Beauchief Abbey
The Abbey of Beauchief, or de Bello Capite, was named after a head of land overlooking the dale, which had been styled by the Normans Beauchief, on the same principle as the place-names of Beauchamp, Beaumont, and Belper. It appears under seven different guises Beuchef, Beauchef, Beuchyffe, Beuchelf, Beachiff, Baucheff, and Bewcheffe.
Situated two miles from Norton, Sheffield, Norton, was then in the hundred of Scarsdale and deanery of Chesterfield, on the borders of Yorkshire and Derbyshire - four miles from Sheffield, and eight from Chesterfield. The villages of Bole Hill, Greenhill, Hemsworth, Lightwood, Little Norton, Norton Lees, and Woodseats, were in the parish.
The Abbey of Beauchief was founded for an Abbot and Pre monstratensian canons from Welbeck, between 1172 and 1176, by Robert FitzRanulph, who gave to it the churches of Alfreton and Norton in Derbyshire, Edwalton in Nottinghamshire, and Wimeswold in Leicestershire. He also endowed it with lands at Norton, and both his son, William lord of Alfreton and grandson Robert le Alfreton, were among its subsequent benefactors. Robert FitzRanulph was, for several years Sheriff of the united counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, an office previously held both by his father and his brother William.
William of Alfreton gave the mill of Coal Aston to the abbey
Beauchief must have been one of the pre monstratensian canons earliest landed properties. A hundred years later, in the reign of Edward I., they had, in England only, no less than twenty-seven monasteries
Part of the income of the priory was derived from the sale of wool, in 1333 it is recorded that 'Godekin de Revele the younger and Roger de Glapwell of Chesterfield, merchants, obtained letters patent in June, 1333, to convey to the staples and thence export at will, notwithstanding the ordinance of the staple, wools purchased by them from the abbot of Beauchief before the making of such ordinance'.
The revenues of this monastery were valued at the time of its suppression, in 1536, at £126. 3s. 4d. clear yearly income. There were then an Abbot and 12 canons.
In 1496, Beauchief Abbey leased the site to Roger Eyre who used it as a bloom hearth or smithy.
The site was granted in 1537, to Sir Nicholas Strelley. The only daughter and heir of William Strelley, Esq., Gertrude, brought the estate to Edward Pegge, who after the dissolution, built Beauchief Hall in its immediate vicinity, the monastic buildings affording a convenient quarry of stone.
In 1569 William Humphrey, Assay Master of the Royal Mint, built one of the earliest lead smeltmills in England, using white coal. Nicholas Booth was his overseer. One of the fields, was known as Sinder field or Sinder Hills
By 1581, there was a smelting house containing two furnaces and two pairs of bellows.
Abbots of Beauchief
Jordan, died 1231
William, early Henry III
Gilbert de Malmesbury, died 1237
John, 1250
Stephen
Roger 1268-1272
Ivo, resigned 1278
Roger de Fulstowe, elected 1278
Ralph de Fulstowe, occurs 1285,
William de Folkingham, 1295, died 1324
Robert de Radclyfe, 1350-68
John Norton I alias Nottingham, 1393-47
Robert de Bubnyll, 1399, died 1413
William Gresley, died 1433
John Girdon, died 1443
John Downham, deposed 1461-2
John Swift, 1461-1478
Thomas Wedur or Wyder, 1478-91
John Norton II, 1494-1501
John Greenwood alias Sheffield, occurs 1516, died 1536
The Chartulary of Beauchief Abbey was in the possession of Richard Davies of Lanerch, Denbighshire, in 1790.
Early Charters
1493: Wednesday next after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14th), in the 9th year of Henry VII. Release and Quit Claim from William Machon of Halume co York son and heir of John Machone of the same, son and heir of Robert Machon of the same, son and heir of Thomas Machone formerly of the same and sometime of Ecclesale, to Henry Foljambe Lord of Walton esquire, of a tenement in Ecclesale, in the occupation of Nicholas Sandale, and fields called Whytfeld and Bonnerfeld; another tenement in Ecclesale, and lands etc. in Brendeclyf and Ecclesale. Witnesses : Thomas abbot of Beauchief, Humphrey Cautez, John Couk of Nortonlees, John Parker of Lyttill Norton, Thomas Caine of Crokez.
1621 February 18th, in the 19th year of James I
Indenture of Bargain and Sale between John Bullock of Derleigh co Derby esquire and Thomas Stringer of Himsworth in the parish of Norton co Derby whereby the said John Bullock, in consideration of £40 10s. granted to the said Thomas Stringer his heirs and assigns for ever, all and all manner of tithes etc, being parcel or of right belonging to the said John Bullock as rector of Norton, and arising out of the messuage, buildings, lands, tenements and hereditaments of him the said Thomas Stringer such tithes having belonged to the then dissolved Monastery of Beauchief, and were granted at such dissolution to the said John Bullock by Richard, Robert and George Tyte of London by an indenture of grant, enrolled in chancery, dated the 1st March, in the 4th year James I ; and which had been granted to them by Royal Letters Patent dated the 8th February in the same year. In the covenant for warranty of title, John Bullock refers to his brothers Francis Bullock and Henry Bullock. Witnesses Phillippe Gill, James Bate, God Frogat, John Rodgers.
Wolley Charters and Beauchief Abbey
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