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

[XXVIII. Of Heyford]

[177.]

Reference to no. 21.

THABBOT hathe In Heyforde ij. partys of scheves, of lambys and of pyggys and of other smalle tithis, of all þe Demayne of Thomas Breute, perteynyng to þe church off Saynte George In the castell of Oxonforde, as hit is i-schewyd abowfe In the title 'How þe church of Saynte George was i-ȝeve to þe chanons of Oseneye.'

[178.]

About 1240. Grant to Oseney, by Margaret of Rivers, of a site for a tithe|barn; tithe to taken at the door of the demese|barn; the demesne to thresh the tithe-corn in said barn, and receive the chaff and straw in return for the labour; if Oseney thresh it elsewhere, the de|mesne to have sole use of the said barn.

KNOWE þoo that Be nowe and to Be that I, Merget [Margareta.] of Riuers, for me and myne heyres, haue i-ȝeve, grauntid, and Deliuered, and with my present charter confermed, for my helth and of myne, bothe auncetours and successours, to god and to þe church of saynt marie of Oseney and to þe chanons þere to god seruyng, in-to ffree and perpetuell almes, in my verthon [Latin, 'in berthona mea.' See 'barton' in New Eng. Dict. The 'verthon' form may be a peculiar pronunciation, or the translator may have blundered between the easily confused v and b of this period.] , at Heyforde [Name noted in the margin.] my maner, a place Bitwene my Berne and þe fore|saide towne, to an howse to Be i-made to there tithis to Be laide, þe which at þe dore of my Barne to take þay ofte, as þey

were i-woned of olde tyme, with ffre Entre & goyng-owte to Carye and to bere, as to þem beste semeth to doo. And if it happen that þ^e saide chanons wille that þere corne þere Be thresshe In the forsaide howse, þen I and myne heyres schall make it to Be thresshe, and þe· chaffe schall Abide to|gedur with þ^e strow to me and to my heyres. And if they will not þat hit Be þere i-thresshe, then it schall Be ffre to theme, whenne þay [will], to Bere awey all þere corne in scheves hoole, ande when it is i-Bore awey, that howse schall turne In-to myne vses, till eftesoones ['iterum.'] , her [Probably 'her[st]' = harvest. Latin is: 'redeunte tempore autumpnali.'] come agayne, ther corne In-to þe same will put in; And I and myne heyres that howse schall kepe vn-hurt, that hit Be not i-hyndred or apeyred [Both words form a duplicate rendering of 'deterioretur.'] By owr vse; and this almes to þe saide chanons we schall warantiȝe for euer agaynste all pepull & schall Defende. And that all þese thynges Be fferme, et cetera.

[179.] Writyng of Symon, person of Heyforde Waryn, for hym and his successours al so muche as is in hym neuer to trouble thabbot and Couent of Oseneye for here tithis of Heyforde.

1293. Promise made to Oseney, by the rector of Heyford|Warren, to allow Oseney quiet pos|session of two-thirds of the tithes (great and small) of the de|mesne-land (as in no. 21).

TO all cristen men to þ^e which þese present letters schall come, Symon, þe person of [folio 39a] the church of Heyforde Waryn, helth in owre lorde. Knowe me to haue Be-holde þ^e Instru|mentes of Religiouse men Abbot and Couent of Oseneye, þat is to say, of þe patronys Bisschopis and Chapiter of lincoln and confirmacion of þe pope, [in] þe which Euidently and sufficiently Is conteyned that ij. partis of the tithis (Bothe of grete and smale) of the Demayne In the saide towne comyng forthe, By þe cawse of þe church of Seynte George In the castell of oxonforde, þe which to þem þe haue i-approprid, and chefely of telthis within i-write, þat is to say, Croftfurlonge, And Inlonde, Ruelle|ffurlong [Ruelles-, Nambres-, Meres-.] , Nambreffurlonge, Moreffurlong, to þe same longen. I, the saide Symon, for me and (al so muche as in me is) for my successours, say and knowlege, By the tenour of this present writyng, to þem of speciall ryȝght to longe, and ['et de eorum tranquilla et non inter|rupta possessione promittens.'] of þere stille

and not Inturrupte (or breke) possession by-hotyng, þat, fro þ^e tyme of þe Date of þese presente thynges, noþer By me, noþer by oony in my name, noþer By my successours (that of [= as far as by: 'quatenus ex.'] suffer|aunce of þe lawe þem I may Bynde), no lettyng, no puttyng away, or agayne-sayng, vppon þ^e takyng of þ^e saide tithis (of þe forsaide Demaynes comyng forthe) schall suffre here-after. And as to þe takyng of þe smale [or] lasse tithis, namely ['maxime quoad.'] as to chese and piggis, submittyng me to þ^e constreynyng and compellyng of Euery Jugge (Ordinarie or Delegate) or conservatour, the which þe saide Religiouse men or þere successours wille to Be chose, as by all censure of þe church, vppon all and Euerich of þe premisses, me (as hit is Above-saide), withowte [The English is dark because it follows the obscure Latin constructions: 'ut. . .me . . .sine strepitu iudiciali et causae cogni|tione, quantum ad observacionem, et im|pedimentum non inferendum, possint com|pellere.'] hurlyng of Juggement and knowlech of plee, as to þe kepyng & lette not to Be i-browght, may compelle. In-to witnesse of þe which, et cetera., the forsaide Symon put to his seale. Þe Date at Oseney, In the ȝere of owr lorde M^o CC^o Nonagesimo 3^o.

[180.]

1445. Grant by Oseney, to the rectory of Heyford|Warren, of a perpetual lease of Ose|ney share of the tithes, at quit-rent of 13s. 4d., lessee to pay the tenths voted to the king by convoca|tion.

IN the ȝere of owr lorde [The date in the Latin is, correctly, 1445. William Alnwick, bishop 1436-49.] M^o CCCC^mo v^to, with the consent and confirmacion of lorde William, Bisshop of lincoln, and also of þe consent of þe keper or warden and of þe college of Seynte marie of Whinchester of Oxforde, patronys of þe parisch church of Heyforde [Name noted in the margin.] , was i-maade A Reall composicion bytwene vs and the person þere, þat is to say, that þe saide person and all his successours hereafter have owre porcion þere, ȝeldyng þerof ȝerely In the ffestes of Saynte Miȝghell & of Estur xiij. s. iiij. d. in Euyn porcions vndur payne of xx. s. so ofte to Be paied al so so ofte as he faileth to vs, and also he schall paye for the Kynges Dyme when that hit happeneth By the clergy to be i-grauntid, undur the same payne, that is to say, for an hoole Dyme iij. s.