1583 Edition | Book 5 | Page 489 
CloseHerefordshire
OS grid ref: SO 535 515
CloseLeicestershire
OS grid ref: SP 785 965
CloseHerefordshire
OS grid ref: SO 295 565
CloseA borough, having separate jurisdiction, in the county of Leicester, of which it is the capital. 97 miles north-north-west from London. The borough comprises the parishes of All Saints, St Leonard, St Martin, St Nicholas, and parts of St Margaret and St Mary. St Margaret is within the peculiar jurisdiction of the prebend of that stall in Lincoln cathedral. The rest are in the Archdeaconry of Leicester, Diocese of Lincoln
[Back to Top]English information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1831)
Scottish information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1846)
Welsh information taken from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales(Lewis & Co: London, 1840)
The reason for the use of these works of reference is that they present the jurisdictional and ecclesiastical position as it was before the major Victorian changes. The descriptions therefore approximate to those applying in the sixteenth century, after the major changes of 1535-42. Except for the physical locations, which have not changed, the reader should not therefore take these references as being accurate in the twenty-first century.
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CloseA city and county of itself, locally in the county of Lincoln, of which it is the chief town. Seat of the Bishopric of Lincoln. 132 miles north by west from London. Lincoln formerly contained 52 parish churches, of which 34 were destroyed prior to the reign of Edward VI. It comprises the parishes of St Benedict, St Botolph, St John Newport, St Margaret in the Close, St Mark, St Martin, St Mary Wigford, St Mary Magdalene, St Michael on the Mount, St Nicholas Newport, St Paul in the Bail, St Peter at Arches, St Peter in eastgate, St Peter at Gowte, and St Swithin; all in the Archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln. Of which St Mary Magdalene, St Paul in the Bail and St .Peter at Arches are discharged rectories; St Mary Wigford is a discharged vicarage; St John Newport is a vicarage not in charge; and the remainder are perpetual curacies.
[Back to Top]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1831)
CloseLeicestershire
OS grid ref: SK 535 195
CloseLeicestershire
OS grid ref: SP 735 875
CloseA parish in the hundred of Wilford, county of Suffolk. 2.25 miles north-east from Woodbridge. The living is a discharged rectory in the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, diocese of Norwich
English information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1831)
Scottish information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1846)
Welsh information taken from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales(Lewis & Co: London, 1840)
The reason for the use of these works of reference is that they present the jurisdictional and ecclesiastical position as it was before the major Victorian changes. The descriptions therefore approximate to those applying in the sixteenth century, after the major changes of 1535-42. Except for the physical locations, which have not changed, the reader should not therefore take these references as being accurate in the twenty-first century.
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CloseNottinghamshire
OS grid ref: SK 795 535
That men may aske their debtes by charitie, but in no maner for debt to imprison any man: and that he so imprisoning is accursed.
That if parishners do knowe their Curate to be a lechour incontinent, and an euil man: they ought to withdraw from him their tithes, or els they be fautours of his sinnes.
That tithes purely be almose, and in case that Curates be euill men, the same may lawfully be conferred to other men.
That for an euill Curate to curse his suget for withholding of tithes: is nothing els, but to take with extortiō wickedly and unduely from them theyr money.
That no prelate may curse a man, except he know before that he is cursed of God.
That euery Priest may absolue any sinner being contrite and is bound (notwithstanding the inhibition of the Bishop) to preach the Gospell vnto the people.
That a Priest taking any annuall pension vppon couenant, is in so doing a simoniacke and accursed.
That any priest being in deadly sinne, if he geue himselfe to consecrate the body of the Lord, he committeth idolatry rather then doth consecrate.
That no priest entreth into any house, but to euill intreat the wife, the daughter or mayde. And therefore he admonished the goodman of the house, to take heede what priest he let into his house.
CloseFoxe claims that this accusation was made falsely because it is the only one that Foxe disagrees with. Like almost all magisterial Protestants, Foxe held that a sacrament was binding even if the priest conducting it was in mortal sin. This was one area where many Lollards, including Swinderby, held views which Foxe felt were erroneous.
