This handsome document, finely written with an elaborate scrivener's mark, is an exemplification of a decree settling a dispute between the Augustinian nuns of Easeboourne Priory and the burgess of Midhurst, relating to the maintenance of the churches of Easebourne and Midhurst, 1429. An important addition to the Record Office collections, complementing a number of existing holdings, such as the Dicoesan Archives. John Rickinghall (c1335-1429) was consecrated Bishop of Chichester in 1426 but no register for him survives in the Diocesan Archives so this document provides useful evidence for his presence in the diocese in 1429.
Item Provenance
Owned by local charity, the Midhurst Foeffees, in 1814; from there it came into hands of local solicitors who handled the charity's affairs.
Document relating to Easebourne Priory, Sussex, 1429. FNL grant 2011. Image courtesy of West Sussex Record Office.