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Account of the Irish

clerical con

of 1291, from the

No. XXXIX.

THE CONFEDERATION OF THE ECCLESIASTICS OF IRELAND,

A.D. 1291.

For the document here subjoined I am indebted to my valued friend, the reverend, learned, federation and industrious W. Reeves, D.D.; who furnished me with a copy of the original, transcribed by himRegistry of self from the Register of Primate Swayne, preserved in Armagh. (Vid. Reg. Swayne, orig. fol. 51, a. & b., and 54 [rect. 53] a. Tr. vol. ii. pp. 203-208, Harris's Ware, i. 70.)

Armagh.

Opening ad

dress of the Primate and other prelates of Armagh province to all

"The Confederation of the Lord Primate and the three other Archbishops of Ireland, and of their Suffragans, Deans, Clergy, and Chapters.

"To all Sons of Holy Mother Church before whose notice this present letter may come, Nicholas by the grace churchmen, of God Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland, Thomas Meath, Nicholas Down, Peter Connor, Florence Derry, Matthew Clogher, Florence Rapho, Tigernach Dromore, Matthew Ardakad, Maurice Triburn, [i. e. Kilmore,] N. Clonmacnoise, bishops, by divine permission, the Deans and their chapters, and also the clerical bodies connected with those bishops who are without Deans and Chapters,* [wish] everlasting health in the Lord.

The system of Dean and Chapter was of Anglican origin in Ireland, and in the Taxation of 1306 (Vid. Art. XXI. inf.) there occur several Dioceses in which no mention is made of either. Until the Reformation the Corporation of Down Cathedral consisted of Bishop, Prior and Convent, and Archdeacon.

one another,

"For the Honour and Praise of Almighty God, blessed Their conMary the Virgin, all the Saints, and Holy Mother tract with Church, be it known to you all, that we by a corporal and with oath made on behalf of ourselves and our successors, the prelates have entered into a mutual obligation to one another;- of the three remaining and also that we shall hold ourselves bound by a similar provinces of obligation to our venerable brethrent John of Dublin, Ireland, William of Tuam, Stephen of Cashel, by the grace of God archbishops: [and to] Nicholas Leghlin, Nicholas Kildare, Richard Ferns, and Michael Ossory, of the Province of Dublin; John Clonfert, Donogh Killala, Gelasius Elphin, Benedict Achonry, Laurence Kilmacduagh, of the Province of Tuam; [and] Gerald Limerick, Robert Cork, Richard Lismore, Maurice Killaloe, Nicholas Cloyne, Walter Waterford, G. Kilfenora, William Emly,

and main

Archfert,... Ross, of the Province of Cashel, by divine permission, bishops; [to the following effect, viz.] "That if it shall happen that we, or any individuals, to support or individual, of our number, or the metropolitans of tain at their Dublin, Cashel, Tuam, aforesaid; their Suffragans, the common exDeans and Chapters belonging to the same; or any in- pense, all dividual or individuals among them; our churches or actions theirs; or any of their privileges, jurisdictions, liberties, of lay interarising out or customs, by us and our predecessors, them and their ference ancestors, obtained, and of old enjoyed as belonging to with privi

• "A Corporal Oath is one made with outstretched hand, touching the Holy Gospels, or looking at them, or on the Cross of the Lord, or relics of the saints;" such as the bells, croziers, &c., preserved among the old Irish for such purposes. See Du Cange's Glossary.

†The prelates here annexed would appear not to have been present in the meeting at Trim, which was in the province of Armagh. A dignitary from Ross or Ardfert would have found it a rather sore journey to have come in those days so far northwards.

Ardfert was full in 1291, Nicholas being bishop. Ross also, Laurence being bishop: so that either the names were unknown at Trim, or what is more likely, illegible to the scribe who copied the document into the Registry of Archbishop Swayne.

leges

claimed by any of their number;

and to make good at their com

mon charge all injuries

and losses

accruing to

any of their agents on

account of sach trans

actions;

and to con

firm and

the said churches, or to any particular ones, or to any single one of them, shall hereafter meet with undue impediment, annoyance, encroachment, oppression, or griev ance, from persons, or person, invested with any lay jurisdiction or power whatsoever;-we all unanimously promise, at our common expense, by subscriptions proportioned according to the several incomes of the churches belonging to us and them respectively, to engage in a common action, for the purpose of prosecuting, maintaining, and supporting, the burdens and defences of the parties aforesaid, collectively and individually, before any judges whatsoever, ecclesiastic or secular; -on our being, or their being, or his being so required in this behalf, by any person or persons of us or from us, or from them, or any persons or person, acting as deputies or deputy, for us or for them, as the circumstances of the case may be.

