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late monastery lefte to be sold, he giving therfor as any other will, not faylyng herof as I may doo you pleasure. Thus fare ye well. From London, the last of Julie.

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Right worshypple masters, my dewty rememberyd, I have me commendyd unto yow, sertyfying yow that your servanttes hathe demawndyd of me serten salte that the abbye of Bordysley hade yerly, for the whiche sawlte that was laste made I have payd to Mr. Thomas Evans, liijs. iiijd. Consytheryng the chargys therto belongyng, I thynke hyt be all payd, soo ther ys no more dewe to be payd as yet; for Bordysley salte ys wont to be made alweys betwene Estur and Pentycoste. Also I have recevyd your renterowle, and getheryd up the rent, and fownde more then ys there, as hytt aperythe by a rent-rowle that your clarke made owte of myne, as knowythe God, who ever kepe yow. From Droytewyche, the iijde day of Decembre.

By yours, RoGer Bedull.

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Item, for the beryng of the bryne
Item, for the drawyng of the bryne
Item, for the reparacyon of the fates

Also, for the getheryng of the rent and the
makyng of the salte, my ffee is yerly a lyverye

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To the ryght worshypple Mr. Scuddamore aud Mr. Burgoenye thys be delyvered with sped, dd.

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The places mentioned in the following letter are all in Shropshire. Caynham is a village in the neighbourhood of Ludlow, which was a manor of the abbey of Wigmore. There was a house of Austin friars at Woodhouse near Cleobury; it was one of the earliest establishments of this order in England, said to have been founded not long after 1250 by a member of the family of the Turbervilles. At Bridgnorth there was a convent of grey friars, founded by John Talbot earl of Shrewsbury in the time of Henry VI. Wigmore abbey, founded by the Mortimers in the twelfth century, was one of the most important religious houses on the borders of Wales.

CXXXVI.

ROBERT BURGOYN TO JOHN SCUDAMORE.

[From MS. Addit. No. 11,041, fol. 31.]

Right worshippfull sir, after most hartie recommendations, with lyke thankes for your gentill lettres, and ffor your sedulious paynes and labours taken aboute the survey off Cayneham, and certen ffryre houses, off the whiche I have receyved parte off the surveys, and wher you entend to survey the ffrire houses in Herefford, and ferther that you will send Mr. William Scudamore, your sone, and my clarke, to surveye the ffryers at Wodhouse and Bridgenorth, I thynk my selff muche bounde unto you that yt will please you off your goodnesse so to fforder me in my greate and intollerable busynesse; but, sir, because I cannott convenyently, nor before thys tyme I have not used, to certefie but by hoole shires, yt myght therfore please you to

CAMD. SOC.

20

appoynt your seid sone, together with my servaunte Palmer, to survey ffully alle ffrire houses within your and my circuite, and they to do no more but onlye to survey the houses and landes, and make estate off the scytuacion off the houses, and to prayes all and every house within the precyncte of eny suche house, and to note which off them be moste meteste for a tenaunte, and to make no manner off sale, but suffre suche as be nowe in possession of every suche house to occupie the same quousque, etc., and to charge them with the sauffe kepyng theroff, and to mesure the ledes and take the contentes, etc. and to mesure the belles, and to certefie the ethes by estimacion, and ferther to take a note off all the ffrires names, off the order, religion, and dioces, and off whose ffoundacion, etc. And as you write unto me, we maye sell no housyng unto suche tyme we have furste certefied, save only the churches, cloysters, and dorters. Howbeyt, Mr. Giffard and I have sold in some ffrire houses all the buyldynges, the cause was for that they werre so spoyled and torne by suche as sold the goodes, that in manner they werre downe, and yff they shuld nott have ben sold, the kyng shuld have hadd nothyng theroff. Ferder, sir, they muste surveye the wodes belongyng to the seid ffryre houses, etc. Besides this, Mr. Bradeshawe, who hath the demeans off Wigmore, hath wrytten unto me to requyre you to be so good to survey the demeans theroff, and such thynges as he shuld have in fferme, and my servaunte Palmer shall wayte apon you. I beseche you do so muche for hym, for my good lord precedentes sake;* and what you do theryn I am right well contented therwith, etc. Sir, I have sente you by your servaunte a buk; such as he ys, I pray you take yt in good parte. And ther had ben eny better that I could have gotten, you shuld have hadd yt. Good Mr. Giffard kylled yt for you yesterdaye, and I begged yt; I wold yt werre a stage. I pray you have me hartely recommended to my good mistres your

* The lord president of the Marches and Principality of Wales, which office was at this time held by bishop Lee.

wyffe, and to Mr. Monyngton and Mr. Dansey, your sones in lawe, with ther good wyffes. And thus I am always bolde off you, as off one whome I wold shuld commaunde me. From Thellesferd, the vjth daye off Julii.

The kynges majestie will take his journey this yere into Sussex, and so be the coste, and to Wodstoke and Grafton, and so returne.

Your owne, to the uttermoste off his little power,
ROBERT BURGOYN.

To the right worshippffull Johan

Scudeamore esquyer, one off

the kynges receyvoures, geve thies.

The next letter relates to the destruction of the abbey of Evesham, and the sale of the stones.

CXXXVII.

PHILIP HOBY TO JOHN SCUDAMORE.

[From MS. Addit. No. 11,041, fol. 57.]

After my right hartty commendacions hadd, where at my last communycacion hadd with yow I desyred yow that I myght have hadd some partt off the stone that shuld be solde at Evisham ffor my money, the princypall and best whereoff, as I am informed, ys sold, yett fforasmoche as my necessyte which shall shorttely happen in buyldyng wyll requyre a grett partt off that stone that ys unsold there, this shalbe, therefore, right harttely to desyre and praye yow that ye wyll sell me resydew that there remaynyth, and I wyll paye thereffore yeven as ye shall thynke reasonable. And iff ye shuld nott shew me this pleasure, I were lyke in tyme of my necessyte to be very destitute. And as consernyng the spoyle or waste that ye wrate to me off that hath be done there,

I assure yow both I and myne be gyltles thereoff, besydes that hit did cost me money to persons for a long tyme nyghtly to weche and to take hede lest any thyng shuld to be mysordered there. I trust alsoo that att your there beyng and others the kynges highnes commyssyoners, ye remember that there was no lytell spoyle made, and I promyse yow sythens then your departure therehence there hath byn nothyng mynyshed to my knowlege; and iff it bee, I wold the offenders were ponysshed to the example of other. Thus I wyll leve to wrytt unto yow any more at this tyme, trustyng that we shall mete shorttely and talke thereoff more largely, commyttyng yow to Goddes tuycion, who preserve yow with as good health as I wold to my selff, desyryng to use me as ye know ffor your assuryd to my power. Wrytten at the courtt, the last off October:

Your lovyng ffrend,

To the right worshipfull
and my especyall good
ffrend, master Johan
Scudamore esquyer,
this be delyvered.

PHELYP HOBY.

The priory of Worcester, attached to the cathedral, was founded in 971. Henry Holbech is said in the Monasticon to have been the last prior, More having been his predecessor. The manor of Batenhall was one of the possessions of the priory.

CXXXVIII.

ROBERT BURGOYN TO JOHN SCUDAMORE.

[From MS. Addit. No. 11,041, fol. 37.]

Right worshippffull, I commend me unto you and to good mistres Scudamore, etc. Sir, thies shall be to advertise you that I have sold as much off the stuffe off the late priorie off Worcester

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