16. The Friars of Hull

As straightforward Yorkshire folk the medieval inhabitants of Hull didn’t mess around when it came to naming streets.  Close by Beverley gate was the religious house belonging to the order of the Carmelite Friars, commonly called the White Friars as they wore a white cloak over their brown habits.  The street where they lived therefore became known as Whitefriargate, with gate being an Old Norse or Viking word for road.  Similarly Blackfriargate, off the southern end of High Street, was home to the Augustian Friars whose uniform was a black habit.

Friary buildings formed a notable presence in medieval Hull.  The Augustinians could boast an impressive six storey gothic tower while the large site of the Carmelites included a church, houses, orchards and gardens.  These properties where administered by trustees as the friars did not own anything themselves.  Like monks they renounced worldly goods to live a life of poverty following strict rules.  The Carmelites of Hull were instructed to value silence and refrain from eating meat.  Living as they did in a fishing port, the friars were fortunate that in reality they only had to follow the laxer definition of vegetarianism and could still enjoy a fish supper. 

Friars were reliant on the charity of others to maintain their buildings and obtain their daily bread and in return they prayed for the giver’s soul.  During the early years of the town, King Edward I himself gifted the Carmelites 13 shillings to pay for three days food.  Some particularly wealthy local patrons enjoyed the privilege of being given an external resting place.  Several were buried at the Augustinian Friary in superior quality coffins made from the finest Baltic oak.

The religious life of a friar was not one of isolation and solitary reflection as in a monastery.  Friars placed themselves at the centre of their local earthly community and went out and about on the streets of Hull to hear confessions or teach.  They gave lively sermons warning of the dangers of sin, attracting peoples’ attention with a passionate and vivid style that contrasted with the staid preaching usually heard in church.

Rather than join a specific house, friars joined an order then moved around the country.  Augustinians departing Hull might be sent to the order’s house in Grimsby or that in the scholarly atmosphere of Oxford.  Each move offered new challenges and a chance for personal development.  Life as a friar was an appealing career path, an opportunity to do good by bringing spiritual direction to those around you.  By 1340, around a century after the first English friaries had been established, there were 190 houses across England housing around 5000 friars.

Photo: Blackfriargate, Hull, looking from the High Street.

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