A letter from Henry III (1253)

Translated letter:

The king to all, etc., greetings. Since we have committed the governing of our kingdom of England and our lands of Wales and Ireland to our beloved queen Eleanor, together with the counsel of our beloved brother and loyal count Richard of Cornwall, until our return from Gascony, It is our will that when an archbishopric or bishopric of our said kingdom of England and bishopric of Menevens [St. David's] in Wales becomes vacant, permission to choose [a bishop] be sought from us; and, when the election is made, our assent be requested for it and we wish this to be done with the abbacies of Westminster, Waltham, St. Edmunds, Ramsbury, St. Peters, St. Albans, Reading, Oseney/Oxney?, Cirenchester, Hyde, Glastonbury, with the vacant see, Malmesbury, St. Peter of Gloucester, Evesham, St. Mary of York, and St. Augustine of Canterbury. [from Patent Rolls: and the archbishoprics and bishoprics of the land of Ireland, as the journey from Ireland to Gascony is easier than that from Ireland to England. But on the voidance of the bishoprics of Llandaff, St. Asaph's and Bangor, and of the abbeys and priories of England, Wales and Ireland, not mentioned above, the king wills and grants that licence to elect be sought of the queen and after the elections her assent be required with the counsel of the said earl. Which letters were delivered by the hands of W. de Kilkenni to the queen and the earl.

Historical context:

The Patent Rolls record Henry's letter on the elections of bishops, which was delivered to the queen and the earl of Cornwall. Rymer gives only a part of what is recorded in the Patent Rolls.

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:

Rymer, Foedera 1.492; Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Henry III (1247-58), 4.206.(1)

Date:

1253