66. Item, Whether the master of this house, in giving any advocation, nomination, presentation, or collation of any parsonage, vicarage, chapel, or benefice of the patronage or gift of this house, do take or use to take any manner pension, portion, or other commodity or gains; or else doth make any convention or compaction, whereby any lucre many ensue to him in that behalf?

67. Item, Whether he do receive, or use to receive, the fruits and revenues of every such benefice vacant, or use to borrow any money of him to whom he intendeth to give such benefice unto, expressly covenanting or intending, that he so obtaining the said benefice shall freely and clearly remit the said money so borrowed?

68. Item, What and how many benefices the master of this house doth occupy and keep in his own hands?

69. Item, Whether the same benefices be appropriate and united to this house by sufficient authority?

70. Item, Whether the master of this house doth make distributions amongst the parishioners of the benefices appropriate, and doth keep and observe all and singular other provisions and ordinances specified and expressed in the appropriations of the same benefices?

Exhibeant omnes et singulas Appropriationes, una cum Ordinationibus et Donationibus Vicariatuum.

71. Item, Whether he do promote unto such benefices as be of his gift sufficient and able persons in learning, manners, and virtue?

72. Item, Whether any brother of this house do serve any parish-church, being appropriate and united to the same, and how many churches appropriate to be so served?

73. Item, Whether the master of this house hath and possesseth any benefice with cure, or any other dignity with his abbey?

Si aliquod tale habet, Dispensationem exhibeat.

74. Item, Whether the master of this house at any time since he was first made abbot, or master, did know or believe that he was suspended, or excommunicate, either by the law, or by any judge; and whether he knowing or supposing himself so to be, did sing mass in the mean time, and before he was absolved?

In Visitatione Monialium ad Præmissa addantur

hæc.

75. Item, Whether this monastery hath good and sufficient enclosure, and whether the doors and windows be diligently kept shut, so that no man can have any entry into the same or any part thereof at inconvenient times?

Propter quod necessarium erit Visitatori circum

ire Monasterium, ac videre et rimare dispositionem ædificiorum, et an sint aliqua loca pervia per quæ secrete intrari possit; et una secum habeat Abbatissam cum duabus aut tribus senioribus Monialibus, a quibus tum interroget, an ostia Monasterii singulis quibusque noctibus sub clavibus clausa teneantur, et quæ earum Monialium senio confectarum, vel an Abbas ipsa clavium custodiam tempore nocturno habeant et teneant: nam non est tutum clavium custodiam Junioribus committere.

76. Item, Whether strangers, both men and women, useth commonly to have communication with the sisters of this house, without license of the abbess or prioress, especially in secret places, and in the absence of their sisters?

77. Item, Whether any sister of this house were professed for any manner of compulsion of her friends and kins folks, or by the abbess or prioress?

78. Item, Whether any of the sisters of this house useth to go forth any whither out of the precinct thereof, without special license of their abbess or prioress?

79. Item, Whether any sister doth use her habit continually out of her cell?

80. Item, Wherein every one of you occupieth herself, beside the time of divine service?

81. Item, Whether any sister of this house hath any familiarity with religious men, secular priests, or lay-men, being not near of kin unto them?

82. Item, Whether any sister of this house hath been taken and found with any such accustomably so communing, and could not shew any reasonable cause why they so did?

83. Item, Whether any of you doth use to write any letters of love or lascivious fashion to any person, or receive any such, or have any privy messengers coming or resorting unto you, or any of you, with token or gifts, from any manner secular person or other?

84. Item, Whether any of you doth use to speak with any

manner of person, by night or by day, by grates or back windows, or other privy places within this monastery, without license of your head?

85. Item, Whether the confessor of this house be a discreet man, of good learning, virtue and honest behaviour, of good name and fame, and whether he hath been always so taken?

86. Item, How oftimes in the year the sisters of this house useth to be confessed and communicate?

Restat pro Ecclesiis Collegiatis, Hospatalibus, Ecclesiis Cathedralibus, Parochialibus, Ecclesiis, Episcopo, et Archiepiscopo, pro ordine Jerosolomitarum?

Exhibeant omnia scripta, munimenta, Inventaria, Scedulas quascunque, unde aliquid cognitionis eorum reformationi Monasteriorum, sive domorum utilitati, necessariæ explicari, aut quoquo modo coligi possit.

(Collection of Records, vol. II, p. 59. History of the Reformation of the Church of England, ed. cited.)

116. Letters concerning the Suppression of the Monasteries

Original Letters

The agents who were sent to suppress the monasteries have left many letters detailing their acts in this office. Several typical documents are here given. The ancient form of spelling, with all the inconsistencies of each writer in this respect, has been preserved.

