1417-11-14, Westminster

Whereas the king ; in pursuance of an inquisition taken before the late escheator in the county of Warwick, showing that Edward late duke of York on the day of his death held no lands . 225 in the county in his demesne as of fee, of the king or of any others, but held the manors of Solyhull and Sheldon and the advowsons of the church of Solyhull and of the free chapel of St. Alphege of Solyhull, together with the knights fees and advowsons pertaining to the said manors, of the grant of the king, by letters patent dated for life with remainder to Richard Beauchamp of Bergevenny, chivaler, and Isabel his wife (sister and heir of Richard the son and heir of Thomas late lord le Despenser), and to the heirs male of their bodies, by colour of certain other letters patent made to them 286] touching the premises and other things, by name of all castles, towns, lordships, manors, lands, rents, forests, parks, offices, rights, customs, possessions, jurisdictions and services with all their appurtenances and emoluments, together with franchises, royalties, counties, hundreds, swaynmotes, commotes, liberties, knights fees, advowsons of abbeys, priories, churches and other ecclesiastical benefices, and reversions, in England and Wales, late of the said Thomas late lord le Despenser, which the said late duke had for life of the king's grant by reason of a certain judgment of forfeiture rendered against the said Thomas, as by the said letters patent touching the grant of the said remainder, which were shown to the jurors, fully appears ; and that the reversion of the said manors and advowsons and fees, after the death of Sibyl late the wife of Hugh le Despenser, chivaler, (who held the same for term of her life of the inheritance of the said Thomas, late lord le Despenser, and who died on 28 August then last past) pertained to Thomas ; and that the said late duke on the day of his death had the said manors of Solyhull and Sheldon with the fees and advowsons aforesaid for term of his life of the king's grant by reason of the judgment of forfeiture aforesaid, with remainder to the said Richard and Isabel and their said heirs, as above; and that the said manors, fees and advowsons are held of the king in chief by knight service ; ordered the said late escheator to deliver the said manors, fees and advowsons, together with the issues of the said manors and fees from the time of the death of the said late duke, to the said Richard and Isabel, since the king had ordered Richard's fealty to be taken by the escheator in the counties of Southampton and Wilts, and, for a certain fine paid in the hanaper had respited until a day already past the homage due from Richard for the said manors, fees and advowsons and for other lands in other counties held for life by Rolls, 1413-1419, p. 228]; and whereas by another inquisition taken at Warwick on Friday the vigil of St. Peter in Cathedra, 3 Henry V, before John Cokayn and James Strangways, justices of assize in the counties of Northampton, Warwick, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Lincoln, and William Babyngton, and the escheator in the county of Warwick, and Thomas Burdet, chivaler , sheriff of the said county, by virtue of letters patent Wt, 2415. F. 15. it was ascertained that a fine was levied in the king's court at Westminster, 5 Henry IV, before William Thirnyng and _ his fellows, justices, between Sibyl late the wife of Hugh le Despenser, chivaler, querent, and Edward Botiller, chivaler, and Anne his wife, deforciants, touching the said manors and advowsons, by which fine Sibyl acknowledged the manors and advowsons aforesaid to be the right of Anne, for which acknowledgement, fine and concord Edward and Anne granted the said manors and advowsons to Sibyl, to hold the same for term of her life of Edward and Anne and the heirs of Anne, with reversion to Edward and Anne and the heirs of Anne quit of the heir of the said Sibyl; and that Sibyl was seised of the premises by virtue of the fine ; and that Anne wife of Edward died seised of the reversion without heir, to wit, on the Saturday next after the feast of All Saints, 10 Henry IV; and that Edward died on the vigil of St. Martin in the Winter, 14 Henry IV; and that Sibyl died on the morrow of the Assumption, 3 Henry V ; and whereas, the said inquisitions having been read and heard in the Chancery and the matter contained in them more fully understood, after mature and diligent deliberation on the premises had with the king's justices and serjeants-at-law and other skilled persons of his council, it appeared that the king's writ of livery of the manors and advowsons aforesaid had issued unduly out of the Chancery, since the inquisition taken at Warwick had been taken long before the inquisition taken before the said late escheator, and for divers other causes shown and declared on the king's behalf in the Chancery, so that by the advice of the king's justices and serjeantsat-law and others aforesaid it was awarded that the said manors of Solyhull and Sheldon together with the issues thereof from the time of the death of the said late duke, and the advowsons aforesaid, should be taken and resumed into the king's hands: the king therefore orders the escheator in the county of Warwick for the cause aforesaid to take and resume into the king's hands the said manors of Solyhull and Sheldon together with the issues thereof from the time of the late duke's death, and the advowsons aforesaid, without delay.