[Back to Top]Item, that no man liuing agaynst the law of God is a priest, how euer he were ordeined priest of any Bishop.
These articles or conclusions vntruely collected, were as cruelly exhibited agaynst him by the Fryers in the Byshop of Lincolnes court. MarginaliaW. Swinderby compelled by the Fryers to abiure articles, which he neuer taught. The which articles although he neuer preached, taught or at any time defēded, as appereth more in the processe following: yet the Friers with theyr witnesses standing forth against him, declared him to be conuict: bringing also dry wood with them to the towne to burne him, and would not leaue him, before he made them promise and sweare for feare of death neuer to hold them, teach them, nor preach them priuily, nor apertly vnder payne of relapse: and that he shoulde goe to certayne churches to reuoke the foresayd conclusions, which he neuer affirmed. As first in the Churche of Loncolne, then in S. Margarets Church of Leycester. Also in S. Martines Church in Leycester, and in our Ladies churches at Newarke: and in other Parishe Churches also, of Melton Moubray, of Haloughton, Hareburgh, and Lenthburgh. Which pennaunce being to him enioyned, he did obediently accomplishe: with this forme of reuocation, whiche they bound him vnto, vnder these wordes.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe forced abiuration of W. Swinderby. I William Swinderby priest, although vnworthy of the dioces of Lincolne, acknowledging one true Catholique, and Apostolique fayth of the holy Church of Rome, doe abiure all heresie and errour repugning to the determinatiō of the holy mother church wherof I haue bene hetherto infamed, namely the conclusions and articles aboue prefixed, and euery one of them to me iudicially obiected, by the Commissary of the reuerend father in Christ and Lord, L. Iohn by the grace of God Byshop of Lincolne: and do reuoke the same, & euery one of them, some as hereticall, some as erroneous, and false, and do affirme publiquely or priuily the same. Neither will make any sermon within the diocesse of Lincolne, but asking first and obtayning the licence, of the foresayd reuerend father and Lord the Byshop of Lincolne. Contrary to the which if I shall presume hereafter, to say or doe, to holde or preach: I shalbe content to abide the seueritie of the Canon, as I haue iudicially by the necessitie of the lawe, sworne, and doe sweare &c.
[Back to Top]Thus haue you the conclusions and articles of thys good man, falsly obiected to him by the malicious and lying Fryers: and also the retractation, whereunto they by force compelled him: wherby it may likewise be coniectured, what credite is to be geuen to the articles and conclusions which these caueling Fryers wrasting all thinges to the worst, haue obiected and imputed both to Wickliffe & all other of that sort, whō they so falsly do infame, so slaunderously doe bely, and so maliciously doe persecute. After these thinges thus done and wrought in the diocesse of Lincolne: it so befell, the sayd W. Swinderby to remoue to the diocesse and countery of Herford, where, he was asmuch or more molested by þe friers again, & by Iohn. Tresnant B. of Herford, as by the processe & story here ensuing set out at large out of their owne registers
CloseSpecifically out of the register of Bishop John Trefnant of Hereford. On 30 June 1391, Swinderby, who must have emigrated from Leicester to Herefordshire, appeared before Trefnant to answer charges of heresy. He was allowed to leave because he had been granted a safe conduct. In the following months Swinderby was summoned to appear again before Trefnant and refused, although he sent another document defending his position. In October, Swinderby finally appeared and submitted another, longer, defence of his position. He was then condemned for heresy.
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CloseThe process against Swinderby in June 1391 is taken from Trefnant's register; see Registrum Johannis Trefnant Episcopi Herefordensis, ed. W. W. Capes, Canterbury and York Society 20 (London, 1916), pp. 231-2.
