| Description | This document consists of five small folio sheets of paper, sewn together in book form, with about sixty lines of small neat writing, on each of the first nine pages.
It is headed "ffundatio abbattiie (sic) de Kirkstall" and endorsed on the last page " Liber foundationis (sic) Monast de Kirkst: The Booke of the foundation of the Abbey of Kirkstall. Drake."
When compared with the sources of Kirkstall history given in Bohn's edition of Dugdale's "Monasticon" 1846 vol 5, 526-553 and Whitaker's " History of Craven," it is seen to bear a close relation to three manuscript histories.
(l) On page 530, number ii, Bohn's edition of Dugdale's Monasticon," vol 5, a transcription is given of a manuscript " Fundationis Historia . . . inter codices per Willelmum Cantuar . archiep . collatos . G.9. fol 129a." This manuscript (number 903) runs practically word for word with the Bodleian history, until the second part of the section dealing with the abbotship of Ralph Hageth, second abbot, when it gives twelve lines of information not found in the latter. The two contain the same account of Lambert the third abbot, but while the Bodleian manuscript gives Helias the monk formerly of Roche " as fourth abbot, this, the Jackson manuscript, continues ' on the death of Abbot Lambert there succeeded him Abbot Turgisius of sacred memory, a man of singular abstinence etc," and after seventeen lines of story, gives Helias as the fifth abbot. The Bodleian manuscript ends here, except for a final note common to both, while the Jackson manuscript continues with a list of abbots to Hugh de Grimston 1284, fifteenth abbot. Afterwards we have a series of legal documents, grants, protections etc, of various dates; and on page 9 appears a sixteenth abbot. " There succeeded to Hugh de Grymston John Bridesall Anno Dni MCCC IIII, a letter having been sent to the Prior and Convent." The letter follows in thirty six lines. The Jackson manuscript ends like the Bodleian, with four lines, containing a curious error. " It is found in the chronicles of the Abbey of Kirkstall that in the fourth year of King Henry (sic), and in the year of the Lord MCXCIIII in the month of August on the 21st day, viz, the Kalends of February, died lord Robert de Lascy of good memory, the second founder of the monastery of Kirkstall, and there he is buried." It seems fairly obvious that the Bodleian manuscript and the Jackson manuscript were derived from a common source, though the latter is much more complete.
(2) On page 527, Bohn's edition of Dugdale's " Monasticon " vol 5, is a note containing a long quotation from Stevens' "Continuation" vol ii, p 37 (John Stevens, d 1726, published in 1722 a " Continuation of Dugdale's Monasticon "). It runs "The Monasticon in the history of the Foundation of this monastery mentions only Alexander, Ralph, Lambert, and Helias, whom he makes the fourth, but in the manuscript, communicated by that learned Antiquary Ralph Thoresby, of Leeds, in Yorkshire, Esq. I find Turgsius the fourth abbat, and Helias the fifth." On comparing the abstract given by Stevens of the Thoresby manuscript, it would appear that the latter contains practically the same wording as the Jackson manuscript. It is not impossible that the latter is a 17th century copy of Thoresby's manuscript, or an independent copy of an earlier original, from which the Bodleian and Thoresby's manuscripts were also derived. However, in Bohn's edition of Dugdale vol v, pp 535-538 are given ten deeds relating to Kirkstall with the explanation " in the possession of Ralph Thoresby of Leeds Esq." It is not stated whether these deeds were to be found in the manuscript history. Of these deeds so quoted only two are to be found in the list of deeds in the Jackson manuscript, which is as follows: 1. A letter from brother Hugh, abbot of Kirkstall to the convent of the same name, dated on the morrow of the Feast of Saint Martin (Nov 12th) 1287, dealing with the monetary difficulties of the abbey, and containing (a) a writ of Edward I. (b) A writ of Edward I. Oct 16th 1287 ; addressed to John, bishop of Ely, Treasurer. (c) A covenant, Saturday after the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist (Oct 18th) 1287 between Abbot Hugh of Kirkstall and Henry de Lacy Earl of Lincoln. - (d) Confirmation, Oct 27th 1287. (e) Writing obligatory from Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln and Constable of Chester to the abbot and convent of Kirkstall Oct 28th 1287. (f) Another writing obligatory of the same day. 2. State of the monastery on Sunday before the Feast of Saint Margaret (July 20th) 1301. 3.* Protection from Henry III, 16th November 1219. 4. Delivery by Edward I of the guardianship of Kirkstall to Henry de Lacy 20th November 1275. (Those marked with an asterisk are quoted in Bohn's Dugdale.) - (3) In Whitaker's "History of Craven" pp 76-83 is an account of the history of Kirkstall. Dr. Whitaker drew his material from Dugdale, that is, from the Bodleian manuscript which he quotes until the death of Alexander the first abbot, see '' History of Craven" p 79, note 2, " Chron de Kirkstall. The style of one monk is so like that of another, that I am unable to distinguish where Serlo's narrative ends and that of his continuer begins. I have hitherto been constrained to write from the printed narrative Mon. Ang. vol i, p 854, etc; but from this period Dugdale and Dodsworth began to abridge their account: I shall therefore confine myself, for the future, principally to particulars which they have omitted, after premising that I write from a copy of the Chronicle of Kirkstall among the Townley MSS." Whitaker gives a very interesting translation of the two letters of Hugh de Grimston and John Birdsall, omitting the legal documents, which he confesses himself unable to understand. As far as one can judge from extracts the Jackson manuscript is a copy of either Thoresby's or the Townley manuscript, or of some original common to both, though it is possible that Hugh de Grimston's letter is given here in more detail than in either of these sources. " Drake" appears to have been a lawyer, and the manuscript appears to have come into the possession of the late Mr. Arthur Jackson, together with several other documents, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries and relating to certain tithes from Barnoldswick and Gilkirk, which formerly belonged to Kirkstall Abbey. |