the Society in possession of minutely accurate transcripts, whereby a long or troublesome search for the originals among the multitudinous treasures of our vast Repository is rendered less necessary for any future investigator.

I give them in what I believe to be their chronological order, though only four of them are dated. In this and similar cases a conjecture must be taken from the style of the writing, which varied much at different periods, and generally presents sufficient indications for enabling us to arrive at considerable accuracy in the determination of the age of any document submitted to us.

The first appears, from such internal evidence, to have been written in the reign of Edward I. It is as follows:(11.) “Radulf' fil' Will' de piscar' cu' p't' ap'd La'gacre desce'd'nt' de riuulo de Clyue.

"Om'ib' filiis S'ce Matris Eccl'ie Radulfus fil' Will'mi de Wydecume salt'. Sciatis me concessisse, & dedisse, & p'senti carta confirmasse, p' sal'te anime mee, & Yolente sponse mee, & o'ium an'cessor' & heredu' n'ror', Deo & S'ce Marie & Monachis de Cliue, in pura' & p'petua' elemosina', illam piscaria' cu' p'tine'tiis suis, que p'ximior est p to meo de La'gacre, & p'xima riuulo qi descendit de Cliue. Hanc au' piscaria' dedi eis h'ndam & tenenda', sicut aliq elemosina q'eti' & lib'ius teneri potest. Et quicqi seruicii debet' Regi ut ulli alii p' p'dicta piscaria, ego & heredes mei faciem' & aq'etabim'. Et ip'am piscaria' p'dictis monach' warantizabim' in p'petuu', conta om's ho'ies. Hiis testib', Ric'do de Cumbe, Will'o fil' Heuerardi, Will'o de Sandhelle, Ada de Wacheford, Alexandro de la Bie, Ada de Fernacre, Joh'e fil' Ric'di, Rob'to de Sandhelle, Gilleb'to Gymel, & multis aliis."

Which in English is as follows:

"To all the sons of Holy Mother Church Ralph the son

of William de Wydecume wisheth health. Know ye that I have granted, and given, and by the present charter have confirmed, for the health of my soul, and of Yolente my wife, and of all our ancestors and our heirs, to God and S. Mary and the monks of Clyve, for a pure and perpetual alms, that fishery with its appurtenances, which is nearer to my meadow of Langacre, and nearest to the little stream that descendeth from Clive. This fishery I have given to them to be had and holden, as any alms may be quietly and freely held. And what service soever is due to the King as to any one else in respect of the aforesaid fishery, I and my heirs will do and discharge it. And the same fishery we will warrant to the aforesaid monks for ever against all men. These are witnesses: Richard de Cumbe, William son of Everard, William de Sandhelle, Ada de Wacheford, Alexander de la Bie, Ada de Fernacre, John son of Richard, Robert de Sandhelle, Gilbert Gymel, and many others."

A triangular seal of green wax remains pendant, in tolerable condition. The impression, a lion passant to the right; under him what seems to be a rude representation of water. For legend, SIGILLVM RA *

VCEL FILII WILL."

The next is a bond of Henry Billing to the Abbot and Convent of Clyve in two shillings a-year, to be paid at Brampton. The instrument bears date the sixteenth year of Edw. II., Nov. 3, 1322. No seal remains :—

(12.) "Obligac'o H. Bylly'g de duob' sol' ann' redd' domui de Clyue deb'.

"Om'ib' Xp'i fidelib' ad quos presens scriptu' p'uen'it Henric' Billing salute' in D'no. Nou'itis me teneri, & per presens scriptu' obligatu' esse, Abbati & Conuentui de Clyue & eor' successorib' inp' petuu', in duob' solidis

annui redditus, solue'dis eisde' uel eor' p'po'ito vel Balli'o de Brampton', ap'd Brampton, ad quatuor anni t'minos principales, eq's porc'onib'. Ad qua' quide' soluc'onem bene & fideliter facienda' obligo me & om'es t'ras & teneme'ta mea de Brampton', in quoru'cumq' man' deuen'int districc'oni p'dcor' Abbatis & Co'uent' & eor' successoru'. In cui rei testimoniu' sigillu' meu' apposui. Hiis testib', Joh'ne Fayrman, Will'o Sturel, Will'o Fabro, Ricardo Lovering, Joh'ne Thurgod, & aliis. Dat' ap'd Brampton', die mercurij p'xima post festu' Omniu' Scor'. Anno regni Reg' Edwardi filij Reg' Edwardi sextodeci'o."

