Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book · Chapter 2 · Document 225 – Document 229
REX Abbati Sanctae Genovefae, & Conventibus ſuis, ſalutem. Cum cognitio Ibid. memb▪ 4▪omnium Cauſarum tangentium fundum aliquem, ſive res aliquas in Regno noſtro, exceptis cauſis Matrimonialibus, et Teſtamentariis, ſeu Decimarum, ad dignitatem et Coronam noſtram ſpectant: Ita quod de eis alibi quam in foro noſtro cognoſci non debeat, nec conſueverit temporibus praedeceſſorum noſtrorum aut noſtro; vos rogamus, quatenus cauſae motae coram vobis auctoritate Apoſtolica inter quoſdam Canonicos Eboracenſis Eccleſiae ſuper venditione Manerii de Brumford, ſiti in Regno praedicto, Superſedeatis omnino. Alioquin Magiſtro Nicholao Archidiacono Elyenſi et Henrico de Helegeya, vel eorum alteri quem praeſentem eſſe contigerit, damus poteſtatem appellandi Apoſtolicam ſedem pro nobis in cauſa praefata. Teſte Rege apud Geytinton ſexto die Augusti.
King Henry the 3d. having conquered *See here, p. 621, 622, 623.Wales, ſubdued the Welſhmen, and brought them under the Lawes of England, notwithſtanding they had put themſelves under the Popes protection rendring him an annual Tribute, to defend them againſt the Engliſh; the Welſh Biſhops, ſiding with their Countrymen againſt the King, had their Biſhopricks, Churches ſo ſpoyled and deſtroyed, that they were enforced to beg their bread, and live upon the Alms of others, the Archbiſhop of St. Davids dying for grief: whereupon a new Biſhop was elected by the Kings licenſe, to whoſe election he gave his royal aſſent: Exerciſing the ſame regal Prerogative in the election and confirmation of all Biſhops in Wales from thenceforth, as he did in England, thus regiſtred to poſterity.
Arctabatur Wallia eiſdem diebus, ceſſante eorum cultura, commercio, & pecudumAnno 1247. Mat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 715, 718. cuſtodia Paſtorali, & caeperunt conſumi inedia, Anglorum & invitilegibus incurvati. Emarcuit antiqua eorum ſuperba nobilitas, & etiam virorum Eccleſiasticorum cithara, converſa & in luctum & lamenta. Obiit ergo quaſi prae dolore contabeſcens, EpiſcopusMiſera oppreſſio Walliae. Menevenſis, id eſt Sancti David. Epiſcopus vero de Landaff Willielmus, caecitate percutitur. Epiſcopus de Sancto Aſaph, & Epiſcopus de Bangor; deſtructis Epiſcopatibus caede ac incendio, mendicare, ut de alieno viverent, cogebantur. Eodem tempore venit ad Sanctam Albanam Epiſcopus de Bangor Richardus, ut eidem depauperato ſinus pateret miſericordiae, & ibidem cum Domino Abbate, donec Epiſcopatus ejus, qui per bellum deſtructus erat, aliquantulum reſtauraretur, habitaret, & ipſe cum Clericis ſuis à preſſuris quae circumdederant eos, reſpiraret.
*Thomas Wallenſis Epiſcopus Menevenſis.Vacante igitur ſede Menevenſi, poſt innumeras Walliae tribulationes per bellum & Principum eorum mortem, electus eſt in eundem Epiſcopatum Magiſter Thomas, cognomento Wallenſis, eo quod in Wallia fuerat oriundus, Lincolnienſis Eccleſiae Archidiaconus; Cui electioni, licet Epiſcopatus pauperrimus extitiſſet, conſenſit, tum propter EpiſcpumMat. Weſt. An. 1247. p. 228. Lincolnienſem, qui Canonicos ſuos ſuperaverat, tum propter hoc, quod in natali patria ad curam vocabatur, & ad dulcedinem originis ſuae quilibet naturaliter attrabitur, tum ut miſeros compatriotas ſuos; ſua praeſentia, conſilio et auxilio conſolaretur. Cui etiam electioni Dominus Rex gratanter conſenſit, et electum acceptavit, non multum conſtituens ſuper hoc difficultatis, cum exilis fuerit Epiſcopatus.
King Henry the 3d. having thus preſented to the Biſhoprick of St. Davids, (as you heard before) the Dean and Chapter of St. Aſaph having obtained a Licenſe from the King to elect a new Biſhop, by their Letters Patents made this obſervable Proteſtation and acknowledgement of the Kings antient right to grant a Conge deſlier or Licenſe upon their requeſt, to elect a Biſhop for their See upon every avoidance, before any election could be made, and to aſſent to the perſon elected after his election.
