The English register of Oseney abbey / by Oxford, written about 1460. Ed., with an introduction and indexes, by Andrew Clark.

[XXXVI. Of Swerford]

[266.]

About 1258. Suit raised against Oseney, by Regi|nald son of Peter, lord of Swerford manor, to compel Oseney tenants at Hook|norton to do suit to his mill, decided (by virtue of no. 40) in favour of Oseney.

HIT is to be remembryd that Syre Reynolde ffiȝt petur drowe Richard of Appulltre Abbot of Oseney in-to plee, axyng of hym and of his men of Hokenorton sute to his mylle of Hokenorton þat ys by swereford. To þe which þe saide Abbot Answeryd that noþer he noþer hys men oony sute oftyd to þat myll. In-somoch that A quiteclayme þay had of þat maner of sute afore þe sayde Reynolde whas y-ffeffyd of þe sayde Mylle; and that hee preuyd by A charter þe which made mencion of Sibille þe ffyrst wyfe of [folio 59a] Henry Doylly, þe which charter Is in the title 'How þe church of saynte George was i-yeve to þe chanons of Oseney.' And of þat he put hym-selfe vppon Assise. Robert Bradenston and raph Dichelle and oþer that were in the Assise, makyng knowlege, sayde þat þe sayde Abbot and hys men been quite of þe sute of þe sayde Mylle.

Þe[s] þynges weer i-do at Oxonforde In þ^e laste Jorney of Gylbert Preston and of hys ffelawes In the yere of þe raynyng of Kynge Henry þe son of Kyng John.

[267.]

1259. Another suit against Oseney, by Reginald son of Peter, to same effect as in 266: see no. 272.

AND hit is to be knowe that Reynolde impletyd þe sayde Abbot of þe sayde sute by A-noþer brefe In the yere of þe Reyne of Kyng Henry þe soone of Kyng John xliij. And þis recorde begynneth, In the Rolle of þe banke or benche, 'Philipp basset,' et cetera. Where þabbot Answeryd þat þe sayde reynolde had no mylle in Swereford whereof þe same raynolde axyd to A better brefe to perquired.

[268.]

Reference to nos. 270, 271.

Þabbot ha[th] þ^e Aduowrie of þe church of Swereforde, with þe chapell of sevewell, of þe yifte of John Gray, Bysshop of Norwych, and Graunte of Henry doylly, as hit is opyn by the charters vndurwrite.

[269.]

About 1210. Grant to bishop John Grey, by Henry Doyly II, of Cogges|wood, and of Swerford church and Seuewell chapel, with a view to founding a monastery.

TO all cristen men thys present charter to see Henry doylly helth. Knowe ye me to haue y-yefe, and to haue i-grauntyd, and with thys my charter to haue i-confermyd, to lorde John Gray, bysshoppe of Norewych, all my woode of Cudelyngton þe which is i-callyd Goggeswoode, withoute oony reteynyng, and þe church of Swereforde, with þe Chapell of Sevewell, with alle þere pertinences, to be assynyd and

to i-yeve to þe religiouse howse þe which he hath i-wyllyd to founde, In-to ffre pure and perpetuell almys; And yf by case þe same noo religiouse howse founde, lete hym assyne hit to whoome he wylle. And I and myne heyres shall warantiȝe þem to þe same Bysshop, and to Euery man þat he wylle assyne þem, agaynste all mortall men: Þese witnysses.

[270.]

About 1217. Convey|ance to Oseney, by bishop John Grey's executors, of Cogges|wood, &c. (as in no. 269).

TO all þe soonys of owre hooly modur þe church to þe which þese present letters shall come, Walter by the grace of god Archiebisshope of yorke, of Inglond A primate, and master Ranulph of wareham, officiall of Norwich, and master R., Archedecun of yippeke, helth in owr lorde. Knowe ye all John Gray, of goode mynde, sometyme bysshope of Norwich, a woode that some tyme was callyd Coggeswode to the towne of Cud|lyngton perteynyng and the church of Swereforde with the chapell of Sevewell and there pertinences, [folio 59b] the which the sayde Bysshop of the yifte of Syr Henry Doylly gate, to the church of Saynte marye of Oseneye and to the chanons þere seruyng god, for the helth of his sowle, in his laste wylle lefte. Nowe we in the testament of the foresaide Bysshop executours have be i-yefe, to the saide chanons the foresaide woode and the saide church with the chapell and pertinences after that the office of owr execucion axith we have assynyd. But, last that the trowth of this thyng by succedyng of tyme myȝght be callyd in-to dowte, we þe assynyng of the foresaide thynges to the foresaide chanons of vs i-made haue i-turnyd in-to scripture, the which we thowght worthy with the puttyng to of owr sealys to strenghte.

[271.]

About 1217. Confirma|tion to Oseney, by Henry Doyly II, as feudal superior, of no. 270.

