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John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester. Stratford John King and council. Bishop of...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/15/719

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This record is about the John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester. Stratford John King and council. Bishop of... dating from [? 1327] in the series Special Collections: Ancient Petitions. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Full description and record details

Reference
SC 8/15/719
Date
[? 1327]
Description
Petitioners
John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester.
Name(s)
Stratford, John
Addressees
King and council.
Occupation
Bishop of Winchester
Nature of request
The bishop states that the pope granted him the bishopric, and he found it ruined, in houses, woods, ponds, parks and other things, and found the people most damaged by the keepers of the king, and during vacancies under other kings. He requests that the king grant to him that his chapter be able to have the vacancy of the bishopric when it occurs, rendering to the Exchequer the extent of the bishopric according to the terms which accrue or are given in the vacancy according to the requirements of the times when the vacancy occurs.
Nature of endorsement
Let it be ordered to the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer that when they have searched the rolls and the remembrances of the Exchequer of how the king and his progenitors have been answered before this time of the temporalities of the bishopric in times of vacancies and certified the king in his Chancery, and the chancellor has called to him the treasurer and others of the council of the king, make a charter according to the petition for a reasonable fine.
Places mentioned
Winchester, [Hampshire].
People mentioned
[John XXII], Pope
Chapter of Winchester.
Note
This is a difficult petition to date as the bishop was appointed by the pope in 1323 and he had the bishopric until he was elevated to Canterbury in 1333. However Stratford seems to have struggled to obtain the bishopric facing opposition from Robert Baldock, the chancellor. There are two documents in 1327 relating to Stratford, one was a grant concerning two churches in his diocese, which was made in response to a petition (CPR 1327-30, p.65). The other was a writ to the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer to cancel two recognisances made by Stratford to Edward II in order that he could obtain the fruits of his bishopric (CCR 1327-30, p.24). Both of these are noted on the guard, but neither of them relates specifically to this petition. However a date of 1327 does seem reasonable especially as the sentiments expressed in the grant in the patent rolls seem closely related to the petition.
Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
Parliamentary Petition 8381
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Publication note(s)
Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. II, Edw III, (Record Commission, 1783), p.390a (no.66) (full edition of original petition)
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9060860/

Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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John Stratford, Bishop of Winchester. Stratford John King and council. Bishop of...

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