Duchy of Lancaster: Certificates of Colleges, Chantries and Similar Foundations

Certificates of colleges, chantries of the Duchy of Lancaster made in the process of the dissolution of the colleges and chantries under the acts of 1545 and 1547.

The certificates start with a note of the commission and the relevant act. There is then a list of each institution with details of its founder and celebrant. A note of the position and state of a chantry may also be found. There will, in addition, be information about the foundation's lands, tenants, income and expenditure as well as detailed lists of goods and chattels, ornaments, jewels, plate and vestments. Values are totalled for each institution and grand totals for the whole survey will be found at the end of the certificate.

The main series of certificates relating to colleges etc outside the Duchy of Lancaster is in E 301

Topics

Crown lands and estates

The Dissolution of Colleges Act 1545 (c4) called for the setting up of a commission in each county to survey all chantries, hospitals, colleges, free chapels, fraternities, brotherhoods, guilds and stipendiary priests as they were on 4 February 1546 and to investigate any unlawful sales of land since that date. The commissioners were to produce a certificate and return it to the Court of Augmentations. In Lancashire, however, the certificates were returned instead to the office of the Duchy of Lancaster and are included in this series.

A second act was passed on the accession of Edward VI (1547 c14) resulting in a commission of February 1548. Local commissioners were to survey the foundations (now also including obits and money for lights), which were to be surrendered to the king before 31 May 1548. All certificates were to be returned to the Court of Augmentations except those relating to foundations of the Duchy, which were to be returned into the Duchy Chamber at Westminster.