LXVIII. Cyrographum de terra et bosco in Bilyngton inter h Auiciam vxorem eius. EC est conuentio facta inter Galfr. de Bilington et Auiciam uxorem eius ex una parte, et dñum Petrum de Cestria, recto rem ecclesie de Whall. ex altera, videlicet, quod dicti Galfr. et Auicia dimiserunt dicto Petro medietatem totius terre cum bosco que iacet infra diuisas subscriptas, scil. a fine de la Holewetlon ubi descendit ad terram Bernardi filij Ricardi usq. ad sumitatem montis de Belsetenab, et a predicta sumitate usq. le Stanclif, et a predicto Stanclif usq. le Thurseclogh, et a predicto Thurseclogh usq. ad filum aque que vocatur Caldre, et ita sequendo filum aque prenominate usq. ad terram prefate Bernardi, et sequendo feodum eiusdem Bernardi usq. ad prenominatum Holewetlon. Habend. et tenend. dicto Petro de predictis Galfrido et Auicia et eorum heredib3 vel assignatis libere, quiete, bene, et in pace. Redd. inde annuatim dictus Petrus prefatis Galf. et Auicie et eorum heredib3 vel assignatis quatuor solidos sterlingorum ad festum sancti Egidij p omnib3 exactionib3 et demandis. Et licebit predicto Petro commodum suum de predictis terra et bosco facere vel in edificando vel assartando, vel quocunq. alio modo voluerit absq. impedimento aliquo predictorum Galfr. et Auicie et heredum suorum vel assignatorum. Ita quod feno et blado asportato, licebit predictis Galfr. et Auicie et eorum heredib3 vel assignatis una cum tenentib3 suis infra diuisas predictas cum averijs suis communitare. Et prenominati Galfr. et Auicia et heredes sui vel assignati prenominatam terram cum bosco, prenominato Petro contra omnes homines et feminas usq. ad finem vite sue put pretactum est warantizabunt et defendent. Post decessum vero dicti Petri dicta terra cum bosco ad dictos Galfr. et Auiciam vel eorum heredes vel assignatos reuertetur soluta. Pro hac vero dimissione et warantizatione dedit predictus Petrus predictis Galfr. et Auicie p manib3 quatuor marcas argenti. Et ut hec conuentio rata et stabilis pmaneat tam dictus Galfr. quam Auicia uxor eius fidem suam ad dictam conuentionem obseruandam prestiterunt, et huic scripto in modum cyrographi confecto sigilla sua apposuerunt. Hijs testib3, dño Warino tunc Abbate de Sall., dño Henr. de Torbok tunc senesc. de Blak., dño Ad. de Blak., dño Joh. de Blak., dño Rectore ecclesie de Almanbury, Henr. de Whalleye, Rad. de Clayton, Ada Noel, Ric. Phiton, Elia cytherista et alijs. EXPLICIT TITULUS TERTIUS DE BLAKEBURN IN QUO CONTINEN TUR SEXAGINTA OCTO CARTE, MUNIMENTA, ET SCRIPTA DE 135 INCIPIT TITULUS QUARTUS DE ECCLESIA DE RACHEDALE. I. Carta Rogeri de Lascy de ecclesia de Rachedale facta nobis.* a NIUERSIS sancte matris ecclesie filijs tam presentib3 quam futuris, Rog. de Lascy, constab. Cestrie, salutem. Nouerit uniuersitas vestre me dedisse et hac presenti carta mea confirmasse Deo et beate Marie et Abbati et * This is the third instance of an appropriation of a benefice to the convent at Stanlawe, and apology for the insertion of the clear account by Dr. Whitaker of the steps taken to legalize the appropriation, would be at least superfluous. It ought to be premised, that it was not merely necessary for that purpose to obtain the patron's grant; but a license from the king, and a confirmation by the ordinary, and sometimes from the supreme pontiff, were requisite, as both the king and the ordinary had an interest in the benefice by the contingency of a lapse; an event which could not happen if the benefice were appropriated to a corporation. The royal license will appear hereafter. Dr. Whitaker says, "The following analysis will prove, as at Whalley, the hereditary though subordinate patronage of the Deans, the existence of a vicarage before the appropriation of the rectory, and the paramount rights of the Lascies; and it will also discover another circumstance in the constitution of this benefice, which was neither found in that of Whalley nor Blackburn, namely, that the mesne lords, eo nomine, had some conjunctive claim upon the patronage, and were to be made parties to the alienation. This last circumstance evidently arose from the comparative lateness of the foundation, and from the manor being already in other and independent hands. "The nature of these several rights will be explained by the steps which it was necessary to take in order to procure surrenders of them