The Franciscan house at Richmond is identified as one of the religious houses visited by Elizabeth Barton, the Maid of Kent, and connected to the network of people investigated by Thomas Cromwell. Its brief appearance locates it within a wider inquiry linking monastic communities, political opposition, and the queen’s supporters.

Place in the Investigation

In September, Cromwell and his associates gathered priests and monks who had been close to Barton and examined their papers and testimony. The account names several houses associated with Barton’s travels, including Syon Abbey, the Charterhouse at Sheen, and the Franciscan house at Richmond. These sites establish the geographic reach of her religious connections; the text does not describe a specific incident at the Richmond house.

Connections and Significance

Cromwell’s inquiry also traced contacts between Barton’s circle and members of the Exeter household, while his informants included monks dissatisfied with their communities. The Franciscan house is therefore presented as one point in a broader religious network under political scrutiny, rather than as an independently described setting. Its significance lies in how the investigation maps religious houses as places through which influence and association could be followed.