LV.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 239.]

Right honorable, aftre my hartiest commendation, accordeng to your requeste made to me in your lettres, I have furthwith upon the receipte of the same sent commawndement to certayne monasteries beeing nie to Yorcke, where I was than, and nowe I have given commaundement to all archdeacons to warne all monasteries of lesse yerelie valewe than ije li. being within their archdeaconries, that they shall no thing imbecille ne alien; and if theye have, that theye shall agayne call suche thinges aliened or imbecilled to their handes. Some that were noted to have received some goodes of suche monasteries I called and warned that they shold in no wiese meddle with anye suche goodes, and that if they had anye suche, that they shold restore them, and ferthermore, if anye suche goodes shalbee offred to them, that they shold give me warneng. And for bicause most resorte for suche propose is to the citie of Yorke, I have warned the maiour of Yorke, and oother of his brodren therof, and speciallie the maister of the mynte, upon their peril and daunger that theye receive no goodes of anye suche monasterie, and ferther herin I entend to doo, from tyme to tyme, as I shall see neede, and dailie doo warne suche as doo resorte to me, that they meddle not with any by them this commawndiment maye bee the trust it shalbee nowe by tharchdeacons officialles, w abrode, and have speciall commawndiment to sett furthe this propose.

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Sir, I entierlie praye you to bee good to me for ij. places of the patronaige of the archbushoppes of Yorke, that if you shall thinke opon suche considerations as I shall alledge that I have reason to sue for them, that you woll helpe me with your good word, that theye bee not suppressed. The tone of them, named

Saincte Oswaldes, is not of foundation a monasterie of religiouse men, but is libera capella archiepiscopi. No man hathe title in it but the archbushoppe: the priour therof is removable at my pleasure and accomptable to me, and the archbushoppe maye put ther, if he woll, seculer prestes, and so wold I have doone at my entre, if I had not ther founde oone of myne acquayntaunce whome I judged meete to bee ther undre me. And morover tharchbushoppes of Yorke had it given to them by William Rufus in exchaunge for recompense as well of landes, as jurisdiction taken from them at the commeng in of William Conquerour, as apperethe in my registres and oodre old bookes. And in the same it apperethe that the saied chapell enjoyethe all privilaiges lieke as all oother the kinges free chapelles; for it was some tyme libera capella regia, and for the defense of the saied privilaiges, and jurisdiction ther, my predecessours have alwaies had writtes from the king agaynst all disturbers, bicause it is no oodre but libera capella, and some tyme was the kinges.

The toodre is called Hexham,* upon the borders of Scotland, and was some tyme sedes episcopalis, and manye holie men some tyme busshoppes ther bee in that churche, sainctes of name; and wiese men, that knowe the borders, thinke that the landes therof, although theye were x. tymes as moche, can not contrevaile the damaige that is lieke to ensue if it bee suppressed, and some waie ther is never a house between Scottland and the lordshippe of Hexham; and men feare if the monasterie goo downe, that in processe all shall bee wast moche within the land. And what comfort that monasterie is daylie to the contre ther, and speciallie in tyme of warr, not onlie the contre men doo knowe, but also manye of the noble men of this realme that hathe doone the kinges highnes service in Scotland. I doubt not but that the land of that

* Hexham was a bishop's see under the Anglo-Saxons. The monastery, called by the Anglo-Saxons Hagustald, dated from the seventh century. The last prior was Edward Jaye.

monasterie is better than twoo hundred pound by yere, as liekwiese tharbushoppes landes war moche bettur if they laie in a quiet place. Some of my predicessours have had ther xiije. marces by the yere, and nowe it is communibus annis undre ije li. I entierlie praye you, if you thinke that I have reason to sue for these ij., that you woll helpe me to save them. And as for Hexham, I thinke it is necessarie to bee considred, as I thinke theye that knowe the borders woll saie.

