Copies of letters to and from John Parkhurst, bishop of Norwich, 1569-1573, with notes, memoranda and related documents interspersed, written in a contemporary hand. Incomplete.
In the margin of many of the more important documents is a small mark +, apparently indicating that they have been copied, perhaps by Thomas Baker for John Strype, whose materials for chapters 13, 35 and 37 of Book IV of his biography of Matthew Parker were derived from this manuscript, cited as one of ‘MSS R. Joh. Ep. Eliensis’.
Writers of letters include: John Parkhurst; Thomas Godfrey; John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury; the bishop of London (May-November 1573); Sir Henry Sidney, lord deputy of Ireland; Thomas Green, mayor of Norwich; W. Maister, chancellor of the diocese of Norwich; George Themilthorpe; Thomas Wilson; John Page; Ambrose Jermyn; D. Gibbon, D. Dale, and D. Huick; ‘D. Yale, D. Johnes, D. Harvye, and D. Hammond, concerning the controversie between Mr Nicholas Mynne and Mr Graye’; ‘Sriant Manwood and Sriant Meade’; William Saunderson; Robert Belwarde; the commissioners in causes ecclesiastical; Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester; Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury; Thomas Andrews; Thomas Rugge; Mr Garter; Francis Jermye and Thomas Felton; the bishop of Bath and Wells; Dr Gardiner; Thomas Sotherton; William Heydon; the mayor and justices of Norwich; the lord treasurer; Mr Ashfield; ‘N.N.’; the bishop of London, Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Francis Knollys and Sir Walter Mildmay, jointly; the bishop of Rochester (June 1573); Mr Becon, a retainer of the earl of Leicester; Mr Robertes; and Thomas Neassh.
Recipients of letters include: John Parkhurst; Rod. Gualter; H. Bullinger; John Wolfius; Josiah Simler; ‘my L. Deane of Norwh.’; the lord keeper; Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury; Dr Wilson; Sir Walter Mildmay; the lord chief justice of the common pleas; Mr Godfrey; the duchess of Suffolk (January 1571); Mr Robertes (of Dickleborough); ‘D. Yale, D. Drurie, D. Godwinne, visitors in Norff. and Suffo.’; D[r?] Gardiner; the mayor and aldermen of Norwich; ‘Mr Townsend of Braken Ashe’; ‘Mr comysarye Brome’; Sir Thomas Cornwallis; ‘Mr D. Gibbon, D. Dale, and D. Huick, at the arches in London’; the bishop of London (April 1572-May 1573); ‘three of the comyssaryes Doctor Briseley, Mr Lock, and Mr Brome’; William Paston; the earl of Sussex (October 1572); the lord treasurer; the bishop of Bath and Wells (October 1572); Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester; Mr Boraston; William Heydon; Sir Henry Sidney; the chancellor of the diocese of Norwich; Mr Nesshe; Mr Greene; Sergeant Gaudye; Mr Middleton; William Plator; Dr Umphrey; Nathaniel Bacon; Sir Thomas Smith; the bailiffs of Yarmouth; Mr Ashfield; the bishop of Ely (February 1573); Thomas Colbye; Mr Scott the elder; Mr Becon; Mr Gostling and Mr Marker; and Mr Joye.
A number of the letters concern the defalcations of George and Thomas Themilthorpe (Themelthorpe, Themylthorp); and others the question of prophesying in the diocese.
Interspersed items include: notes of the tenths of ‘Hemesbye, received for two years [the 12th and 13th of Queen Elizabeth I] by George and Thomas Themylthorp’; warrant of Sir Drewe Drewerye to the constables of Fakenham, for the apprehension of Sr J. Peter, ‘priest and parson of Hepworth’; an abusive character of W. Ugg; the first line is ‘W. Ugg a common bull’; the tenth and last characteristic is ‘A puller of Duitche womens kerchers openlie in the market at Yarmouthe’; ‘A note of them wch hath in their keeping the admonition to ye parliament, or ye book of Mr Cartwrite’; a remonstrance with the bishop for a sermon preached in defence of the ceremonies of the Church; four letters concerning Anthony Willmott, a servant of the bishop, who refused to marry a fellow servant pregnant by him; ‘Memdm that the cause whie my L. doth not confirme Robt. Hall his patent’; the bishop’s warrant for the release of John Fyssher from the castle at Norwich, at the request of the inhabitants of Thrigbie; ‘The coppye of soch notes and articles as the right reverend father in God John by Goddes providence bisshop of Norwich did exhibit to the courte of arches agaynst Sr John Nortton clerke and Mr Owen Hubbert in the cause of Morlaye benefice whereunto George Gardiner doctor of divinitye was by the said reverend father as it is supposed lawfully collated according to ordre of law’, and (earlier in the volume) a quare impedit (ex Rot. Mich. 13 and 14 Eliz.) respecting the same case; ‘A write out of the comon place betwene Mr Nicholas Mynne and Mr Grey for a cause of matrymonye’ (several other items in the volume relate to the same writ); ‘Certeyne questions suspected to be demaunded by John Gostling or his freindes of yor L. whereunto you may aunswere as followith’; ‘Concerning the death of the bisshop of Salisburye’ [John Jewel]; ‘The coppie of a testimonyall made by John Page to Katherin Page his wife’; recognizance for Ambrose Stone to appear, and confess his using unlawful company with Katherine Page, before the feast of Epiphany next coming, with a marginal note, ‘Ambrose Stone the adulterer did deliver theis thinges to my L. this xxviiith of January 1571’; ‘Certeyne opinions wch one Nicholas Stannarde doth mayneteyne, hold, and defende’; ‘The coppie of a testimoniall for Mr Hebrandus Balkins’; ‘The judgement of docter Druerye’; ‘The names of the comyssyoners for the dyoces of Norwich’; the examination of Alice Cadie taken before Drew Drewrie; the petition of Katherine Ryck to Sir Robert Catelyn lord chief justice of England, who refers the matter to the bishop and Drew Drewrie; lease from the prior and convent of Walsingham to John Pepis, of lands in Holkham; ‘A coppye of a lre from the counseyle’ to the justices of the peace; sundry particulars concerning George Themilthorpe; a list of justices of the peace fined for corruption by King Edward I; the bishop’s order for the exercise of ‘prophesieng within the diocese’; copy of a bond from George Johnson to Richard Sheldon, 23 October 14 Eliz.; a minute of an examination of Sir Peter Kilburne (enclosed with a letter of Dr Gardiner); the certificate of Thomas Parker, mayor of Norwich; agreement between Symon Warner and William Edwardes concerning the poor-house or hospital of our blessed lady ans St Clement without St Augustines gates of the city of Norwich; answers to interrogatories concerning the use of the liturgy and the articles and ceremonies of the Church, administered as it seems by the commissioners in causes ecclesiastical to someone suspected on non-conformity; epistola Stephani Limberti; minutes of an examination respecting objections to performance of baptism; the commisary of Suffolk’s certificate of such ministers as refuse conformity; extract from the archbishop of Canterbury’s letter to Mr Matchett of Thurgarton, respecting the suppression of prophesying; licence to the parson of Brundell to admit some parishioners of Brason to the communion; mandate from the Queen that the bishop should suffer Dr Gardiner to execute the office and enjoy the profits of the archdeaconry; articles against Dr Buckley, parson of Beccles; the dean of Norwich (1573); notes for Dr Maister, chancellor of Norwich, whereby he ought to reform things amiss; notes for Mr commisary Barnes and Tooke; abuses concerning the register and other officers; and a certificate and note of fees and duties paid heretofore and now paid for citations and other ecclesiastical instruments in the consistory court.