Description:

6 March 1344. To William de Radenore, escheator in co Hereford and the march of Wales adjacent thereto. Order to deliver to the prior of Clifford Tutley the said priory and the manors, lands, goods and chattels pertaining thereto, to hold until the close of Easter next, if he find security to answer to the king for the issues of the priory and the said manors and for the goods and chattels therein if they ought of right to pertain to the king, so that the king being certified in the meantime of his right in the matter may be able to do what is just and reasonable, as on 28 January last, on being informed that the priories of Clifford Tutley and Crassewell [Craswall] were subject to certain religious houses in parts beyond the sea of the king’s enmity, and had not been taken into the king’s hand among the other lands and possessions of aliens, by reason of the war with France, the king ordered the escheator to cause those priories and their possessions to be so taken and kept safely until further order so that answer for the issues thereof should be made at the exchequer, and now the prior of Clifford has besought the king to cause his hand to be amoved from that priory, as the priory of Clifford is not subject to any house of the said parts across the sea, and no prior there has ever made any apportum to any house of those parts, and that the priory was founded by the ancestors of Alesia countess of Lincoln for doing certain alms and charities there and is subject to the priory of Lewes, and that the prior of Lewes ought to present an English or French monk of his order to the said priory of Clifford when void, and that the king has never received any ferm or issues of the priory or of the lands pertaining thereto at any time by reason of the war with France.

10 March 1344. To William de Radenore, escheator in co Hereford and the adjacent march of Wales. Order to administer reasonable maintenance to the prior and brethren of the priory of Crassewll [Craswall] and to their necessary ministers of the issues of the priory, so long as it remains in the king’s hand, as the king ordered the escheator to take that priory into the king’s hand and to keep it until further order (as above), and now the king has learned from the prior and brethren that although the priory and all pertaining thereto have been taken into the king’s hand by reason of that order, yet the escheator does not see that reasonable maintenance is administered to them, whereupon they have besought the king to provide a remedy.

[Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward III (1343-1346, p291-292)]

Observations:

In typescript records of ancient documents relating to Herefordshire; Vol 13, p121-2