"And if it shall happen that our agents, proctors, or executors, or theirs, or any individual or individuals of their number, who may be employed, or selected for employment, in the transacting or managing of matters of business pertaining to us or them, or of suits connected with the premises, in any court whatsoever, shall, in consequence of the aforesaid mission, proctorship, or executor's office incur, (what heaven forbid) loss or injury, in their persons or goods spiritual or temporal, from any lay power or jurisdiction ;-We will and grant that full restitution be made to them for their injuries and losses, all and singular, and the amount refunded to them without any delay, out of the property belonging to us, and to the three archbishops aforesaid, their Suffragans, Deans, and Chapters, in proportion to the several incomes of the churches appertaining to us and them respectively.

"Furthermore, whatsoever sentences or sentence, the carry out in ordinary of a particular district shall denounce against

all sen

terdict

any delinquents or delinquent, that or those we will all all their dioand singular, publish and put effectively into execution ceses, &c., in our several dioceses. Such sentences and interdicts tences of exas may be denounced by an ordinary in his own diocese, communicain consequence of any act of delinquency perpetrated by tion and inany individuals or individual, we consent and promise passed in inviolably to observe, not only in the dioceses of the pre- any of them, lates who originally publish them, but also in all our provinces and dioceses; in this way, viz., that if a person be interdicted in any one place, whatsoever place he shall turn himself to, that place shall be interdicted so long as he shall remain in it, and also any place in which he shall have a residence, or the larger part of his property provided always that we shall have received a requisition, by means of letters patent giving us notice to this effect.

£666 13s. 4d.

"Moreover, if we, the Archbishop of Armagh, or the under a pethree Archbishops aforesaid, or any individual or indi- nalty of viduals among us, prove negligent, remiss, or lukewarm, for violation individually or collectively, in the fulfilment or execution of this conof the premises, or of any portion thereof, we undertake, tract by any and by virtue of the oath which we have made do firmly of the archbishops; promise, and by the tenor of these presents do bind ourselves, and each one of us doth bind himself, that every person who shall not observe this present ordinance or obligation, shall pay by way of penalty, 500 marks, into the chamber of our Lord the Pope, and another 500 marks in like manner to our brethren who do observe this ordinance.

violation by

"And if we the bishops aforesaid of Armagh, and the and of £400 other bishops belonging to the other three provinces for such aforesaid, or any individual or individuals among us, any of the prove negligent, remiss, or lukewarm, individually or other precollectively, in the fulfilment or execution of the pre- lates. mises, or of any portion thereof, we engage, and by virtue of the oath which we have made, do firmly promise,

This bond

not to lose its effect by reason of

the absence of the signa

tures of some of

those concerned.

All Irish

and by the tenor of these presents do bind ourselves, and each one of us doth bind himself, that every person of us who shall not observe the present ordinance or obligation, shall pay by way of penalty £200 into the chamber of our Lord the Pope, and another £200 in like manner to our brethren who shall observe this ordinance or obligation.

66

And if any archbishops or bishops, chapters or clerical bodies, in consequence of their absence or unwillingness, shall omit to affix their seals to the present instrument, we will and grant that the parties affixing their seals shall nevertheless be mutually bound to the observance of the premises all and singular, as is aforesaid; and that the present instrument shall not for this reason have the less force of obligation.

"And if moreover any archbishop, chapter, or clerical prelates. &c. body, that may not have been present at the time of refusing to join in the enacting this ordinance or obligation, shall, on being reengagement quired to observe this form or obligation, refuse to do to be com- so, or take no heed thereunto; we engage, and by the plained of to tenor of these presents do firmly promise, to lay our and put in complaint against him before the supreme pontiff, and at Coventry." our common charges effectively to prosecute the said complaint against him;-nor may he obtain from us counsel or aid of any sort in transacting his own matters, or those connected with his church.

the pope,

The bond sworn to

"The articles aforesaid all and singular, we do promise on the sanction or obligation of our oath aforesaid, and sealed firmly and faithfully to observe and maintain. In testimony and confirmation of which particulars, all and singular, our seals are appended to these presents.

by the Ar

magh prelates.

The date.

"Given at Trym in Meath in the house of the preaching friars, on the Lord's day next following the Festival of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. Anno Dni. 1291."

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