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The Administration of the Diocese of Worcester ‘Sede Vacante’ 1266–1350
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2011
Extract
The claim of the archbishops of Canterbury, by virtue of their metropolitical power, to administer the spiritualities of vacant sees within their province, culminated during Boniface's archiepiscopate (1245–70) in compositions between the archbishop and the chapters of Lincoln, London, Salisbury and Worcester. These permitted the members of the chapters to administer their respective sees at times of vacancy, but it was at Worcester alone that the head of the chapter, the prior, or failing him the sub-prior, secured the right to automatic appointment as official sede vacante. We are concerned here with the events which led up to the Worcester composition of 1268, the composition itself, and its implementation during the first half of the fourteenth century.
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References
page 156 note 1 See Churchill, I. J., Canterbury Administration, London 1933, i. 161–240Google Scholar.
page 156 note 2 See, for example, Registrum Prioratus Wigorniensis, ed. Hale, W. H. (Camden Soc. xci, 1866), 137b, 138aGoogle Scholar.
page 156 note 3 On the subject of tuitory appeals, see Churchill, op. cit., i. 427 ff., 460 ff.; Woodcock, B. L., Medieval Ecclesiastical Courts in the Diocese of Canterbury, London 1952, 63 ff., Appendix VI.Google Scholar
page 156 note 4 Worcester D. & C. MS. B 1612.
page 156 note 5 D. & C. MS. B 1616. The date is 14 Kal. Sept. (19 August) 2 Clement IV, i.e. 1266, not 1267 as given by R. L. Poole in Hist. MSS. Comm. Rpt. 14, App. pt. 8, p. 195, and by Churchill (copying him?), Canterbury Administration, i. 185.
page 156 note 6 William of Cirencester.
page 157 note 1 D. & C. MS. B 1615. Coventry, 22 November 1266.
page 157 note 2 Ibid. Cirencester, 7 December 1266.
page 157 note 3 His election was confirmed 19 June 1266 and he was probably consecrated 19 September. See Thomas, W., A Survey of the Cathedral-Church of Worcester, with an Account of the Bishops thereof, … also an Appendix of many original papers [&c.], London 1737Google Scholar; Account, 135. (Survey, Account and Appendix are separately paginated.)
page 157 note 4 D. & C. MS. B 1613. Inspeximus (22 February 1267) of the bishop's letters dated 6 January 1267.
page 157 note 5 D. & C. MS. B 1614. 6 March 1267.
page 157 note 6 According to Thomas (Account, 135) he was promoted 24 February by the pope.
page 157 note 7 Probably in the cathedral nave. D. & C. MS. B 1618. 5 April 1268.
page 157 note 8 D. & C. MS. B 1619.
page 158 note 1 On fol. 66v of Register 1 (D. & C. MS. A 4) is a thirteenth-century transcript of this composition. It would seem to be the text in use at Worcester during the Middle Ages, and was copied into the Liber Pensionum (fol. 30r) in the fifteenth century, and into the volume known as ‘MS. A 12’ in the sixteenth. The text is the same as that of a contemporary copy of the Canterbury prior and chapter's confirmation (D. & C. MS. B 1617: October 1275). Churchill (ii. 59–60) gives a transcript from Lambeth MS. 1212 which differs verbally from the Worcester version.
page 158 note 2 Fol. 65r, p. 137a.
page 158 note 3 It is discussed by Churchill in Canterbury Administration, i. 186–7. The Worcester material tempts one to endorse her last and most tentative suggestion that it was used as ‘a description of the authority of the Archbishop and the Church of Canterbury’.
page 158 note 4 See below, 168 ff. It could be argued that monastic resistance would not have arisen but for the composition. It seems more likely, however, that the composition supplied the occasion rather than the cause of revolt.
page 159 note 1 Lateran III (1179), c. 8, incorporated in Extra 3, 8, c. 2.
page 159 note 2 There is no evidence for the holding of a synod sede vacante. Cantilupe convened the last Worcester synod (eo nomine) of which we have record in 1252 (Annales Monastici, Rolls Series, i. 150). The lack of positive evidence to the contrary—despite the relative abundance of records—suggests that synods, or similar general assemblies of the clergy, had become an exceptional rather than a regular feature of Worcester diocesan administration by the fourteenth century.
page 159 note 3 See below, 167.
page 159 note 4 Liber Pensionum, fol. 30r–v (undated). It must be dated between 4 May, when the composition was published by the archbishop, and 29 November, the date of Clement's death.
