of its fine roof of lead, and fold it! But mark the just retribution of heaven, the fhip that was carrying to a foreign market the facrilegious cargo, was itself caft away! The ftones of the monaftery, the fame prophane Caledonian fold to Sir Peter Riddle, who, with them built the fouth front of his fine house. But mark again the divine difpleasure, the property is wrefted, (fays good Mr Bourne) from the pofterity of Sir Peter, and has devolved upon captain Dykes. What impiety have we left untouched!

Out of its ruins has fince arofe a workhouse for the employment of the poor; a houfe of correction for the unruly, a charity fchool for the indigent children of All Saints, and a dwelling for the mafter, built

1723; all, by the corporation, to whofe poffeflion came the monaftery and the adjacent grounds belonging to it, after the diffolution of the order. The furgeon's fine hall, and two of the public hofpitals, ftand on part of the ground where were the gardens of the monastery. Of all which we intend giving an account in their proper place.

PRIORY OF ST. MICHAEL DE WALL-KNOLL, Styled, Of the Order of the Holy Trinity.

We have already obferved that the Carmelites, or White-Friars, upon their arrival in Monkchefter or Newcastle, had a fituation granted them upon WallKnoll, where they founded a monaftery, which, in process of time, was found inadequate for their accommodation, as the members of their order had prodigiously increased. They therefore deferted this fituation, and chose one large and fpacious, near the Poftern-gate, in Weftgate-street.

The brethren of St Michael de Woll-Knoll, were alfo termed Trinitarians or Maturines, ftyled, Of the Holy Trinity, for the redemption of captives; and were brought into England A. D. 1224.

Their rule was that of St. Austin, with fome peculiar conftitutions. And instead of difguifing themfelves with black or grey gowns, cloaks, cowls, &c. like the spirit of their truly laudable inftitution, they were attired in white robes, with a red and blue cross upon their breafts.

Their revenues, which foon became ample, were divided into three parts: the firft was for their own maintenance; the fecond for that of the poor; and the third for the redemption of chriflians taken

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captives by the Turks, Algerines, and other barbarous infidels; amongst whom it was accounted, in thefe dark ages, meritorious to torture fuch chriftians as fell into their hands, with every dreadful fpecies of cruelty.

There were ten or twelve houfes of this humane and benevolent order, in England and Wales.

The following fingular circumftance will help us to discover the foundation charter of this houfe. The celebrated Leland in his Itinerary, tells us " that there was a house in Barwyke, ordinis S. Trinitatis, of the order of the Holy Trinity: But Antony Beke, byfhope of Durefme (Durham) destroyed it, (the more flame to a bishop!) and then one William Wakefelde, mafter of the house in Barwyke, at the defacing of it came to Newcastle, and by aid of Gul. and Laurence Acton, brethrene, both merchaunts of Newcafell, builded within the town of Newcaftell, a houfe of the religion of S. Trinitatis, where Wakefelde himfelf was firft mafter." Leland's Itiner. vol. 8. Accordingly, we find the foundation charter of this houfe is dated the Wednesday before Pentecoft A. D. 1360. It was confirmed by the bifhop of Durham, (furely not Antony Beke) October 2, 1361, and by the dean and chapter there, April 20, 1363.

The founder was the generous Willian de Acton, burgefs of Newcastle. This houfe was dedicated to St. Michael; and the place where it ftood, from its elevated fituation, was called St Michael's Mount.

William de Wakefelde was very defervedly appointed the first warden. The fociety were to confift of three chaplains of this order; one whereof was to be the warden; and three poor and infirm perfons,

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