Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

CXXIV.

THE COMMISSIONERS TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 43.]

Please it your lordeship to be advertised, at our commyng to Sainct Albons on Thursedaye last we beganne a visitacion amonges the moonkes, thabbot being than in Londone. And bicause we wolde the more fully knowe the hole state of alle thinges, taried the lenger in thexaminacion of theym. And upon Friedaye last we sent a monicion for the abbot to appere before us, who camme hether on Saturday bifore none, whome we have likewise as fully examined upon alle thinges as we might. And allthoughe as well by the examinacion of the moonkes as by confessioun of thabbot hymself ther doth appere confessed and fully proved juste cause of deprivacion ageinst thabbot, not only for breking of the kinges injunctiouns, but also for manifest dilapidacioun, making of shiftes, negligent administracion, and sundry other causes, yet, by what meanes we knowe not, in alle communications or motions made concernyng any surrendre he sheweth hymself so stiffe, that, as he saith, he wolle rather choyse to begge his bredde alle the dayes of his lif than consent to any surrender. We have everich of us severally and also alle togethers communed with hym and used alle suche motions as we thought might moste further that purpose, but he contynueth allweys one man and waxeth hourely more obstinate and lesse conformable. Whether he so doo upon trust and confidence of any frendeshipp, we knowe not. The premisses we thought our bounden duetie to signifie unto your lordeshippe, moste humbly beseching the same that we maye by Mr. doctour Layton knowe the kinges highnes further pleasure by you, whether we shalle contynewe in this processe of deprivacion ageinst hym and so deprive hym according to thorder of justice without lenger delaye; which doone the house wilbe in suche debt that we thinke no man wille take thoffice of abbot

here upon hym, except any doo it only for that purpose to surrender the same to the kinges handes; and by thies meanes we thinke this thing maye most easely and with leste speche be brought to the kinges highnes purpose. Or els whether we shalle staye in owre processe at this tyme, and appoynte some longer daye to here the sentence of deprivacioun, leaving hym in the meane tyme in utter desperacion of any favour; which weye maye also be occasion that he, whan it shalle appere unto hym that he shal be deprived, wille perchaunce sue to have his surrender taken, bicause he wolde be assured of some lyving. The premisses we referre to the kinges highnes pleaser, which knowen by your lordeship, we shalle with alle our possible diligence confourme ourselfes to accomplishe the same, and in the meane tyme travaille with the moonks to knowe howe many of theym maye be induced to this purpose. Thus almighty God have your lordeship in his blessed keping. From Sainct Albons, the xth of December.

Youre lordscyps ever att commandement

THOMAS LEGH.

Your Lordyshippes most bounden servant,
WILLIAM PETRE.

The nunnery of Gracedieu, at Belton in Leicestershire, was founded by Rohesia de Verdon, in the 24th of Hen. III. The last prioress was Agnes Litherland.

CXXV.

JOHN BEAUMONT TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 216*.]

My dutye unto your ryght honorable lordshype in moste humble fforme remembred, pleyseth hyt the same to be by thes advertysed,

that I have caused xxli, to be delyvered unto my ffelowe Thomas Avery to the use of your good lordeshype, humbly besechyng your lordshyppes ffavour and goodnes that as shall stand wyth the kynges plesure I may other purchase or have in fferm the demenez of Gracedewe abbey, whych I am in possessyon of, and my ffelowe Whalley to eethere, by your honorable lettres. Whych seyd abbey the erle of Huntyngdon* doth labour to take ffrom me, whych have no truste but of your lordshyppes goodnes, wythoute whych I am undoyn; ffor I do ffeyre the seyd erle and hys sonnes do seke my lyffe, and all ffor the truthe sake, ffor I have secret warnyng by one off hys counsell to weyre a prevy cote, whych ys not suffycyent ffor me, hys powere beyng envyron my poore howse. Besechyng God that your lordeshyp wyll take in good parte my inornate colleccyon of the kynges supremyty, wherin ys no thyng apte to be presented unto your lordshyp, but the apparaunce of a trewe herte, with whych I shall contenewally pray and labour to send your lordshyp your moste noble hertes desyre. From Whellesborough, the xxvijth daye of Decembre. Your humble servaunt,

JOHN BEAMOUNT.†

* This was George Hastings, first earl of Huntingdon of the family which still enjoys the title.

† John Beaumont, Esq. of Thringston, county of Leicester, was appointed Jan. 30, 1534-5, to take the ecclesiastical survey of the county of Leicester. He was appointed Recorder of Leicester in 1550, and in the same year, Dec. 3, was constituted Master of the Rolls. He resigned that office in disgrace May 28, 1552. He was grandfather of Francis Beaumont, the dramatic poet. (See Nichols's History of Leicestershire, vol. iii. pp. 655, 661*, 1125.) His "fellow Whalley" above mentioned was the receiver of Yorkshire.