previous to the appropriation of the benefice to the Abbey of Stanlawe. monachis meis Loci Benedicti de Stanlawe ecclesiam de Rached. cum omnib3 ptinentijs suis in puram et ppetuam elemosynam p salute anime mee et uxoris mee et omnium heredum meorum, necnon p salute anime patris mei et matris mee et p anima Roberti de Lascy et omnium antecessorum meorum, libere et quiete, sicut ulla elemosyna liberius et quietius dari potest. Et ideo volo et firmiter pcipio omnib3 heredib3 et balliuis meis ut hanc eandem elemosynam meam "Roger de Lascy gave the church of Rochdale to that convent, after the death of Geoffrey the dean, whom he describes as having been in possession of it before he succeeded to the honor of Pontefract, which was in 1193. This is the first notice I have met with of the church. The dean here mentioned I suppose to have been Geoffrey the elder, and that he held the rectory, properly so called, as a member of the deanery of Whalley, and in his own proper patronage. But Geoffrey had a younger son, Robert, the first and only parson of Alvetham, to whom he had given the rectory of Rochdale also. Now as the rectory was by this grant to determine with the life of Geoffrey the elder, it seems a necessary conclusion, that Robert died before his father, who, after the son's death, presented himself to the benefice. "The date of this last transaction is nearly fixed by the confirmation of William de Cornhull, bishop of Lichfield, who sat in that see from 1214 to 1223. 66 But, at the same time, there was an ancient vicarage in this church, of the species referred to under Whalley, and this was held by Geoffrey the younger. The next step, therefore, in order to procure a complete appropriation, which the monks aimed at, was to obtain a resignation from him, in which having succeeded, Alexander de Stavenby, who succeeded Cornhull, (A.D. 1224,) reciting the surrender of the first vicarage by Geoffrey, consolidates once more the rectory and vicarage, and appropriates the whole to the abbey of Stanlaw, saving, however, the ordinary vicarage. This was very indefinite. "Previously, however, to this transaction, or perhaps even to the former, three other parties were to be taken into the account. John de Eland and John de Lascy de Cromwelbotham; these being coparceners of the mesne manor of Rochdale, seem to have had some claim upon the advowson, as regardant to the manor; therefore both gave in their resignation, the first of all his rights, as well in the patronage as glebe lands of the church of Rochdale; the second, of his rights in the patronage of the church of Castleton in Rochdale. "Another party yet remained to be disposed of, and that was Geoffrey de Buckley, who by the bounty of his uncle Geoffrey, the dean, was possessed of a third part of the benefice, 'tam in garbis quam in minutis.' But he was equally complaisant with the rest, and by his cession, the object of the monks was finally accomplished. sicut pprium dñicum meum in omnib3 manuteneant, warantizent, et contra omnes defendant. Et quia decanus Whalleye, Galfridus nomine, hanc eandem ecclesiam tenuit, quando ego honorem de Pontefracto, post decessum Roberti de Lascy, antecessoris mei, iure hereditario suscepi, post decessum eius Abbas et prefati monachi mei Loci Benedicti de Stanlawe eandem ecclesiam ex integro possidebunt. Hijs testib3, Ric. de Cestria, Eustachio de Cestria, fratribz meis, Rob. Wallensi tunc senesc., Willo de Lunguillers tunc senesc. hospitij mei, Hug. Dispensatore, Thom. Dispensatore, Hug. de Dutton, Ad. de Dutton, Galfr. fratre eorum, Hendone de Lunguillers, Henr. Wallensi, Galfr. Pincerna, magistro Waltero medico, Ric. clerico de Metheleya, Roberto clerico qui hanc cartam scripsit, et multis alijs. II. Carta eiusdem Rogeri de predicta ecclesia de Rachedale. CIANT omnes sancte matris ecclesie filij tam presentes quam futuri quod ego Rogerus de Lascy, constab. Cestrie, dedi concessi et hac presenti carta mea confirmaui Deo et beate Marie et Abbati et monachis meis Loci Benedicti de Stanlawe ecclesiam de Rached. cum omnib3 ad eam pertinentib3 in puram et ppetuam elemosynam, in pprios usus illorum applicandam, p salute anime mee et uxoris mee et omnium antecessorum et heredum "The following abstract will assist the reader in forming a clear conception of the several steps which have been detailed. |