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[[[[facs bm 7.]]]]
NOTIFICATION by Henry I to William, Bishop of Exeter, Richard fitz Baldwin, sheriff [of Devon], the provost of Exeter and others that he has confirmed to the church and canons of the Holy Trinity [at Aldgate] in London, for the soul of Queen Matilda his wife, 251. ad scalam ' yearly from the rents of the said queen in Exeter, which 251. she gave to the same canons in her lifetime. Dated at Portsmouth [June, 1123 ?].
. Henricus . rex Anglorum . Wille/mo Exoniensi episcopo . et Ricardo filio Baldzvini . vicecomiti . et preposito Exon4 . et omnibus baronibus et fidelibus suis Deuenescire . et omnibus burgensibus et ministris suis Exonic salutem . Sciatis me concessisse ecclesie Sanctg Trinitatis Lundoniis . et canonicis ibidem deo famulantibus pro animatMathildis Regine Coniugis me e .xxv. libras . ad scalam . per annum . de redditibus ipsius Regine in Exonia . quas praedicta Regina Mathildis eis dedit in uita sua . Et uolo . et firmiter praecipio . quod vicecomes quicunque sit uel fuerit in Exonia eas reddat ipsis canonicis singulis annis . sicut unquam melius et plenius reddite fuerunt . Et eisdem terminis quibus reddi solebant. T estibus . Gaufrido Cancellario . et Nigello de Albinni . et Gaufrido de Glintona. Apud Portesmudam. [Cotton Ch. vii. 2.]
Great Seal (slightly imperfect) of light brown wax, leg. + HENRICVS DEI GRA[CI]A REX ANGLORVM (cf. Birch, Cat. of Seals, i. p. 7).
Holy Trinity, or Christchurch, Priory, Aldgate, was founded by Queen Matilda for Augustinian canons about no8, its original endowment comprising the gate of Aldgate with its soke, which was of her domain, and two-thirds of her rents of the city of Exeter, which she held in dower (Register, Lansd. MS. 448, f. 3; cf. Cartae Antiquae, N). She died May 1, 1118, while Henry was in Normandy, and between his return on Nov. 26, 1120, and Dec. 1122 he confirmed her foundation, the amount granted from the Exeter rents being specified as 25/. blanch (Foedera, ed. Rec. Comm., i. p. 12 ; cf. Pipe Roll Soc., Introduction, 1884, p. 74). For some reason the same rent was again confirmed in the present charter as 25/. ad scalam,' and was so confirmed by King Stephen in 1135 or 1136 (Cott. Ch. xvi. 34). The revenues, or farm, of Exeter were in fact Matilda's morninggift ' (cf. Freeman, Exeter, p. 47). Presumably her grant could only be for her life, and Henry's confirmation was in the nature of a prolongation of it in perpetuity so far as regards the specific amount mentioned. Payment ad scalam ' was by weight, but appears to have been compounded for by payment by tale with 6d. in the pound added to make up any deficiency. Thus in the Pipe Roll for 1130 (ed. Hunter, p. 153) the sheriff of Devon accompts for this rent-charge as 251. 12S. 6d. de numero.' For the whole subject of the standards of payment in the Exchequer, with references to this particular case, see Madox, Exchequer, ch. ix (ed. 1769, i. p. 274), and Round, Commune of London, p. 85.
The Bishop of Exeter to whom the charter is addressed was William Warelwast, who held the see from 1107 to 1137. Richard fitz Baldwin, who must not be confounded with Richard de Redvers, was made sheriff of Devon before 1115 and had ceased to hold office in 1130 (Pipe Roll, 31 Hen. I, as above). He died in 1136 (Rob. of Torigni, R. S., p. 131). Geoffrey Rufus, the first witness, succeeded Ralph as Chancellor early in 1.123 and was consecrated Bishop of Durham Aug. 6, 1133. Nigel de Albini, who with his brother William witnessed many of Henry's charters, died circ. 1128-1129. The charter is dated at Portsmouth, probably before Henry's departure for Normandy early in June, 1123, or on his return circ. Sept. ii, 1126. As, however, his second queen Adeliza, whom he married on Jan. 24, 1121, also held Exeter as her morning-gift,' the earlier date is perhaps the more probable, since the question of this charge upon the revenues would be likely to arise soon after the marriage. A similar charter by which Henry re-confirmed to Holy Trinity Priory the soke of the English Cnihtengild (Cotton Roll xiii. 18,, no. 27) is witnessed by A. the Queen, Geoffrey the Chancellor, and Geoffrey and William de Clinton, at Woodstock, and was probably about the same date. |