BULL OF POPE EUGENIUS III. TO FURNESS ABBEY.

A.D. 1153,

EUGENIUS, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to my beloved son John, abbot of St. Mary of Furness, and to his brethren both now and to come, professing a regular life. The order of reason and the force of equity oblige us to grant to petitioners their just request, especially when seeking their desires, piety directs, and the truth is not relinquished. Therefore, be-loved sons in the Lord, agreeable to your mild and just petitions, the church of the blessed Mary of Funness, in which you are engaged in divine service, we take under the protection of the blessed Peter and of us, and defend the community by these present writings. In the first place we will, that monastical discipline be there observed at all times inviolably in the fear of God, according to the rule of the Cistercian brotherhood, known to be established there, and vested in the Lord. Moreover, what-ever possessions and whatever goods the same church justly and canonically possesses, or may in future acquire, by grants from pontiffs, gifts from kings and princes, offerings from the faithful, or other just means obtained, pleasing to the Lord, I confirm to you and your successors untouched for ever. Amongst these it is proper to express by name as follows :—From the gift of Earl Stephen, the whole of the forest of Furness, and Walney with all the chase ; Dalton, with all its lordship in Furness, and all its appurtenances ; Ulverston, the whole of the land of Roger Bnithwald [Braithwaite] with its appurtenances, the fisheries of Lan-caster, all the land of Little Guaning, and everything contained in Furness, except the land of Michael Fleming. From thõ gift of Robert Bovill, Kirksantan and Harrum, with their appurtenances. From the gift of William, nephew of that illustrious man, David king of the Scots, Caidra, and the mill in the same place, Bermerton and Flolegate, and appurtenances. In Scaddesbutle, a house free and quiet, two saitworks at Withofhd, the fishery at Derwent, the fishery at Eggre, and feeding ground for your swine through all the lands of Raiidulph Mustin, who for-merly granted these things to your church out of pious devotion. From the gift of Godard of Coupland, one half of Foss, with appendages. From the gift of Michael Fleming, Fordbotle, and from the same, in exchange for Bardsea, Cnivelton and los, with their appurtenances. In Man, the gift of the noble Olave, king Qf the Isles, the lands of Carneclet as far as the monastery of St. Leoc, with their appurtenances, the village of Thorefil Asser [Thorkel*] the village of GreatMelan, the village of St. Melii,⁺ the village of Narwe, Stainredale, with their appurtenances, the land of St. Corebric and Fragerwi. Let no man presume to exact tenths of your labours which you cultivate with your own hands and at your own expense, or of the food of your animals. We decree, therefore, that no one soever be suffered boldly to disturb the aforesaid church, or to carry away, retain, diminish, or harrass its possessions by any grievances, but that all things be preserved unshaken and sound, that all the profits be preserved whole and entire to those for whose governance and sustenance they were granted. If therefore, in future, any ecclesiastical or secular person, knowing this page of our constitution, shall boldly dare to oppose it, unlessafter having been warned twice or thrice, he shall have atoned for his presumption by suitable satisfaction, let him lose the dignity of power and honour, and let him understand that he is obnoxious to divine justice, on account of the iniquity he has perpetrated, and let him be estranged from the most holy body and blood of God, and the Lord our Redeemer Jesus Christ, and at the last judgment fall under the severest vengeance. But to every one preserving to the said place its rights, be the peace of God, and of the Lord our Redeemer Jesus Christ, that both here they may be partakers of the fruit of their good deeds, and at the last judgment find the reward of eternal peace. Amen. Given, etc., in the year of our Lord 1152,** and in the eighth year of the Pontificate of our Lord the Pope, Eugenius III.

EX CHARTULARIO DE FURNESIO.

DUCHY OFFICE.