Sir, according to the kinges commawndiment, I have generallie given commawndment that no prechers shalbee suffred that withowзte discretion preache novelties, and, as you right wieselie considered, doo rather sowe seedes of dissention than doo anye good, and some suche as I have herd to use suche preacheng I have discharged, and yet they preach, but I make processe agaynst them, and some of them saie theye wooll get licence of the king to preache. If theye obteigne anye suche licence, I then ame discharged for them that have suche licence; but I trust that you woll suffre no suche licence to passe, but that I shall knowe therof, and what your pleasure is, than if they preache suche novelties I praye you I maye knowe by this bearer. Some saie theye have licence of my lord of Cantorburie; but I trust theye have no suche, and if theye have, none shalbee obeyde here, but onlie the kinges and youres. And thus in my hertiest maner ffare you well. From Cawode, the xxiijth. of April, 1536.

Your owne ever assured,

EDOUARDE EBOR.

The next letter relates to the pensions which were granted to the heads and monks of the dissolved houses. It appears that these were often small, and the monks had probably sometimes difficulties in establishing their claims. Cokesford in Norfolk was a priory of Augustine canons, founded in the reign of Stephen by William Cheyney. The site was granted on the 9th of May, 29 Henry VIII. to Thomas Howard duke of Norfolk. John Matthews, the last prior, had subscribed with his canons to the king's supremacy.

LVI.

THE PRIOR OF COKESFORD to CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 269*.]

Ryght wyrthfull sir, with dwe reverens my duty remembred, desiryng and hartely prayng your masterthep to be good maister to me and help me to my pore levynge and pencion, for the wyche I thynke longe to know wherto I xall hold me, and, sir, for the love of God and of your charitabyle disposicion youe bere towards me, of your goodnes and nothynge of my deservynge, it may lyke youe to se the order of it and redy sped for my por comfort and levynge, and that it may so be ordered by your best advyse and cownsell that I may have it without further vexacion or trobyle in getyng on leveynge of my forsed por levynge, for I fer me without your good helpe and ayd and comfort it wylbe hard to combee. I have no frend to make my compleynt to but to yow alonly; wherfore I besche yow to take informacions of Mr. Balley of the Francys, my frynd this brynger. Mr. doctor Lee wylbe good to me with your good helpe, in home ys all my trost; he promysed me at Londone to have xxli. for my pension, I trust to have that with better, and my chambre, with all that bylongynge to that same, with ij. beddys, one for my self and another for my servant. In thes thynges, with all other, I submit my self to God and to your good wyll, and I, your chaplene and dayly orator, with alle trew and diligent servys and promysys, by me befor promysyd, as ever xalle lye in my lytyll pore, as knowith our Lord, how ever have youe in his glorius tuiscion, after your wyrschipfull hartes desyre. Wretynge at Cokesford, this Sonday next before the Invencion of the holy crose.

Alle yours and at your comaunment, your dayly oratour

and chaplen, Johan Mathewe, latt pryor of Cokesford.

Calwich, or Calewych, in Staffordshire, was originally a hermitage or small cell founded before 1148, and given by Nicholas de Greselei Fitz Nigel to the priory of Kenilworth. A small convent of black canons was also placed here. Very little appears to be known of the history of this house, and almost all the information contained in the following letter is supplementary to the account given in the last edition of the Monasticon.

Rowcester, or Rocester, in Staffordshire, was an abbey of black monks, founded by Richard Bacon about the year 1146. The last abbot was William Grafton.

LVII.

RICHARD STRETE TO CROMWELL,

[From MS. Cotton. Cleopat. E. IV. fol. 236.]

My duty done, according to your lettres datyd penultimo die Aprilis I have ben at Calwich, and takyn an inventary of the goodes of that house by indenture, and committyd the keping and garding of all thinges ther to thabbott of Rowceter ij. myles thens, and on of his brethren abidith at Calwich to overse them who hath kept the sequestre syns the departur of the late prior. The valour of the goodes and laundes foloith.