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Bishop of Bangor. King and council. Bishop of Bangor The bishop states that it is...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/15/733

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This record is about the Bishop of Bangor. King and council. Bishop of Bangor The bishop states that it is... dating from [c. 1327-c. 1350] 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 8/15/733
Date
[c. 1327-c. 1350]
Description
Petitioners
Bishop of Bangor.
Addressees
King and council.
Occupation
Bishop of Bangor
Nature of request
The bishop states that it is customary in Wales for the prince to have the goods of bishops after they have died which are found within their lordship. The prince has granted to the bishop by his charter that he be freely able to make a will and devise his goods at his will without challenge from the prince or his ministers. The bishop requests that the king grant a confirmation of this charter.
Nature of endorsement
He should show the charter of the prince of which this petition makes mention.
Places mentioned
Gales (Wales)
Bangor, [Caernarfonshire, Wales].
Note
This petition is dated to c. 1327-c. 1350 because it presents some problems in dating. Because the petition refers to a previous grant made by the prince to the petitioner and is asking for confirmation of the same by the king, this would suggest that the bishop was Anian Sais and that he had received a charter from Edward of Windsor as there was no other prince during his pontificate, he being elevated to Bangor in 1309, and that he was seeking a confirmation from the prince now he was king. If this was the case, then the petition would have to date to 1327 because the bishop died in January 1328. Rees' comments suggest that the petition was by Anian Sais. It seems feasible that Sais might have obtained a confirmation of earlier rights if he was aware of his decline.The bishop's successor, Matthew de Englefield, was also granted a licence by the king in May 1329 shortly after he had been elevated to the pontificate of Bangor (CPR 1327-30, p.387). He obtained an exemplification of this under the new seal October 1341 (CPR 1340-3, p.291). However, the hand looks later than 1327 or 1329. If the petition was by Englefield it is difficult to see how he could have had a charter of the prince in 1329 of which he was seeking a confirmation unless the petition is actually considerably later when Edward of Woodstock was prince of Wales, and the prince was not granted this title until May 1343. Englefield died in 1357, so that the petition could be as late as the 1350s. Whether Englefield would have needed further confirmations having obtained the aforementioned licence and exemplification in 1329 and 1341 respectively is unclear.
Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
Parliamentary Petition 632
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Publication note(s)
  • Calendar of Ancient Petitions Relating to Wales, Board of Celtic Studies, History and Law, (University of Wales, 1975), pp.33-4 (calendar of petition)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edw III, vol. I, 1327-1330, (Public Record Office, 1891), p.387 (licence for Englefield to dispose of his goods by will)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edw III, vol. V, 1340-1343, (Public Record Office, 1900), p.291 (exemplification of earlier licence)
  • Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. II, Edw III, (Record Commission, 1783), p.392b (no.84) (full edition of original petition)
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9060874/

Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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Bishop of Bangor. King and council. Bishop of Bangor The bishop states that it is...

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