EUGENIUS Episcopus, servus servorum Dci dilectis fihiis Johanni abbati sancte Marie de Furnesio, ejusque fratnibus tam presentibus quam futunis negularem vitam professis. Effec. turn justa postulantibus indulgere, et vigor equitatis, et ordo exigit racionis, Præsertim quando petentium voluntatem et pietal adjuvat et venitas non relinquid. Idcirco dilecti in domino filii, vestris justis peticionibus benigno concurrentes assensu. Ecclesiam beate Marie de Furnesio, in qua divino mancipati estis

obsequio, sub beati Petni et nostra proteccione suseipimus, et presentis script¹ patrocinio communimus. In pnimis siquidem statuentes, ut ordo monasticus, qui secundum Dci timonem et Cisterciencium fratrum observantiam, ibi autore Domino, institutus esse dinoscitur, perpetuis ibidem temponibus inviolabiliter obseryetur. Preterea quascunque possessiones, quecumque bona eadem ecclesia in presenciarum juste et canonice possidet, aut in futurum, concessione pontificum, largicione regum vel pnincipum, oblacione fidelium, vel aliis justis modis, prestante Domino, potent adipisci, firma vobis vestnisque suceessoribus et illibata permaneant. In quibus hec propniis duximus yocabulis expnimenda. Ex dono comitis Stephani, totam forestam de Furnesio, Wagneiam, cum tota venacione. Daltonam cum omni dominio ejus infra Fur.~ nesium et omnibus pertinenciis suis. Olvestonam, totaw ternamRogeni Brithwaldi cum pertinenciis suis, piscarias de Lan-castria, totam terram Guanini Parvi, et quicquid inter Fur-nesium continetur præter terrarn Michaelis Flamengi. Ex dono Roberti Bovill, Kirksantan et Harrurn, cum pentineneiis suis. Ex dono Willelmi nepotis nobilis yin David Regis Scotorum, Caldram et molendinurn in eodem loeo, l~ermertonarn et Flolegate, cum pertinenciis suis. In Scaddesbutles mansionem unam, liberam et quietam, Withofhd duas salinas, piscaniam de Derewent, piscaniam de Eggre et pasnagium porcis vestnis per totam terram Ranulfi Mustini qui pnius hec ecciesie vestre pia devocione concessenaL Ex dono Godardi de Couplanda, medietatem Fosse cum appendiciis suis. Ex dono Michaelis Flamengi, Fordebotle, et ab eodem in commanbium’ pro Berdeseia Criveltonam et Ros cum appendieiis suis. In Mannia, cx dono nobilis yin Olavi Regis Insularum, terrae de Carneelet usque ad monastenium sancti Leoc, cum appendieiis suis, villam Thore flu Asser, villam Melan magni, villam sancti Mclii, villam Narwe, Stainredale curn appendiciis suis, terram saneti Corebric et Fnagerwl. Sane lahorum vestrorum quos propniis manibus aut sumptibus colites, sive de nutrimentis vestrorum animalium, nullus a vobis presumat decimas exigere. Decernimus ergo ut nullus omnino hominum liceat prefatam ecelesiam temere perturbare, aiit ejus possessiones auferre vel netinere minuere seu aliquibus vexacionibus fatigare, sed incussa omnia et integra conserveiitur. Eorum pro quorum gubernacione ac sustentacione coneessa sunt usibus omnimodis profutura. Siqua igitur in futurum eeelesiastica seculanisve’ per-sona, hanc nostræ constitucionis paginam sciens, contra earn temere venire temptaverit, secundo tertione commonita misi

presumpcionem suarn congrua satisfaccione contexerit, potestatis hononisque dignitate careat reamque se judicio divino existere de perpetrata iniquitate cognoscat, et a sacratissimo corpore et sanguine Dci et Domini Redemptonis nostni Jesu Chnisti aliena fiat, atque in extremo examine districte ulcioni subjaceat. Cunetis autem eidem loco suam justiciam conservantibus sit pax Dci et Domini Redemptonis nostri Jesu Chnisti, quatenus et hic fructurn bone accionis percipiant et apud suppremum judicem premia eterne pacis inveniant. Amen. Datum, etc., anno Domini MCLII° Pontificatus vero Domini Eugenii pape tercii anno octavo.

* Kirk Michael. + Kirk Malew.

** Eugenius was elected the 27th of February, 1145 ; consequently the true date is 1153.

-- I Sic. Qy, excambium,

1 Sic.

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