Receipt for Monastic Treasure, D/DP O43

Receipt of 1 1/4 tons of 'monastic' treasure, E.R.O. reference D/DP 043

This Indenture quintipartite indented made the second day of the month of May in the xxxi st. year of the reign of our most dread sovereign lord king the viiith // Witnesseth that John Williams esquire master and treasurer of the jewells and
plate of our sovereign lord/ hath received to his grace's use by special commandments and appointments of his grace of Sir Hugh Pollard Knight, John Tregonwell, William Petre and John Smyth Esquires late Commissioners assigned by
our said sovereign lord for taking the surrenders of the houses of religion and for certain other effects in the west parts of this our said sovreign lord's realm./ These parcells of gold plate being broken and whole gilt plate parcell gilt plate and
white plate broken and whole received by them and every of them by force and virtue of or sd. sovereign lord's commission
to them and every of them directed in that behalf from the monasteries and houses of religion hereafter ensuing that is to say the late priory of Pulton, the late priory of Marleborough, the late priory of Brodestock, the late abbey of Laycock, the late abbey of Wylton, the late Rectory or place of Edington, the superfluous plate from the cathedral church of Salisbury, the superfulous plate from the abbey of Malmesbury, and the priory of Amesbury in the county of Wiltshire, the late abbey of Shaftesbury, the late abbey of Tarrent, the late abbey of Byndon, the late abbey of Cerne, the late abbey of Sherborne, the late abbey of Abbotsbury and the late abbey of Milton in the county of Dorset. / The superfluous plate from the abbey of Glastonbury, the late abbey of Benton. The late priory of Hinton, the late priory of Witham, the late priory of Bath [Baithe], the late abbey of Keynsham, the superfluous plate from the cathedral church of Wells, the late hospital of Saint John in Wells, the late priory of Buckland Monalium, the late hospital of Saint John in Bridgewater, the late abbey of Athelney, the late priory of Taunton and the late priory of Montague in the county of Somerset ./ The late abbey of Forde the late abbey of Newham the late abbey of Dunkswell, the late abbey of Canonleigh, the late priory of Polslowe, the superfluous plate from the cathedral church of Exeter, the late hospital of Saint John in Exeter, the late abbey of Torre, the late abbey of Buckfast, the late abbey of Buckland adjoining, the late priory of Plympton, the lady [sic]abbey of Tavistock, the late abbey of Hartland, the late
priory or cell of Colwick, the late priory or cell of Marsh and the late priory or cell of Plumpter in the county of Devon, the late priory of Saint Germain, the late prory of Launceston, the lady [sic] priory of Bodmin and the late priory or cell of Saint Anthony in the county of Cornwall whereafter do consign that is to say /

First a small cross of gold with one Image garnished with xv emeralds vj garnets }
and certain small pieces, weighing together with the stones and pearls _ _ } xijozs. iiiqrts
Item a cross of silver and gilt garnished with a great coarse emerald two Balwas [Balays?] and
two saphires lacking a knop at one of the ends of this said cross
Item four chalices of gold with four patens of gold to the same and a spoon of gold }
weighing altogether _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __}Cvj ozs.
Item two colletts of gold wherein standeth two emeralds/
Item a super altar garnished with silver and gilt the part gold called the great saphire of Glastonbury
Item a great piece of an unicorn's horn as it is supposed
Item a piece of mother of pearl like a shell /
Item eight branches of fair coral
Item a crown of gold plated upon silver called king Henry VI th's crown lacking much of }
the gold and certain coarse stones wherein be many pins of copper weighing altogether }xliij ozs.
Item three more chalices of gold with iij patens of gold to the same of sundry making and weighing altogether Cxxj ozs.
Item certain rings of coarse gold wherein are set coarse stones or counterfeit stones certain}
certain buckels of coarse gold also set with counterfeit stones and certain pieces of broken gold weighing }
altogether with the said stones, white lead and chalk being in the same rings and bukkitts}
ccxl ozs. the same rings and buckles being clearly defaced and the stones white lead }
and chalk taken out of the same weighing but _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ccxj ozs.
Item five coarse mitres of sundry makings part of them broken, the same being garnished
with silver and with gilt and therein set divers and many counterfeit stones and small pearls
lacking many of the stones and pearls and much of the garnishing of the silver lacketh
Item three pairs of old pendants or labels belonging to part of the foresaid mitres garnished
with silver being evil gilt and set with counterfeit stones and small coarse pearls lacking
a great part of the garnishing both of the silver and of the coarse stones and pearls/
Item in gilt plate broken and whole_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ xvj mil ozs.}
In parcel gilt plate broken and whole_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __xvjmil xx ozs.}
Item more in white plate broken of coarse silver
at ijs viijd. the oz. tried by the assayers taken } CCCozs. vth.} xlvmil ozs.
and made thereof in the mint _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In witness whereof the said John Williams Esquire to this present indenture remaining with the above named
William Petre Esquire hath set his seal and subscribed his name the day and year abovesaid ________

3b. Indenture Receipt for Monastic Treasure
E.R.O. reference D/DP O43

Sir William Petre was Visitor of Monasteries for Henry VIII. Unlike many royal servants of an earlier age, he was not a cleric, trained by the church and serviceable to the state also. He did have degrees in both canon and civil law from Oxford University, but his ladder to high office was service under Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII's chief minister in the 1530s. Petre's business was uncompromisingly the king's business. He acted in the risky matter of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and all his lawyer's skills were needed. A west country itinerary has been mapped for the west country visitation of 1539, beginning with Poulton Priory which surrendered to him on 16 January 1539 and ending with Bruton Abbey, which surrendered on 1 April 1539.

The receipt is dated from the 31st. year of the reign of our most dread sovereign lord', (i.e.22 April 1539- 21 April 1540), and is signed by John Williams 'treasurer of the jewel and plate of our said sovereign lord king'.

The first item is listed as
'First a small cross of gold, with an image garnished with xv emeralds, vj garnets
and certain small pieces, weighing together with the stones and pearls....12ozs.iii quarters'.

There follows a 'haul fit for a king'.⁸ It included a 'crown of gold plated with silver called king Henry Vith's crown' and 'a great piece of an unicorn horn, as iti is supposed'. One and one quarter tons of treasure were handed over following a west country itinerary. As well as 'liberating' plate and jewels from the religious houses, 'superfluous' plate was removed from Salisbury Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral.

Curiously, Sir William Petre went on to serve Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth as one of the two Principal Secretaries.

Receipt for monastic treasure