A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



king and martyr, and blessed Edward king and 

 martyr, and St. Katherine, are to be celebrated as 

 doubles. Also on the morrow of All Souls Day 

 solemn mass to be sung of St. Winifred virgin 

 and martyr, and on the vigil of the Nativity of 

 St. John Baptist solemn mass to be sung of 

 St. Etheldreda. 



44. There are to be sung three masses daily, 

 together with the chapter mass, when it happens, 

 after the Sarum use ; the first, the mass of our 

 Lady, to be sung in the lady chapel with the 

 choristers ; the second, without note, a mass of 

 requiem for Richard II., Henry IV., and for 

 Edmund and Isabella, children of Edward the 

 founder, Henry V. the patron (when departed), 

 and Edward the founder, and all faithful souls ; 

 the third, a sung mass of the day according to 

 use of Sarum. 



45. In addition to these three regular masses, 

 a mass of the Holy Spirit for the good estate 

 of Henry V. to be sung on Passion Sunday, 

 with special collects ; also a private mass for a 

 like purpose every Sunday. 



46. On Trinity Sunday, Michaelmas Day, 

 the feast of St. John Baptist, on St. Lawrence 

 Day, and on the Assumption of the Blessed 

 Virgin, a special mass to be sung for Edward 

 the founder. 



47. The three ordinary masses, and the 

 chapter mass when it happens, are to be cele- 

 brated by those chaplains who can best be 

 spared from the quire and singing according to 

 a table put forth by the precentor. All other 

 masses to be taken in turn by the fellows. The 

 master to celebrate at high mass on the principal 

 feasts. 



48. Each chaplain celebrating a special mass 

 for Henry V. or the founder to receive two 

 pence from the common fund at the hands of 

 the master. 



49. The master, precentor, and all the 

 fellows to say a mass of requiem on the last day 

 of February for Richard II. ; on St. Cuthbert's 

 Day for Henry IV. ; for Edmund, the father 

 of Edward the founder, on i August ; and for 

 Isabella, the mother of the founder, on 23 Decem- 

 ber. 



50. On the obit of the founder the master 

 and precentor to receive i2d., each chaplain 

 celebrating bd., each clerk present ^d., and each 

 chorister present 2d. 



51. All to be present at evensong, mattins, 

 masses, and other hours. Every Saturday cor- 

 rections or fines to be imposed by the master 

 and precentor for all absences or late comings, 

 or other offences (especially in quire), com- 

 mitted during the week. For neglect of the 

 offices, castigation or fines are to be imposed, and 

 as a last resource expulsion, 



(A later insertion.) 



Any one late at mattins to be fined i^., or 

 late at prime, terce, sext, nones, or compline ^d. ; 

 any chaplain on the mass rota neglecting to 



attend, a groat. Such fines to be divided among 

 those present. 



52. Every member of the college taking part 

 in ar.y service by reading, singing, or saying 

 anything in the canonical hours, or in divine 

 ser\'ices, shall before leaving read, sing, or say 

 at the steps of the quire, in English, the Our 

 Father and the Hail Mary for the soul of the 

 founder. 



53. Anathema pronounced on any one who 

 shall interpret these statutes after a sinister or 

 evil fashion, twisting them from their natural 

 and grammatical meaning. 



54. A formal conclusion and final commenda- 

 tion of the statutes. 



This is followed by a declaration or modification 

 of the statute (No. 5) concerning the treasury, 

 so far as it affected a distribution of a certain 

 portion of the income to the poor. In accord- 

 ance with the will of the founder, it had been 

 laid down that, as soon as the church and houses 

 of the college were constructed, without any 

 delay a house for the poor, or almshouse, 

 should be constructed at the charge of the 

 college, to contain at least ten beds, tables, 

 clothes, and garments for Christ's poor of either 

 sex. The master or precentor and two senior 

 fellows to receive and give hospitality to the 

 inmates, who should be chosen from the infirm 

 poor or those in specially needy circumstances, 

 and particularly those who had been servants or 

 tenants of Edward the founder or his parents in 

 the towns of Fotheringhay, Nassington, or Yar- 

 well. No poor person to be twice received or 

 entertained in one week. But if there should 

 not be in those towns and lordships sufficient 

 poor requiring the assistance of the house, then 

 they might be received from other towns and 

 places. That each poor guest should receive 

 once a day a good dish of bread and beer, with 

 flesh or fish and one penny. On the first day 

 of the week the poor guests should be received 

 in honour of the Holy Trinity, the second day 

 in honour of St. Michael and the nine orders of 

 angels, on the third day St. Thomas of Canter- 

 bury, on the fourth day St. John Baptist, on the 

 fifth day St. Lawrence, on the sixth for love and 

 honour of the Five Wounds, and on the Satur- 

 day in honour of the Five Joys of Mary. Neglect 

 of this hospitality to incur malediction. 



An additional statute (amending Nos, 7 and 10), 

 agreed to in chapter by the whole college, pro- 

 vided that no member of the college should 

 admit any outsider within the precincts without 

 the express sanction of the master, or in his 

 absence of the precentor. 



Then follows an entry relative to the gift by 

 Henry VI. in 1447 of 20 acres of wood in 

 the forest of Rockingham to Richard Vantort, 

 master, and John Brounyng, precentor, and the 

 rest of the college, and providing for a solemn 

 mass for the good estate of the king and Queen 

 Margaret, and after their death for their souls. 



174 



