drea. Galtero abbate de Neht. Johanne abbate de Agneto. Girardo abbate de Lunguilers. Johanne abbate de Joravalle. Radulfo abbate de Chalochi.

REVERENDIS dominis et patribus W. abbati de CISTERCIO et cæteris abbatibus ibidem in spiritu sancto congregatis W. abbas de CUMBA et W. abbas de MIRIVAL et W. abbas de STANLE salutem et sue humilitatis obsequium. Ad præcavenda varia pericula que itinerantibus et maxime in navigatione possunt contingere visum est H. abbati de BILDEWAS nostra pocius testimonia quam sua vobis transmittere munimenta super subjectione domorum de BASINGVERS et DUBLIN. Nos itaque fraterne postulacioni nostrum suffragium pro posse volentes impendere prenotata diligenter inspeximus et eandem quam ibi legimus formam vestre discretioni plenius adnotare curavimus. Valete.

This instructive document is in the form of a small roll. The seals of the three Abbots were appended at the foot. Portions of two of the seals still remain. One is circular, and has for its device a hand and arm presenting the pastoral staff. The other has the figure of an abbot.

The earlier portions are written by one hand: but the letter of the three Abbots is in a different ink and character.

They certify to the Abbot of Cistertium, the head-house of the Cistercian order, that the four instruments which are copied above are true copies of the originals.

These instruments relate to the subjection of the two houses of Saint Mary of Dublin and Basingwerk in Flintshire, to the house of Buildwas in Shropshire, one of the earliest Cistertian houses in England.

They are

1. Declaration of the Abbot and Convent of Savigney of the subjection of the house of Saint Mary of Dublin to Buildwas, a. D. 1156.

2. A like declaration concerning Basingwerk, A. D. 1157.

3. A second declaration, made twenty years after, respecting both houses, the question having been solemnly heard on behalf of the Monks of Basingwerk, who had sought to free themselves from their subjection.

4. A confirmation of the Determination of the house of Savigney by the Abbot of Cistertium.

These documents, which belong to the class of the Charte Majores of the three houses concerned, are now for the first time brought to light.

The Charter by which King Henry the Second gave to Ranulph, Abbot of Buildwas, the government of the house of Saint Mary of Dublin, is in the Monasticon, N. E. vol. V. p. 363: but we find nothing in that work relating to the subjection of the more interesting house of Basingwerk, to which the famed well of Saint Winifred belonged.

Indeed, there is much uncertainty respecting everything connected with the foundation of Basingwerk, which it is hoped this document will do something to dissipate. We now see that it was a regularly-constituted house of the Cistertian order as early as 1157, when (being then, no doubt, a new foundation) it was placed under the superintendence of the house of Buildwas: that, in or about 1177, the Abbot and Monks had become uneasy under their subjection, and sought, but ineffectually, to free themselves from it.

These facts tend strongly to show that the Charter of one of the Henries, by which the church of Glossop in Derbyshire, the well of St. Winifred, and other property, is given to the house, belongs, as Dodsworth and Dugdale had represented it, to King Henry the Second, and not to King Henry the Third, to whom it has been referred by Bishop Fletewood. See his Life and Miracles of Saint Winifred, 1713, p. 24, as quoted in the New Monasticon. Not that the earlier date of that grant needed this confirmation, as the style of the Charter, and the names of the witnesses, would guide at once to the earlier reign. The Messrs. Lysons have already noticed the mistake (see Magna Britannia, Derbyshire, p. 165,) and fix upon the year in which the house of Savigney were engaged in settling the position of the new fraternity, as the year of King Henry's grant.

There is nothing in the roll to show for what purpose the house of Cistertium called for these evidences, or the time when the copies were transmitted. But from the character it may be inferred that the roll belongs to the twelfth century. The names of the three Abbots, under whose seals the documents are transmitted, are not found in the existing Fasti of any of the houses. The series of the Abbots of Buildwas and Basingwerk may also be made less incomplete by this roll.

.IV.

Grant by the Abbot and Convent of SAINT WANDRAGESILUS to the Bishop of SALISBURY, of the Churches of WHITCHURCH and SHERSTON and Tythe at WIVELESFORD, in the time of Richard the First: with certain documents relating to those Churches.

OMNIBUS Christi fidelibus ad quos præsens scriptum pervenerit R. Dei gratia abbas de SANCTO WANDRAGESILO et ejusdem loci

conventus eternam in Domino salutem. Universitati vestre notum sit nos de communi assensu capituli nostri dedisse et concessisse Deo et Ecclesie SANCTE MARIE SAR. et H. ejusdem loci Episcopo et successoribus suis et capitulo ecclesiam de WHITCHURECHE et ecclesiam de SORESTANE et quicquid in eis juris habuimus` vel habere potuimus, et quicquid habuimus in terris et in decimis aput WIUELESFORD, habendas et possidendas in perpetuum cum omnibus pertinentiis suis quietas et liberas ab omni calumpnia de nobis et successoribus nostris et domo Sancti Wandrigesili. hujus autem rei testimonium sigillum nostrum apposuimus.

