The english register of Godstow nunnery, near Oxford : written about 1450 / edited with an introduction by Andrew Clark.

LITTLE MISSENDEN.

[NOTE.—At the dissolution (1540) the land Anfric in Little Missenden parish yielded Godstow £3 6s. 8d. yearly: Monast. iv. 374.]

[folio VIIb(19b)] A quiet clayme of certeyn londes made to þ^e A[bbess] of G[odestowe] by R[alph] Chendut.

1258/9, March 23. Sale to Godstow, by Ralph and Agnes Chendut, of land called An|fric, late held by Sir Ralph of the checur Sale-price £35 6s. 8d., besides taking his sister-in|law Ka|therine into a nun's place with|out a por|tion. The sellers to find their own and their servants' 'horse and harness' while ob|taining con|firmation in the king's court. Payment to be in two instal|ments, (a) at God|stow, when Katherine enters Godstow, (b) at a place to be agreed upon, when confirma|tion is got. Godstow is bound to these con|ditions, by distraint over lands of the fee of Richard, earl of Cornwall Ralph Chendut also binds himself to carry out these covenants. Ralph Chendut, after the king's court assented to the sale, must make a charter, confirming 'Anfric' to Godstow.

THE sentence of thys a-corde is, that bytwene the lady of Godstowe & the couent of that on party, & Raph Chendut & agnes hys wyfe of that othyr party, at Godstowe, the sonne-day in the whyche is songe 'letare Ierusalem,' the yere of kynge henry the sonne of kynge Iohn xliij^o, so, that is to say, that the seyd Raph hathe left & claymyd to be in rest for hym selfe, by the consent & the assent of agnes hys wyfe & of hys heyrys, all the ryht & clayme that they haddyn or myht haue in the londe that is callid Anfric, the whyche sumtyme was of sir Raph of the checur, uppon ryngeshull [This, by the map, ought to be Kyngeshull.] in the parisshe of litil Myssynden, with all hys pertinences, in medewys, pasturys & in wodys, with out ony with-holdynge a-geyne, that may longe to hem or to her heyrys in ony maner of wyse, to the seyd Abbas & couent of Godstowe & to her successours for euyr. For thys quiete|claime & reles, the seyd abbas & holy mynchons of Godstowe yafe to the seyde raph & agnes hys wyfe liij^o. marke & made katerine, the systur of the seyd agnes (wyfe of the seyd raph), Mynchon in the monasteri of Godstowe with the costys of the hows: & the same Raph, by the bettyr councell & prouidence of discrete men, with-out tariinge or slewthynge, al so sone as hyt myht lawfully be done, with the hows costys, he sholde more-ouyr make hys wyfe to make the seyd londe to be charturd in the kyngys courte, out-take that the seyd raph shal fynde hors & harnes to hym-selfe & to hys wyfe & to hem that were of hys howshold al so longe as they laboryd a-bout the purchesynge of the kyngys chartur; and the seyd holy my[n]chons of Godstowe shold pay to the seyd raph & agnes hys wyfe xxv. marke of the forseyd liij. marke in that day in the whyche the fore-seyd katerine sholde be delyuerd to hem to be norysshyd & to be made mynchon in the same place & in the whyche the

seyd penyes shold be payd; but whenne the chartur in the kyngys court was leueyid, in the place puruyid by the consent of both partys, all the residewe of the forseyd summe of money ouer xxv. marke vn-to liij. marke shold be satisfyed to the seyd raph & agnes hys wyfe by the seyd abbas & holy mynchons, in the same day þat the chartur was leueyid, a-fore [i. e. or before.] or the chartur wer deliuyrd [to] the seyd holy mynchons, vndur peyne of x. marke to be payd to raph & agnes hys wyfe to-gedur with the principal dette that was not payd. Also the seyde holy mynchons of Godstowe grauntyd that they myht dystreyne thorowe londys rentys & catell where-so-euyr they weryn in the power of the kynge of almayne by the baillys to the forseyd couenaunt surely to be kept yf they may dystreyne lawfully. And yf hyt happun that the seyd raph doo gylfully in ony maner wyse a-geynyst the forseyd couenaunt, that he shold be constreynyd to hold couenaunt by lyke dystreynynge; & yf hyt happun or case falle that in no wyse the forseyd couenaunt myht be stable and sure by the seyd raph & agnes hys wyfe, the seyd raph shold paye ageyne [folio VIII(20)] xxv. marke, payd by fore hond to the same raph, to the seyd holy mynchons with-in iij. monethys next folowynge, & that [i. e. whatever compensation-money was, &c.] was iugyd by dyscrete men, with lyke peyne as hyt is a-fore; & then the seyd lond of anfric, with hys pertynences, sholde byde in the state in the whyche hyt was a-fore thys couenaunt, tille the tyme that hyt were iugyd, a-fore the kynges iuge, who of hem had more ryht to hyt (that is to sey, whether the abbas of Godstowe & the couent, or the seyde raph & agnes hys wyfe), but [but that = unless.] that pese were reformyd with a bettur condicion by-twene hem & strife I-cesid. And, yfe all thynges as wer a-fore dyuisid myhtyn haue a goode effecte & ende, aftur þ^e chartur were leueyid, the seyd raph shold make to the seyde holy mynchons hys chartur of feffynge to hem & to her successours of all the forenamyd londe with hys pertynences for hym-selfe & hys heyrys or hys assynys. And that all these thyngys a-fore seyd myhtyn a-byde ferme sure & stable, the seyd abbas & couent & the seyd raph of Chendut haue put to her seelys, euyryche a-geynyst othyr, to the wrytynge I-made like a chartur: & is with-out date.

A quietans of Raph Chendut of XXV. marke made to y^e mynchons of Godstow.

