Some Augustinian Historical Adventures

Sub Prior Bro John Walker, like other Augustinians before him, has spent decades with various fellow Augustinians researching local history.  Thanks to the permissions and tip offs from locals and developers, this has included visiting sites as history is being revealed and taking photographs.  Bro John’s illustrated talk covered just a few of these adventures.

Using maps and photographs he traced the monastic water and drainage systems starting at Green Dyke on High Green. Several culverts have been exposed over the years.

This review included the location of a water mill and post mill near Bessingby Hill bridge.  Early photographs of the playing field show the humps and bumps which he and Bro John Earnshaw hurriedly excavated ahead of the levelling work and the filling in of Little Beck.

The intricate model of the Monastery which is now in the Priory church was constructed by Bro John Earnshaw. It is based on excavations carried out by Augustinians across the monastic building foundations.

A house renovation in Pinfold Street revealed a chalk and cobble wall, with some cow dung mortar, showing an earlier roof outline and a blocked door and window.  They match an old watercolour painting looking down Pinfold Street to the roofless Priory church. To top it all, the house owner had deeds with the wax seals of the original Lords Feoffees.

A development in Gordon Road turned up remains of a smelting furnace and tannery barrel bottoms. Chalk building footings had associated pottery dating back to the foundation of the Bridlington Priory.

At the dissolution of the Priory some of the carved woodwork found its way to Flamborough and Leak churches. Bro John’s flash photographs brought out the gold and red colours, and the images of medieval ships, with fore and aft castles, scribed into the panels. The features match a contemporary description of the tomb of St John in the Priory church.

The laying of water pipelines clears away top soil.  North of West Hill roundhouse bases were found. A trip to a Haisthorpe excavation coincided serendipitously with a press day and a welcome to join in and to photograph the roundhouse bases and ditches as the archaeologists explained their findings.

The Prior Maureen Bell thanked the Bro John for his entertaining talk, a “tour de force”, put together at short notice.