John de Berewyk, bailiff of Lord William de Hastynges, in the county of Somerset, acknowledges the receipt of forty shillings from Ralph Fitz Urse and his tenants. The Lord de Hastynges was, I presume, the King's steward of that name :

(13.) "Pateat uniu'sis p' p'sentes, q'd ego Joh's de Berewyk', ball's d'ni Will'i de Hastynges, in Com' Somers', fateor me recepisse de Rad'o filio Vrsi & tene'tib' suis de Wilitone, p' dimid' feod' milit', quadragi'ta solid', quos leuare feci p' bre' d'ni Regis ad opus d'ni Joh's de Hastinges, de scutagio sibi co'cesso de ten'tib' suis P duab' guerris d'ni Regis in Skoc', videl' anno r. R. E. xxviijuo, & anno E. xxximo; de quib' quid'm quadraginta solid' de'm Rad'm & tenentes suos u'sus p'de'um d'nm Joh'm aquietabo p' p'sentes, & indempnu' co's'uabo. In cuius rei testimon' huic acquietanc' sigillu' meu' apposui. Dat' apud Berewyk', die mercurij, in festo Sc'i Laure'c' Martiris, anno regni Regis Edwardi tricesimo quarto."

of an

This, though itself ancient, is evidently a copy older document. It is on paper, and the seal of the worthy bailiff is of course wanting.

The following is a grant by the Abbot of Clyve to John

Bruer the younger and Lucy his wife, of lands and tenements in Zistecote, Lynegerscote, and Nonemanyslond, in consideration of a yearly payment of sixteen shillings and nine pence:—

(14.) "No' de com'un' pastur' i' Len'scote.

"Om'ib' Xp'i fidelib' ad quos p'sens sc'ptu' p'uen'it, Jacobus Dei Gra' Abbas Mon' de Clyua & eiusd'm loci Conuent', salutem in D'no sempit'nam. Nou'itis nos t'didisse, concessisse, et hoc p'senti sc'pto n'ro confirmasse, p' nob' & successorib' n'ris, Joh'ni Bruero juniori & Lucie ux' sue, om'es t'ras & ten' cu' co'i pastura ap'd Zistecote eisd'm t'r' & ten' p'tinenti, que quedam t'r' & ten' cu' co'i pastur' Robert' Peu'el quondam h'uit & tenuit in Lynegerscote, infa man'iu' n'rm de Clyue. Dedim', t', & concessim' eisd'm Joh'i & Lucie ux' sue sex acras t'r' de dominio n'ro ap'd Nonemanyslond, p'x' iacentes iuxa Lesforchis ibid'm, v'sus austru' & orient'. H'end' & tenend' om'ia p'dc'a t'r' & ten', cu' co'i pastur' p'de'a, vna cu' p'de'is sex acr' t'r' p'de'is, Joh'i & Lucie ux'i sue ad t'm vite eor', aut vni' eor' diucius viuent', de nob' & successor' n'ris, lib'e, quiete, bene, & in pace. Reddendo inde annuati' nob' & successor' n'ris p'de'i Joh'ns & Lucia ux' sua, ad t'm vite eor', aut vni' eor' diucius viuentis, sexdecim solidos & noue' denar' sterlingor', ad q'tuor anni t'ï'os p'ncipal', equis porcio'ib', & D'no de Wachetford annuati' tres solidos & tres denar', in fo Sci Mich'is, p' s'uiciis, h'ietis, releuiis, exaccio'ib', & quibuscu'q' aliis seclar' demandis, exceptis duab' sectis ad cur' n'ram de Clyve p' annu', & hoc p' racionabilem som'onicio'em. Et nos vo p'de'i Abb' & Conuent' & successor's n'ri om'ia p'de'a t'r' & ten' cu' com'un' pastur' p'de'a sim'l cu' p'de'is sex acr' t'r' p'de'is Joh'i & Lucie ux'i sue, ad t'm' vite cor', aut vni' eor' diucius viuent', conta om'es mortal' warantizabim', acquietabim', & in forma p'dc'a defendem'. In cui rei testiVOL. VI., 1855, PART II.

G

moniu' huic p'senti sc'pto indentato sigill' n'ra alt'nati' apposuim'. Hiis testib', Will'mo Hamelyn, Roberto Martyn, Joh'ne Sandhull, Andr' Drakewill', Rob'to Damarle, et aliis. Dat' ap'd Clyue, die d'nica p'x' post f'm Sc'i Benedicti Abb'is, anno Regni' Regis Edward' t'cij post Conquest' qadragesimo p'mo.'

Most unfortunately the seals are wanting. The document, however, is of special interest to the historian of this House, as it furnishes the name of another Abbot previously unknown. To the list already published we have therefore the satisfaction of adding our second contribution in James, Abbot of Clyve, 1367-8.

On this account a translation may probably be interesting, and is now presented :—

"To all the faithful of Christ to whom the present writing shall arrive, James, by the grace of God Abbot of the Monastery of Clyve, and of the Convent of the same place, health eternal in the Lord. Know ye, that we have delivered, granted, and by this our present writing have confirmed, for ourselves and our successors, to John Bruer the younger and Lucy his wife, all the lands and tenements at Zistecote, with the common pasture appertaining to the same lands and tenements; which certain lands and tenements with common pasture Robert Peverel formerly possessed and held in Lynegerscote, within our manor of Clyve. We have also given and granted to the same John and Lucy his wife, six acres of land of our demesne at Nonemanyslond, next adjacent to Les forchis in the same place, towards the south and east. All the lands and tenements aforesaid to be had and holden, with common pasture aforesaid, together with the aforesaid six acres of land aforesaid, by John and Lucy his wife, to the end of their life, or of the one of them surviving, of us and our