Letter from Prioress Jane Messendyne and her nuns of Legborne Convent in Lincolnshire to their founder previous to the dissolution of their house, year 1537

Source:

Original letters illustrative of English history, series 1, volume 2, page 74, edited by Henry Ellis, 1825

https://archive.org/details/originallettersi02elliuoft/page/74/mode/2up

The letter:

Right honourable our most synguler Maister and Founder, our duetie in the humblest wise presupposed, with dayly prayer, as your perpetuall and religious beedwomen. Please yt your goodnes to undirstonde, that where as Almyghty God hath indued you wt just title Founder of the Pryory of Legborne to the great comfort of me and all my systers: we doo and shall alweyes submit ourselfs to youre most rightuouse commaundement and ordre, oonly puttyng our comfort in your goodnesse for all causes concernyng your poure Pryory of Legbourne. And where as we doo here that a grete nombre of Abbyes shalbe punysshed, subprest, and put downe bicause of their mislyvyng; and that all Abbyes and Pryores undir the value of CC.li be at our moste noble Prynce's pleasure to subpresse and put downe. Yet if it may pleas your goodnes, we trust in God ye shall here no compleynts agaynst us, nother in our lyvyng nor hospitalitie kepyng. In consideracioun wherof if it may please your goodnes, in our great necessitie, to be a meane and sewter for your owne powre Pryory, that it maye be preserved and stond, you shalbe a more higher Founder to vs than he that first foundid oure Howse. We have noon othir comfort nor refuge but oonly unto your goodnes, and we hooly submyt our selfs to the pleasure of God, to the pleasure of our Prynce, and to the pleasure of you our Founder; and how soever it shall please God that we shalbe orderid, we shall continue your faithfull and dayly bedewomen. As knoweth oure Lorde who ever preserve you to your most comfort.

Yor owne dayly beadwomen

JANE MESSYNDYNE Pryores

and SISTERS of the PRYORY of LEGBORNE.