XL.

THE COMMISSIONERS IN KENT TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cott. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 219.]

Right worshipfull sir, itt maye youe to understond, that we receyved your lettre this present Tewesdaye att nyght, about vij. of the clok, by the handes of John Antony your servaunt, advertesyng youe that before the receyt therof we have been att the monasteries of Langdon, Dovour, and Folkston, and have taken a clere surrender of every of the same monasteries under ther covent seales, beyng also recognized in ther chapter houses, accordyng to your wille and commaundement, wheruppon dyverse tenauntes belongyng to the seid monasteries have openly attorned unto the kynges grace.

We have also receyved into your custodye the covent seales of the seid monasteries, and have in lyke maner receyvd all the evidence belongyng to the monasteries of Langdon and Folkston, and have likewyse receyved parte of the evidence belongyng to Dovour, such as we thought most expedyent, and the residue we have putt into a suer chiste under lock, wherof we have the key in our custodye.

We have also lefte the chanons and monkes still in ther houses, withoute any clere dyscharge of them, butt have putt them att ther liberte and choise whether they wille abide ther untill the kynges graceis plesure be ferther knowen therin, or eles to goo from thens to ther fryndes, wherof the most parte desire to have capacitees, and somme to be assigned over to other places of religeon. Which monkys and chanons att the tyme of the receypt of your seid lettre (as we trust and thynk) ar remaynyng still in ther houses.

Advertesyng your mastership fferther of the estate of the seid monasteries, wherin (as yett) we toke none inventories, by cause the inventories were taken allredy, as your mastership knowes.

Fyrst, the house of Langdon is sore in decaye, and no maner of grayne or other vittalles for the realeff of the house. Thabbott therof (as he is reported) a veray unthrifte yvell housbond, and of yll rule, and his covent veraye ignorant and poore.

The house of Dovour is a goodly house and well repayred in all places, as fer as we cowd perceyve; and that the prior (as itt was reported unto us) ffound the house att his ffyrst comyng thither indented in ixxxli., and hath reduced and brought that to cli. as itt is said, of whose nowe case dyverse of the honest inhabitantes of Dovour shewe them selves veray sory.

The house of Folkston is a littill house, well repayred, and the prior a veray honest parson, and a veray good husbond,* and no les belovyd emonges his neypours.

We have consulted uppon your letter that Herry Polsted, John Antony, and Antony Ager shall accomplish the same in all thyng with all convenyent spede. And thus the Holy Goost contynewe yowe in good helth [and] welffare. Writton at Canterbury, the xvj. daye of November.

Your owne, THOMAS BEDYLL.
Your servaunt, HERRY POLSTED.
Your servant, JOHN ANTHONY.

The next letter is altogether undated, but it appears to have been written about this time, and is placed here from its connection with the proceedings in Kent, a portion of which form the subject of the preceding letter. We have already seen the prior of Christ's Church, Canterbury, excusing himself from having any connection with Elizabeth Barton.

* i. e. a careful housekeeper.

CAMD. SOC.

N

XLI.

CHRISTOPHER LEVYNS TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cott. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 124.]

Pleasithe hit your mastershype to understonde, that one Sondaye was senyghte I delyveryde unto your servaunt mayster Filoll a certayne bill of complaynte ayenste the priour of Christe Churche in Cantreburye, wheryne I openyde unto your mastershipe that dyverse brethren of the same howse hadde shewyde unto me that the sayde pryour hadde takyne a collette ffor the bysshoppe of Rome by name of Pope, contrarye to his othe and a lawe made in that behalffe,* and allso delyveryde unto hyme the copye of an inventorye latelye exhibityde by hym unto your maistershipe of the juelles and plate belongynge unto the same monasterye, with a remembraunce of certayne parcells of sylver, golde, and stone to the value of thowsandys of poundys, as the brethren of the same house reporte, willffullye lefte owte of the sayde inventorye, contrarye unto an injunction to hyme gevynne by doctor Leyghtone, vysitour there under your mastershipe. Whether your maistershipe have knowelege of the same byll or no, I knowe not; but the sayde priour ys departyde to his howse, and I verylye thynke, that those his brethren or monkes whiche have openyde thys matter, whome he knowith ryght well, that after his comynge home they shall never come forthe to depose in thys matter that he hathe done ayenste our soverayng lorde the kynge, but other shalbe poysenyde or murtheryde in prysone, as the commen reporte of the monkes of the same house ys that he hathe murthredde dyverse other. And bysydys thys, hit ys not to be dowbtyde that he, knowynge hyme selfe to be gyltye in the mater before rehersyde, wyll eloyne owt of the same howse into the handys of hys secrett

