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THE manor of Slapton was held of the Bishops of

Exeter by the Earls of Devon, on condition of acting as stewards at the installation feast of every new bishop. The composition to this effect, between Bishop Stapeldon and Hugh de Courtenay, Earl of Devon, is dated from Newton Plympton, Dominicâ in crastino Beati Thome Apostoli A. D. 1308.Vid. 1. Regist. Brantyngham, fo. 36. ad calcem and Blount's Ancient Tenures, p. 34.

A collegiate church, with a perpetual chantry of five Priests and a Rector and four Clerks, was founded at Slapton, in honor of our Lady, by Sir Guy de Briant or Brene, about the year 1370. In 1. Regist. Brantyngham, fo. 54. is preserved the following document:

Noverint universi me Guydonem de Brene Militem, Seniorem, Domui de Slapton concessisse, assignasse & presenti scripto meo confirmasse Dno Willelmo Batokeweye, Capellano & quinque sociis suis Presbyteris & quatuor Clericis in Capella Beate Marie infrà Manerium de Slapton consistente, in Divinis Dno servientibus, pro dote Cantarie in prefatâ Capellà ordinandâ ac sustentacione dictorum Presbyterorum & Clericorum unum annualem redditum L marcarum annuatim percipiendum de dicto Manerio meo de Slapton, Habendum & percipiendum predicto Willo et dictis sociis suis et clericis antedictis ac eorum Successoribus imppetuum, juxta vim formam et ef fectum literarum Apostolicarum Reverendo in Xto Patri Exon Epo, ad fundandum ibi dictam Cantariam

& ad uniendum, incorporandum sive appropriandum ecclesiam Parochialem de Slapton Exon Dioc, dictis Cantarie Presbyteris &Clericis in hâc parte directarum. In cujus rei testimonium, presentibus sigillum meum apposui hiis testibus discretis viris, Magistris Thomâ de Walkyngton Decretorum, Johanne de Schillyngford, Legum Doctoribus, & Hugone Hiclyng, Bachalar in Legibus & pluribus aliis. Datum apud Chuddelegh die Jovis in festo Sci Matthei Apostoli & Evangeliste, anno Regni Regis Edwardi III. post Conquestum, XLVIII.

From fo. 74. of the same vol. it appears, that the founder appropriated to the college the parish church of Poundestock in Cornwall.

I further observe, in 2. Regist. Stafford, fo. 289. that Lodeswell church was appropriated to this college in the year 1413.

The Socii of the Rector were always priests: one of them had the charge of the parishioners of Slapton, and was called Minister.

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7. Walter Danyel, confirmed 8. May,

1400

1410

1426

1458-9

8. John Robryng, instituted 3. June,
9. Benedict Brente succeeded in
He died 3. Feb.

10. John Pawle, instituted 24. of the following March, on the presentation of James Osmond, Farl of Wiltshire, and Lord of Slapton Manor.

11. Vincent Coke, who died Rector 21. Sept. 1498 12. Nicholas Morton succeeded, on the pre

sentation of Henry Earl of Northumberland.

Ecton, in his Thesaurus, calls the Superior of the college, Prior, instead of, Rector.

He was alive in

1521 Browne Willis, vol. 2. p. 65. of his History of Abbies, informs us, that in 1534, the acknowlegement of the King's supremacy was given with the seal of the Rector and Fellows, but without names.

The chantry of Slapton was granted to John Peter, 6. Edw. VI.

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HACCOMBE ARCHPRESBYTERY.

IT is singular, that the public notary has omitted to

affix the date to the foundation deed of the Archpresbytery of Haccombe, as given in 2. Regist. Grandisson, fo. 14. But by comparing this record with the institution of the first Archpriest, Andrew de Tregors, in fo. 46. of the 3d vol. of the same Bishop's Register, I am clearly of opinion that it must have been drawn up either very late in the year 1341, or in the early part of 1342..

This foundation deed states, that Sir Stephen deHaccombe had formerly applied to Bishop Grandisson, to erect the parish church of St. Blase, at Hac-combe, the burial place of his ancestors, into an Archpresbytery-that before the Prelate could have complied with his wishes, the worthy Knight was taken off by death-that his heir Sir John Lercedekne had fully entered into the views and wishes of the deceased, by renewing the application to the Bishop--that the Bishop most readily accedes to his request; and consents to the appropriation of the parish church of St. Hugh de Quedyoek, in Cornwall. for the better support of the Archpriest and his community. It should be clearly understood, that this Archpriest enjoyed no episcopal powers whatsoever that he was subject, not merely to the visitation. and jurisdiction of the Bishop of the diocese of Exeter, but moreover, to that of the Archdeacon of

On the 14. Ka!. of August, (July 19.) 1328, Bishop Grandisson dedicated this parish church of Haccombe, with its two altars, and the ! cemitery. Sir Henry Carew, Bart. the present proprietor, is now engaged in the embellishing of this church, with a magnificent gothic altar, chancelscreen, stone pulpit, and other decorations, designed by Mr. John Kendall, of Exeter.

Totnes and that the only difference between him and a simple parish Priest consisted in this,—that he was also the President and Superiour of a community of clergymen, who were called his Socii, or companions. These clergymen were five in number, and were bound to sing the canonical office, and to celebrate perpetual obits-they dwelled under the same roof with the Archpriest, and lived in common. The Archpriest was obliged to pay six marks per annum to the treasury of the Cathedral church of Exeter.

We may here remark that the Rural Deans were styled Archpriests in some countries. Decani Rurales in aliquibus regionibus Archipresbyteri nominantur. See the Constitutions of Pope Benedict XII. A. D. 1335. in 2. Spelman's Councils, fo. 505.

E 2. Regist. Grandisson, fo. 14,

Universis &c. Johannes &c. salutem in sinceris amplexibus Salvatoris. Cùm multa nobis sint de studio devocionis olim dilecti filii Domini Stephani de Haccomb, militis, ad Deum & Divini cultûs augmentum in Parochiali Ecclesiâ de Haccomb, nre Diocesis, in quâ ipse, dum viveret, jus obtinuit patronatûs & in quâ corpora ejus & suorum Progenitorum traduntur ecclesiastice Sepulture, placidâ insinuatione suggesta, ita cordi nostro est ejus intentio devota, ut ea que rationabiliter erant sibi concedenda vivo, eciam concedamus defuncto & eò libenciùs, qd dilectus filius Dominus Johes Lercedekne, Miles, qui sicut eidem Dno Stephano in Temporalibus Heres substituitur, ita devocionem ipsius, cujus velut Fidei commissarius fidelis curam suscepit, imitatus, explanando sepè nobis suum et dicti Domini Stephani circa premissa amplectendi desiderium & petendo sepiùs in declarationem devocionis dicti Stephani & sue Fidei, ad Divini cultûs augmentum in dictâ Ecclesià perpetuum Archipresbyteratûs Officium & infrascriptum Presbyterorum numerum, premissâ solempnitate debitâ, statuere sub modis & porcionibus subdistinctis. Considerantes igitur, qd illa benigno sunt concedenda favore, per que Divinus cultus augeri valeat & pia defunctorum vota salubriter adimpleri, dilectos filios

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