1258/9, March 24. Acknow|ledgement to Godstow, by Ralph Chendut, of pay|ment of £16 13s. 4d., in part pay|ment of no. 76.

THE sentence of thys quietans is, that Raph Chendut & agnes hys wyfe (the dowhtur of syr raph of the checur) wyllydden to be knowe that they receyuyd of the holy mynchons of Godstowe xxv. marke of sterlyngys, of liij. marke in the whych the seyd mynchons were I-bounde to pay to the forseyde Raph & agneys for the peece & couenaunt I-made by-twene ther bothe pertyes for the londe of anfric, as hyt is conteynyd in the chartur by|twene bothe partyes forseyd I-made; & that none askynge were there-of afturward of the seyd holy mynchons by the seyd raph & agneys hys wyfe of the forseyd xxv. marke. I-gyfe at god|stowe in the vigil of the annunciacion of oure lady, the yer of kynge henry, the sone of kynge John, xliij.

[folio VII(19)] A quiet clayme by A. S. of o pece [of] londe to y^e A[bbess] of G[odstowe] in Mussynden.

About 1259. Confirma|tion to Godstow by Adam Sperling, as feudal superior, of a portion of no. 76, subject to a quit-rent of 3d.

THE sentence of thys chartur is, that Adam Sperlinge of kyngeshull grauntyd & claymyd [to be] in pees & rest, for hym & hys heyrys, to the abbas of Godstowe & to the couent of the same place & to her successours, j. pece of londe with hys pertynens, the whyche raph of the checur sum tyme had of the forseyde adam Sperlynge, the whyche pece of londe strecchyth hyt self in lengthe nyhe the watur in the parysshe of litill Myssynden euyn streyht a-geynyst the Mylle, willinge the for|seyd pece of londe to be had & holde to the same [folio VIIb(19b)] Abbas and couent a-fore seyde & to her successours, herytably, frely & in rest, for hym & for hys heyrys for euyr, paynge yerly to hym & to hys heyrys iij. d, that is to say, at the fest of seynt Myhel j. d. ob., & at the fest of our lady in Marche j. d. ob., for al seruice & demaundys; &, that he her-aftur ne none of hys heyrys miht axe ony thynge of ryht or of clayme in the forseyd pece of lond, he set to hys seele to thys for-seyd chartur: & is with-out date.

[folio VIII(20)] a final a-corde I-made in þ^e kynges court at wycombe by-twene the Abbas of Godestowe & william hyebrynge for þ^e londe of anfric.

1286, April. Sale to Godstow, by the heirs of Ralph Chendut, of all claim in no. 76. Purchase money, £6 13s. 4d.

THE sentence of thys euydence is, that a final concorde was made in þ^e kynges cowrt at wycombe fro estur day in-to thre

wokys, the yer of the reyne of kynge Edwarde, the sone of kynge henry, the xiiij, a-fore Iohn of walys, William of Maham, Roger Loueday, Iohn of Metyngham, & Nicholas le gras, Iustices iurnaynge, & othyr trewe men of the kyngys part there beynge present, bytwene william of hye-brynge & katerine hys wyfe & raph the sone of raph Chendut, asker, and Mabili wafre, Abbas of Godstowe, tenent, by Edmunde of parke in her place or styd to gete or to lese, of on yerdlonde with hys pertynences in kyngyshull in the paryshe of litil Myssyndyn, where-of 'Assise [of] hys auncetur dede' was take by-twene hem in the same court, that is to sey, the forseyde william & kateryne & raph know|lychyd, or made a recognicion, the foreseyd mese & londe with hys pertinences to be the ryht of the abbas & of the churche of our lady seynt Marye & of seynt Iohn baptist of Godstowe, & they haue relesyd & claymyd hyt to be in rest of hem & her heyrys raph & kateryne, to the fore seyd abbas, & to othyr ab|basses the whych shull succede to hyr, & to hyr forseyd churche for euyr. And for thys reconysaunce, reles & quiete clayme, fine & acorde, the same abbas gafe to the forseyd william kateryne & raph x. marke of sterlingys.

A couenant I-made by-twene þ^e Abbas of God|stowe & Richard bacheler of ij. acris at anfric.

1322, Nov. 1. Grant by Godstow, to Richard and Maud Bacheler, of two acres in life-rent.

THE sentence of thys conuencion is, that a couenaunt was made by-twene dame margery dyne, Abbas of Godstowe, & the couent of the on part, & Richard bacheler of lytyll Missenden of that othyr party, that is to sey, that the seyd abbas (dame [folio VIIIb(20b)] Margerie) & the couent tokyn & leten to the forseyd Richard & Malde hys wyfe, for a summe of Money the whyche the forseyd Richard & Malde yaf to hem by-fore hondes, to acris of londe with the pertinences in the parysshe of litul Missenden; & tho two acris lien at anfric, in lengthe by-twene the lond of henry taylfer vppon the northe part & the kyngys wey vppon the southe part, & in brede by-twene the felde that is callid the stonyfeelde vppon the west part and the kyngys wey vppon the est part, as the markes & departyngys vppon euery syde techen & shewyn. Also the seyde abbas & couent willid to the for-seyd Richard & Mald the fore-seyd ij. acris of londe with her pertinences, to haue &

holde hem vn-to þ^e ende of her liuys, frely in rest, well & pesybly, of the chefe lordys of the fee by the seruice dewe & vsyd ther-of: and the forseyd Dame Margery & the couent warentyd the fore-seyd ij. acris of londe with the pertinences to the for-seyd Richard & Mald vn-to her liuys ende a-geynst all pepull. In-to wytnes ther-of they put to here seelys to the wrytynge therof endentyd, euerych a-geynyst othyr. I-geyf at Godstowe in the fest of all haloun the yere of kynge Edwarde the sone of kynge Edward xvj.