(a) DR. LONDON TO THE LORD PRIVY SEAL

Original Letters

In my most humble maner I have me commendyd unto your gudde Lordeschippe. I have with moche adoo dispacchyde the Priory of Black Monks at Coventrye, the Charterhowse, and Combe Abbay. The Priory wasse in dett befor he com ther, and he hathe made me an apparent reasonable accompte. I have left the Churche and Howse vnspoylede and vnde facyd, because as yet I do nott know the Kings Grace's pleasur and yowrs what schalbe don therwith. At the Charter howse I found scase the valor of xxli nobles worth of gudds to dispach the hole Howse. Howbeit Godde hath so disclosyd ther crafty dealing, that I have gevyn every brodor xls towards ther apparell, have payd all the servants wages, have gevyn to every brodor his...celle,

saving the Howse and a vestyment, have payde all ther detts within xli., and yit schall the Kings Grace have above cc. vnc. of plate ther, wher I found but iij. chalyces scasly waying all iij. xl. vnc. I have gevin the Prior a salt of syluer with a cover, a drynking cuppe of syluer with a cover, a maser, a chales, a suyte of vestyments with bedding and other stuff, lyke an honest man, and so I have dispacchyd that House clerlye.

At Combe, I have left the hole Howse with implyments vnspoyled thorowlye. Hardforde now schyryue of Coventrye informyd me that the Abbot of Combe hadde cccccli, in a fetherbedd at hys brodors Howse. Of truythe I serchyd the bedd, and the Abbot hymself, with owt any difficulty, confessed unto me what money was ther, and farther informyd me of every thing he hadd lyk an honest man, and of truythe ther wasse no more monye ther in that bedde but xxvi., wiche vpon hys oothe he tolde me that he putt yt ther to paye certen detts with all now at Candelmas, wich in dede ys trew dett, and he layd those things at his brothers bycause he cowde yvill trust any servant he hadde. He surrenderyd hys Howse the same day twelve monyth he was made Master, and therfor every thing consideryd he left hys Howse in competent gudd state. The dyspacching of that Howse wasse som thing chardgeable for I founde ther xv. monks and lxviij. seruants. I have made safe the evydences in every Howse wher I com, and in som of them I founde the evydences dispersyd and neglecte, moche pytie to see yt. Wherfor I beseke your Lordeschippe that aswell to stay the spoyle of the Howsys as for safgarde of suche evydences. the Surveyors may com as spedyly after me as may be.

I have folowyd your pleasure for your servant M. Whalley, at Pollesworth, wherfore I besek your Lordeschipp to remembre M. Cheyrey, at Bowsvale, Charterhowse Monks bye Nottingham, or in som other place.

If I hadde made rasch ryddyng of thees iij. Howsys I hadde don the Kings Grace butt yvell service. And I trust now I have don both for hys Grace is profytt, and as every thing is savyd and all parts well pleasyd, I schall forwards mak all the spede I can possiblie.

I have of thees iij. Howsys above DCCC. vnc. of plate, wich schalbe at London safly caryede by my commyng thedyr. And my servant now shall delyuer to your Lordeshippe such ornaments as I have sent uppe. I besek your Lordeshippe to take these things I do in gudd part, for of

my fayth I do truly my best diligence to serve the Kinge as our Lord knoweth, who with encrese of moch honor longe preserve your gudde Lordeshippe

Your most bounden orator and servant,

JOHN LONDON.

To the right honerable and my most singuler goode Lorde, my Lorde of

Prive Sealle.

(Original Letters illustrative of English History, ed. H. Ellis, Lond., 1846. Third series, vol. III, p. 183.)

(b) JOHN TREGON WELL TO SECRETARY CROMWELL

Original Letters

Pleasyth you to be advertised that after my departyng from Oxforde I went to Godstowe, where I fownde all thyngs well, and yn good order aswell yn the Monasteri and the Abbas there, as also yn the Convent of the same, excepte that one sister xiij. or xiiij. yers past, beyng then of a nothere howse, brake her chastyte (quia peperit), the whych for correccyon and punysment afterward was sent to Godstowe by the Byschope of Lyncolne, where now and euer sethens that tyme she hath levyd vertuowse.

From thens I went to Ensham, where I fownde a rawe sort of Relygouse parsons and offences emongst them (almoste yn all kyndys of synne commyttede, et etiam crimen pessimum); for the whych offences they have byne punyschede by theire ordynarye in his Visitation. Yet by as mych as I can perceve by inquisition th' abbot ys chaste of hys levyng, and dothe right well over loke the reparracons of his Howse, to whom I can obiecte nothyng but that he ys neglygent yn over seyng hys bretherne. He sayethe that hys dayly ynfyrmyty is th'occasion therof, whych ynfyrmytye somwhat dyd appere by hys face to be trewe.

From Ensham to Bruwerne, wher th'abbot ys (as hyt apperyth to me) not only vertuowse and well lernyde in holy Scrypture, but also hathe ryght well reparyde the rewen and dekeye of that howse, lefte by hys predycessors neglygens, and the Convent whych heretofore were insolent) byn now brought to good order.

From Brewerne, I rode to Wraxton, a Howse of smalle rents, and stondeth moast be husbandry. The Prior there althoghe he be a good husbande and kepyth good hospitalite to hys abylyte, yet he is rewde and unlernyd. Et qualis pater tales filij.