In

R. Dei gratia Abbas de SANCTO WANDRIGESILO dilectis suis Magistro RICARDO de SORESTAN et RICARDO de WITCHIRChe et domino ILBERTO DE GREINEVILE salutem. Sciatis quod nos dedimus Deo et ecclesie SANCTE MARIE SAR. et domino H. ejusdem loci Episcopo Venerabili et Capitulo SAR. quicquid juris habuimus in ecclesia de SORESTANE et in ecclesia de WITCHIRCHE et in terris et in decimis apud WIUELESFORD. Quare vobis mandamus et præcipimus quatinus eis de cetero sitis intendentes et respondentes in omnibus que ad nos pertinere solebant sicut nobis facere solebatis. Valete.

NOVERINT universi ad quos præsens scriptum pervenerit quod ego R. abbas et conventus SANCTI WANDRIGESILI concessimus domino H. SAR. Episcopo et ejusdem ecclesie capitulo quicquid possedimus in ecclesia de WITHCHIRCHE et in ecclesia de SORESTANE et quinquaginta solidos esterlingorum apud WIUELESFORD in perpetuum possidenda pro beneficiis et honoribus nobis ab ipsis collatis. Quod ut ratum habeatur sigillorum nostrorum attestacione præsens scriptum confirmamus. Et dependet in hiis literis tam sigillum Abbatis quam Conventus.

VENERABILI viro et patri in Christo H. Dei gratia SAR.

Episcopo ejusdemque ecclesie capitulo R. Dei gratia Abbas SANCTI WANDRIGESILI et ejusdem loci Conventus eternam in Domino salutem. Petivit a nobis dilectio vestra ut certificaremus vos quibus instrumentis vel cartis vel et privilegiis utebamur super ecclesia de WITCHURICHE et ecclesia de SORESTANE et de reditu de WIUELESFORD, quod libenter omnimodis exequi.

In privilegiis Summorum Pontificum INNOCENCII Secundi et EUGENII tercii sic continetur.

In Episcopatu SAR. Ecclesiam de WITCHIRCHE cum capellis et decimis et terra et hospitiis. Ecclesiam de WIUELESFORD cum decima. In MANEGESFORD unam hidam terre. Ecclesiam de SORESTANE cum capellis et decimis.

In largicione illustris WILLIELMI Regis ANGLORUM et ducis NORMANNORUM ad peticionem GUNTARDI Capellani sui.

Ita continetur.

Notum sit omnibus tam posteris quam præsentibus quod Ego WILLIELMUS Dei gratia Rex ANGLORUM et dux NORMANNORUM pro redempcione animæ meæ et salute conjugis et filiorum meorum FONTANELLENSI Monasterio in honore SANCTI WANDRAGESILI constructo, pro amore GUNTARDI capellani mei qui ibi monachus factus est, quatuor ecclesias in ANGLICA TERRA positas concessi cum decimis et omnibus suis costumis sicut antecessor GUNTARDI eas tenuit tempore antecessoris mei beate memorie EDWARDI Regis, quarum duæ de WITHCHIRCHE et BRIDETUNA sunt in comitatu DORSETE. Tercia vero SORESTANE est in comitatu WILTESYRE. Quarta autem TOUECESTRE est in comitatu NORHAMPTESIRE. Et ut hæc donacio etc.

CAMD. SOC. 8.

I

In autentico Venerabilis JOCELINI SAR. Episcopi ita

continetur.

JOCELINUS Dei gratia SAR. Episcopus universis Sancte Matris Ecclesie filiis ad quos præsens scriptum pervenerit salutem. Sicut injusta petentibus ex rigore justicie constat obviandum ita justis postulacionibus ex ratione novimus etiam parendum. Noverit itaque Universitas vestra nos concessisse et sigilli nostri munimine confirmasse Abbati SANCTI WANDRIGESILI et toti ejusdem loci conventui in perpetuum omnes ecclesias et ceteras possessiones quæ in diocesi nostra juris illorum dinoscuntur; videlicet ecclesiam de WITCHIRCHE cum capellis et cæteris appendiciis. Ecclesiam de BRIDETUNA PORT cum capellis et cæteris appendiciis. Ecclesiam de BRIDITUNA cum capellis et cæteris appendiciis. Ecclesiam de UPAVENE cum capellis et cæteris appendiciis. Capellam de MANEGESFORD cum appendiciis suis. Ecclesiam de SORESTANE cum capellis et appendiciis suis. Omnibus igitur huic nostre concessioni et confirmationi renitentibus et adversantibus etc.

Venerabilis insuper ROGERUS SAR. Episcopus A. archidiacono de DORSETE et ROGERO et ERN. archidiaconis de WILTESIRA ita scripsit.

R. Episcopus SAR. A. archidiacono de DORSETE et ROGERO et ERN. archidiaconis de WILTESIRA salutem. Præcipio quod Abbas de SANCTO WANDRAGESILO teneat ita bene et honorifice et libere omnes ecclesias que in archidiaconatu vestro sunt cum decimis et omnibus consuetudinibus suis sicut unquam eas melius habere et liberius tenere solebat; et nominatim ecclesiam de RUSTESHALE cum decima sua et ecclesiam de BRIDETUNA Cum decima sua et ecclesiam de BRIDEPORT cum decima sua et ecclesiam de WITCHIRCHE