IV - His contest with some other religious orders, concerning parochial churches by them possessed.

Summary

The double victory which the knowing Prelate of Lincoln had gained over his own secular Chapter of Lincoln and the monastick Chapter of Canterbury encouraged him to labour in reducing under his jurisdiction all the churches of his diocese possessed by Regulars, whose possession and title thereunto was not confirmed as the canons require by the consent of his Cathedral Chapter, and that consent authenticated by proper instruments. On a complaint, which he lodged to Pope Innocent IV, that some religious houses enjoyed the revenues and tithes of certain churches without having the Chapter of Lincoln's consent, his Holiness by a bull dated from Lions, the 14 of May, in the sixth year of his Pontificate i.e. in 1249, authorised him to recover all such churches and tithes and to compell by censures all such as opposed their recovery. On the reception of this bull, Bishop Grossetete issued forth an order to all religious of his Diocese, to meet him in three different places, some at Stamford, some at Leicester and some at Oxford in order to hear the lecture of the Pope's bull and to comply with it by shewing their charters of foundation, the bishop's confirmation and the pope's priviledges. They met in the beginning of 1250 and he took copies of the whole in order to consult with the Pope about the contents; this was done the day after Ash Wednesday. While the generality submitted, some as the Templars, Hospitalers, and others found means to elude his zeal by appealing to the Pope as exempt, and backed their appeal, saith Matthew Paris, with large presents, so little confidence had they in the cause itself! These the Bishop of Lincoln pursued to the Court of Innocent then at Lions about the middle of Lent following, but with little success as will be seen hereafter. This disappointment was however compensated in some measure by success in another attempt akin to this.

Not content with recovering such churches as were possessed by the regulars without an authentick title, he was moreover careful to make them discharge the obligations annexed to such as they were justly possessed of, and here he was supported by the same Pope who by a bull dated at Lions the 25 of September in the 8th year of his Popedom i.e. an.