the bishop himself in commendam, or else they are in pos- BOOK session of such men as do dwell out of the country. These are holden by the lord bishop in commendam. I. The archdeaconry: being well worth 4007. yearly. To the which the benefices with cure do belung: Llangrostenin, Diserth, and Rhylyfnwyd. And these without cure: Abergele, rectory, Bettws, R. Llandrillo, in Rhos Porc. Llanrwst, Porc. II. Gwin, R. sine cura, yearly worth 50l. III. Llandrillo in Deirnyon, R. sine cura, worth 807. IV. Llangwin, R. sine cura, yearly worth 607. V. Llandrinia, R. with three cures, viz. Llandrinio, Llandissilio, Melverley, worth yearly 1607. VI. Llysvayn, R. cum cura, yearly worth 501. or better. VII. Castell, R. cum cura, yearly worth 50%. VIII. Malloyd, R. cum cura, yearly worth 701. Nine cures, and seven without cures. The said lord bishop hath had in his commendam six other benefices with cure: the which he resigned upon having of the better, viz. 1. Abergele, vic. 2. Bettws, vic. 3. Gresford, vic. 4. Myvot, vic. 5. Arbistock, rec. 6. Llanyckill, rec. These following are in the possession of them that ly out of the country. Whereof some were collated by the lord bishop that now is. Viz. I. Vaynol, prebend, yearly worth 200 marks, in the possession of D. Yale, of the Arches. II. Llanufyth, preb. well worth a 1007. yearly, in the possession of D. Lewyn, of the Arches. III. Kilken, R. worth 507. yearly, in the possession of Mr. Tomson, dwelling about London. A sine cure. IV. Skeiviog, R. in the possession of Mr. Henry Mostyn. V. Whittington, R. cum cura, of the patronage of Mr. Albany, in the possession of Mr. Bay-63 shaw, of Litchfield. VI. Oswestrie, vic. of the patronage of the earl of Arundel, in the possession of VII. Machynllaeth, R. in the possession of Mr. Hughes, of Merionythshire. And of antient collation these. I. Meleden, preb. worth yearly 501. in the possession of Mr. Ireland, of Chester. II. Llanwrst, R. in the possession of D.Jones, of the Arches. III. Llansannan, R. Porc. in the possession of the same. I. I. BOOK IV. Llanarmon, R. in the possession of the dean of Canterbury, Mr. Rogers. V. Estyn, R. in the possession of the same man. VI. Covwen, R. in the possession of D. Mevricks, of Litchfield. VII. Llandyssel, R. in the possession of D. Lewys, the queen's chaplain. There is never a preacher within the said dioces, (the lord bishop only excepted,) that keepeth ordinary residence and hospitality upon his lyving, but D. Powel and D. Morgan, and the parson of Llanvechen, an aged man about 80 years old. By reason of the commendams and absence aforesaid, hospitality now of late is greatly decayed in that dioces. These are clean gone, which of late were great housekeepers. I. The dean. He that now hath the name to be •One Banks, deana, never kept house in all his life: and is an unfit man not 23 years for that place and calling in all respects, being not past four old. and twenty years old. II. The archdeacon hath been the best house-keeper in the countrie. But now the lyving is in the lord bishops commendam. III. The parson of Llysvaen, now the lord bishops commendam. IV. The parson of Skeiviog, now absent. V. The vicar of Cwin. The now incumbent, being also parson of Northop and of Whitford, two of the greatest lyvings in all the dioces, boordeth in the alehouse. VI. The parson of Whyttinton, now absent. VII. The parson of Llandeinio, now the lord bishops commendam. VIII. The parson of Castell: a great housekeeper, now the lord bishops commendam. IX. The parson of Llandrillo, now the lord bishops commendam. X. The parson of Mallayd, now the lord bishops commendam. The lyvings being subducted, the relief of the poor must needs decay. Parcells of the bishoprick leased, and confirmed by the lord bishop that now is, to the hindrance of his successors. I. The lordship of Meleden (the moyety whereof being in lease before, he bought of Mr. Symon Theloal; to whom he gave the vicarage of Moulde for the same) he hath confirmed for lives, to the use of his own children. II. The rectorie of Llanhasaph he hath, for the sum of 3007. con 1. firmed for lives to Mr. Piers Mostyn, esq. III. The ma- BOOK nour of Llandegla, to his cousin, Hue Kendryk, of London. IV. The bishops lands in S. Martins he graunted to the old tenaunts, if they will pay him 1707. Otherwise the same are graunted to the use of his own children. V. A portion of tith, in the parish of Blodwall, of the yearly rent of 157. he hath confirmed in lease to Marmaduke Jones, gent. for 408. rent, in part of payment of a purchase of certain freehold lands, which he purchased of the same Jones, to him and to his heirs for ever. For the which, besides the said lease, he gave 1007. in mony, the lands being worth 201. yearly. VI. Llangwstenin, a