page 159 note 5 D. & C. MS. B 1617. 1275.
page 159 note 6 Reg. Pecham, fol. 110, from which Wilkins, Concilia [&c.], London 1737, ii. 96, and Reg. Epp. J. Peckham (Rolls Series), ii. 632–5.
page 159 note 7 The bishop of Winchester (Nicholas of Ely), acting as dean of the suffragans of the province, and the bishops of Coventry & Lichfield, Exeter, Bath & Wells, and Worcester, had met 16 March 1271 at Reading. There they discussed what they alleged to be the unprecedented usurpation of jurisdiction by the Christ Church monks (D. & C. MS. B 1620). Churchill (op. cit., i. 552) gives [March?] 1270 as the date of the meeting. In fact it was held during a vacancy—archbishop Boniface had died 18 July 1270—and so was concerned, not with a mere contingency, but with the actuality of the prior's attempt to exercise jurisdiction.
page 159 note 8 Churchill, op. cit., i. 553.
page 159 note 9 D. & C. MS. A 1. The abbreviation ‘R.S.V.’ will be used in the following pages and for convenience reference will be made to the printed register (ed. J. W. Willis-Bund, Worcs. Hist. Soc., 1893–7) as well as to the M.S.
page 160 note 1 Op. cit., i. 186.
page 160 note 2 For instance, L.A., fol. 8v.
page 160 note 3 L.A., fols. 7v–9r.
page 160 note 4 Cf. D. & C. MS. B 1612 and the styles given in the Registrum Prioratus (137–8), which Churchill quotes (i. 185 n.1).
page 160 note 5 L.A., fols. 8–9.
page 160 note 6 L.A., fol. 7v. On fol. 8r the form auctoritate curie Cantuarye gerens curam offic [ialitatis] et administracionem spiritualium in cyvitate et diocesi Wygornʼ sede vacante has been interlined. This corresponds to the first of the authoritative styles mentioned below.
page 160 note 7 L.A., fols. 7v, 8r.
page 160 note 8 L.A., fol. 8r: Vel stilus iste quia magis valet. But there seems to have been an attempt to scratch out the last three words.
page 161 note 1 Reg. Wichelsey, fols. 91v–92r (Canterbury & York Soc., 898 ff.).
page 161 note 2 It may also have been influenced by the controversy with the monasteries (below, 168 ff.), for though not used at the beginning of the 1307–8 vacancy, it prefaces all the mandates sent to the recalcitrant abbey of Gloucester. R.S.V., fol. 64v ff.
page 161 note 3 R.S.V., fol. 79v, p. 134.
page 161 note 4 The third vacancy. Reynolds was translated to Canterbury on 1 October 1313: Cant. Reg. Reynolds, fols. 1r, 2v–3r.
page 161 note 5 He was ruffled because the prior had received news of the vacancy before himself, although he knew it was likely to occur. R.S.V., fol. 80r, p. 138.
page 161 note 6 L.A., fol. 8v. Littera ad certiorandum archiepiscopum de vacacione sedis et morte pastoris.
page 161 note 7 L. A.; fol. 10v; Reg. Winchelsey, fol. 285r (C. & Y. Soc., 429).
page 162 note 1 D. & C. MS. B 1621A. Endorsed: Copia commissionis archiepiscopi Cantuarʼ sub manu pupplica sede vacante.
page 162 note 2 L.A., fol. 14v (undated). Ista appellacio debuisset esse lecta si archiepiscopus non dedisset commissionem suam domino Johanni de Wykʼ priori Wygornʼ super iurisdiccione sede vacante. Non fuit lecta. (Marginal rubric.)
page 162 note 3 L.A., fol. 7v.
page 162 note 4 L.A., fol. 8v. This happens to be the only intimation we have that Sutton was acting as Giffard's official.
page 162 note 5 L.A., fol. 7v.
page 162 note 6 R.S.V., fol. 15v; Reg. Winchelsey, fol. 288r–v (C. & Y. Soc., 447): Lambeth, 7 February 1303. A comparison of the marginal rubrics is interesting. In R.S.V.: Dimissio prioris a iurisdiccione, and in Reg. Winchelsey: Officiali Wygorniensi sede vacante quod liberet custodiam spiritualium episcopo professo et consecrato in curia Romana.
page 162 note 7 R.S.V., fol 15v.
page 163 note 1 R.S.V., fol. 15v.
page 163 note 2 Explicit iurisdiccio fratris Johannis de Wyke prioris Wygornʼ sede vacante.
