Henry VIII, the Reign
Pardon of the Clergy
2nd Session of Reformation Parliament
16 January 1531 to 31 March 1531
No 15
An Act concerning the pardon granted to the King’s Spiritual
Subjects of the Province of Canterbury for the Praemunire
The King our Sovereign Lord, calling to his blessed and most gracious remembrance that his good and loving subjects the most Reverend Father in God the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops, suffragans, prelates, and other spiritual persons of the Province of the Archbishopric of Canterbury of this his realm of England, and the ministers underwritten which have exercised, practised, or executed in spiritual courts and other spiritual jurisdictions within the said Province, have fallen and incurred into divers dangers of his laws by things done, perpetrated, and committed contrary to the order of his laws, and specially contrary to the form of the statutes of provisors, provisions, and praemunire ; and his Highness, having alway tender eye with mercy and pity and compassion towards his said spiritual subjects, minding of his high goodness and great benignity so always to impart the same unto them as justice being daily administered all rigour be excluded, and the great and benevolent minds of his said subjects largely and many times approved towards his Highness, and specially in their Convocation and Synod now presently being in the Chapter House of the Monastery of Westminster, by correspondence of gratitude to them to be requited: Of his mere motion, benignity, and liberality, by authority of this his Parliament, hath given and granted his liberal and free pardon to his said good and loving spiritual subjects and the said ministers and to every of them, to be had, taken, and enjoyed to and by them and every of them by virtue of this present Act in manner and form ensuing, that is to wit:
The King’s Highness, of his said benignity and high liberality, in consideration that the said Archbishop, Bishops, and Clergy of the said Province of Canterbury in their said Convocation now being, have given and granted to him a subsidy of one hundred thousand pounds of lawful money current in this realm, to be levied and collected by the said clergy at their proper costs and charges and to be paid in certain form specified in their said grant thereof, is fully and resolutely contented and pleased that it be ordained, established, and enacted by authority of this his said Parliament, That the most Reverend Father in God, William, Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan and Primate of All England, and all other bishops and suffragans, prelates, abbots, priors, and their convents and every person of the same convents, and convents corporate and every person, [etc.]. . . abbesses, prioresses, and religious nuns, and all other religious and spiritual persons, deans and chapters and other dignities of cathedral and collegiate churches, prebendaries, canons and petty canons, vicars and clerks of the same and every person of the same, all archdeacons, masters, provosts, presidents, wardens of colleges and of collegiate churches, masters and wardens of hospitals, all fellows, brethren, scholars, priests, and spiritual conducts, and every of the same, and all vicars-general of dioceses, chancellors, commissaries, officials, and deans rurals, and all ministers hereafter generally rehearsed of any spiritual court or courts within the said Province of Canterbury, that is to say:
All judges, advocates, registers and scribes, proctors constituted to judgments and apparitors, and all other which within the said Province of the Archbishopric of Canterbury at any time heretofore have administered, exercised, practised, or executed in any jurisdictions within the said Province as officers or ministers of the said courts or have been ministers or executors to the exercise or administration of the same; and all and singular politic bodies spiritual in any manner wise corporated, and all parsons, vicars, curates, chantry priests, stipendiaries, and all and every person and persons spiritual of the clergy of the said Province of Canterbury in this present Act of pardon hereafter not excepted or to the contrary not provided for, by whatsoever name or surname, name of dignity, pre-eminence, or office they or any of them be or is named or called, the successors, heirs, executors, and administrators of them and of every of them, shall be by authority of this present pardon acquitted, pardoned, released, and discharged against his Highness, his heirs, successors, and executors, and every of them, of all and all manner offences, contempts, and trespasses committed or done against all and singular statute and statutes of provisors, provisions, and praemunire, and every of them, and of all forfeitures and titles that may grow to the King’s Highness by any of the same statutes, and of all and singular trespasses, wrongs, deceits, misdemeanours, forfeitures, penalties and profits, sums of money, pains of death, pains corporal and pecuniary, as generally of all other things, causes, quarrels, suits, judgments, and executions in this present Act hereafter not excepted nor for prised, which may or can be by his Highness in any wise or by any means pardoned, before and to the day of the month of March in the twenty-second year of his most noble reign, to every of his said loving subjects, that is to say: To the said archbishop and other the said bishops, suffragans, prelates, abbots, priors, and convents and every person of the same convents, and convents corporate and every person of the same convents corporate, abbesses, prioresses, nuns, and spiritual persons in dignity, and all other religious and spiritual persons, deans, chapters, prebendaries, canons, petty canons, vicars choral and clerks, archdeacons, masters, provosts, presidents, wardens, fellows, brethren, scholars, priests and spiritual conducts, chancellors, vicars-general of dioceses, commissaries, officials, deans rurals, all judges, advocates, registers and scribes, proctors and apparitors, which have administered, practised, or executed any jurisdiction in any spiritual court within the said Province, and to the said politic bodies, spiritual persons, vicars, curates, chantry priests, stipendiaries, and to all and every person and persons spiritual of the clergy of the said Province, and to all and every other person or persons before named...
