Vatican Regesta 563: 1471-1474

Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 13, 1471-1484. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1955.

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'Vatican Regesta 563: 1471-1474', in Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 13, 1471-1484, (London, 1955) pp. 31-35. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-papal-registers/brit-ie/vol13/pp31-35 [accessed 24 March 2024]

In this section

Vatican Regesta, Vol. DLXIII.

Bullarum Communium Lib. XIII. Tom. XVIII.

1 Sixtus IV.

1471.
7 Id. Oct.
(9 Oct.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 59v.)
To the official of Glasgow. Mandate, as below. The recent petition of John Rescoue, priest, of the diocese of Glasgow, contained that after Pius II's revocation of all faculties to bishops etc., and to nuncios and collectors to dispense in regard to illegitimacy, the bishop of Glasgow, alleging that he had a special faculty from Calixtus III, dispensed him (already sufficiently dispensed by ordinary or papal authority on account of illegitimacy, as the son of a priest and an unmarried woman, to be promoted to certain orders and hold certain benefices (fn. 1) ) to be promoted to all higher, even holy orders and hold two benefices compatible with one another and with those held by him; that, without obtaining any other dispensation, he had himself promoted to all higher, even holy orders; that, upon the voidance of the perpetual vicarage of Dunlop in the said diocese, provision thereof was made to him by authority of the ordinary, and that he has detained it for about five years with two other benefices which he was holding previously, thereby incurring disability. The said provision being therefore without force, and the said vicarage still void as above, the pope, hereby absolving him from sentences of excommunication etc. incurred, and rehabilitating him, orders the above official to collate and assign to him the said vicarage, value 8l, sterling. He is hereby dispensed to minister in his orders, receive the vicarage, and hold it with his said benefices, but before the official proceeds to execution, he is to resign the vicarage. Dignum arbitramur. [In the margin: Febr. 4 pp. +]
3 Id. Nov.
(11 Nov.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 96r.)
To Master Peter de Ferrara, a papal chaplain and auditor. Mandate, as below. The recent petition of Margaret More, a nun of St. John Baptist's, Godstowe, O.S.B., in the diocese of Lincoln, contained that on the voidance of that monastery by the death of Alice Henley without the Roman court, the greater part of the nuns, on the appointed day but before the appointed hour, or otherwise unlawfully, elected as abbess Alice Nunni, one of the nuns, whilst afterwards on the same day the minor part, without the said first election having been annulled, (fn. 2) elected the said Margaret; that each of them consented to her respective election; that Margaret presented her election for confirmation by the late John, bishop of Lincoln, but after the lawful time, had it confirmed by the said bishop's commissaries, and in virtue of the foregoing took possession; that Alice, alleging that the said bishop had refused to confirm her election, appealed from the said refusal and from the said confirmation of Margaret's election to the apostolic see, and obtained from Paul II a mandate to certain judges to summon Margaret and the nuns who elected her, and hear and determine the said appeal etc., causing their decision to be observed by ecclesiastical censure; that subsequently one of the said judges committed the cause to Thomas Rouston, prior of Hurley, O.S.B., in the diocese of Salisbury, and that Alice caused Margaret to be summoned before that prior, who, wrongfully proceeding, gave a definitive sentence revoking the election of Margaret and declaring that of Alice valid and canonical, and confirming it, from which sentence Margaret within ten days appealed to the said see, in contempt of which Alice has despolied Margaret of the rule etc., intruded herself, and detains possession; and that at Margaret's instance the pope committed her appeal and the principal matter to the above auditor, who has proceeded as far as a decree of citation. The said petition adding that it is alleged that neither election was canonical, and that neither Margaret nor Alice has any right, the pope orders the above auditor, if he find true what is alleged, to make to Margaret, (fn. 3) who is of lawful age, provision of the said monastery, the value of whose abbatissal mensa does not exceed 300 gold florins of the Camera. The pope hereby grants her faculty to be blessed by any catholic bishop in communion with the apostolic see, who shall thereafter receive from her the usual oath of fealty, according to the form enclosed, and send it to the pope by his (suos) letters patent sealed with his (suo) seal by his own (proprium) messenger; without prejudice to the bishop of Lincoln, the ordinary. Suscepti cura. [In the margin: Apri. 4¾ pp.]

