| Description | From: William of Eynsford [III], son of William son of William son of Ralph
To: the prior and convent of Canterbury Cathedral Priory
[Document damaged. Some text lost or illegible. Sense unclear in places. Some details of the property and transaction and some witness's names supplied from published version.] William's grandfather, William son of Ralph, granted the priory the church of Eynsford when he became a monk there, for his soul and the souls of his ancestors and successors. The church was assigned to the poor, but archbishops of Canterbury gave it to their clerks, and William and his father brought cases against the archbishops and clerks. Eventually, the case was heard before Henry II, and Archisbhop Richard [of Dover], Prior Alan [I] and the convent and William agreed to abide by the verdict of the older monks who remembered the grant, concerning both the church of Eynsford and the manor of Ruckinge ('Roching''), which had also been granted to the priory. William had heard that his grandfather had granted the manor on condition that it would return to his heirs when the church became vacant, but when the monks gave their decision, in the priory's chapter house, before the king's messengers ('nuncii'), they knew nothing of this. William and William, his son and heir, therefore withdrew their claim to the manor and confirmed the grant. At this time, the church was held by Gentilis, nephew of Pope Alexander III, but he later died and the church came to the priory's almonry, as William's grandfather had intended. William confirms the grant, with the consent of Archbishop Richard.
William grants the church of Eynsford all the possessions and rights in his land which it had on the day when Gentilis was alive and dead. He also quitclaims for an assart? ('sarta') and land which are part of the church site ('pomerium ipsius ecclesie') and a way and land lying beside the churchyard which were said to be of his fee when Gentilis died. No date. [Date: as in Douglas, cited below.]
Witnesses: Alexander de Baretin'; Henry de sornes; Ralph of Eynsford; Geoffrey de Ros; Algar ('Ailgarus') of Sturry; Adam, son of Algar ('Ailgarus') of Sturry; Bartohlomew the steward ('seneschallus'); Roger the marshall ('marescallus'); William de Capes; Stephen the porter ('portarius')
Endorsed with a description in late 12th or early 13th cent hand and note that the document is registered in the almonry in late 13th cent hand. |
| Related Material | Duplicate charter: CCA-DCc-ChAnt/R/10
Related charters: CCA-DCc-ChAnt/E/186B; CCA-DCc-ChAnt/F/4; CCA-DCc-ChAnt/F/12
Registered versions: CCA-DCc-Register/B, ff3r-3v, CCA-DCc-Register/C, ff246v-247r, CCA-DCc-Register/E, f283v, and CCA-DCc-Register/I, ff87v-88r; CCA-DCc-LitMS/E/28, ff8r-8v; Bodl MS Tanner 18, ff74r-74v
Version from CCA-DCc-LitMS/E/28 (transcription): D C Douglas, Domesday monachorum of Canterbury (London, 1944), pp109-110 |