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Coventry

Couentry

NGR: SP 340 790

An ancient city and a county of itself, locally in the county of Warwick. 10 miles north-east from Warwick, 18 miles south-east from Birmingham. The city comprises the parishes of St. Michael, Holy Trinity and St. John Baptist, all in the Archdeaconry of Coventry, diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. St. Michael and Holy Trinity are vicarages. St. John is a rectory not in charge, annexed to the headmastership of the free school

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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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Pontefract (Pomfret) [Poiz]

West Yorkshire

OS grid ref: SE 455 215

MarginaliaA bill of articles set vp against king Henry 4.1. ¶ First, we depose, say, except, and entend to proue against the Lord Henry Derby, sonne of the Lord Iohn of Gaunt late Duke of Lancaster, and commonly called king of England (himselfe pretending the same, although without all right and title thereunto) and against his adherents, fautours, and complices: that euer they haue bene, are, and will be, traytors, inuaders, and destroyers of Gods Church in Rome, England, Wales, and Ireland, and of our soueraigne Lord Richard late King of England, his heires, his kingdome, and common wealth, as shall hereafter manifestly appeare.

2. Secondarely we depose &c. against the said Lord Hēry, for that he had conceaued, deuised, & conspired certaine hainous crimes and traiterous offences against his sayd soueraigne Lord Richard his state and dignitie, as manifestly did appeare in the contention betwene the said Lord Henry, and þ^e Lord Thomas Duke of Northfolke begon at Couentry, but not finished throughly. Afterwards he was sent in exile, by sentence of the said king Richard, by the agreement of his father the Lord Iohn Duke of Lancaster, by the voice of diuers of the Lords temporall, & nobilitie of the realme, and also by his owne consent: there to remaine for a certaine time appointed vnto him by þ^e said Lords, and withall he was bound by othe not to returne into Englād before he had obteined fauour & grace of the kyng. Not long after, when the king was departed into Ireland, for reformation of that countrey apperteining to the crowne of England, but as then rebelling agaynst the same: the sayd Lord Henry in the meane time contrary to his oth and fidelitie, and long before the time limited vnto him was expired: with all his fautours and inuaders, secretly entred into the Realme, swearing and protesting before the face of the people, that his comming into the Realme in the absence of the king, was for none other cause, but that he might in humble sort with the loue and fauour of the king, and all the Lords spirituall and temporall, haue and enioy his lawfull inheritaunce descending vnto him of right after the death of his father:which thing as it pleased all men, so cried they: Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord: But how this blessing afterwards turned into cursing, shall appeare in that which followeth: and also ye shall vnderstand his horrible and wicked conspiracie against his soueraigne Lord king Richard, and diuers other Lords as well spirituall as temporall,MarginaliaK. Henry periured. besides þ^e his manifest periurie shal wel be known, and that he remaineth not only foresworne and periured, but also excommunicate, for that he conspired against his soueraigne Lord our king. Wherefore we pronounce him by these presents, as well periured as excommunicate.

MarginaliaK. Henry charged with vntruthe.3. Thirdly we depose &c. against the said Lord Henry, that he the said Lord Hēry, immediatly after his entry into England, by craft and subtile policie, caused to be proclaimed openly throughout the Realme, that no tenths of the Clergy, fiftenēs of the people, sealing vp of cloth, diminution of wooll, impost of wine, nor other extortiōs or exactions whatsoeuer, should hereafter be required or exacted: hoping by this meanes to purchase vnto him þ^e voice and fauour of the prelates spiritual, the Lords temporall, the Marchants, & comminaltie of the whole Realme. After this, he tooke by force the kings Castels and fortresses, spoiled and deuoured his goodes wheresoeuer he found it, crieng hauocke, hauocke. The kings maiestie subiects as well spirituall as temporal he spoiled and robbed, some he tooke captiue and imprisoned them, and some he slew & put to miserable death, wherof many were Bishops, prelates, Priests, and religious men. Whereby it is manifest, that the said Lord Henry is not only periured, in promising & swearing that there should be hereafter no more exactiōs, paiments, or extortions within the realme, but also excommunicate for the violence and iniurie done to Prelats and Priests. Wherefore by these presents we pronounce him as afore, as well periured as excommunicate.

