Documents concerning the dispute as to the right of election of a prior of the cathedral...

E 135/3/23

1276-1278

Documents concerning the dispute as to the right of election of a prior of the cathedral priory of Winchester (Hampshire).

Copy of the gravamina presented by the prior [John de Dureville or d'Urevilla] and convent of the cathedral priory of St Swithun's, Winchester:

• 1. Usurpation by the bishop of Winchester of goods belonging to the prior and convent;
• 2. Despite having various liberties and free possession of lands, the bishop of Winchester has prevented the prior and convent from fishing in their waters and hunting in their own lands and woods in their manors of Droxford, Exton, West Meon, Barton and elsewhere, has inhibited them from felling trees in their own woods, and has committed various violent actions against them;
• 3. The bishop has unjustly received pannage of pigs due to the prior and convent from their woods, and caused corn to be cut and carried away; he also prevents vacancies being filled by the prior and convent;
• 4. That if the priory is vacant the bishop should be satisfied with custody alone and should not change the status of the house nor cast out members of the community;
• 5. That perpetual silence be imposed upon the bishop and his successors so that none of them may claim anything in the manors of the monks, or in the woods, meadows and pastures, or exact any custom, rent or service;
• 6. That the ministers and servants enfeoffed by the bishops and kings should be removed immediately from the house, etc.;
• 7. That all obedientiaries and the prior shall cede their offices before the bishop prior to the pronouncement of arbitration, and that then they shall be provided with a custody until provided with a church by the prior-elect; in the meantime the convent is to keep the priory and the portions of prior and obedientiaries;
• 8. Whereas Andrew [of London] litigates at the Roman Curia for the right to and possession of the priory and another brother stands in his stead so that they cannot proceed to election before he returns and the priory cannot therefore be pronounced vacant until they return, and whereas Andrew has returned, that the priory should have been in the custody of the convent from the time of this first vacancy;
• 9. That sufficient security be provided for undertaking the arbitration, etc.;
• 10. That the convent be provided with certain releases from paying certain things to the bishop;
• 11. That it be pronounced that whenever the priory is vacant only those things pertaining to the office of prior should be vacated, other officers being permitted to retain their status, and that the priory be in the custody of the convent with their goods;
• 12. That the steward of the convent ought not to be removed during vacancy or others of the monks' servants, or monks from their offices, and that ministers should be not imposed or the state of the church changed either in terms of people or material things;
• 13. That they may freely use the privileges granted by the papal see;
• 14. That the arbitration should command that the errors of the brethren be corrected;
• 15. That the bishop's men should have no common in the lands, woods, meadows or pastures of the prior and convent, and nor shall the prior or convent or their men have common with the bishop's men;
• 16. That the £20 of annual rent for the site of the fair of St Giles, first owed by Bishop William de Raleigh, be paid to the convent henceforth with the arrears estimated at £1000 sterling; likewise the 10 marks annually due to them for the house of St. Crux be paid with arrears estimated at £300; that the churches of Droxford, Havant (Havonte) and Crondal, with their adjacent chapels assigned to sustain lights in the priory church, be restored; that the churches of Elendon', assigned for making books and repairing the organ, be restored; that the mill of Flodstok be restored; that no account be exacted from the prior and officials, whereby their status might be altered or questioned;
• 17. That the land within the course of the river and the priory be restored; if the bishop finds anything that is to be corrected by his visitation, he is to inform the prior and he will correct errors and not the bishop.

Public Record(s)

Latin

parchment membranes

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Common land

Manors

Religions

Democracy

Hunting

Fishing

Forestry

Farming