My verie good Lord, with harty recommendations, these shalbe to advertise you that upon Thursday laste paste the Justices of Assize came to me the Duke of Norffolk hither to dynner, in ther way rydyng to the Assises at Burye, wher they declared unto me that one called Anthony Browne, somtyme a fryer Observaunte of Grenewiche, and of late takyng upon hym as an hermyte, was accused of Treason, and so commytted to warde by me Sir Roger Townsend tofore the commynge of the said Justices to these parties; and so brought before them to Norwiche did write his own confession with his haunde, whiche ye shall receyve with this. Wherupon, for his traytors opinions, he was indited of Treason, and so caste and had his Judgemente accordynglye, yevyng respyte to the Shryfe for his execusyon x. dayes folowyng; whiche they shewed me the said Duke they ded for this consyderation, whiche was, they thought it convenient that a Sermon sholde be made by the bisshopp of Norwiche, as was by the bisshopp of Worcestre at th'execusyon of Forreste. And in communyng bothe with them and the Shryf I perceyved well they had herde that som in these partes doubted whether the bisshopp here ded thorowly meane well, consernyng the opinions of the said Brown or not. Wherupon I asked theropinions whether they thought it beste that I shold send for the said bisshopp to fele his mynd

a their opinions.

afore I shold will hym to preache or not; and also that forasmoche as I ded perceyve the said fryer had not be thoroughlye examynd with whome he hathe had communication, ayde, or comforte in his opinions, and of other thyngs that I shold thynke conveniente to examyn hym of, whether I wer beste to send for hym hyther to me or not; and ther mynds was that I shold send bothe for the bisshopp and the fryer, and so I ded: and becawse that Mer Townsend is onely of the Kyngs Highnes counsell in these parties I sente in lykewise for hym to be presente at all the examynacions. And this forenowne we so handled the said Fryer that we brought hym to this poynte that he wold not stycke upon the auctoryte of the bisshopp of Rome tobe suppryme Hed of the Churche, but in no wyse we cold bryng hym from th❜oppinion that the Kyng ought not tobe suppryme Hed of the Churche, sayng that no temperall Prynce was capax of that name and auctorite. I the said Duke had here with me Doctor Call, a gray frier, who handled hym right honestlye in defendyng the Kyngs Majesties parte aswell by reason as scripture: but all that wold not serve: and sythe dynner we have be efte sones in hand with hym. And in our communyng with hym came hither the Bisshopp of Norwiche, who undoubtedly by scripture handled the matter of sutche sorte that it was sufficient to have torned th❜oppinion of any man that was not yevyn to wilfulnes as this fole is, who in our opinions is smally

lerned and as litle reasonable; and suerly, to say the trouthe, the bisshopp for his parte, and the said Call for his, hathe shewed themselffs bothe to be lerned men, and trewe subjects to our Mera Wherupon consyderyng that by no meanes we two can get owt of hym any detection of any person to be of counsell with him, or of like opinion as he is of, we have delyvered hym to the Shryf, to be caryed to the gayle, and ther to suffer accordyng to his folishe doyngs upon Fryday nexte, affore whose dethe the said bisshopp shall make sutche a Sermon as we truste shalbe to the Kyngs Highnes contentation, and apparaunte to the people (whiche we thynke wolbe ther in great nombre) that this unhappy folyshe fryer is well worthy to suffer, and that his opinions be falls and untrewe. My lorde the cause of the sendyng of this man in so great haste unto you, is, be cause that and the Kyngs majestie and you shall thynke it convenient to have hym to be brought to the Towre there to be more streyghtlye examyned and to be put to torture, Ye may dispeache this berer or som other with commaundemente to the Shryf accordyngly; so that the same may be with hym at Norwiche by Fryday x. a cloke; for yf ye shold send to me the said Duke, I know not yet wher I shold be fownd at that tyme. And thus our Lord have you in his tuicion. From Kennyngale this iiij. day of Auguste 1538 at xj. at nyght.

a Master.

After writyng of the premyssis, the Bisshopp was desyrous to speke eftsones with the fryer, to th❜entente he myght have cawsed hym to have torned his opinions, not for savegarde or prolongyng of his lyf, but for the welthe of his Soule; and I sir Roger Townsend, beyng presente, sawe the bisshopp handle hymself very honestlye and clerkely, but notwithstondyng that dyvers tymes the said fryer was like to have altred his folishe opinions, yet fynallye he persisted in his errors. My Lord, we hartly requyre you that yf it shall not be thought to the Kyngs Majestie that any Sermon shuld-be made before th'execution, to advertyse the Shryf therof afore the tyme before wryten Yors assewredly

T. NORFOLK

At your Lordshypps comande.

ROGER TOUNESHEND.

LETTER CXXXII.

The Inhabitants of the Lordship of Holm Cultram in Cumberland, to Lord Cromwell, entreating for the preservation of the Abbey Church there. A. D. 1538.

[MS. COTTON. CLEOP. E. IV. fol. 243 b. Orig.]

The Cistercian Abbey of Holm Cultram was surrendered to the King March 5th, 1538. The Inhabitants of the lordship, it appears, were anxious for the preservation of the Abbey Church for a double reason: first that they might still have it for their parish church; and secondly

because it was the only building in their neighbourhood to which they could fly, or where they could defend themselves, in time of invasion from the Scotsa.

Too the right honorable, ande our singler good Lorde mye Lord Prevye Seale.

MOOSTE humbly besechith your honorable Lordship, your poore Orators ande Beedemen, beynge eightene hundred houselynge people in the nombre, th' Inhabitants of Holme Coltrane within the west border of the North parties of this Realme of England, that it might please your Lordship to be a meane for us to our Soveraign Lorde the Kynge is Highenes for the preservacion and standynge of the Churche of Holme Coltrane before saide; whiche is not onelye unto us our parish Churche, and little ynoughe to receyve all us your poore Orators, but also a grete ayde, socor,

a The Messrs. Lysons, in their Magna Britannia, inform us that in the County of Cumberland, on the borders of Scotland, are some remarkable ecclesiastical edifices.

The towers of two of these, Newton Arlosh church near the western coast, and Burgh on the Sands near the Solway Frith, appear to have been very strong, and capable of affording protection to the inhabitants of the villages for some time, upon any sudden invasion from the opposite coast across the Frith. The cattle were probably secured in the bodies of the churches.

The description of Newton Arlosh church, built soon after 1303, shews it to have been a place of considerable strength.

The tower of Burgh on the Sands is still more strongly fortified; the walls on three sides being from six to seven feet thick. It has a vaulted chamber on the ground floor, ten feet by eight; the entrance to which is secured by a ponderous iron door, six feet eight inches in height: a stone staircase leading to an upper chamber.

The tower of Great Salkeld church is also strongly fortified; and has likewise a vaulted chamber on the ground floor, at the entrance to which from the nave, is a massive grated iron door lined with oak.

The church of Annan in Scotland, on the opposite side of the Solway Frith appears to have been as strongly fortified.

persons of age to communicate at the altar.