The Gatehouse website record of a grant of exemption for murage for house of Jesus of Bethleem by Shene

Carthusian Priory of Sheen (house of Jesus of Bethleem by Shene) was granted an exemption from murage dated 25/9/1414.

Wording

After a pious preamble {see Monasticon, Vol. VI. p. 31} foundation of a conventual house of monks of the Carthusian order upon the king's land (solo) at Shene on the north side of his manor there on a site containing 1,725 feet in length and 1,305 feet 8 inches (pollices) in breadth, and running from Hokelot by Diversbusshe on the south to Arnietteslote on the north, the said house to be called the house of Jesus of Bethleem by Shene; with gift of the said land to John Wydryngton, monk of the said order, appointed to be prior of the said place and the monks there for the site of their house and the habitation of the prior and monks and other persons afterwards to be specified and maintained by the said prior and monks, the said gift being made of special grace and sure knowledge with the assent of the king's council, to be held by the prior and monks and their successors from the king and his heirs, in frank almoin, quit of all secular exaction and service, with free access and other needful easements, for prayers and other divine services there to be done for the king's health during his life and for his soul after death and for the souls of his parents and progenitors and of all the faithful departed, and for the peace and quiet of the people and the realm, and for the maintenance of other works of piety there according to the king's ordinance thereof; with clause of warranty and licence to acquire the same notwithstanding the statute of mortmain or that the land is parcel of the king's manor of Shene aforesaid;
with gift to the said prior and monks of the alien priory of Grenewyche and Leuesham, co. Kent, and all the manors, hundreds, lands and other profits in the realm of England late of the abbey of Fiscamp in Normandy now in the king's hands by reason of the war between him and those of France, to be held by the said prior and monks after the death of those who now hold the same for life or for a term of years, or sooner if that shall chance, with all thereto belonging, as fully as the present or past holders have held the same, so long as for any reason the same shall be in the king's hands, without rent (apporto), farm or account to be rendered to the king or his heirs ; with licence to acquire of the said priory and all its possessions and profits belonging to the abbey of Fécamp from the abbots and convents of the chief houses of the said priory and possessions of Fécamp in the power of the King of France.and to transfer the same with the churches appropriated thereto to them- selves, or, if need be, to dissolve the appropriation of the said churches to the priory of Fécamp and to appropriate them anew, notwithstanding the statute of mortmain or any other statute touching such alien priories and possessions, or that the manors and possessions of the said priory and the possessions of Fécamp were of the gift of the king's progenitors or by them given to maintain chantries, guest-houses (hospitalitates) or other works of piety; and notwithstanding that there is here no express mention of the true value of the foregoing according to the form of the statute made thereof; and notwithstanding any other right, title or interest of the king herein;
with further grant to the said prior and monks and their successors that they shall be quit of gelds, dangelds, hidages, scutages, works of castles, bridges, parks, dikes, houses, of toll, passage, payage, pontage, lestage, of all service and custom, and pecuniary gain to the king, and of essarts and regard of the forest, within their boundaries, and of shires and hundreds and suits of shires and hundreds, of pleas and plaints, and that all their lands from which murder was wont to be paid shall be quit thereof; with prohibition to the foresters and their ministers to trouble them within their bounds nor on their way in or out of the same;
with further grant that the prior and monks and their successors shall be quit through all the realm of all aids, taxes, tallages, tenths, fifteenths, or other quotas whatsoever; and that although the temporal or spiritual goods of religious men in the realm may be taxed by reason of any grant made to the king by the commons or the clergy, yet the goods and possessions of the said prior and monks shall not be taxed or assessed in any way nor aught levied therefrom; and that if a tenth or other imposition be laid on the clergy of England by any pope and granted by him to the king, the said prior and monks shall be quit thereof;
with further grant to the prior and monks of all fines, ransoms, forfeited issues and amercements belonging to the king for any trespasses, delicts or excesses, whereof the tenants and servants of the said prior and monks may be impeached, amerced or convicted before the justices for the conservation of the statutes and ordinances of workmen, servants and craftsmen (artificibus), so that the prior and monks may levy the same by their bailiffs by estreats of the said justices without impediment;
grant also to the same that they may dig and take the issues of any mines of lead which they may find on their own several soil without impediment;
and that they shall be quit throughout the realm of England of murage, quayage, picage, pavage, stallage and other such customs;
and that they shall not be bound to find at the king's mandate any corrodies, pensions or maintenance for any persons by reason of the creation of new priors, but that they shall be discharged of all such.
By K.

Granted by Henry V. (Regnal year 2). Granted at Westminster. Grant by By K..

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1916, Calendar of Charter Rolls 15 Edward III - 5 Henry V 1341-1417 Vol. 5. (HMSO) p. 469-70 view online copy

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