3 Sixtus IV.

1474.
15 Kal. June.
(18 May.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 143r.)
To the bishop of Tarazona (Tirasonen.), and the officials of Glasgow and Dunkeld. Mandate to collate and assign to Robert Blackadier, clerk, of the diocese of St. Andrews, who has been sent to the pope as king James's orator in the Roman court, is of baronial race, and is the king's proctor in the said court, the precentorship of Dunkeld, a non-major non-elective dignity with cure, value 35l. sterling, void by the death of Patrick Iowng without the said court; even if, as is alleged, Patrick was a papal acolyte, or was collector of the Camera in Scotland or sole (unicus) sub-collector. Nobilitas generis, vite etc. [In the margin: Junij. 3¾ pp.]
Prid. Kal. May.
(30 April.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 248v.)
To Alexander Rate, archdeacon of Dunblane, a member of the pope's household. Motu proprio collation, etc., as below. He was lately dispensed by the pope to hold for life with the parish church of Dunotter in the diocese of St. Andrews the archdeaconry of Aberdeen (of which he had had provision made to him in virtue of letters of Paul II, by which letters that pope also dispensed him to hold for five years a dignity etc. with Dunotter, if he won it as the result of the litigation in which he was engaged), or to hold any two other benefices with cure or otherwise incompatible, even if dignities etc., and to resign or exchange them. The pope now, motu proprio, grants to him (who is holding Dunotter, has in course of litigation about the said archdeaconry won two definitive sentences, and is still litigating about it, and who is also the pope's continual commensal), collation and provision of the archdeaconry of Dunblane, a non-major dignity, value 32l. sterling, void by the death without the Roman court of Walter Stewurt, a papal chaplain and acolyte, and therefore ipso facto reserved. He is hereby dispensed to hold it for life with Dunotter and the archdeaconry of Aberdeen, etc., or to hold three other incompatible benefices, and resign them etc. Grata familiaritatis obsequia.
Concurrent mandate to the bishop of Gubbio, and the officials of St. Andrews and Dunkeld. Hodie dilecto filio. (Gratis de mandato sanctissimi domini nostri pape.) [In the margin: Junij. 6½ pp. See Cal. Papal Lett., vol. XII., p. 398.]
Prid. Id. May.
(14 May.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 271r.)
To William Sthewes (recte Scheves), archdeacon of St. Andrews, M.A. Collation etc., as below. On the voidance of the archdeaconry of St. Andrews by the resignation of Walter Steuuard, a papal [chaplain and] acolyte, made to Archibald, abbot of Holyrood near Edymburg, O.S.A. (in virtue of a faculty granted to him by Paul II to resign his benefices to persons of his choice, and for such persons to receive such resignations by papal authority and to make collation and provision of such benefices to Walter's nominees), the said abbot made, by authority of the said letters, collation and provision of the said archdeaconry to William (who had been dispensed on account of illegitimacy, as the son of a priest and an unmarried woman, (i) by papal authority to be promoted to all, even holy orders and hold a benefice even with cure, (ii) by Patrick, archbishop of St. Andrews, who alleged that he had special power from the apostolic see, to hold with such benefice any other benefice, even if a dignity, etc.), in virtue of which collation and provision be obtained possession. The collation and provision being without force, and the archdeaconry being still void under the pope's general reservation of the benefices of papal chaplains, the pope, at the petition also of king James, makes collation and provision to William of the said archdeaconry, a non-major dignity, value 60l. sterling, and dispenses him to hold it, notwithstanding the said defect etc. Litterarum scientia, vite etc.
Concurrent mandate to the bishops of Tarazona (Tirasonen.) and Aberdeen, and the prior de Maya in the diocese of St. Andrews. Hodie dilecto filio. (fn. 4) (In the margin. Junij.) [8 pp.]
5 Non. May.
(3 May.)
St. Peter's, Rome.
(f. 275r.)
To Duncan Bulle, priest, of the diocese of St. Andrews, M.A. Rehabilitation etc., as below. His recent petition contained that Calixtus III granted to the late Andrew, bishop of Glasgow, faculty to dispense twenty natives of Scotland, on account of any kind of illegitimacy, to be promoted to all holy orders and hold two compatible benefices, and to resign or exchange them etc. [Cal. Papal Lett., XI., p. 41); and that the said bishop, unaware that Pius II had revoked all such faculties granted by Calixtus, dispensed the said Duncan on account of illegitimacy, as the son of a priest and a married woman, to be promoted to all holy orders, even the priesthood, and hold two such beneficies, and resign or exchange them; that in virtue thereof he had himself so ordained, and held for four months a canonry and the prebend of Renfrew in Glasgow (without taking the fruits) and for seven years a canonry and the prebend of Mechlec in Aberdeen, value 20l. and 16l. sterling respectively, and subsequently held for about a year a perpetual chaplaincy at the altar of the Holy Rood in the parish church of Holyrood in Streueling in the diocese of St. Andrews, value 3½l. sterling; that he afterwards resigned them all; and that on the voidance of the rectory of Kennel in the said diocese by the resignation of John Spaldyn to John, abbot of Scone, the vicar-general of Patrick, archbishop of St. Andrews, the said vicar-general made collation and provision of it to Duncan, who had received no other dispensation on account of the said defect, and who has under pretext thereof detained it for between two and three years. The pope therefore rehabilitates him, but requires him to resign. Sedes apostolica. (In the margin: Maij.) [3⅓ pp.]
Ibid.
(f. 276v.)
To the dean of Ross, Duncan Bunche, canon of Glasgow, and the official of Glasgow. Mandate, recapitulating the preceding, to collate and assign to the above Duncan the above-named rectory, with cure and value 16l. sterling. He is hereby dispensed to minister in his orders and hold it, notwithstanding the above defect, etc. Litterarum scientia, vite etc. [5¾ pp.]

Footnotes

  • 1. i.e. probably to be promoted to minor orders only and hold benefices without cure. The phraseology is unusual.
  • 2. minime cassata.
  • 3. The temporalities of the abbey were restored to Margaret More on 4 Apr., 1471, and to Alice Nunny on 20 Oct., 1471. See Cal. Pat, Rolls, 1467–1477, pp. 241 and 278.
  • 4. Here also with the spelling ‘Sthewes.’