page 163 note 3 Canterbury Administration, i. 187–8.
page 163 note 4 Reg. Winchelsey, fol. 287v (C. & Y. Soc., 441): 11 July 1302.
page 163 note 5 Reg. Winchelsey, fol. 288r (C. & Y. Soc., 444): 25 October 1302.
page 163 note 6 Minister vester in exercicio iurisdiccionis sede vacante. For some letters of correction allegedly issued by him, see Reg. Reynolds, fol. 55r (ed. R. A. Wilson, Worcs. Hist. Soc. 1927, 47–8).
page 163 note 7 R.S.V., fol. 4v: Lambeth, 7 June 1302.
page 163 note 8 See above, 161.
page 163 note 9 Giffard-Gainsburgh 1302–3, Gainsburgh-Reynolds 1307–8, Reynolds-Maidstone 1313–14, Maidstone-Cobham 1317, Cobham-Orleton 1327, Orleton-Montacute 1333, Montacute-Hemenhale 1337, Hemenhale-Bransford 1338–9, Bransford-Thoresby 1349–50.
page 163 note 10 Those of 1317, 1327 and 1333.
page 164 note 1 See above, 162.
page 164 note 2 R.S.V., fol. 16r, p. 39. See below, 167.
page 164 note 3 In 1313 the prior dated the vacancy from 21 October, the date of the receipt in London of Reynolds's bulls.
page 164 note 4 Literae Cantuarienses (Rolls Series), i. 259 no. 249; Reg. Orleton, ii. fols. 1r–3v.
page 164 note 5 E.g. Reg. Montacute, i. fol. 1r: Incipit registrum venerabilis patris domini Simonis dei gracia Wygorniensis ecclesie electi confirmati a tempore provisionis sibi de dicta Wygornʼ ecclesia per sedem [apostolicam facte] usque ad tempus consecracionis eiusdem.
page 164 note 6 Bishops consecrated at the Curia were to make their profession as soon as possible thereafter. Literae Cantuarienses, i. 289–90 no. 276; ibid., 312 no. 304.
page 165 note 1 Reg. Islep, fol. 64r; R.S.V., fol. 106r, p. 191.
page 165 note 2 Canterbury Administration, i. 188.
page 165 note 3 See above, 162–3.
page 165 note 4 From 26 January 1302 to 12 February 1303. See above, 161–3.
page 165 note 5 R.S.V., fol. 79r, p. 132. See below, 167.
page 165 note 6 R.S.V., fol 80v, p. 138; Reg. Maidstone, fol. 1r (introductory rubric).
page 165 note 7 R.S.V., fol. 99v, pp. 179–80.
page 165 note 8 Cant. Reg. Reynolds, fol. 91r; Reg. Maidstone, fol. 52 ff.
page 166 note 1 Cant. Reg. Reynolds, fol. 206v.
page 166 note 2 See, for instance, Orleton's letter on fol. 137r of the Liber Albus.
page 166 note 3 A few entries at the end of Orleton's Hereford register properly belong to his Worcester one.
page 166 note 4 Cal. Papal Letts. 1305–42, 397, 405, 512; Reg. Montacute, i. fol. 11r.
page 166 note 5 T. Rymer, Foedera, Conventiones [&c.], London 1704–35, iv. 714, 732–3, 744; Cal. Papal Letts. 1305–42, 540, 541, 542.
page 166 note 6 See above, 164 n. 5.
page 166 note 7 Reg. Montacute, i. fol. 1r.
page 166 note 8 Reg. Hemenhale, fol. 6r–v. Avignon, 3 April 1337.
page 167 note 1 R.S.V., fol. 145r, p. 256; Reg. Bransford, i. fol. 1r.
page 167 note 2 Reg. Bransford, ii. fol. 19v.
page 167 note 3 Reg. Islep, fol. 1r; Canterbury D. & C., Sede Vacante Register G, fols. 66r, 72v.
page 167 note 4 Sede plena the bishop was entitled to a portion (possibly two-thirds) of the profits of the archdeaconries, derived so it would seem from the various rural deaneries, which rendered separate accounts. Pentecostals from the Gloucester archdeaconry (those from that of Worcester being paid to the priory sacrist) and synodals apparently made up the bulk of such profits.
page 167 note 5 R.S.V., fol. 16r, p. 39. £114 7s. 11d.
page 167 note 6 R.S.V., fol. 79r, p. 132. £59 7s. 6d. (recte £57 6s. 6d.)