MarginaliaThe proces of the B. of Hereford against W. Swinderby. THe glorious name of the prince of peace, and his counsaile (whose counsailour no man is, & whose prouidēce in his disposition is neuer deceaued) being inuocated: MarginaliaThe florishing inuocation of of Gods name.To all and singuler beleuers of Christ, which shall see or heare this our processe vnderwritten, Iohn by the sufferance of God B. of Herford: greeting, and peaceable charitie in the Lord. For asmuch as God the creator of all things, the keper of iustice, and louer of right, and the hater of malice, beholding from the high throne of his prouidence the sonnes of men, now through the fall of their first father, prone and and declining to dishonest and filthy & detestable mischifes and to keep vnder their malice (which wicked transgressiō did first gender) hath appoynted diuers presidentes of the world stablished in sundry degrees, by whome and theyr circumspect prouidence, mans audacitie should be restrayned, innocency should be nourished amongst þe good, & terror should be striken into þe wicked not to deceiue: also that their power to hurt, & theyr insolency should be brydled in all places. And whereas amongst many kindes of cares which come to our thoughtes, by the duety of the office committed vnto vs, we are specially bound to extend our strēgth, chiefly that the catholicke fayth may prosper in our tymes, and hereticall prauity may be rooted from out of þe borders of the faythfull: We therfore being excited through the information of many credible and faythfull Christians of our dioces, to roote out pestiferous plantes, as sheep diseased with an incurable sicknes, going about to infect the whole and sound flocke, are by the care of the shepheard to be remoued from the flock, that is to say, Preachers, or more truely execrable offendours of the new sect, MarginaliaLollards by the popes interpretation, is a word deruied of Lollium.vulgarly called lollardes, which vnder a certayn cloked shew of holynes, running abroad through diuers places of our diocesse, & endeuoring to cut a sunder the Lordes vnsowed coat that is to say, to rent the vnity of the holy Church, & of the Catholicke fayth, and also to teare in peeces with their tēpestious blasts þe power of S. Peter, that is to say, to weaken the strēgth of the ecclesiasticall states and degrees, and the determination of the same holy church, haue wickedly presumed & do presume from day to day to speak, to teach, to mayntayne (and that which is more horrible to be vttered) to preach openly many things hereticall, blasphemies schismes, and sclaunderous diffaminges, MarginaliaThey counterfait in the prophetes wordes as Apes do in princes apparel.euen quite contrary to the sacred Canons and decrees of the holy fathers so that they knowe not to direct their pathes in the wayes of righteousnes and trueth, in that, þt they expounde to the people þe holy scripture, as the letter soundeth, after a Iudiciall sort, otherwise then the holy Ghost will needs haue it: wheras the words wander from their proper significations, and appeare to bryng in by gessing new meanings: whereas the wordes must not be iudged by the sense that they make but by the sense whereby they be made, where as the constructiōs is not bound to Donates rules: where as fayth is farre placed from the capacitie of reason: MarginaliaWho expoundeth the scripture more after the letter, let the reader iudge by Hoc est corpus meum.But they labour by their pernitious doctrines & teachings publike and priuy, to boyle out the poysō of schismes betwene the clergie and the people. MarginaliaIf such medicines should bee ministred to you, ye would can your Phisition litle thank.We to encounter agaynst suche kinde of preachers, nay rather deceauers, and horrible seducers amongest the people, aduauncing and rowzing vp our selues in Gods behalfe, and holy mother Churche, with the spirituall sword, whiche may strike them wisely, and wounde them medicinably, for theyr health and welfare: and namely William Swynderby Priest (so pretending himselfe to be) as a teacher of suche kinde of pernicious doctrine, and an horrible seducer amongst the people: to whom personally appearing before vs on þe Wednesday to wit, the 14. of the month of Iune, in the parishe Church of Kington of our diocesse, in the yeare of our Lord. 1391. MarginaliaAnno. 1391.he being vehemently diffamed to vs of heresie, schisme and his peruerse doctrines both manifest and priuy: We therefore haue caused many cases and articles cōcerning the catholicke fayth to be ministred vnto him, that he should answere to the same at a day and place for him meet and conuenient, of his owne choyse and free will: that is to say, on the Friday, being the last of the same month of Iune, next following assigned to him, at the Churche of Bodenhame of the same diocesse. Of whiche cases and article exhibited vnto us, by many of Christes faythfull people, * ze-
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