manner of person, by night or by day, by grates or back windows, or other privy places within this monastery, without license of your head? 85. Item, Whether the confessor of this house be a discreet man, of good learning, virtue and honest behaviour, of good name and fame, and whether he hath been always so taken? 86. Item, How oftimes in the year the sisters of this house useth to be confessed and communicate? Restat pro Ecclesiis Collegiatis, Hospatalibus, Ecclesiis Cathedralibus, Parochialibus, Ecclesiis, Episcopo, et Archiepiscopo, pro ordine Jerosolomitarum? Exhibeant omnia scripta, munimenta, Inventaria, Scedulas quascunque, unde aliquid cognitionis eorum reformationi Monasteriorum, sive domorum utilitati, necessaria explicari, aut quoquo modo coligi possit. (Collection of Records, vol. II, p. 59. History of the Reformation of the Church of England, ed. cited.) 116. Letters concerning the Suppression of the Monasteries Original Letters The agents who were sent to suppress the monasteries have left many letters detailing their acts in this office. Several typical documents are here given. The ancient form of spelling, with all the inconsistencies of each writer in this respect, has been preserved. (a) DR. LONDON TO THE LORD PRIVY SEAL Original Letters In my most humble maner I have me commendyd unto your gudde Lordeschippe. I have with moche adoo dispacchyde the Priory of Black Monks at Coventrye, the Charterhowse, and Combe Abbay. The Priory wasse in dett befor he com ther, and he hathe made me an apparent reasonable accompte. I have left the Churche and Howse vnspoylede and vndefacyd, because as yet I do nott know the Kings Grace's pleasur and yowrs what schalbe don therwith. At the Charter howse I found scase the valor of xxli nobles worth of gudds to dispach the hole Howse. Howbeit Godde hath so disclosyd ther crafty dealing, that I have gevyn every brodor xls towards ther apparell, have payd all the servants wages, have gevyn to every brodor hiş...celle, saving the Howse and a vestyment, have payde all ther detts within xli., and yit schall the Kings Grace have above cc. vnc. of plate ther, wher I found but iij. chalyces scasly waying all iij. xl. vnc. I have gevin the Prior a salt of syluer with a cover, a drynking cuppe of syluer with a cover, a maser, a chales, a suyte of vestyments with bedding and other stuff, lyke an honest man, and so I have dispacchyd that House clerlye. At Combe, I have left the hole Howse with implyments vnspoyled thorowlye. Hardforde now schyryue of Coventrye informyd me that the Abbot of Combe hadde cccccli. in a fetherbedd at hys brodors Howse. Of truythe I serchyd the bedd, and the Abbot hymself, with owt any difficulty, confessed unto me what money was ther, and farther informyd me of every thing he hadd lyk an honest man, and of truythe ther wasse no more monye ther in that bedde but xxvi., wiche vpon hys oothe he tolde me that he putt yt ther to paye certen detts with all now at Candelmas, wich in dede ys trew dett, and he layd those things at his brothers bycause he cowde yvill trust any servant he hadde. He surrenderyd hys Howse the same day twelve monyth he was made Master, and therfor every thing consideryd he left hys Howse in competent gudd state. The dyspacching of that Howse wasse som thing chardgeable for I founde ther xv. monks and lxviij. seruants. I have made safe the evydences in every Howse wher I com, and in som of them I founde the evydences dispersyd and neglecte, moche pytie to see yt. Wherfor I beseke your Lordeschippe that aswell to stay the spoyle of the Howsys as for safgarde of suche evydences the Surveyors may com as spedyly after me as may be. I have folowyd your pleasure for your servant M. Whalley, at Pollesworth, wherfore I besek your Lordeschipp to remembre M. Cheyrey, at Bowsvale, Charterhowse Monks bye Nottingham, or in som other place. If I hadde made rasch ryddyng of thees iij. Howsys I hadde don the Kings Grace butt yvell service. And I trust now I have don both for hys Grace is profytt, and as every thing is savyd and all parts well pleasyd, I schall forwards. mak all the spede I can possiblie. I have of thees iij. Howsys above DCCC. vnc. of plate, wich schalbe at London safly caryede by my commyng thedyr. And my servant now shall delyuer to your Lordeshippe such ornaments as I have sent uppe. I besek your Lordeshippe to take these things I do in gudd part, for of my fayth I do truly my best diligence to serve the Kinge as our Lord knoweth, who with encresc of moch honor longe preserve your gudde Lordeshippe Your most bounden orator and servant, JOHN LONDON. To the right honerable and my most singuler goode Lorde, my Lorde of Prive Sealle. (Original Letters illustrative of English History, ed. H. Ellis, Lond., 1846. Third series, vol. III, p. 183.) (b) JOHN TREGONWELL TO SECRETARY CROMWELL Original Letters Pleasyth you to be advertised that after my departyng from Oxforde I went to Godstowe, where I fownde all thyngs well, and yn good order aswell yn the Monasteri and the Abbas there, as also yn the Convent of the same, excepte that one sister xiij. or xiiij. yers past, beyng then of a nothere howse, brake her chastyte (quia peperit), the whych for correccyon and punysment afterward was sent to Godstowe by the Byschope of Lyncolne, where now and euer sethens that tyme she hath levyd