parcel of the archdeaconrie, he hath confirmed in lease to William ap Richard of Conwey. Other leases which the said lord bishop, for mony or other pleasures, hath confirmed. I. The rectorie of Llanrhajader, being yearly worth 1607. he hath confirmed in lease to the widow of Mr. John Dudley, a small rent reserved to the incumbent. II. The rectory of Whytfor he hath in like maner, for a piece of mony, confirmed to Mr. Roger Maneringe of Nantwiche. III. The rectorie of Northope, being the best in all that dioces, he hath in like maner confirmed in lease. IV. The rectorie of Estyn he hath likewise confirmed in lease. V. The rectorie of Llansilin, being the dividend of the chapter, he confirmed to the use of his own wife and children: promising great preferments to some of the prebends, to graunt to him their portions of the same. And when he had obtained his request, he now refuseth to perform his promise with them. VI. He hath also confirmed a parcel of tith belonging to the vicarage of Henllan, and the two coportianarie prebends of Llanvair to his own sister. And to that end he may confirm what he will himself, he 64 hath gotten all the keys of the chapter seal, to the keeping of his own chaplains, whom he may command. Whereby it may well appear what he meaneth to do hereafter. 1. The said lord bishop, in all his ordinary visitations, caused the clergy of his dioces to pay for his diet, and the diet of his traine; over and above the accustomed procura BOOK tions, appointed by the laws for that purpose, and contrary to the same laws. MSS. Epal. penes me. 2. He commonlie giveth no benefice before he hath gotten the harvest for himself, if the same do fall, that he may so do. 3. And now (the more is the pity) he is altogether given to the purchasing of lands to him and to his heirs: and hath given out great sums of mony upon mortgage of lands. As upon the lands of Mr. Edwards of Chirke, (as it is reported,) the sum of 7007. And the lands of Mr. Conwey, the sum of Which thing is a scandal to his profession, and an evil example for usurie to the laity. 4. The officers of his consistory court do receive great sums of money of offenders, in redemption of their corporal penaunce. And never send the same, nor any part thereof, to the parishes, where the offences are committed: but either take the same to their own uses, or give it to his lordship, without any notice or satisfaction to the congregation offended. 5. There is no table of fees set up in the consistorie, according to the late canons. 6. There are no overseers appointed for divine service within that dioces, according to the Injunctions. Which thing hath been a great cause of so many recusants in that countrie. All the premisses are to be found of records, or notoriously known. So that they cannot be denyed. [Number XXXII.] The bishop of S. Davids to secretary Cecill; concerning the filling two Welsh bishopricks vacant. PLEASETH it your honour to be advertised; whereas both bushops, my neighbours, the busshop of Landaff on the one side, and the busshop of Bangor on the other, are departed this miserable world, I have continual care rooted in my hart, and my prayer unto God is, that such men may I. be appointed to the rowmes, that by preaching of the word BOOK of God, and lyving according to the same, may set forth the glory of God, and shew light in these places of extreme darkness. For I have heard, that one Mr. Hughes sueth for Landaff, a man to me unknown, but by divers I have heard of him, that he is utterly unlearned in divinity, and not able to render a reason of his faith. If it be so, what service shall he be able to do to God and the queen's majesty in that place, that of all other places in England hath of long time most lacked good doctrine and true knowledge of God; and where in matters of religion no reformation or redress hath been, since the time of the queen's majesties visitation. For the other busshoprick, that is Bangor, I would think, Mr. Huett, chaunter of S. Davys, a man for learning, gravity, and language, meet for the same. Thus have I thought necessary to signify unto your honour, as the chiefest means that lyeth in me to use, to forward Christs church in these places, and to prevent inconvenience. And so with my daily prayer, I commit your honour to the tuition of Almighty God. From my house at Aberguelley, the xxxth of January, 1565. Your honours most bounden, R. Meneven. Number XXXIII. Lands of the bishopric of Durham, sometime detained, but restored to bishop Pilkington; and sold away again in the years 1648 and 1649; with the names of the purchasers, and at what values. 65 Purchase Money. By J. Bru£. S. d. ere, regist. 1453 6 8 ob. terr. epi To Thomas Dodd, lands in North Allerton 186 17 2 7 3 ob. deput. pro scopat. |