Court of Augmentations: Conventual Leases

E 303

1330-1553

This series consists of leases of lands, offices and other profits, such as tithes and rectories, made by individual religious houses and colleges before the Dissolution, together with other related documents.

While all these leases are part of the records of the Court of Augmentations, they came to the court in two main ways. Many of the leases are the counterpart indentures, that is the copies kept by the religious houses or colleges as evidence of a transaction, which came to the court as part of the muniments of the religious houses on their dissolution. A great many of the leases, however, are original leases, that is the copies kept by the lessees. These would have been surrendered to the Court of Augmentations for confirmation or renewal. Unfortunately the majority of the seals, both conventual and personal, have been lost.

Loose conventual leases and an entry book will also be found in E 118

Other conventual leases are in LR 1

Seals removed from this series are in

Public Record(s)

English and Latin

500 bundles and volumes

Topics

Government finances

Religions

Tithes

The early 16th century saw a progressive increase in the amount of leasing by religious houses, the tenants usually being their secular neighbours. Most of these leases received official sanction in the acts dissolving the religious houses in 1536 and 1540, and were confirmed by order of the Court of Augmentations.