r 



DERLEY ABBEY CHARTERS PRESERVED AT BELVOIR. 29 



bovates of land (about 72 acres), and the offerings of the tenants 

 of the same. The Rector of Morton contended that a portion of 

 these tithes belonged to him, but this claim was strongly resisted 

 by the convent of Derley. An appeal was made to Pope Inno- 

 cent III., who, in the year 12 10, appointed a committee, consisting 

 of the Abbots of Crokesdene and Roucester, with B.'' Prior of Tut- 

 bury, to investigate the claim, and to arbitrate thereupon. It was 

 decided that the Rector of Morton should surrender his claim to 

 the Abbot and canons of Derley, but that he should receive from 

 them half a mark yearly during his life, viz., 4od. at Pentecost 

 and 4od. at the feast of S. Martin. It would be interesting to 

 know on what grounds the Rector of Morton based his claim. 

 Either the chapel or a part of it, or the bovates or a portion 

 of them, must have lain within the parish of Morton. The 

 fact of a life assignment out of this endowment having been 

 awarded to him, proves that he had some right. The deed of 

 Quit claim (No. 18) distinctly states that the atrium or court 

 in which the chapel was built was i?i the parish of Crich. It 

 is probable, therefore, that some portion of the endowment 

 land lay in the parish of Moiton. Let us hope that further 

 researches at Belvoir may solve the difficuity.t The witnesses 

 to this document were : " R. de Mora, Prior of Dunstable, 

 W. de Muscamp, archdeacon of Derby, Master Nicholas de 

 Weston, Master Simon de Cestr., Master Stephen de Radclive, 

 Roger de Glapwell, Robert, parson of Bradbourne, Henry de 

 Balidene, William and Gervaise, chaplains of Esseburne, and 

 others." 



Two vesica shaped seals remain out of three. 

 The second has the figure of an abbot with pastoral 



* Bartholomew. 



t A Postcripi : — The old Manor House of Wessington, the home of Ralph 

 Fitz Simon, was at Road Nook. The Rev. Charles Holcombe Leacrofl in a 

 letter dated September 25th, 1893, wiiles : — "Road Nook Manor is in the 

 parij-hes of Crich and Morton. When last we 'beat the bounds,' we walked 

 through the house, and put a boy through the window, administering the usual 

 orthodox discipline." The old dispute, therefore, clearly arose through the 

 wilful course of the boundary of the parishes through the chapel estate. 



