April yth, “ in capella manerii fui de Waltham,” to the eledtion of
a prior} “ et fratrem Johannem Morton, priorem ecclefie conventualis
“ de Reygate didti ordinis Sd. Auguftini Wynton, dioc. in priorem
“ vice et nomine omnium etfingulorum canonicorum predidtorum
“ elegit, in ordine faccrdotali, et etate licita conftitutum, &c.”’
And on the fame day, in the fame place, and before the fame
witneffes, John Morton refigned to the bifhop the priorfhip of Reygate■
viva voce. T he bifhop then required his confent to his own election;
“ qui licet in parte renitens tanti reverend! patris fe confir-
roans,” obeyed, and fignified his eonfent oraculo vive vocis. Then
was there a mandate citing any one who would gainfay the faid
eledtion to appear before the bifhop or his commiffary in his chapel
at Farnham on the fecond day of May next. The dean of the
deanery of Aulton then appeared before the chancellor, his commiffary,
and returned the citation or mandate dated April' 22d, 1468,,
with fignification, in writing, of his having publilhed it as required,,
dated Newton Valence, May i ft, 146S. This certificate being read,
the four canons of Setborne appeared and required the eledtion to'
be confirmed; et■ ex fuper abundanti appointed William Long their
prodtor to folieit in their name that he might be canonically confirmed.
John Morton alfo appeared, and proclamation was made;;
and no one appearing againft him, the commifiary pronounced all
absentees contumacious, and precluded them from objedting at
any othertime; and, at the inftanee of John Morton■ and the prodtor;
confirmed the eledtion by his decree, and diredted his mandate to-
the redtor of Hedley. and the vicar of Newton Valence to inftalL him
in the ufual form..
Thus;
Thus, for the firft time, was a perfon, a ftranger to the convent
of Selborne, and never canon of that monaftery, eledted prior ,
though the ftyle of the petitions in former eledtions ufed to run
t]1U3j _ « Vos ---------rogamus quatinus eligendum ex nobis
“ unum confratrem de gremio noftro, — licentiam, veftram — nobis.
« concedere dignemini.”
L E T T E R XX.
P rior: Morton dying in 1471, two canons, by themfelves, proceeded
to eledtion, and chofe a prior; but two more (one of them
Berne) complaining of not being fummoned, objedted to the proceedings
as in fo rm a ltill at laft the matter was compromifed
that the bifhop fhould again, for that turn, notmnate as he had
before; But the circumftances of this eledtion will be beft explamed
by the following extradt :■
R e g . W a y n f i e t e , t om . II, p a r s i 1" , fol - 7 -
Memorandum. A. D. 1471. Auguft22.
W illiam Wyndefor, a canon-regular of the Priory of Selbume,
having been eledted prior on the death of brother John, aPPea£
in perfon before the bifhop in his chapel at South Waltham. He