ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



of Soulbury (Buckinghamshire) and a mediety of Treswell in this county by 

 Edmund de Everley, who appeared before them in the church of Retford. 37 



The archbishop seems to have been powerless to check the grave and 

 partially-sanctioned abuse whereby comparative youngsters were admitted to 

 rectories and instantly became non-residents on the plea of attending the 

 schools for study. The following licences of absence for study were granted 

 to Nottinghamshire rectors within three years (1280-2) : Arnold, Averham, 

 Clayworth, Cotgrave, Normanton on Soar, and Wilford for three years ; 

 Broughton, Gedling, Grove, and Thorpe for two years ; and Bingham, Clifton, 

 Elton, Gotham, Kilvington, Langar, Leake, Strelley, Tollerton, and Weston 

 for one year. In some cases the licence suffered the holders to attend the 

 schools of Paris or elsewhere across the seas. Occasionally the archbishop 

 seems to have suspected the bona fides of the application ; thus in the case of 

 the rector of Broughton, he was reminded that he was only to be absent from 

 his parish for genuine study (honesto studio). In the case of Autelynus Day, 

 rector of Sibthorpe, licence was granted him on 19 November 1279 to 

 proceed to Paris for his studies up to the feast of St. John Baptist (24 June), 

 provided that he then returned and proceeded to priest's orders at the next 

 ordination. Ralph Samson, rector of Epperstone, was allowed to leave his 

 parish for study on 26 December 1280 up to the ensuing Michaelmas ; but 

 in March 1282 he obtained renewed leave of absence for two years. Edmund 

 de Everley, rector of a mediety of Treswell, obtained diocesan sanction in 

 January 1281 to absent himself for three years on account of a pilgrimage to 

 the Holy Land. 38 



The most important appropriation of a Nottinghamshire church during 

 the episcopacy of Wickwane was that of Mattersey to the Gilbertine priory 

 of that place. The vicarage was ordained in October 1 280, sanction being 

 given to the appropriation of the rectory to the prior and canons of Mattersey 

 owing to the severe losses they had sustained through a recent fire. The 

 priory was to have the tithes of grain from the lands in the parish of Mat- 

 tersey then actually under cultivation, except of certain specified lands, the 

 tithes of which, together with the tithes of hay and the various small tithes of the 

 whole parish, the rectory manse, and all oblations and mortuaries, were to belong 

 to the perpetual vicar. No tithes were to be paid on the priory fisheries, tan- 

 nery, or mills, nor any small tithes on anything within the monastery precincts. 

 The tithes of the gardens and orchard of the grange of ' Bachowe,' and of 

 the young livestock of the same grange, were also saved to the religious. The 

 collation to the vicarage was reserved to the archbishop. The priory was to 

 pay synodals, and 2OJ. in silver yearly by way of pension to the vicar, and 4-r. 

 a year towards the repair of the books and ornaments of the church, together 

 with Afd. a year for waxshot of Ralph son of Hugh and his heirs. The priory 

 was also to keep the chancel in repair, or to rebuild it if the occasion demanded. 

 The archbishop reserved to himself and his successors the right to add, change, 

 lessen, correct, declare, or interpret this ordination as often as it might seem 

 expedient. The canons were to have the right, as aforetime, of entering the 

 church, and a like right was reserved to the archdeacon and his official. 89 



At Michaelmas 1281, after an inquisition as to its value had been held 

 by twelve of the rectors and vicars of Retford deanery, the officials of the 



17 York Epis. Reg. Wickwane, fol. izi d. " Ibid. passim. K Ibid. fol. 15. 



47 



