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1422.
17 Kal. April.
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 66d.) |
To John McGillavanem, priest, of the diocese of Ardagh. Rehabilitation on account of the following. The pope lately [above, p 89]. ordered provision to be made to him of the deanery of Ardagh, which was to become void by the promotion, made by the pope, and by the then approaching consecration, of Cornelius, [now] bishop, then elect, of Ardagh. John's petition, set forth [to-day, as on f. 67] to the pope, contained that between him and the said bishop, then elect, a dispute had arisen in respect of a certain sum belonging to the said bishop, then elect, and unduly laid out in the Roman court, at John's instance, by the said bishop's proctor Nemias Mackegean, priest, of the diocese of Ardagh (occasione certe pecuniarum summe ad eundem episcopum tunc electum spectantis et per dilectum filium N.M. presbiterum Ardakadensis diocesis ipsius episcopi tune electi procuratorem in curia Romana te instante minus debite exposite), and that the bishop endeavoured to prevent provision of the deanery being made to John on its becoming void; that to buy off the bishop's opposition, as well as that of Richard Offergayll, priest, of the said diocese (to whom provision of the deanery had also been granted by papal authority), he promised them money; and that upon the deanery becoming void by the said promotion and by the consecration of Cornelius, John obtained possession thereof by virtue of his said provision, and still holds it. John, who has studied canon and civil law for more than twelve years at Oxford and in studia particularia, is to resign the deanery. Sedes apostolica, pia mater. (Ja. Gratis pro deo. de Cerretanis.) |
17 Kal. April.
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 67.) |
To the bishops of Alet, Frigento and Kilmore. Mandate, recapitulating the preceding, to collate and assign to the above John, after he has resigned, the above deanery, a major elective dignity with cure, value not exceeding 40 marks, still void by the above promotion and consecration; whether it became void as stated, or by the resignation of the above Richard. Vite etc. (Ja. Gratis pro deo. Septimo Kal. Septembris Anno Sexto. de Cerretanis.) |
4 Kal. Oct.
S. Maria Maggiore,
Rome.
(f. 68d.) |
To William Paynell, rector of Aston in the diocese of York, licentiate of civil law. Validation from the present date of the dispensation which the pope lately granted to him, being of noble birth, licentiate of civil law by examination, and holding the parish church of Warsope in the said diocese, to hold therewith for life any other benefice with cure or otherwise incompatible, and to resign both, as often as he pleased, simply or for exchange [above, p. 224]; notwithstanding that before the date of the said dispensation he had resigned Warsope and obtained Aston, value not exceeding 40 marks. Nobilitas generis, litterarum etc. (Franciscus. xx. Quinto Id. Septembris Anno Sexto. de Agello.) |
Id. Oct.
S. Maria Maggiore,
Rome.
(f. 81d.) |
To Walter Medford, dean of Wells. Absolution etc., as below. His recent petition contained that on the voidance of the deanery, before the chapter proceeded to election he, as a canon and prebendary of Wells, took an oath, of which exemplification is given, that if elected dean he would keep continual and personal residence in accordance with the statutes, notwithstanding any dispensations etc. past or future, and that in the event of his not keeping personal residence he would pay 100l. a year from the fruits of the deanery, to be applied by the chapter to the burdens of the cathedral church; that after he had been duly elected and confirmed, in obtaining possession of the deanery he repeated the said oath, and also swore to observe all the statutes, especially those requiring personal residence and forbidding the impetration of papal letters to the contrary, and the use of such letters even if impetrated by others, etc.; and that after having obtained the deanery he, who was then collector of fruits etc. due to the papal camera in England, and was in the service of Henry, bishop of Winchester, for these and for divers other reasons absented himself more than once, taking the whole of the fruits of the deanery, and not paying the said sum, so that he fears he has become guilty of perjury. In consideration of his services as collector and his other merits, the pope absolves him from whatever guilt of perjury he has contracted, rehabilitates him, remits and gives him the said sum which his oath bound him to give to the said church, and relaxes his said oath for a period of five years from the present date, during which he may as often as he pleases absent himself from the church of Wells for his own business or that of any others, or when engaged in the service of the said bishop or any other, even a temporal lord, or residing in one of his benefices, taking the full revenues of his deanery and not paying the above sum. Affectu beniuolencie specialis. |
Id. Oct.
