The Society's MSS. Chiseldon. 



53 



The history of these lands, and the manner in which they had come 

 into the custody of the Crown, was doubtless perfectly well re- 

 membered : they were leased and otherwise dealt with, distinct 

 from other sources of revenue, as the " Coparcioners lands" (vol. 

 xxx., p. 40). It was not until the last year of King Edward the 

 Sixth's reign — nearly seventy years after Henry VII. was first 

 licensed to hold it "during pleasure," — that Dray cot was sold. Then 

 it was bought, as parcel of a miscellaneous lot of monastic lands by 

 a speculator in such wares. Chilton had long previously been 

 assigned in dower to Queen Katharine of Aragon and subsequently 

 sold outright to the Darrell family. Both transactions were, it 

 would seem, wholly unjustifiable. On the death of Edmund, Lord 

 Eoos, certainly on King Henry the Seventh's death, these lands 

 ought to have reverted to Lord Roos' heirs, as heirs of the duchess. 

 The dates of death of Edmund lord Roos' brethren appear to be 

 unknown. He had certainly one brother, and apparently four 

 sisters, who may be the " coparcioners" referred to in the official 

 name for these lands, though it is the duchess' children by her 

 second husband, the Duke of Somerset, and their issue, whose 

 interest is, nominatim, safeguarded in the Act of restoration of 

 Edmund, Lord Roos {Rolls of Parliament, VI. , p. 454, a.). It is 

 quite certain, however, that Edmund's sister, Eleanor, wife of 

 Robert Manners, of Etal, Co. Northumberland, alone left issue, 

 and it was the claim of her great-grandson, Henry Manners, Earl 

 of Rutland, to the inheritance of Eleanor, Duchess of Somerset, 

 which was vindicated by the proceedings of which the following 

 ; " exemplification " is the record. 



We have first the Latin text, and an epitome is appended in 

 English, copied from the margin of the document itself. Even in 

 print the Latin is none too lucid, accordingly some early possessor 

 ! of the document was at the pains to get the sum and substance of 

 the matter set down in English he could understand in the margin ; 

 I but the marginal analysis is not thorough enough to supersede the 

 necessity of reference to the text itself. 



ELIZABETH [A] DEI GRACIA ANGLIE FRANCIE ET HIBERNIE 

 Regina fidei defensor &c. Omnibus ad quos presentes litere pervenerint 

 salutem Inspeximus tenorein cujusdam'recordi coram baronibus de scaccario 



