The Chartulary of the Augustinian Priory of St John the Evangelist of the Park of Healaugh

Abstract

Healaugh Park began as a hermitage in the twelfth century before being re-established as an Augustinian priory in 1218. It remained a small and poor community, with seven canons in 1381 and six in 1535. The Chartulary was compiled in the early sixteenth century, so it covers a much longer period than is usual. It comprises 194 folios, beginning with a pedigree of the Haget family, patrons of the house, a list of priors, and documents relating to Healaugh's early history. There is no geographical or chronological logic to the arrangement of subsequent documents, nor any attempt to date them. The last twenty folios contain later material, mostly in English, which is interesting for the study of dialect and pronunciation at the time, and topographical information. Valuable to local historians, the Chartulary also shows how such small foundations struggled with financial and disciplinary matters. English summaries of the Latin documents are provided.