Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/148

HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 121 they do not exceed the clear annual value of £10, and of us, our heirs and successors, or any other person or persons whomsoeyer other than the said Ann Swyfte, so that they do not exceed the clear annual value of twenty marks of good and lawful English money, so nevertheless that the said manors, messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, pastures, feedings, reversions, reventions, services, possessions, rents, and hereditaments whatsoever, as well of us, our heirs or Buccessors, as of the said Ann Swyfte, or of any other person or persons whomsoever, so preferred to be granted, shall not be holden of us, our heirs or successors, immediately in capite, or by Knight service, the Statute for preventing placing lands and tenements in mortmain^ or any other statute, act, ordinance, or provision to the contrary heretofore, had made, ordained, or provided, and on any other thing, cause, or matter, however notwithstanding. And, also, we give and grant for us, our heirs and successors, by these presents, to the aforesaid Ann Swyfte, that she may give, grant, sell, bequeath, or alien the manors, messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, feedings, pastures, woods, underwoods, rents, reversions, services^ and other hereditaments whatsoever, which are not holden immediately of us in capite^ or by Knight service, to the aforesaid governors of the goods, possessions, and reventions of the aforesaid Free Grammar School of King James, in the Town of North Auckland, otherwise Bishop Auckland, in the County of Durham, and their successors. So, however, that all the aforesaid manors, lands, tenements, meadows, feedings, pastures, woods, underwoods, fents, reversions, services, and other hereditaments whatsoever, so to the said governors and their successors, by the aforesaid Ann Swyfte, by virtue of these presents, given, granted, bequeathed, or aliened, do not exceed in the whole the clear annual value of ten pounds of lawful English money. And, also, we give and grant for us, our heirs and successors, by these presents, to any of our subject or subjects, or to any of our heirs and successors whatsoever, other than the said Ann Swyfte, free and special license, and lawful power, liberty, and authority that they, or any of them, may have power to give, grant, seU, bequeath, or alien the manors, messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, feedings, pastures, woods, underwoods, rents, reversions, services, and other hereditaments whatsoever, which are not holden immediately of us in capiU, or by Knight service, to the same governors of the goods, possessions, and reventions of the aforesaid Free Grammar School of King James, in the Town of North Auckland, otherwise Bishop Auckland, in the County of Durham, and to their successors, so, nevertheless, that all the aforesaid manors, messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, feedings, pastures, woods, underwoods, rents, reversions, and services, and other hereditaments, so to the same governors and their successors, by us, our heirs or successors, or by other of our subject or subjects than the said Ann Swyfte, by virtue of these presents given, granted, bequeathed, or aliened, shall not exceed in the whole the clear annual value of twenty marks, the statute for preventing placing lands and tenements in moffmam, or any other statute, act, ordinance, provision heretofore had, made, published, ordained, or provided, or any other thing, act, cause, or matter whatsoever, to the contraiy notwithstanding. And of our more abundant special favour, and for the promoting of certain knowledge, true learning, and of our own inclination and mere motion, we do give and grant to the aforesaid governors of the goods, possessions, and reventions of the aforesaid Free Grammar School of King James, in the Town of North Auckland, otherwise Bishop Auckland, in the County of Durham, and their successors for ever, and the m%}or part of them, full, free, and lawful power and authority, with the assent and consent of the Bishop of Durham for the time being, to make, ordain, and constitute fit and wholesome rules and ordinances in writing concerning and touching the aforesaid school, and the master, usher, and scholars of the same school ; and the preservation, discharging, letting, governing, and defending of the manors, messuages, lands, tenements, possessions, hereditaments, and goods of the same school, which rules and ordinances we, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, do will and order by these presents to be inviolably observed, in such manner, nevertheless, that the same rules and ordinances so to be made be not contrary to the laws, statutes, and customs of this our Kingdom of England. And we further, for ourselves, our heirs, and successors, grant and ordain that all the profits, issues, reventions, wd advantages whatsoever of all the aforesaid manors, messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, feedings, pastures, and other hereditaments, so to be given and appointed, may be used, disposed of, and converted by the aforesaid governors and their successors, from time to time for ever, to the relief, sustaining, and maintenance of the master, usher, and scholars of the same school, for the time being, and to the sustaining, maintaining, defending, and repairing of the aforesaid school, and the manors, messuages, lands, tenements, possessions, and hereditaments aforesaid, and not otherwise, nor to any other uses or intentions whatsoever. Likewise we will, and by these presents, grant to the intended governors of the aforesaid Free Grammar School of King James that they shall and may have their own letters patent, under our great seal of England, in due manner to be made and sealed, without fine or fee, either great or small, to us, in our Hanaper Office, or elsewhere, to our use therefore in any manner to be rendered, paid, or made. To the intent that express mention might appear of the true annual value, or any other value, or of the certainty of the premises, or of any of them, or of any other gifts or grants by us, or by any of our ancestors, to the intended governors of the Free Grammar School of King James aforesaid, before this time made in prewvUbiu munine fact^ any statute, act, ordinance, prodamation, provision, or restriction, to the contrary heretofore had, made, published, ordained, or provided, or any other thing, cause, or matter whatsoever, in any manner notwithstanding, in testimony of which we have caused these our letters patent to be made. Witness ourselves at Westminster, the seventh day of September, in the second year of our reign over England, France, and Ireland, and the thirty-eighth over Scotland. Digitized by Google