Elizabeth Lorde ( – 1551) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

prioress of Wilberfoss. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries she surrendered

Wilberfoss Priory Wilberfoss Priory was a priory in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. A house of Benedictine nuns was founded before 1153 by Alan de Cotton, who granted land and property, and Jordan fitz Gilbert, who granted the church and some land which wa ...

as required by law and accepted a pension.

Life

Lorde's father was Richard Lorde of

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

in the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

. Her siblings were Brian Lorde who was a successful merchant in Yorkshire and her sister married George Gale who was a goldsmith and who would in time by Mayor of York twice. She is thought to have joined the

when young and in October 1512 she became the prioress succeeding Margaret Easingwold. Her age is unknown but she is presumed to have been young. In 1536 the priory was visited by the commissioner of Cromwell to determine whether it should be closed as institutions which had too low an income were to be closed. Wilberfoss's annual income was £22 which was much too low, but the priory was given a stay of execution of three years. She surrendered the convent on 20 August 1539 and it was dissolved and granted to George Gale . At the time of the dissolution, it had a yearly value of £26. 10s. 8d. (£23,629.77 in 2017 money). Lorde was given a sizeable pension of eight pounds and her nine nuns were offered pensions but some were just a pound a year. Lorde moved to live with her sister and brother in law Mary and George Gale in the area of York known as

Goodramgate Goodramgate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The area now covered by Goodramgate lay within the walls of Roman Eboracum. The street runs diagonally across the line of former Roman buildings, from the Porta Decumana ( ...

Legacy

She died in 1551. Two years later some of her nuns were still receiving pensions. Records show Agnes Burton, 33s 4d.; Alice Thornton, 20s; and then Alice Metcalfe, Joanna Andrew, Beatrice Hargall, Isabella Creake and Margaret Brown were all receiving 26s 8d. The current parish church of Wilberfoss, St John's, is possibly the nave of the conventual church. In 1967 the church was designated a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorde, Elizabeth 1551 deaths Priors People from Yorkshire English Roman Catholic abbesses