County: Kent
Code: D2788#36
Reference: Maidstone, Kent History and Library Centre: DRb/Pa6, fol. 205r-206v
Function: Note
[fol. 205r]Here folouyth the order that wass taken~ by the
reuerend father in god my lorde Johnn buschop
of rochester with Sir william~ walkar somtym~
vicar of reyersche
Furste where certen~ grete suspicions laborid
a-genste the saide preste for the resorting
to the house of Johnn prey in malling
to the company of onn alice piry dougther
vnto the foresaid John / of the same suspicions
complaynt was made by diuers credible persones
vnto the saide Reuerend father as folowithe
in mallyng a-boute too yere paste & moor~
as folowithe
Fyrste that ∧ the saide Sir william~ . for the moste
partie at mydnigth cried in his slepe .
lyiing [sic] in his bedd at the sayde piry house
at whiche tyme the sayde alice piry came
to his bedd-side & there wass suspiciously
conuersaunt wt hym~ diuers tymes by nygth .
Secound the saide Alice diuers tymes suspiciously
resortid to the vicareg of reyersche bringing
thidder ale and other victuales to hym~
After whiche complaynt ma so made . M~ williamm
borowe commissary callid before hym~ the secretely
in the abbey gate of mallyng the moder of
the saide alice . & rehersid to hur the suspicios
draugthtes of the saide prest & hur dougther
& Jnioynid hur to a-voyde the saide preste
oute of hur house in a-voyding of furder troble
and in like wise at lamehithe M~ willia~ lauson~ gaue
commueitionn to piry fader of the saide alice to expelle
the said preste [...] oute of his house
[fol. 205v]And than~ vj wekes after that or þer-a-boute by my lordes [...]
the saide Sir williamm wass charitably & secretly
warnyd in the a lane nexte to the abbey
to avoyde the sayde greate infamy & exshew the [...]
and he ansforid that he wolde a-bide in piryes
house who so euer saide the contrary For he said
ther~ wass but oonn gentilwomann that for malice
had accusid hym of the premisses
After whiche moniconn so geuenn the saide sir
williamm contynually loggid in piry house
wherefor my saide lorde send sente for
hymm to speke wt hymm at alisforde .
at whiche tyme my saide lorde in a felde
nexte to alisforde goyng homewarde to halling
rehersid by order to the saide Sir williamm
the ∧ saide greate infamy that laborid a-ȝenste hym~
and there in the presence of M~ william~ lauson~
vicar of mallyng Jnioynid hym~ to absteynn
fro the company of the sayde alice vnder the
paynes of the lawe
Afterwarde the seuenth daye of aprille thann
nexte yere ensuyng For so the saide alice wass
greate wt childe / whiche childe the fame of
the countrey laborid to be sir wil the saide
Sir william~ wher~-for the saide Reuerend
Fader callid the saide Sir wylliam~ be-fore
hym~ to his palace at rochestre & assignid hy~
to his purgaconn and also the saide alice
in like wise
[fol. 206r]Fro whiche thense the saide Sir williamm
at the palace of rochester be-for my saide
lorde brougthe in somm of his compurgatours
wher~ he swor~ that he wass nat giltie
in premisses & the compurgatours swore that
they beleuyd that he made a true othe
and for be-cause he hade nat his fulle nombre þer
of his compurgators my lorde of his grace [...] assignid
hym~ to bringe the residue to his nexte courte
at malling /
And before his departing fro the palace my
saide lorde Jnioynid hym~ that fro then Forth
he shulde drawe no more to the company
of the saide alice vnder the payn~ of
pryuacion~ of his bneficeȝ of Ryersche
Than~ the saide alice brougthe in a certenn
of womenn . to purge hur that sche hadd
nat offendid wt the saide Sir william~
whiche women~ saide expressly that they
wolde nat swere wt hur . where-for
sche wass declarid presumptiuely conuicte
& did open~ pennaunce in mallyng
& also wass enioynid no more to cum~
to the company of the saide preste vnder
payn~ of excomicacion
This nat wtstandeing at mydsomer than~
nexte ensuyng the saide preaste ∧ vicar wente to madeston wass
loggid at madeston in the same hows where the saide alice wass
and in the nygth the sa was taken~
wt officers of the town~ for suspicios conuersaconn
wt hur & thense brougth forth openly vppon the whiche the fame
laborid ∧ in alle the saide town~ of madestonn
that a preste & his [...] lady war loggid in girdeler [...]
[fol. 206v]After that the saide officers sawe he wass a preaste
sir willia~ nat caryng for the Jnuiecconn> of his saide buschop
nor yet regarding his goode name & [...] or
dignite of presthod . Jnmediatly retournyd a-gene
to the saide house where the saide alice wass &
laye ther~ by alle the nygthe /
For the wh Where-for the saide Resd father hering
this grete infamye commaundid the saide preaste
to be callid to ansfor to the premisses And
further to alleg a cause whye for ∧ the violacon~ of hiys
the saide ∧ [...] Jnuieccionn he shulde nat be depryuide
of his saide bneficeȝ
Than~ the saide vicar appering at rochester be-for the
commisary the xxvij daye of nouembre saide that ansforid
to the articule of his suspicious beyng at madeston~
and saide that he wass ther ∧ in bed in on~ girdeler house
where the saide alice piry loggid / & also confessid
that the officers of the town~ toke hym~ oute of the ∧ said house
for be-cause it wass reportid to them that a preste &
his concubyne laye there to-gidder . / & after examieaconn
hadd þerin by the saide officers the saide sir william~ saith
that he retornid a-gene to the saide girdelar house
wher~ the saide alice wass & laye þer alle nygth contrary
to the Jnuieccionn to hym ∧ by my lorde thereof made geuen~
whiche confession~ so harde the said commissary aduised the said
sir william~ in a-voydeing of the grete infamy laboryng
a-genste hym~ & also the penalte of priuaconn to resigne
or permute his saide bnefices . where & whan~ the saide
vicar wrote wt his own~ hande a scedule that he wolde
resigne or permute his bnefices ∧byfor in the feaste of candelmass
than~ nexte ensuyng / [addition: in this maner . [Latin: Ego [...]]]
whiche daye so cuemyng the saide vicar made no certificate
of the premisses where-for after-warde the sai nat oonly a-for he wass ∧ [margin: mercy]
commaundid to appere at leason~ abbey / to schewe the
cause whye he did nat obserue suche promisseȝ befor writonn
at whiche tyme the saide vicar wt his own~ hande
wrote a resignaconn of his saide bnefices as folouythe Humbley &c~