XLI. Carta* domini regis Edwardi tertijpost conquestnm de confirma- tione et approbatione carte domini regis Edwardi oui sui super aduocatione et appropriation e ecclesle de Whalleye, et de confir- matione de Stanlatce, Staneye et Äcton, et de nominibus capelr larum dependentium ab ecclesia de Whalleye supradicta.

^ D W ARDUS Dei gratia rex Anglie, dñus Hibernie, et dux Aquitanie, omnib} ad quos presentes litere puenerint salutem. Inspeximus cartam quam dñus Edwardus quon dam rex Anglie, auus noster, fecit in hoc verba. Edwardus, Dei gratia rex Anglie dñus Hibernie et dux Aquitanie, archiepiscopis,

* The three next deeds are the principal charters of licence to the Ahbey to hold lands in mortmain. By some a power is considered to have been inherent in the crown to dispense with statutes and acts of parliament ; but that manifestly is an erroneous view of the subject. The licence was a mere waiver of a forfeiture. It was a general rule of law, alienatio licet prohibita, consensu tamen omnium,

246 «Tit. ое

episcopis, abbatib}, priorib}, comitib}, baronib}, justiciarijs, vice- comitib}, prepositis, ministris et omnib} balliuis et fidelib} suis salutem. Inspeximus cartam quam dilectas et fidelis noster Henr. de Lascy, comes Linc. constab. Cestrie et dñus de Ros et de Reywen- nok fecit Deo et beate Marie et Abbati et monachis Loci Benedicti de Stanlawe in hec verba. Uniuersis sanete matris ecclesie filijs (ф?. omnia ut supra folio 189 prox. precedente.) Nos autem donationem, concessionem, appropriationem et confirmationem predictas, neenon donationem et confirmationem quas Joh. constab. Cestrie p cartam suam fecit dudum Abbati et monachis de Stanlawe, nunc apud Whalleyam commorantib}, ad construendam abbathiam ordinis Cis- terciensis de Loco vocato Stanlawe, et de quadam villa vocata Staneya et villa vocata Mauricasastona cum omnib} ptinentijs earum, et de quietatione thelonei in emptione et venditione omnium rcrшп suarum p totam terram ipsius Johannis, et quietatione thelonei de pprio blado ipsorum Abbatis et monachorum in molendinis ipsius Johaunis, ac de uno mesuagio in villa Cestrie cum omnib} edificijs suis, ratas habentes et gratas, cas pro nobis et heredib} nostris, quan tum in nobis est, prefatis Abbati et conuentui apud Whalleye nunc commorantib} et successorib} suis concedimus et confirmamus, sicut carte et litere predicte rationabiliter testantur, et put ijdem Abbas et

in quorum favorem prohibita est, potcst fieri; and as the declared object in enacting the statutes of mortmain was to prevent the loss to the lords of the feudal benefits of escheats, wardships, services, reliefs, and the like, it was always held that those lords might consent to the alienations which deprived them of such rights. Kven when the thirty-sixth section of Magna Charta, commonly called the Mortmain Act, contained an absolute prohibition of grants to religious houses, and enacted that the gift should be utterly void, and the land should revert to the lord, it was then held that the king, as well as the mesno lord, might waive such forfeiture. This power was carefully recognised in the subsequent statutes passed during the struggle between the ecclesiastics, who wished to preserve, and the parliament, who attempted to prevent such alienations. Here the king, as the ultimate lord of the fee, licenced the alienation, and as the mesne lord had already consented, the forfei ture was completely dispensed with.

¿Ttt. De Шйallc»e. 247

monachi de Whalleye ecelesias, terras, et tenementa predict-» modo tenent et predecessores sui eam hactenua tenuerunt. Insuper cum capella sancti Michaelis infra castrum de Cliderhou, capella beate Marie Magdalene in villa de Cliderhou, capellis de Aluctham, Colne, Brunlay, Haslingden, Chirche, et Dounom, sint et diu ante appropria- tionem predictam fuerint, ut dicitur, de appenditijs predicte ecclesie de Whall. et eidem ecclesie annexe, et tam dictus Abbas et predecessores sui quam predictus Petrus de Cestria capellas illas prcfate ecclesie ut de iure eiusdem ecclesie annexas diu ante appropriationem illam tenuerint, sicut idem Abbas asserit, p quod nobis supplicauit ut p securitate sua in hac parte velimus capellas illas que in scripto dicti Henr. sen carta confirmationis dicti aui nostri non sunt specificate, in literis nostris de confirmatione facere specificari. Nos, supplicationi sue gracioso annuentes in hac parte, volumus et concedimus p nobis et heredib} nostris, quantum in nobis est, quod predictus Abbas et conuentus Loci illius habeant et teneant sibi et successorib} suis dictas capellas sancti Michaelis, Marie Magdalene, Aluetham, Colne, Brunlay, Haslyngden, Chirche, et Dounom, cum omnib} ptinentijs suis dicte ecclesie de Whalleye annexas, prout cas modo tenent et ijdem Abbas et Conuentus et dicti predecessores sui neenon predictus Petrus easdem capellas ecclesie illi annexas priusquam eadem ecclesia, ut premittitur, extitit appropriata tenuerunt. In cuius rei testimo-nium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste meipso apud Westm. vicesimo octauo die Septembris anno regni nostri octano.

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