Author name: Richard Clarke

Contemporary with the establishment of Hull’s Carthusian monastery (s.p.b.) friars and friaries had become the most endowed of monastic establishments. Unlike the ‘older’ monastic orders friaries were usually established in urban, rather than rural, areas and the lifestyle of friars was outgoing rather than cloistered. Two results of these points are that friars must have […]

Michael de la Pole, who founded Hull’s Carthusian monastery in 1378 (s.p.b.), was a second generation member of the wealthy and powerful De la Pole dynasty. His father was William de la Pole, who’s statue at Minerva Pier can be seen above, and his uncle was William’s brother Richard. The brothers had built-up a flourishing

When Michael de la Pole founded the Carthusian monastery in 1378 (s.p.b.) he also founded an almshouse for 13 poor men and 13 poor women. Five years later the two institutions were separated for administrative purposes and from thereon the almshouse/hospital were known as ‘God’s House in Hull’. These medieval buildings were demolished during the

And so to Hull.Friaries apart (see later) monasticism came late to Hull. In 1378 Michael de la Pole founded a Carthusian Priory outside the town walls (still under construction at that time) on an open rural site north of the town. To have crossed on foot from the North Gate in the town walls to

The photo. above, credited to Dr. B. English, is of the ‘former prior’s lodging, Watton, photographed in 1989′ and scanned from p. 29 of Claire Cross’ book (s.p.b.s). This building still stands and, I believe, is still lived-in as a private residence. It is the only standing building remaining from the complex of buildings that

Above is an illustration of three seals for official documents from Swine Nunnery as reproduced in Thomas Thompson’s book. One shows a seated Cistercian nun, probably an abbess/prioress. Apart from the nunnery at Swine and the double house at Watton (see later) the other nunneries in the East Riding were small establishments. The nunnery at