S. Maria Maggiore,
Rome.
(f. 83.) |
To the bishop of Winchester. Mandate as below. The pope recapitulates Boniface IX's motu proprio abolition of the custom of the church of Wells by which each new canon prebendary on beginning residence was bound to entertain the bishop, dean, canons, etc., at a cost sometimes amounting to 150 or 200 marks, and the same pope's statute and ordinance whereby in future each canon holding a simple prebend or a prebend and dignity should pay to the dean and chapter, towards the fabric and the burdens of the chapter and church, 100 and 150 marks respectively [Cal. Lett. V, p. 400]. At the recent petition of the said dean and chapter (containing that they have observed the said statute since it came to their knowledge, have received from canons coming into residence the said sum, and have shared it, one part for the fabric, and the other for the dean or president and canons residentiary, towards their food and clothing and other burdens; and adding that they fear lest they may be molested on the ground that, in thus sharing the said second part amongst themselves, they have misinterpreted the said statute and not acted according to its spirit), the pope orders the above bishop, if he find the facts to be as stated, and the said sharing to be to the evident utility and honour of the said church, to declare that it has and shall in future be lawful for the said dean and chapter to share the said sum, and moreover to approve and confirm the said statute and the consequences thereof. Ad ea nos obligat. |
5 Id. May.
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 84.) |
To the bishop of London. Mandate as below. The late Thomas, duke of Gloucester, set forth to Boniface IX that with licence of the late Robert, bishop of London, he had removed the church of the town (villa) of Plecy, then parochial and of his patronage, from its ancient site to another place in the said town, on ground of his own, and had founded and built it anew in honour of the Holy Trinity, and obtained its erection by the said bishop into a collegiate church for a master or warden having cure of souls of the parishioners and of the inmates of the church, eight priests and four clerks, had augmented its endowment and made statutes, confirmation of all which he petitioned the said pope to grant, as well as power to interpret and amend etc. the said statutes as often as he should think good. Pope Boniface ordered the abbots of Westminster and Waltham to carry out the duke's request. The recent petition of the said master or warden, priests and clerks, contained that the late William, abbot of Waltham, proceeding alone, confirmed the said foundation, erection, augmentation and statutes, and granted the duke power to interpret etc. as above, and that the duke in virtue thereof changed some of the statutes and annulled others, but that on account of his death the changes were not otherwise confirmed. The said petition added that some of the statutes, during the duke's lifetime and with his knowledge, were not observed, that the said master etc. cannot be supported out of the slender fruits etc. of the said church and bear their other burdens, and that they cannot observe the said statutes because they are too severe. The pope therefore orders the above bishop, if he find the said statutes or some of them to be too severe, to reform them, and to order them, thus reformed, to be perpetually observed. Sacrosante Romane ecclesie. |
1421.
4 Kal. Dec.
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 122d.) |
To John Bridbroke, canon of Hereford, doctor of canon law. Dispensation to him, who holds the canonry and prebend of Barton Colewall in Hereford, and the precentorship of the same, a non-major dignity with cure, value respectively not exceeding 20 and 40 marks, to hold for life, with the precentorship, one other benefice with cure or otherwise incompatible therewith, even if a parish church etc., and to resign them, simply or for exchange, as often as he pleases. Litterarum etc. |
12 Kal. Jan.
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 124d.) |
To John Bilton, priest, of the diocese of York. Dispensation to him (who formerly, without mention of his illegitimacy, as the son of a priest and an unmarried woman, had himself tonsured, and received papal dispensation to act as a clerk and be promoted to all holy orders and hold a benefice with or without cure, after which he was ordained priest and obtained the parish church of Berkehamstede Magna in the diocese of Lincoln) to hold four other benefices with or without cure, compatible with one another and with the said church, and to resign them, as often as he pleases, simply or for exchange. Laudabilia probitatis. |
