Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

Rainham.

* 1.1In a Chappell of his owne foundation here in this Church, lyeth inter∣red, Iohn Bloor, and William Bloor, Which Iohn dyed 29. Decemb. 1520.

* 1.2Hic iacet Iacobus Donet Ar. qui ob. Viij. Kal. Feb. 1409.

For the loue of Iesu pray for me, * 1.3I may not pray now, pray ye That my peynes lessyd may be Wyth on Pater Noster and on Aue. Iohn Paynter of Douer namyd I was,

And two times Maire of that plas I passyd to God the thirteenth of Iuly, On thousand fyve hundryd and forty.

The people of this place make a great vaunt of the best wheate in all Kent or Christendome.

Now here (gentle Reader) giue me leaue to speake a little more of the Priory of Leedes, though casually misplaced, because forgotten.

I finde (saith Lambard) in a Heralds note (who belike made his con∣iecture by some coate of Armes lately apparant) that one Leybourne, an Earle of Salisbury, was the founder of this Priory. And indeed it is to be seene in the Annalls of Saint Augustines of Canterbury,* 1.4 that a Nobleman, called Roger Leybourne, was sometime of great authoritie within this Shire, notwithstanding that, in his time he had tasted of both fortunes: for in the dayes of king Henry the third, hee was first one of that coniuration, which was called the Barons warre; from which faction Edward the kings sonne wonne him by faire meanes to his part, and made him the bearer of his pri∣uie purse. Afterward they agreed not vpon the reckoning, so that the Prince (charging him with great arrerage of account) seised his liuing for satisfaction of the debt, by which occasion Roger once more became of the Barons partie. But after the pacification made at Kenelworth, he was eft-soones receiued into fauour, and was made Warden of the fiue Ports, and Lieutenant of this whole Shire. Now though it cannot be true, that this man was the builder of this Priory (for the same Annals say, that it was erected long before) yet if hee did but marry the heire, he might truly bee termed the Patron or Founder thereof: for by that name, not onely the builders themselues, but their posterity also (to whom the glory of their deeds did descend) were wont to bee called Patrons and Founders as well as they.

It is obserued, by my Author, in this place speaking of the Priory; that in ancient time, the greatest Personages held Monkes, Friers and Nunnes, in such veneration and liking, that they thought no Citie in case to flourish, no house likely to haue long continuance, no Castle sufficiently defended, where was not an Abbey, Priory, or Nunnery, either placed within the walls, or situate at hand and neare adioyning.

And surely (omitting the residue of the Realme) hereof onely it came to passe, that Douer had Saint Martins; Canterbury, Christ-Church; Ro∣chester, Saint Andrews; Tunbridge, the Friers; Maidstone, the Chanons; Greenwich, the Obseruants; and this our Leedes, her Priory of Chanons at hand.

About two hundred yeares since,* 1.5 the Prior of this House, with three of his Chanons, and others; layed violent hands vpon the body of a Monke of Saint Albans, whereupon many more quarrels would haue ensued, if that Boniface the ninth, Pope of Rome (hearing thereof) had not by his Bull authorised the Abbot of Saint Edmundsbury to heare, examine, and determine all controuersies betwixt the two Houses, and to absolute the de∣linquents,

after competent satisfaction made to the wronged parties. Thus goes the Bull.

Bonifacius Episcopus seruus seruorum Dei; Dilecto filio Abbati Monasterij de Sancto Edmundo Norwicen. dioc. Salutem et Apostolic. ben. Con∣questi sunt nobis Abbas et Conuentus de Sancto Albano Ordinis Sancti Be∣nedicti Lincoln. Dioc. Quod Wilhelmus de verduno Prior Monasterij de Ledes ordinis Sancti Augustini. Thomas de Maydenston, Nicholaas Shirton, Iohannes de Reuham, dicti Monasterij de Ledes Canonici; Magistrum Hugo de Forsham clericus; Antonius Messager, Iohannes Frere, et Iohannes Linne laici Cantuar. Dioc. in Fratrem Iohannem de Stopeleya Monachum dicti Monasterii de Sancto Albano manus iniecerunt, Dei timore postposito temere violentas▪ Ideoque discretioni tue per Apostolica scripta mandamus, quatenus si est ita, dictos sacrilegos tandiu appellatione remota, excōmunicatos publice nunties, et facias ab omnibus arctius euitari, donec super hiis satisfecerint competenter et iidem Clericus et Laici cum tuarum testimonio litterarum ad sedem venerint Apostolicam absoluendi. Canonici vero debite absolutionis beneficium assequantur.

Dat. Lateran. xii. Kalend. Nouemb. Pontificatur nostri, Anno octauo.

I haue the rather inserted this Bull, for that it may bee the more plainly vnderstood; how the most of all causes in those times concerning the Cler∣gie, were arbitrated not alwayes by the authority of the learned Bishops of this land, but by Commissions purchased from the Bishops of Rome.

This Priory was valued in the Records of the late suppression, at three hundred fourescore and two pounds of yearely reuenue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Io. and William Bloor.
• * 1.2

  Iames Donet:
• * 1.3

  Io. Paynter.
• * 1.4

  Mss••n ••ib. Cot.
• * 1.5

  A quarrell be∣tweene the Canons of Leedes and the Monkes of S. Albans.