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brother the smythe to have pullede owte a bare of yron of that windowe wheras ye examinede the lady abbas, that he myght have gone in to hir by nyght, and that same windowe was ther commonyng place by nyght. He persuadyt the sexten that he wolde be in his contemplacion in the churche by nyght, and by that meanes was many nyghtes in the churche talkyng with hir at the saide graite of the nunnes qwere, and ther was ther metyng place by nyght, besyddes ther day communication, as in confession. Hit were to long to declare all thynges of hym that I have herde, wiche I suppos is trewe. This affter none I intende to make further serche, bothe of sum of the brederen and sum also of the sisters, for suche lyke matters; if I fynde any thynges apparant to be trewe, I shall, Gode willyng, therof certifye your mastershipe to morowe by vij. in the mornyng, and affter this day I suppos ther wilbe no other thynges to be knowyn as yett here, for I have alredy examynede all the brederen, and many of them wolde gladly depart hens, and be ryght wery of ther habite: suche religion and faynede sanctitie Gode save me fro! If Mr. Bedyll hade bene here a frear and of Bisshops cownsell, he wolde ryght well have helpede hym to have browght his matter to passe withoute brekyng up of any graite or yett cownterfetyng of keys, suche capacitie Gode hathe sende hym. From Sion, this Sonday xij. Decembris. By the spedy hande of your assurede poire preste,

RICHARD LAYTON.

XVIII.

BEDYLL TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cott. Cleop. E. 1v. fol. 109.]

Right worshipful, after my moost hertie commendations, pleace it you to understand that maister Leighton and I have had muche

busines with this house sythens your departing hens; and as for the brethern, they stand stif in thair obstinacy as you left thaim. Copynger and Lache were sent to my lord of London on Moneday. Here wer on Tuesday doctor Buttes and the quenys amner to convert Wytford and Litell; and on Wensday here wer doctor Aldrigge, doctour Curven, doctor Bawghe, and doctor Morgan, sent by the kinges grace for that purpose, but they nothing proficted. I handled Whitford after that in the garden, bothe with faire wordes and with foule, and shewed him that throughe his obstinacy he shuld be brought to the greate shame of the world for his irreligious life, and for his using of bawdy wordes to diverse ladys at the tymes of thair confession, whereby (I seyed) he myght be the occasion that shrift shalbe layed downe throughe England: but he hath a brasyn forehed, whiche shameth at nothing. One Mathew, a lay brother, upon hope of liberte, is reformed. We wolde fayne know your advise what we shal do with Whitford and Litell, and a lay brother, one Turnyngton, whiche is very sturdy against the kinges title. We have sequesterd Whitford and Litell from hering of the ladys confessions; and we think it best that the place wher thes frires have been wont to hire uttward confessions of al commers at certen tymes of the yere be walled up, and that use to be fordoen for ever; for that hering of utward confessions hath been the cause of muche evyl, and of muche treson whiche hath been sowed abrode in this mater of the kinges title, and also in the kinges graces mater of his succession and mariage. On Wensday my lord Wyndesore came hither, sent for by maister Leighton and me, and labored muche that day for the converting of his suster and som other of his kynneswomen here; and yesterday we had my lord of London here in the chapiter house of women, and the confessor also, whiche bothe toke it upon thair consciences and upon the perill of thair soulys that the ladys owght by Godes law to consent to the kinges title, wherewith they wer muche comforted; and wher we wylled al suche as consented to the kinges title to syt styll, and al suche as wold not consent

CAMD. SOC.

H

therunto to depart out of the chapter-house, there was found none emong thaim whiche departed. Albeit I was informed this nyght that one Agnes Smyth, a sturdy dame and a wylful, hath labored diverse of her susters to stop that we shuld not have thair convent seal; but we trust we shal have it this mornyng, with the subscription of thabbes for her self and al her susters, whiche is the best fassion that we can bring it to. The persone whiche ye spak with at the grate, covyteth very muche to speke with you, seyng she hath suche thinges whiche she wold utter to no man but to you, and what they be I can not conject. We purpose this after none, or els tomorow mornyng, to awaite on the king grace, to know his pleasir in every thing, and specially towching the muring up of the howses of utterward confessions. Maister Leyghton hath wreten certen compertes unto you, and therefor I forber to spek any thing therof. The ladys of Sion besecheth you to be good maister unto thaim, and to thair house, as thair special trust is in you, and that they all run not into obloquy and slaunder for the mysbehavor of one person. A greate number of the ladys desired me to speke unto you that Bisshope and Parkere myght be discharged from the house of Sion, and Bisshope and Parker desire the same; I mervaile that they desire not likewise to be discharged of the person with whom ye talked at the grate, seing Bisshopes caus and that is From Sion, the xvijth, day of December,

one.

