An ordre taken the secunde daie of Marche, the xxix. yeare of the reign of our soveraign lorde kyng Herry the Eyght, by his highnes commyssioners, with the religious of the late monastery of saint Andrews thappostell in Northampton, for their annuall pencions yeven unto them onely of his graces charyte duryng the terme of their naturall lyves, to begynne at the ffeast of thannunciacion of our Lady nexte ensewing, as on his graces behalfe is to them promysed by the saide commyssioners. First, Fraunces Leycetour, late priour, and Thomas Bettes, suppriour of the saide late monastery, ben by the saide commyssioners respyted uppon certen consyderacions, tyll my lorde prevy sealys pleasure therein be knowne Thomas Smyth of thage of lij. yeares for his yerely pencion. iiijli. Thomas Cowlestone of thage of ffyftye yearys for his yerely pencion iiijli. Robert Marten of thage of xlj. yeares for his yerely pencion. iiijli. James Hopkyns of thage of lij. yeares for his yerely pencion. iiij. Richarde Bunbery of thage of xl. yeares for his pencion yerely iiij. John Rote of thage of xxxvj. yeares is assigned by the saide commyssioners to the vycarage of Saint Gyles in Northampton, being of the yerely valew of vij", and of the gyfte of the saide monastery, in recompence of his yerely pencion. Jhon Harolde of thage of xxxij. yeares for his yerely lxvjs. viijd. lxvjs. viijd. Wylliam Warde of thage of xxixti. yeares for his Thomas Atbury of thage of xxvij. yeares for his WYLLIAM PARRE. RIC. LAYTON, preste. The following letter also relates to the dissolution of the monastery of St. Andrew at Northampton. The priory of Westacre in Norfolk, founded about the reign of William Rufus as a cell to the abbey of Lewes in Sussex, had been surrendered on the 14th of January in the present year. Boxley in Kent was a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1144 by William de Ipre earl of Kent. It was surrendered, according to the Monasticon, "Jan. 29, 1537, 29 Hen. VIII." which must of course mean Jan. 29, 1538. The last abbot of Boxley was John Dobbs. LXXXVI. ROBERT SOUTHWELL TO CROMWELL. [From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 218.] Although, my very good lorde, that there wanted here summe parte of the occasions comprehendyd in the submyssion of the late monastery of Westacre, as concerning the clere alienacion of the possessions belonging to the same, with suche lieke, yett fownde we here of other (that as I suppose ben in the more parte of the resydew that at this daie stonden) sufficient inowgh for the fullfyllyng of the submyssion that now we sende your lordeshipp in the place of the other that wanted, so as by the variete of occasions this booke in the more parte or all is alteryd from the other in matter, as by the perusing therof your lordeshipp shall wele perseyve, which I humbly beseche you that it may lieke you to do. And although it shall seme tedyous, or the over reding onworthie, yet shall I eftsons humbly beseche you to accepte it in good parte, and for a perfight demonstracion of my good will to have made the bettyr, in case my knowlege had extended therto. The ernest employture neverthelesse of my pore and symple wytt shall at no time wante to serve to the very best and uttermost force therof. Sir, theis pore men have nat spared to confesse the treweth, as ye shall wele perceyve, wherby in my pore mynde they deserve the more favour, and I dare saie in their hartes thinke them selffes rather to have meryted perdon by their ignorance than prayse or lawde for their forme of lyving. Whether ther was cawse why that Boxley shulde recognyce as moche or more, it may please you to judge, whom it also pleased to shewe me the idolle that stode there, in myne opynyon a very monstruows sight. Here was also of late in this monastery a pece of saint Andrews fynger, covered with an unce of sylver or there aboughte (as I conjecture), a very precyows juell in the estimacion of many, and now leyde to pledge by the monastery to one of the towne for xlli., which we intende nat to redeme of the pryce, excepte we be commaunded so to do. Levyng this matter, it maie lieke you farther to undrestande, that