1442-02-17, Westminster

Whereas on behalf of John, prior of the house of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, Ledes, parson of the church of Sutton Valence, in the diocese of Canterbury, it has been shewn that John Hastynges, late earl of Pembroke, was seised in his demesne as of fee of the manor of Sutton Valence, co. Kent, whereto pertained the advowson of the said church, and presented to the same church John Queinburgh, who was admitted in time of peace in the time of Edward III, and after the earl's death the manor descended to John his son and heir, who married Philippa and died without heir of his body, from whom the manor descended to Reynold Grey, son of Reynold, son of Elizabeth, sister of John the father; and afterwards a fine was levied in the court of Richard II at Westminster fifteen days after Martinmas, 15 Richard II, before Robert Charleton and his fellows, justices of the Bench, between Reynold the son, complainant, and Robert, bishop of London, John, bishop of Hereford, John Roos, chivaler, Robert Haryngton, knight, Gerard Braybrok, chivaler, the elder, Gerard Braybrok, chivaler, the younger, John Bagot, chivaler, and Philip Oker, chivaler, deforciants, of the manor, by which fine Reynold the son acknowledged the manor to be the right of the said deforciants and rendered the same to them and their heirs, and they wore seised thereof, and after the death of the said bishop of London, John Roos, Gerard, Gerard and Philip, the remaining deforciants assigned the manor to the said Philippa by the name of her dower, and she married Richard, late earl of Arundel, and afterward a fine was levied on the morrow of the Purification of St. Mary, 20 Richard IT, before William Thirnyng and his fellows, justices of the Bench, between the king, complainant, and the said bishop of Hereford, Robert and John Bagot, deforciants, of the said advowson, whereby the deforciants acknowledged the same to be the right of the king and granted to him the reversion thereof after the death of Philippa, and by virtue of the fine the said earl of Arundel and Philippa attorned to the king ; and afterwards the said church fell void by the death of John Queinburgh, and the earl and Philippa presented thereto William Whyte, who was admitted in the time of peace in the time of Richard II, and afterwards Richard II by letters patent dated 14 February, 20 Richard II, granted the remainder of the advowson to Aymer, prior of Ledes, and the convent of that place, and their successors ; and after the death of Philippa Pope Gregory 1V by bulls dated at Rome at St. Peters, 19 December in the first year of his pontificate annexed the said church to the said priory and decreed that Henry, now archbishop of Canterbury, diocesan of that place, should order the distribution by John Surenden, now prior, and the convent of that place, and their successors, among the poor parishioners of 6s. 8. and 8 quarters of wheat, barley and oats, or the value thereof in pence from the profits of the church, as is contained in letters of the archbishop dated at Cranebroke, 14 April, 1420; and the vicarage of the church was sufficiently endowed of old by the then diocesan; and afterwards the church fell void by the death of William White and the prior and convent on 18 March, 7 Henry V, entered and appropriated the church and appointed two canons chaplains to celebrate therein pursuant to the letters of Richard II, and distributed the said sum of money, as required ; and afterwards by letters patent dated 2 June, 9 Henry V, confirmed by letters dated 5 April, 18 Henry VI, their estate in the premises was ratified : yet, this notwithstanding, contrary to the Statute of 13 Richard II [stat. /, cap. 1), the prior has been expelled by pretext of letters patent of the king directed to Henry, archbishop of Canterbury, touching the admission to the said church of John Bolde, presented by the king; whereupon the Membranes 20 and 19 king commanded the sheriff of Kent to summon John Bolde to Chancery to shew cause why his letters should not be revoked, and the sheriff returned that he summoned him by John Barker, William Munde, Thomas Sampson and Walter Gore, and he came not, wherefore it was considered that the said letters should be revoked : the king has hereby revoked the same.