Abbess and convent of Shaftesbury. King and council in parliament. The Abbess and...

Petitioners

Abbess and convent of Shaftesbury.

Addressees

King and council in parliament.

Nature of request

The Abbess and convent of Shaftesbury state that, although their house was suitably endowed by the king's progenitors, their founders, they are so ruined by pestilences among their tenants, which have killed almost all of them, by murrain among their cattle at various times in all their possessions, and by other charges which necessity forces them to bear from day to day, they will find it very hard to get to the end of the year without endangering themselves to their creditors. They request wardship and administration of their house, and its temporalities and possessions, in all vacancies for whatever reason, so that no escheator, sheriff or other minister of the king or of his heirs meddles with it in any way (except for the escheator to take a simple seisin in the king's name to save his right and lordship there), paying to the king the true value of their temporalities for however long the vacancy lasts, and saving to the king the fees and advowsons pertaining to the nunnery.

Nature of endorsement

It pleases the king that this petition be granted, on the advice of his council.

Places mentioned

Shaftesbury, [Dorset].

For transcript, see no.68 of PRO 31/7/108

• Calendar of Patent Rolls, Ric II, vol. II, 1381-1385, (Public Record Office, 1898), p.177 (inspeximus and confirmation of letters patent of Edward III, being a grant that the nuns of Shaftesbury shall have custody, without rent, of the abbey during its next vacancy)
• Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. III, Ric II and Hen IV, (Record Commission, 1783), p.129a-b (no. 11) (full edition of original petition)