The King’s Highness, of his said benignity and high liberality, in consideration that the said Archbishop, Bishops, and Clergy of the said Province of Canterbury in their said Convocation now being, have given and granted to him a subsidy of one hundred thousand pounds of lawful money current in this realm, to be levied and collected by the said clergy at their proper costs and charges and to be paid in certain form specified in their said grant thereof, is fully and resolutely contented and pleased that it be ordained, established, and enacted by authority of this his said Parliament, That the most Reverend Father in God, William, Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan and Primate of All England, and all other bishops and suffragans, prelates, abbots, priors, and their convents and every person of the same convents, and convents corporate and every person, [etc.]. . . abbesses, prioresses, and religious nuns, and all other religious and spiritual persons, deans and chapters and other dignities of cathedral and collegiate churches, prebendaries, canons and petty canons, vicars and clerks of the same and every person of the same, all archdeacons, masters, provosts, presidents, wardens of colleges and of collegiate churches, masters and wardens of hospitals, all fellows, brethren, scholars, priests, and spiritual conducts, and every of the same, and all vicars-general of dioceses, chancellors, commissaries, officials, and deans rurals, and all ministers hereafter generally rehearsed of any spiritual court or courts within the said Province of Canterbury, that is to say:
All judges, advocates, registers and scribes, proctors constituted to judgments and apparitors, and all other which within the said Province of the Archbishopric of Canterbury at any time heretofore have administered, exercised, practised, or executed in any jurisdictions within the said Province as officers or ministers of the said courts or have been ministers or executors to the exercise or administration of the same; and all and singular politic bodies spiritual in any manner wise corporated, and all parsons, vicars, curates, chantry priests, stipendiaries, and all and every person and persons spiritual of the clergy of the said Province of Canterbury in this present Act of pardon hereafter not excepted or to the contrary not provided for, by whatsoever name or surname, name of dignity, pre-eminence, or office they or any of them be or is named or called, the successors, heirs, executors, and administrators of them and of every of them, shall be by authority of this present pardon acquitted, pardoned, released, and discharged against his Highness, his heirs, successors, and executors, and every of them, of all and all manner offences, contempts, and trespasses committed or done against all and singular statute and statutes of provisors, provisions, and praemunire, and every of them, and of all forfeitures and titles that may grow to the King’s Highness by any of the same statutes, and of all and singular trespasses, wrongs, deceits, misdemeanours, forfeitures, penalties and profits, sums of money, pains of death, pains corporal and pecuniary, as generally of all other things, causes, quarrels, suits, judgments, and executions in this present Act hereafter not excepted nor for prised, which may or can be by his Highness in any wise or by any means pardoned, before and to the day of the month of March in the twenty-second year of his most noble reign, to every of his said loving subjects, that is to say: To the said archbishop and other the said bishops, suffragans, prelates, abbots, priors, and convents and every person of the same convents, and convents corporate and every person of the same convents corporate, abbesses, prioresses, nuns, and spiritual persons in dignity, and all other religious and spiritual persons, deans, chapters, prebendaries, canons, petty canons, vicars choral and clerks, archdeacons, masters, provosts, presidents, wardens, fellows, brethren, scholars, priests and spiritual conducts, chancellors, vicars-general of dioceses, commissaries, officials, deans rurals, all judges, advocates, registers and scribes, proctors and apparitors, which have administered, practised, or executed any jurisdiction in any spiritual court within the said Province, and to the said politic bodies, spiritual persons, vicars, curates, chantry priests, stipendiaries, and to all and every person and persons spiritual of the clergy of the said Province, and to all and every other person or persons before named...