MarginaliaK. Henry charged with treason agaynst his soueraigne.4. Fourthly we depose &c. against the said Lord Henry, that he hearing of the Kings returne from Ireland into Wales, rose vp against his soueraigne Lord the king with many thousands of armed men, marching forward with al his power towards the Castle of Flint in wales, where he tooke the king & held him prisoner, and so led him captiue as a traitor vnto Leicester: from whence he tooke his iourney towards London, misusing the king by the way both he and his, with many iniuries and opprobrious cōtumelies and scoffes. And in the end committed him to the Tower of London, and held a Parliament, the king being absent & in prison, wherein for feare of death he compelled the king to yeeld and resigne vnto him all his right & title of the kingdome and crowne of England. After which resignation being made, the said Lord Henry standing vp inthe Parliament house, stoutly and proudly before them al, said & affirmed: that the kingdome of Englād and crowne of the same with al therunto belonging, did pertaine vnto him at that present as of very right, and to none other: for that the said king Richard by his owne deed was depriued for euer of all the right, title, & interest that euer he had, hath, or may haue in the same. And thus at length by right and wrong, he exalted himselfe vnto þ^e throne of the kingdome: since which time, our commō weale neuer florished nor prospered, but altogether hath bene void of vertue, for that the spiritualtie was so oppressed, exercise and warlike practises hath not bin mainteined, charitie is waxed cold, & couetousnes and miserie hath takē place, & finally mercy is taken away & vengeance supplieth the roome. Wherby it doth appeare (as before is said) that þ^e said Lord Hēry is not only periured & false by vsurping the kingdome and dominion belonging to another, but also excommunicate for the apprehending, vniust imprisoning, and depriuing his soueraigne Lord the king of his roiall crowne and dignitie. Wherefore, as in the articles before, we pronounce the said Lord Henry to be excommunicate.

5. Fiftly we depose, &c. against the said Lord Henry, that he the same Lord Henry with the rest of his fauourers & complices, heaping mischief vpon mischief, haue cōmitted and brought to passe a most wicked and mischieuous fact, yea, such as hath not bene heard of at any time before. For after that they had taken and imprisoned the king, and deposed him by open iniurie against all humane nature, yet not cōtēt with this: they brought him to Pomfret Castle, and there imprisoned him, where xv. daies & nights they vexed him with continuall hunger, thirst, and cold, and finally bereft him of life, with such a kind of death as neuer before that time was knowen in England, but by Gods prouidence it is come to light.MarginaliaK. Henry charged with murdering of his prince. Who euer heard of such a deed, or who euer saw the like of him? Wherefore O England arise, stand vp, auenge the cause, the death, and iniurie of thy king and prince: which if thou do not, take this for certaintie, that the righteous God will destroy thee by strange inuasions and foreigne power, and auenge himselfe on thee for this so horrible an act. Whereby doth appeare, not only his periurie, but also his excommunication most execrable: so that as before we pronounce, the said Henry not only periured, but also excommunicate.

MarginaliaK. Henry charged with the orders of the church.6. Sixtly we depose, &c. against the sayd Lord Henry, that after he had attained to the crowne and scepter of the kingdome, he caused forthwith to be apprehended diuers Lords spirituall, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, and religious men of all orders, whom he arested, imprisoned, & bound, and against all order brought them before the secular iudges to be examined: not sparing the Bishops whose bodies were annointed with sacred oyle, not priests, nor religious men, but commanded them to be cōdemned, hanged, and beheaded by the temporall law and iudgement, notwithstanding the priuiledge of the Church, and holie orders, which he ought to haue reuerenced and worshipped if he had bin a true and lawfull king: for the first and chiefest othe in the coronation of a lawfull king is, to defend and keepe inuiolate the liberties and rights of the Church, and not to deliuer anie Priest or religious man into the hands of the secular power, except for heresie onely, and that after his degradation according to the order of the Church. Contrary vnto all this hath he done, so that it is manifest by this article as afore in the rest, that he is both periured and excommunicate.

7. Seuenthly we depose, &c. against the said Lord Henry that not onely he caused to be put to death the Lords spirituall and other Religious men, but also diuers of the Lords temporall and nobilitie of the Realme, and cheifly those that studied for the preseruatiō of the commonweale, uot ceasing as yet, to cōtinue his mischeuous enterprise, if by Gods prouidēce it be not preuented & that with speed.MarginaliaK. Henry charged with tyranny. Amongst all other of the Nobilitie, these first he put to death: the Earle of Salisbury, the Earle of Huntington, the Earle of Gloucester, the Lord Roger Clarendon the kyngs brother, with diuers other knights aud Esquiers: and afterwards, the Lord Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester, and the Lord Henry Percy sonne and heyre to the Earle of Northumberland, the which Lord Henry he not onely slew, but to the vttermost of his power againe and againe he caused hym to be slayne. For after that he was once put to death, and deliuered to the Lord of Furniuale to be buryed (who committed his body to holy sepulture, with as much honour as might be, commending his soule to almighty God, with the suffrages of the blessed masse & other praiers) the said Lord Henry most like a cruel beast still thirsting hys bloud, caused his body to be exhumate & brought forth againe, and to be reposed betwene two mil-