TO all þ^e chyldren of owr holy modur the church to the which thys present wrytyng shall come Henry Doylly, owr lorde the Kynges constable, helth. Knowe ye all John Gray, sometyme Bysshop of Norewhich, the church of Swereforde, with þe chapell of Sevewell, and the pertinences, the which he Gate of owr yifte, as owr charter the which þerof he had witnesseth, to the church of Saynte marye of Oseneye, and to the chanons there seruyng god, in his laste wille to haue i-lefte. And we, þat that of the foresaide Bysshope vppon

þe foresayde church with the pertinencis whas i-doo hauyng rate and kyndely or plesyd, the same church, with his per|tinences, to be had to the foresayde chanons haue i-Grauntyd and conferme. And that this owre graunte rate And ferme abyde foreuer, hit with this present writyng and owre seale suryng make stronge. The witnessys, et cetera.

[272.]

1259, Nov. 30. Agreement between Oseney, and Regi|nald son of Peter, on all points in dispute be|tween them on Nov. 24 (except as to suit of his mills which is to be tried in the king's court: see no. 267), Sir Regi|nald agree|ing to allow Oseney to collect its tithes in Swerford, provided he is caused no expense, Oseney granting Sir Regi|nald and his family commemo|ration in the con|ventual prayers.

HIT is to be mynded that, whenne in the yere of grace A[nno] M^l CClix., in the morne of saynte clement, at Henrade, bitwene lordys Abbot and Couent of Oseney, of the oone party, and Syr Raynolde ffyȝt petur, of the other partye, vppon summe despites or probris, harmys, violences, and oþer moony wronges, of men of bothe partie to euery partye euerych agaynste other i-doo, bitwene the foresaide parties in forme of pece to be had a lytull while hit was i-tretyd. At the laste, in forme vndurwrite, all playntys and stryfys, vppon the foresayde despites, harmys, violences, and wronges, bitwene the foresaide parties vnto the forenamyd daye i-mevyd, for euer frendely ben i-cesyd or sospite (but the question, in the courte of owre lord Kynge hangyng, vppon the sute of his myllys of Sybforde, the which playnly the foresayde Syr Raynolde exceptid froo the afore writyng) that is to say, that the foresaide Abbot and couent to the foresayde Raynolde, for goode pece, And as A sure to hym in his of thynges to be doo and as patrone and de [folio 60a] fender haue refute, all there accions vnto the fornamyd day, agaynste hym or þeme i-meuely, playnly haue relesyd to þe sayde same, Syr Raynolde to þ^e foresaide Abbot and couent all accions agaynste þem, to þem acordyng (owttake the playnyng of the foresaide myllys), for fauour of religion and þe instaunce of the prayours of Syr philippe (fforde bothe more and lasse) Basset, (all) remittyng, and

to the same to gader there tithis at Swereford bothe more and lasse and frely to bere a-waye whider þay willen, naþelese in curteys wyse, withoute harme and greuaunce of the saide Syr Raynolde and of his men leve grauntyng: of the which cause the saide Abbot and couent þ^e same Syr Raynolde and Aliȝ his wyfe and his free soonys, in spirituall benefettis (the which ben i-doo in Oseney), for euer thay haue admitted parteners: and bothe parties ofte in Jugement in the which that was A dooer to cese, and playnly to procure that the oþer partie be i-kepid harmeles. Wherefore, In-to witnesse of the foresaide, to this writyng, in-to A maner of A charter twyys partid, euerych to other the parties haue i-put there sealys. Þe Date, in saynte Andrews day, In the yere afore i-namyd.

Notes

• Ditchley.
• Name noted in the margin. 'Kogges|wude' in the Latin.
• Name noted in the margin.
• Name noted in the margin.
• 'si forte.'
• Perhaps Robert de Tywe, archdeacon of Suffolk (gippeswic=Ipswich)
• 'ratum habentes et gratum.'
• Hendred, in Berkshire.
• Name noted in the margin. So also in the Christ Church MS. In the original deed (Bodl. Oseney Charter 418) it is Swereford
• An excellent instance of verbal trans|lation issuing in utter nonsense: 'et ut securum ad eum de cetero in agendis suis tanquam patronum et defensorem habeant refugium.' i.e. And that they may have safe recourse to him, in future, in their busi|ness, as (if he were) their patron and de|fender.
• i.e. his men.
• Read 'i-meved': 'motas.'
• Ablative absolute: 'domino Regi|naldo . . . totaliter remittente.'
• 'sibi competentes' = which were in his power.
• Omit the bracketed words inserted out of place from below.
• Omit 'all.'
• Name noted in the margin. Com|mencing at the middle of this name, five words have been taken out of place and in|serted above.
• 'et liberos suos.'
• 'Debet autem utraque pars in foro, in quo fuit actrix, supersedere.'