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Grant by Alexander son of Sparling [sperling] to the canons in free alms of part of his garden eside his house in billingsgate which he had acquired from Wot and Drueline lying on the south and west before William fitzisabel's house which is held by william weisin; the canons are to pay him a farthing each Easter. July 1184 x about 1193.
554. Grant by Alexander son of Sparling to the canons in free alms of part of his garden beside his house in Billingsgate which he had acquired from Wot and Drueline lying on the south and west before William Fitz Isabel's house which is held by William Veisin; the canons are to pay him a farthing each Easter. July 1184 x about 1193.
Carta Alexandri filii Sperleng de quadam parte gardini sui iuxta domum suam in London'.
Omnibus sancte marris ecclesie filiis Alexander filius Sperleng salutem. Notum sit omnibus vobis quod ego intuitu dei et pro salute mea et meorum concessi et dedi deo et ecclesie Sancte Crucis de Waltham et canonicis regularibus ibidem deo servientibus unam partem gardini mei iuxta domum meam in Londoniis sicut jam mercatum est quam adquisivi de Wot et de Drueline que iacet ad austrum et ad occidentem ante dornum Willelmi flu i Isabel quam Willelmus Veisin tenet de illo. Quapropter volo quod predicti canonici prefatam terram habeant et teneant de me et de heredibus meis in perpetuam elemosinam libere et quiete pacifice et honorifice reddendo michi et heredibus meis unum quadrantem ad Pascha pro omni terreno servitio. Et ego et heredes mei defendemus et adquietabimus et warantizabimus prenominatam terram prefatis canonicis per predictum servitium ira quod ego nec heredes mei nullum servitium nisi prefatum quadrantem de prenominatis canonicis de iamdicta terra exigere poterimus. Ut autem hec donatio mea firma sit et stabilis cartam meam predictis canonicis fed i et illam sigillo meo confirmavi. Testibus his Odone et Radulfo capellanis meis, Iohanne, Willelmo, Martino et Terri falls meis, Henrico filio Eilwine, Bernardo le Bedel, Radulfo le Ferrun, Odone Pistore, Robino Alba, Gileberto le Feltrier, Thoma le Cornmetere, Matheo de Billingesgate, Willelmo Veisin, Galfrido de Billingesgate.
MSS: Harley 391, fo.91; Tib.C.ix, fo.137r, ij.
Date: see no.553. Henry Fitz Ailwin was mayor of London from at least 1191, but did not regularly use the title until c.1193 (C.N.L. Brooke and G. Keit, London 800-1216, 245-6).
Note: the farthing rent is later said to be payable for the small piece of land which Alexander Spading first gave to the canons lying beside the church of St Mary at Hill to the north
(no.573 <19›). Alexander's 6 sons and a daughter all occur here. John Sparling witnesses 7 charters for the canons in London and Hertfordshire; he occurs in London in 1197 (PR 9
Richard!, 160) and was alderman for Billingsgate from 1200 until succeeded after 1215 by his brother Ralph, who held that office until c.1250 (A.B. Beaven, The Aldermen of the City of London, 2 vols. (London, 1908-13), i, 365-6). Ralph issued a charter for the canons (no.558) and witnessed another. ln 1221 he supported his nephew Philip son of Galien in a dispute with Bermondsey Priory (CRR, x, 55). For William Sparling, clerk to Abbot Walter, see no.314. Master Terry issued a confirmation of his brother William's grant ( no.559) and granted land to the canons in Hertfordshire (no.337). Martin Spading witnesses 4 charters here and Peter Sparling one, while Alice, who married Galien of Hertford, and her descendants continued as benefactors of the abbey (e.g. nos.323,324,334 and 339). |