20 PAPERS, ETC. 
quaint, obsolete, jejune as they may be considered, will 
make us, nevertheless, far more able to enjoy our personal 
examination than we could have been, had the informa- 
tion afforded by them been through their absence lost 
beyond recal. 
I shall arrange the documents to be brought under your 
notice in three divisions :—— 
1. Charters already printed, of which I shall give entire 
translations. 
2. Charters not hitherto printed, which shall be accu- 
rately given in their original forms, as valuable and inter- 
esting additions to our English Monasticon ; and translated 
or abstracted, as most desirable. 
3. Other documents illustrative of the subject, distin- 
guishing those now for the first time printed, the originals 
of which shall of course be presented. And I am happy 
to add that these also are of considerable interest. 
Cleeve Abbey was founded in the year 1188, for monks 
of the Cistertian Order, by William de Romare, youngest 
son or nephew of William de Romare, Earl of Lincoln. 
“This William, youngest son of the foreseid William de 
Romare, and of the seid Luce hys wyff, found the Abbey 
and Monastery of our seid blissed Lady of the Cliff, in 
the foreseid countie of Somerset, in the nyneth yere of 
the reigne of King Richard the First, late King of Eng- 
land; and that by the hondes and oversight of oone 
Hugh, then Abbat of the foreseyd Monastery and Abbey 
of Rewesby, the which stalled and made then first Abbot of 
the foresyd Monastery of Cliff aforeseid, oone Raff, as 
hit apperith by old wretyngs in the seide Abbey of 
Chff.” * 
* MS. Cott. Tib. E. 8, f. 208. 