By yours, as your servant,

THOMAS BEDYLL.

state in which the The early history

The next letter forms a link in the long chain of evidence of the English monastic houses had fallen, when the visitation took place. of the monastery of Stavordale in Somersetshire is very obscure. It is said to have been founded by Sir William Zouche. In the reign of Henry VIII. it was annexed to the Abbey of Taunton. There appears no reason for believing that Richard Zouche obtained the appointment which he here solicits.

XIX.

RYCHARD ZOUCHE TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cott. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 260.]

Sure, pleshyt your goode mastershype to underston that wer I dewlle ys a pore pryery, a fundacion off my nawynsetres, wyche ys my lorde my fatheres ynerytans and myne, and be the resone off a lewyde pryore that was ther, wyche was a schanon off Tawntoun afor, browytte hytt to be a sell unto Tawntoun, and now hys hytt dystryde, and ther ys but to chanons, wyche be off no goode levyng, and that ys gret petty, the pore howseholde be so yett yntretyd; werfor yff ytt may plese your good masterchyppe to be so good master to me to gett me the pore howse wyche ys callyd Staverdell, I wer bownde to pray for your masterchyp, and also I schal bere you my herty servys nextt the kynge ys gras, and be at your commayndment, be the gras off God, ho ever preserve your goode masterchype.

Your howyne pore servantt and bedman,
RYCHARDE ZOUCHE.

The following letter belongs, perhaps, to the next year, although it is strange that Sir Peter Dutton should address Cromwell by the simple title of mastership at so late a date. From documents given in Ormerod's History of Cheshire, it appears that the abbot of Norton refused to surrender his house, and that the attempt to enforce the orders of the court excited a serious insurrection, and the commissioners were obliged to take shelter in the tower of the priory church. The abbot and other persons concerned in this affair were arrested by Sir Peter Dutton, then Sheriff of Cheshire, and the former is supposed to have been executed. It may be observed, however, that this insurrection appears to have taken place at the beginning of October, 1536, whereas the present letter is dated at the beginning of August.

This little house was founded as a priory, about 1133 or 1135 at Runcorne in Cheshire, by William Fitz Nigel, and was moved by his son in the time of Stephen to Norton. Early in the fifteenth century it was changed from a priory to an abbey.

XX.

SIR PETER DUTTON TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Harl. 604, fol. 54.]

Please it your gud mastership, my duetie remembert, thes to advertise you that I have taken the bodies of thabbot of Norton, Robert Jannyns, and the straunger, a connyng smythe, two of the seid abbottes servantes, also Rondull Breretone, baron of the kynges excheker of Chestre, and John Hale of Chestre, merchaunt, and have theym in my custody and kepyng. And the rest I entende to have as spedely as I can, and to be with you with theym, God willyng, in all convenyent spede as I possible may. Moreover, I haue causet dan Rondull Wylmyslow, the moncke of the Walle Royall, to cum up to you, for whom I spake unto your gud mastership, whiche is a gud religious man, discrete and wel groundet in lernyng, and hathe many gud qualites most apte to be a master of a religious howse then any other moncke of that howse. Wherfour it may please your gud mastership to be his gud master toward his preferrement that he may be admitted master of the same, and that I did promyse your mastership this seid moncke will accomplisshe accordyngly, wherefour I beseche your mastership that this berer and the seid moncke may resorte unto yow from tyme to tyme, to knowe youre pleasure therin, ensuryng you what ye do for me or my frynde, all is your owne, as knowithe our lord God, who mercifully preserve you. At Dutton, the iijde. day of Auguste,

By youres assured,

To the right honorable

and his especiall gud master, maister Cromwell,
secretary unto our sovereign lord the kynge.

PERUS DUTTON, K.

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