A letter from Eleanor of Provence (05/17/1254)

Translated letter:

Memorandum that in the parliament held three weeks after Easter, 38 Henry III, at London, there being present the queen, R. earl of Cornwall, and others, W. bishop of Norwich and J. bishop of Chichester and the abbot of Westminster, to whom was committed by the apostolic see the business of the Cross in England, with the collection of the tenth on ecclesiastical benefices deputed by the apostolic see to the king in aid of the Holy Land, divided the provinces of Canterbury and York between them as follows, to wit, the bishop of Norwich to take the dioceses of London except the archdeaconry of Middlesex, Ely, Norwich, Lincoln, Coventry and Lichfield, cities and dioceses, and the whole of the province of York in England: the bishop of Chichester to take Canterbury, Rochester, Chichester and Winchester, cities and dioceses: the abbot of Westminster to take Salisbury, Bath and Wells, Worcester, Exeter, Hereford, St. Davids, Llandaff, Bangor and St. Asaph, cities and dioceses, and the archdeaconry of Middlesex. And the queen, earl and others of the king’s council then present in parliament assigned to these their expenses in the following form, to wit, to the bishop of Norwich 500 marks, to the bishop of Chichester 200 marks, and to the abbot of Westminster 300 marks of the money of the Cross, to be received by them yearly for the three years of collection. By the queen and earl R. and with the consent of the said bishops and abbot.

Historical context:

When Henry III went to Gascony to deal with a rebellion, he appointed Eleanor to run the government with the counsel of his brother Richard of Cornwall (who was married to Eleanor’s sister Sanchia). The Patent Rolls record the actions she took in that position.

Scholarly notes:

(1) After the first two volumes of the Patent Rolls published in Latin, the editors shifted to English translations, explaining that the "language tends gradually to become more formal and verbose."

Printed source:

Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Henry III, 1247-58, 4.370; summary in English.(1)

Date:

05/17/1254