page 167 note 7 The prior paid £8 19s. 10½d. to the archbishop. Cant. Reg. Reynolds, fol. 9v.
page 167 note 8 The prior paid £24 is. 5d. to the archbishop. Reg. Islep, fol. 18v. Cf. ibid., fol. 12v.
page 167 note 9 There is a list in the Registrum Prioratus on the dorse of the first folio and another in the Liber Pensionum.
page 168 note 1 In 1302 the custos of the temporalities attempted to secure these, apparently without success. L.A., fol. 12v.
page 168 note 2 There is evidence for some measure of visitation in all the vacancies except those of 1333 and 1337, when it is clear that none was held. See above, 166–7.
page 168 note 3 Coulton, G. G., Medieval Panorama, Cambridge 1947, 749Google Scholar. He was writing about the 1349 vacancy at Worcester.
page 168 note 4 R.S.V., fol. 157r, pp. 275–6.
page 168 note 5 R.S.V., fol. 150r–v, pp. 263–4.
page 168 note 6 R.S.V., fol. 23r, p. 62.
page 168 note 7 Giffard had held a visitation in 1300. Reg. Giffard, fol. 450v (ed. J. W. Willis-Bund, Worcs. Hist. Soc. 1898–1902, 530 ff.).
page 168 note 8 For an account of Winchelsey's 1301 visitation see Graham, Rose, English Ecclesiastical Studies, London 1929, 330–59Google Scholar.
page 168 note 9 R.S.V., fols 23v, 24r; pp. 62–3.
page 168 note 10 R.S.V., fol. 23v.
page 169 note 1 R.S.V., fol. 23v, p. 62.
page 169 note 2 In addition the abbot of Gloucester was cited to appear before the prior at Winchcombe. A list of the questions which were to have been put to him is given on fol. 26r (p. 64) of the R.S.V.
page 169 note 3 Which arrived in April 1302, their receipt being acknowledged on the 26th.
page 169 note 4 R.S.V., fols. 6r–v, 27v; pp. 11–12, 69.
page 169 note 5 R.S.V., fol. 19r, p. 50. The Court of Canterbury's remissiones were dated 27 March 1303. By that time the prior had ceased to exercise the jurisdiction.
page 169 note 6 Above, 163.
page 169 note 7 D. & C. MS. B 1622: Fulham, 13 July 1303. Endorsed: Revocacio specialis sentencie late per Wygornienses.
page 169 note 8 R.S.V., fol. 24r: similiter habet prior repulsum apud Cyrencestrʼ et Wynchycumbyam.
page 169 note 9 R.S.V., fol. 27r.
page 169 note 10 But this was equally true sede plena when an absent bishop visited by commissaries. In any case, the prior claimed the right to commission a bishop to carry out episcopal functions sede vacante, though John de Wyke had some difficulty during the first vacancy in persuading John of Monmouth, bishop of Llandaff, that such was the case. He so appreciated the weakness of his position that he added an appropriate phrase to his style: cum potestate vicinos episcopos ad ea que sine episcopali presencia expediri non poterunt cum cautele studio invitandi [interlined] vocandi sede predicta vacante. R.S.V., fols. 8v, 9v, 34r, pp. 16, 18, 79.
page 169 note 11 The bishop being titular abbot.
page 170 note 1 R.S.V., fols. 61v–64r, pp. 117–20.
page 170 note 2 R.S.V., fols. 64v, 66r–68r; pp. 122–4.
page 170 note 3 R.S.V., fols. 68r–v; D. & C. MSS. B 1624, B 1626.
page 170 note 4 D. & C. MSS. B 1627, B 1628, B 1632; R.S.V., fols. 73r, 84r; pp. 126, 145–6.
page 170 note 5 By a composition of 1224 the bishop's visitation of the cathedral priory had been similarly restricted. Thomas, Appendix, 76; Annales Monastici, iv (de Wigornia), 545, 546–7. It could be that the monasteries of the diocese hoped to enjoy some of the privileges which were being claimed by cathedral and collegiate churches under Boniface VIII's constitution Debent (1302), which was later incorporated in Extrav. Commun. 1, 7, c. 1.
page 170 note 6 R.S.V., fol. 73v, p. 126; ibid., fols 141v–143r, pp. 253–5.
page 171 note 1 R.S.V., fols. 22r, 34r; pp. 61, 79. See above, 168 n. 2.
page 171 note 2 See above, 165.
page 171 note 3 Reg. Islep, fols. 12v, 18v.