CHAPTER III.

FINAL SUPPRESSION OF THE MONASTIC HOUSES AND CONFISCATION OF THEIR PROPERTY.

After the searching visitation of the commissioners sent round the country in 1538, only a few of the larger houses, chiefly the mitred abbeys, remained unsuppressed. Some of these latter had been voluntarily surrendered, or confiscated by the attainder of their abbots. From the Journals of the House of Lords, we find that in the parliament of 1536, on the seventeenth of July, the following abbots were present (distinguished by a p.) or voted by proxy.

p. Abbas Westm.

p. Abbas sancti Albani.

Abbas sancti Augustini Cantor. p. Abbas Burgi sancti Edmundi. Abbas sancte Marie Ebor. Abbas Glaston.

p. Abbas de Abyngdon.

Abbas Glocestre.

Abbas de Ramesey.

Abbas de Evesham.

Abbas Burgi sancti Petri.

p. Abbas de Redyng.

p. Abbas de Malmesbury.

p. Abbas de Crowlande.

p. Abbas de Selby.

Abbas Bardeney.

p. Abbas de Bello.
p. Abbas de Thorney.

p. Abbas de Wynchecombe.

p. Abbas de Waltham,

p. Abbas Cirencest.

p. Prior de Coventre.

p. Abbas de Tewkesbury.

Abbas Salopie.

Abbas de Hyde.

Abbas sancti Benedicti.

Abbas Colchestrie.

Abbas Tavestok.

In the parliament which was opened on the 28th of April, 1539, they were diminished to the following list, showing those who were present or sent their proxies on that day.

p. Abbas Westm.

p. Abbas sancti Albani.

p. Abbas Burgi sancti Edmundi.

p. Abbas beate Marie Ebor.

Abbas de Glaston.

p. Abbas de Glocestrie.

p. Abbas de Ramsey.

p. Abbas de Evesham.

p. Abbas Burgi sancti Petri.

Abbas sancti Johannis Colcestrie.

p. Abbas de Redyng.
p. Abbas de Malmesbury.

p. Abbas de Crowlande.
p. Abbas de Selby.

p. Abbas de Thorney.

p. Abbas de Wynchcombe.

p. Abbas de Waltham.

p. Abbas Cirencestrie.

p. Abbas Tewkysbury.
Abbas Tavestock.

When this parliament held its second session, beginning on the 12th of April, 1540, all the abbots had disappeared from the house. It was in fact in the session of 1539 that the act was passed giving the monastic estates to the king (Statutes, 31 Hen. VIII. chap. 13). This act, after reciting that a great number of religious houses had been voluntarily surrendered to the king, invests them, as well as all houses afterwards to be surrendered or dissolved, with all their sites, possessions, &c. in the king and his successors. It contains a general saving of rights to present tenants, &c., with a proviso annulling all leases or grants made within a year before the dissolution, which was called for by the eagerness with which the monks endeavoured to make away the property of their houses to enrich themselves before they were driven out, which is frequently alluded to in the foregoing letters.

The Act of Parliament just alluded to did not dissolve the monasteries. It appears to have been the policy of the court to persuade or terrify the occupants into a voluntary surrender, which was successful, except in a very small number of instances. Several of the abbots who were stubborn in refusing surrender, or who thwarted the king's measures or disobeyed his arbitrary commands, were on one charge or other indicted for high treason, and brought to the block or to the gallows, which helped to strike terror into the others. Among these were John Beche, abbot of St. John's at Colchester, Hugh Cook, abbot of Reading, and Richard Whiting, abbot of the ancient and noble abbey of Glastonbury. The following letters relate to the trial and execution of the person last mentioned. The death of abbot Whiting appears to have caused a great sensation and to have been long remembered in the West of England; a Somersetshire peasant, visiting Glastonbury on his way to London, in a song of the seventeenth century,* is made to say,

"Ice azked whose tooke downe the leads an the beels,

And thay tould me a doctar that lived about Wels;

In the 7th of Jozhua pray bid them goe looke,

Chill be hanged if thick same chaptar be not out of his booke.

Vor thare you may reade about Achans wedge,

How thick zame goolden thing did zettz teeth an edge.

'Tis an ominous thing how this church is abused,
Remember how poor abbott Whitting was used."

* A Collection of Pieces in the Dialect of Zummerzet. Edited by James Orchard Halliwell, Esq. (8vo. Lond. 1843.) p. 4.

« AnteriorContinuar »