A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



that he received a mandate to make that induction, received another mandate 

 to induct Nicholas the late vicar of East Markham into the portion of tithes 

 belonging to that vicarage at Tuxford. 61 



Robert, rector of one portion of Cotgrave, was accused of simony in 

 1293. He canonically purged himself before William de Blida, sub-dean of 

 York, and William de Beverly, the archbishop's commissioners, and was duly 

 restored to good fame." 



In 1295 William dc Sutton-in-Ashfield, a secular priest, was in gaol 

 under a charge of theft ; but he purged himself by canonical purgation 63 

 before the archbishop's official ; he was released, and the archbishop issued 

 his mandate to the Archdeacon of Nottingham to cause his good fame to be 

 proclaimed throughout the whole archdeaconry and especially in those places 

 where he was known and where he had been defamed." 



Archbishop Romayne executed a formal ordination of the chapel of 

 Harby on 24 October i 294, confirming an ordination of the Dean and Chapter 

 of Lincoln and William de Langwath canon of Lincoln and prebendary of 

 Clifton, for the support of a chaplain to celebrate for the soul of Queen 

 Eleanor, who ' at Harby, as God willed, breathed her last.' 66 



Notices of visitations by Archbishop Romayne of the Nottinghamshire 

 religious houses which were under his control were sent out on 27 December 

 1286. He, or in the case of Felley his clerks, were to be expected at Worksop 

 on 10 January, at Newstead on the I2th of the same month, at Felley on the 

 1 4th, and at Thurgarton on the lyth. Parochial visitations were to be held 

 at the same period. The clergy, churchwardens, and four of those whom 

 we should now term lay representatives of each parish of the deanery of 

 Nottingham, were summoned to the parish church of Sneinton on 1 6 January, 

 and those of the deanery of Retford to the parish church of St. Michael in 

 that town on 9 January." 



In January 1290-1 notices were given of the archbishop's intention to 

 hold visitations (ad clerum et populum) of the parishes in the deanery ot 

 Retford, in the church of St. Michael, on 15 February ; of the deanery of 

 Newark, in the parish church of Marnham, on 17 February ; and of the 

 deanery of Nottingham, in the church of St. Mary, on 20 February. 67 



On 5 July 1294 notice was given of the following parochial visitations j 

 to be held on behalf of the archbishop in the archdeaconry of Nottingham : 

 the deanery of Bingham on 23 July, in the parish church of Bingham ; the 

 deanery of Nottingham on 24 July, in the parish church of Gedling ; the 

 deanery of Newark on 27 July, in the parish church of Laxton ; and the deanery 



" York Epis. Reg. Romayne, fol. 82. " Ibid. 



63 There is so much misconception as to mediaeval purgation or compurgation that it may be well to 

 remark that in certain of the less grave offences an accused person was allowed to clear himself by taking an 

 oath that he was not guilty and by producing a certain number of witnesses who swore that they believed in 

 his innocency ; evidence of this corresponded to modern witnesses to general character. Canonical purgation 

 was safeguarded in two ways : (l) It could not be exercised until due notice had been given, and if after 

 such notice strong corroborative evidence against the accused was forthcoming, the purgation was not proceeded 

 with but sentence pronounced upon the offender. (2) Purgation could only take place in the rural deanery 

 where the alleged offence had occurred, so that when the case was a notorious one evidence might be readily 

 forthcoming. In the 1 3th century the ceremony of ecclesiastical purgation was an exceedingly solemn one, 

 preceded by the solitary vigil of the accused in the church on the previous night. See Serjeantson, Hut. of 

 St. Peter's, Northamfton, 17-19. 



M York Epis. Reg. Romayne, fol. 85. " Ibid. fol. 84 ; see p. 6z. 



" Ibid. fol. 70 d. " Ibid. fol. 77. 



50 