UNiverſis Chriſti fidelibus ad quos praeſens Scriptum pervenerit; Decanus & CapitulumPat. 33 H. 3. m. 3. de Sancto Aſaph, ſalutem in Domino. Conſuetudini antiquae et dignitati quas Dominus Henricus illuſtris Rex Angliae, et progenitores ſui habuerunt in Eccleſia Anglicana, de petenda licentia eligendi vacantibus Epiſcopatuum ſedibus, et de requirendo aſſenſu Regio poſt factam electionem, obviare nolentes, proteſtamur et recognoſcimus nos quociens Eccleſia noſtra Paſtore vacaverit, ab illuſtri Domino Rege Angliae et Haeredibus ſuis debere reverenter petere licentiam eligendi, et poſt electionem factam aſſenſum eorum requirere. Et ne ſuper hoc futuris temporibus dubitetur, praeſenti Scripto Sigilla noſtra fecimus apponi. Act. apud Sanctum Aſaph 1249. in craſtino exaltationis Sanctae Crucis.
The Biſhop elect of St. Aſaph and his Chapter about the ſame time made the like Proteſtation and Recognition under their Seals, thus entred in the Claufe Rolls.
OMnibus Chriſti fidelibus ad quos, &c. E. Dei gratiâ electus de S. Aſaph, & ejuſdemClauſ. 33 H. 3. memb. 11. dorſ. loci Capitulum, ſalutem in Domino. Conſuetudini antiquae et dignitati quas illuſtris Rex habet, et progenitores ſui habuerunt in Eccleſia Anglicana, de petenda licentia eligendi vacantibus Epiſcopatuum ſedibus, et de requirendo aſſenſu Regio poſt factam electionem, obviare nolentes, proteſtamur et recognoſcimus, quociens Eccleſia noſtra Paſtore vacaverit, ab illuſtri Domino Rege Angliae et Haeredibus ſuis debere reverenter petere licentiam eligendi, et poſt electionem factam aſſenſum eorum requirere. Et ne ſuper hoc futuris temporibus dubitetur, praeſenti Scripto Sigilla noſtra fecimus apponi. Act. &c.
The King having obtained the confirmation of an Immunity from Pope Innocent, which he formerly enjoyed by his own Royal Prerogative, exempting all his Free-Chappels, Oratories, and Canons in them from all Epiſcopal and Eccleſiaſtical Juriſdiction, Cenſures and Impoſitions, enjoyned all Archbiſhops and Biſhops through England perpetually to obſerve the ſame without violation, by this Writ.
REX Venerabilibus Patribus Archiepiſcopis & Epiſcopis per Regnum Angliae Clauſ. 33 H. 3. m. 6. dorſo.conſtitutis, ſalutem. Sciatis nos habere Literas Apoſtolicas in haec verba. *See p. 720.INNOCENTIUS Epiſcopus, &c. Chariſſimo in Chriſto filio Regi Angliae illuſtri, ſalutem & Apoſtolicam Benedictionem. Tanto libentius Celſitudinis tuae precibus benignum impartimur aſſenſum, quanto inter Reges et Principes Chriſtianos, te ſpecialius in Domino reputamus dilectum filium et devotum. This itaque ſupplicationibus inclinati, diſtrictius inhibemus, ne aliquis Ordinarius, aut etiam Delegatus, vel Subdelegatus in Capellas Regias et Oratoria eorundem, Eccleſiae Romanae immediate ſubjecta, ſeu Canonicos vel Servitores eorundem, contra tenorem Privilegiorum et Indulgentiarum Apoſtolicae ſedis, Excommunicationis vel Interdicti ſententiam audeat promulgare, ſeu aliquod ipſis onus imponere, quod aliis exemptis Eccleſiis conſuevit imponi, abſque mandato ſedis Apoſtolicae ſpeciali, quod expreſſum faciat de inhibitione hujuſmodi mentionem. Nulli ergo hominum liceat hanc paginam noſtrae inhibitionis infringere, vel ei auſu temerario contraire; ſi quis autem hoc attemptare praeſumpſerit indignationem omnipotentis Dei, et Beatorum Apoſtolorum Petri et Pauli ſe noverit incurſurum. Dat. Lugduni, 12. Calend. Auguſti, Pontificatus noſtri anno ſecundo. Volentes igitur Privilegium praedictum perpetuam firmitatem habere, vos rogamus et hortamur attente, quatenus illud inviolabiliter obſervetis, et faciatis veſtris ſubditis obſervari. Et ne aliquis attemptet aliquid contra illud, ſedem Apoſtolicam appellamus. Teſte Rege apud Northt. 5. die Auguſti, Anno Regni noſtri 33.
The King in purſuance of this Priviledge, iſſued this Writ of Prohibition, concerning his Free-Chappel of Pencrich.
REX Thomae de Wymundeham, ſalutem. Prohibemus tibi, ne de caetero Clauſ. 33 H. 3. memb. 9. dorſo.intres infra limites liberae Capellae noſtrae de Pencrich, exercendo ibidem aliquam Juriſdictionem, contra Libertates et conſuetudines temporibus noſtris, et Praedeceſſorum noſtrorum uſitatas ſuper exemptione liberarum Capellarum noſtrarum quas habemus in Anglia. Teſte Rege apud Clarendon, nono die Junii.
The King as Patron of the Biſhoprick of Durham, and Supreme Governour of the Church of England, declared, That the Succeſſor Biſhop who reſigned his Biſhoprick, ought not to pay the Debts of his Predeceſſors, and thereupon prohibited any diſtreſſe to be made upon him by this Writ.