vertuowse. From thens I went to Ensham, where I fownde a rawe sort of Relygouse parsons and offences emongst them (almoste yn all kyndys of synne commyttede, et etiam crimen pessimum); for the whych offences they have byne punyschede by theire ordynarye in his Visitation. Yet by as mych as I can perceve by inquisition th' abbot ys chaste of hys levyng, and dothe right well over loke the reparracons of his Howse, to whom I can obiecte nothyng but that he ys neglygent yn over seyng hys bretherne. He sayethe that hys dayly ynfyrmyty is th'occasion therof, whych ynfyrmytye somwhat dyd appere by hys face to be trewe. From Ensham to Bruwerne, wher th'abbot ys (as hyt apperyth to me) not only vertuowse and well lernyde in holy Scrypture, but also hathe ryght well reparyde the rewen and dekeye of that howse, lefte by hys predycessors neglygens, and the Convent whych heretofore were insolent) byn now brought to good order. From Brewerne, I rode to Wraxton, a Howse of smalle rents, and stondeth moast be husbandry. The Prior there althoghe he be a good husbande and kepyth good hospitalite to hys abylyte, yet he is rewde and unlernyd. Et qualis pater tales filij. From thens to Clathercott a Howse of th'Order of the Gilbertynes, where I fownde iij. Chanons beside the Pryor. That Howse ys olde, fowle, and fylthe. Whethere there levyng be accordyng, I cannot tell, for they desyryd me that I wolde not vyset them by cause (as they sayd) that yow hadde gevyne (by your commyssion) full autoryte to the Prior of Semperyngham to vyset all there Order, so that no man but he shulde medle with that Order; and by cause I wolde not mittere falcem in messem alienam with owt your pleasure to me knowen, I departed thens negotio infecto. And from that howse of the Gilbertynese I came to a Howse of Nunnes called Catysby of lxxxx" landys yerly, of th❜order of Cistiowxe, under my Lorde of Lyncolnes jurysdiction (as I suppos) by usurpation. For that Order as you knowe hathe allwayes byn exempte from the Byschope. The Priores there ys a ryght sadde matrone, the systers also there now beyng by the space of xxti yeres hath byn (by as myche as I can lerne) without suspicōn of incontynent levyng. From Catesby I rode to Chanons Asbye whych howse is Clx yn dette, by reason of the late preferment of the Prior there now beyng. The Howse also, by the neglygens of hys predycessor, ys yn rewen and dekey. Howbehyt the sayde Prior (all thought he be unlernyde) ys dysposed to thryve, and by the lernyng and good example of levyng of the Supprior of that Howse, the relygowse men there byn lyke to doo well. From Chanons Asbye, I rode to Chacombe, the Prior ys newly come thether whoo ys competently well lernyde in holy Scripture. The Chanons byn rewde and vnlernyde. He begynnyth to bryng them to some order. I fere nothyng yn hym but neglygens and overmyche famylyarite whych he vseth emongst them. From Chacombe, I came to Burcestre, ther I fynde that the Prior doth well over loke his bretherne, and also the profettys of hys Howse. His said bretherne by hys tyme hathe byn yn good order, exceptyde one (for fray of punysment for hys incontenant levyng) ran away and soo he remaynyth at thys tyme yn apostacye. From thens, yester nyght, I came to Stoodlye. From thens, I yntende to Notley, and thens to Tame Abbeye, and last of all to Dorchester, where I make an end vnto the tyme I may knowe your farder pleasure, whych (Gode wyllyng) I shall accomplysche. Vpon Frydaye nexte, I trust to be redye to come to your Masterschype accordyng to your commaundement sent to me by yo letters, besechyng you that I maye knowe whethere you wyll remayne yn the Cowrte or returne to London. And thus the holy Goast preserve you. Frome Stoodley, the xxvijth day of Septembre. Yours moast bownden JOHN TREGONwell. To the ryght honerable Mr. Thomas (Original Letters, ed. cit., III, p. 37.) (c) JOHN LONDON TO LORD CROMWELL Original Letters In my most humble manner I have me comendyd unto your gudde Lordeshipp, as your most boundon orator and servant. I have not so moche rasyd Howses I have be at as I perceve the Kings Grace and your Lordeschippe ys informyd, and hadde rasyd noon saving for the words of suche Comissions as I have to schew, and dydd nott extremely so do butt wher necessitee compellyd me by reason of the importunytie of the people, wich els wold have pilledd all so as the Kings Grace schulde have hadd no profytt of those Howses; and in every place I savyd the hole ledd unto the Kings Graces use, and the hole plate. Yet have I be in som very beggarly Howses, as now I am at oon, the Whyte Fryers in Northampton, wher all they have ys nott able to pay ther detts. And bravely I will rehersse what I dydd in euery Howse. At Reding I dydd oonly deface the Church; all the windoes being full of Fryers; and left the roff and wallys hole to the Kings use. I solde the ornaments and the sellys in the dorter and certen utensyls wiche els wold have be stolen as dyvers were indede. At Aylesbury, I founde them very powr and in dett. Ther ornaments wor very coursse and very litill stuff of howshold. Ther I oonly solde the glasse wyndoes and ther ornaments with ther vtensyles. I left the Howse hole and oonly defaced the Churche. Ther the hole churche ys well coveryd with ledd, and a gudd new roff. At Bedford, I dydd sell the ornaments of ther churche and |