Welsh Journals

260 THE CARMELITE PRIORY, DENBIGH.1 Befoke entering upon an account of this religious house, or a description of its remains, it will be well to premise a short notice of the order to which it belonged. According to Mr. Mackenzie Walcott [Sacred Archce- ology), the " Carmelites or White Friars were an order of friars who took their origin in a congregation of her¬ mits on Mount Carmel, who were associated by Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in 1122. During the Holy- War they came over to Europe, and were taken under the protection of the Popes. Honorius IV gave them the white cloak, which had hitherto been worn only by the Prsemonstratensians, and called them Brethren of St. Mary. Innocent IV bound them under con¬ ventual rule, and John XXIII exempted them from the jurisdiction of bishops. Eugenius VI allowed them to eat flesh. They were brought by Earl Richard De Grey from Carmel into England c. 1250, and established themselves at Alnwick, when they first came into towns. In 1258 Alexander IV allowed them to imprison all renegades from the order. They usually had an image of St. John Baptist in their cloisters, with the hope of gaining greater estimation as under the protection of him who came in the spirit of Elias of Carmel. Their chief was called the Pro¬ vincial. They wear a cassock, scapular, patience, and hood of brown and a white cloak. When the Saracens recovered the Holy Land, white as a royal colour was prohibited, and they adopted grey; but when they came to England they resumed the white over grey. Their house at Coventry remains in almost complete preservation." Two points in this notice are of special interest in connection with this foundation. 1 Read at the Annual Meeting, 22 August 1887.