The Remains of the Priory of Burstall in Holderness Anne 1721, To face page 94, in Ocellum Promontorium. Engraved by Consitt & Goodwill. Hull, for T. Thompson, Esq F.A.S. The church of Wythernsea, or Holeym, founded in the reign of king John, was given to the cell of Burstall, and was afterwards granted also to Kirkestall abbey, with other lands at this place. The church of Outhorne, or Sister Kirke, was given by Stephen, earl of Albemarle, to his cell at Burstall, and was afterwards granted with the possessions thereof to the abbey of Kirkestall. The church of Escheclinge, or Skekeling, was given by Stephen, earl of Albemarle, to the prior of Burstall; and certain tythes from "the demesnes of Brystwic❞ and an annual rent out of the chapel of Nuttle, were to remain to the abbot and convent of St. Martin in Normandy, for ever. The church of Pagula, or Paulholme*, and the tythes thereof, were given to Burstall cell, and afterwards granted to the abbey of Kirkestall. Stephen, earl of Albemarle, gave the church and tythes of his castle of Aldburgh to Burstall cell, which were appropriated thereto A. D. 1228, by Walter, archbishop of York.+ * Does not this name imply, that Paul or Paulholme was once an island surrounded by the waters of the Humber? Holme, in Saron, is an island surrounded by water. Skinner. When Hedon was a sea-port, and the Humber flowed round the town, it is probable that it flowed in many other places into the interior of Holderness, far beyond the site of the present banks. For the above mentioned donations to Burstall andAlbemarle, see P. Nich. Taxa, and Burton's Mon. Ebor. OBSERVATIONS ON THE DECREASE OF THE VALUE OF MONEY, SINCE THE TAXATION OF POPE NICHOLAS. "There are three things to be considered, where ever a sum of money is mentioned in ancient times. First, the change of denomination, by which a pound has been reduced to the third part of its ancient weight in silver. Secondly, the change in value by the greater plenty of money, which has reduced the same weight of silver to ten times less value, compared to commodities; and consequently a pound sterling to the thirtieth part of the ancient value. Thirdly, the fewer people and less industry, which were then to be found in every European kingdom. This circumstance made even the thirtieth part of the sum more difficult to levy, and caused any sum to have more than thirty times greater weight and influence, both abroad and at home, than in our times."+ If we apply these principles of calculation to Pope Nicholas's Taxation, we must suppose the income of each church or religious house in Holderness, to be thirty times more than the sum mentioned in the Taxation, in order to form a fair + Hume's Hist. Eng. vol 1, p. 228. 8vo. comparison between the income, if possessed at the present time, and the present expenses of living. Thus for example, if we take the income of the church of Winestede, the first mentioned in the Taxation, and multiply the £8 by three, to reduce the Saxon pounds into pounds sterling, we have £24, and then by ten for the decrease in the value of money, we have £240. So that the income of £8 in the 13th century was equal to £240 at the present time; or £8 at that time would purchase as much of the necessaries of life as £240 at present. But other authorities differ greatly from Mr. Hume on this subject, and are probably nearer the truth. Lord Lyttelton agrees that from the time of William the Conqueror till after the death of Henry II, in the year 1189, the English pound must be understood to mean a pound weight of silver, containing three times the quantity of silver in our present pound sterling; but he estimates the value of money to be then not much above or below five times more than at present, or, that when he wrote his history, money was only of five times less value than in the reign of Henry the Second.* It is certain that in speaking of the comparative value of money, and of the expense of living *Lyttelton's Hist. of Hen. 2, vol. 1, p. 403, 410. N |