* The act of parliament abrogating the "usurped power of the bishop of Rome," in this island, who was no longer to receive the name of pope, was passed in the session of the 25 Hen. VIII.

fryndys thowsandys of poundes, wiche is well knowen he hathe, to hys conforte herafter, to the greate hynderance of our soveraing lorde the kynge, whiche ys justelye intytyllydde by his lawes therunto, upon thys offence done, to have the hole moveable goodes of the howse. Whiche hynderaunce to our sayde soveraing lord, and dangers unto these poore men hys brethren, in thys behalfe consyderyde, hit may please your mastershipe to take summe order by your highe discressyon. Wryten by your bedman and the kynges trewe subjecte,

To the right honorable
maister Thomas Crumwell
hyghe secretarye to the
kynges hyghnes.

CRISTOFER LEVYNS,

Towards the end of the year Layton and Legh set out on a visitation journey towards Yorkshire. The following letter caries them as far as Lichfield.

XLII.

DR. LAYTON TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 131.]

Hit may please your mastershipe to understande, that in goyng northwardes from London I towke in my way towardes Lichefelde, wheras I appointede to mete with doctor Leig, firste a prorie of Gylbertyns and nunnes inclosede and closse ;* wheras they wolde not in any wisse have admittede me as vysiter, I wolde not be so answerede, but visitede them, and ther fownde two of the saide nunnes not baron; one of them impregnavit supprior domus, an other a servyng man. The two prioresses wolde not confesse this, nother the parties, nor none of the nunnes, but one old beldame;

*This was probably the priory of Chicksand in Bedfordshire, founded about 1150 for canons and nuns of the order of St. Gilbert of Sempringham.

and whan I objectede agayns the saide prioresses, that if they cowlde not shewe me a cause resonable of that ther conseilement, I muste nedes and wolde punnisshe them for ther manifeste perjurie, ther answer was that they were bownde by ther religion never to confesses the secrette fawttes done emongiste them, but onely to ther owne visiture of ther religion, and to that they were sworne evere one of them at ther firste admission. Another priorie callede Harwolde,* wherin was iiij. or v. nunnes with the priores; one of them hade two faire chyldren, another one and no mo. My lorde Mordant,† dwellyng nygh the saide howse, intyssede the yong nunnes to breke up the cofer wheras the covent sealle was; sir John Mordant his eldyste son then present, ther perswadyng them to the same, causede ther the prioresse and hir folysshe yong floke to seale a writyng made in Latten; what therin is conteynede nother the priores nor hir sisters can telle, sayyng that my Lord Mordant tellith them that hit ys but a leasse of a benifice improperite, with other small tenanderyse. They say all they durste not say hym nay; and the priores saith planely that she never wolde consent therto. This was done sens Michaelmas. To cale my lorde Mordant to make answere thus by power and myght in his contrey to use howses of religion of the kinges foundation (me semith) ye can no lesse do by your offes, unleste ye will suffer the kinges foundations in continewaunce by every man to be abusede. At Saint Androse in Northampton‡ the howse is in dett gretly, the landes solde and morgagede, the fermes

* At Harewold, or Harwood, in Bedfordshire, there was a priory of nuns of the order of St. Augustine, founded in the middle of the twelfth century. Very little is known of its history.

+ Sir John Mordaunt, who had been sheriff of Bedford and Bucks in the first year of Henry's reign, and had been employed by that monarch in several important occasions. He was summoned to parliament as a baron in 1532.

The date of the original foundation of the priory of St. Andrew in Northampton is somewhat uncertain. In 1084, Simon de St. Liz, the first Norman Earl of Northampton and Huntingdon, repaired and newly endowed this house, and placed in it a company of Cluniac monks. The last prior is said to have been Francis Abtree, alias Leicester: it is stated in the last edition of Dugdale that he is called by Layton in this letter John Petie, the words "I have petie" having been mistaken for a proper name.