in perusing the olde accomptes of the monastery we fownde the yerely revenews of the same to have extended in times past to sevyn hundreth markes, and by the bookes of the tenth nat to fower hundreth markes, and yett no parte of the possessions clerely alienate from the monastery, but decressed by the receyte of the rentes afore hande by the predecessours to this priour of suche as be fermours to them for many yeares. There have growne no decay by this priour that we can lerne, but surely his predecessours plesured moche in odoryferous savours, as it shulde seme by their converting the rentes of their monastery, that were wonte to be paide in coyne and grayne, into gelofer flowers and roses. Wherto the valew of the lande will uppon this survey amounte, I can nat as yett advertyce your lorde shypp, but the monastery in moveables is very pore, moche indetted, and in ledd, as I conjecture, worth fower or fyve hundreth powndes. Sir, we have practysed with the pore men for their pencions as easely to the kynges charge and as moche to his graces honour, as we cowde devyce. The boke wherof we do sende unto your lordeshypp, with the names and summes for the makyng of their patentes, which being sent unto us to be delyvered to the parties afore our departure, shalbe moche to their contentacion, and no lesse to the kynges honour, to imparte with somewhat of his gracyous charyte towarde the maintenaunce of their pore lyvyng. My lorde, if it myght so stande with your pleasure, I wolde humbly beseche you to have in your good lordeshippes remembraunce my ffathers sute consernyng Mallyng: I made your lordeshipp (as my synguler good lorde) prevy to the onely consideracion that moved me to use this importunyte with you, as God shall judge me, whom I most hertyly beseche to send your lordeshipp long liffe with moche incresse of honour. At Northampton, the 3 of Merche, by the handes of your pore and most bounden old servaunt, ROBERT SOWTHWELL. The Carthusian priory mentioned in the following letter, was situated near Eppeworth, in the isle of Axeholm in Lincolnshire, and was styled the priory in the wood. It was founded by Thomas Mowbray, (then earl of Nottingham, but afterwards created duke of Norfolk) in the nineteenth year of Richard II. LXXXVII. ARCHBISHOP CRANMER TO CROMWELL. [From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 211.*] After most hartie commendacions to your lordeshype, fforasmoch as I am enformed that your lordshype entendeth to depose the priour of the Charterhowse within the ile of Axholme, theis shalbe to desyre you to permytt the saide priour styll to contynew in hys rome, for I am abowte throwe the helpe of suche ffreyndes as I have in thoyse parties to procure that the saide priour shall wyllinglye resygne the same into the kynges hondes. Thus almyghtie God preserve your lordshype. Frome Fourde, the vijth daie of March. Your own assured ever, T. CANTUARIEN. The following letter is placed here somewhat out of its place, on account of its immediate connection with the preceding. LXXXVIII. LETTER FROM THE BRETHREN OF THE CHARTER HOUSE IN AXHOLM TO THE PRIOR OF SHENE. [From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 97.] Humly shewyth and complanyth unto your faderhede your poor oratours and chyldren of obediens, nott knowyng whome we may make our complant and shewe our dolorus grefes, but only unto your worshypfull faderhede, that our fader prior hath done and dayly doth in convayng our goodes owt of our howse. As sone as he was comme home fro London, he sayd that he had gyfyne up hys offyce, the howse and the landes, but not the goodes. At hys goyng up to London he left us in monye nother golde nor sylver, but only iijli. for to kepe our howse withall, and it is not a lytyll that he hath receyvyd of our baly * syns Myghylmes, and yet he dyd report to mayster doctor Layton that he had devydyd the same monye in porcions and gyfyne it to his brethren, whych thyng is not trwe. Butt when prior Awstyn† was dead, this man was vicar, and mych of that that we had that * Bailiff. †This prior is not mentioned in the Monasticon, where the last prior is stated to have been Michael Makeness. |