1335-12-06, Auckland

To the same. Order to cause Philip de Thame, prior of the Hospital of John of Jerusalem in England to be discharged and acquitted at the exof his fealty, both him and his mainpernors of their mainprise, and the issues from the lands of the said Hospital and from the lands which to the master and brethren of the Temple, taken into the king's by reason of the death of Leonard de Tibertis, the last prior of that as lately, at the suit of Philip, showing the king that all lands of that Hospital, both those which belonged to the Temple in in the hands of the prior and the brethren of the Hospital, and which were assigned and given to the Hospital and Temple in frank for the defence of the church, the Holy Land and Christians against and Saracens and other enemies of Christ and his worshippers, and for maintaining divine service for the relief of the poor and other of piety, and the said lands were not wont to be taken or seized into king's hands by reason of the change of any prior of the Hospital or of the Temple, or by resignation or death, nor the issues thereof by the king, nor were the priors or masters wont to do fealty to king, except Prior Leonard, who lately did fealty under protest, to wit, the fealty should not be taken for the prejudice of the hospital in future under colour of a certain muinprise which that prior found before the in chancery to answer to the king for the issues of those lands if they to belong to the king by Leonard's death and for doing fealty if he held to do it to the king ; the king ordered divers escheators, in whose the said lands were, to amove the king's hands from these lands, restore the issues thereof to the prior by such mainprise; and by inof the chancery rolls of Henry III. Edward J. and Edward II. by the advice of the council, it was not found that any lands of the or masters in England had been taken into the king's hands by the or resignation of the priors or masters, or that the priors and masters ever done fealty to the kings in time past for the said lands, except as aforesaid, and the king ordered the treasurer and barons to the rolls and memoranda of the exchequer, and inform the king of they should find, and in the meantime to supersede the demand which made on the prior or his mainpernors for doing fealty ; and the treaand barons certified that on inspecting their rolls and memoranda had not found that answer was made to any of the king's progenitors the issues of the lands of the prior or master by reason of the death, or resignation of any prior or master, except once only, to wit, that was made to the late king for the issues of the lands of the master brethren of the Temple, in the late king's hand, in the 7th year of his by reason of the annulling of that order. By pet. of C.