The history of Drogheda - 1844 Author:John D'Alton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: cd to the yearly value of twenty-four shillings. In 1306, the temporalities of this abbey were seised into the king's hands, as well on account of the endless di... more »sputes and contests for the succession to the abbacy, as because the possessions of the said house, the advowson and patronage of which belong to the king, have been wasted and aliened away (a). The depredations, committed by the De Verdons on the lands of Mellefont in 1311, are fully detailed in the General History of Drogheda. In 1322, it was ordained that no person whatsoever should be admitted into this abbey, until he had taken an oath that he was of English descent; a chapter of the order, however, in 1323, expressed its "detestation of such damnable division, introduced by the enemy of the human race," and warned all the Cistercian Abbots, and especially those of Ireland, of whom grievous complaints had been made, " that they should remove such walls of separation, and indifferently admit all persons of all nations." In consequence of which King Edward the Second, in 1324, complained to the Pope against this infringement of the law, and in 1325, Nicholas of Lusk, then Abbot here, was not only fined, but, as it would seem, superseded for transgressing the above ordinance, which was some years afterwards yet more enforced in the Acts of the Parliament of Kilkenny. In 1327, Robert Brian, and John D'Arcy, passed their security, that the (a) Communia Plac. 35 Edw. I. in Bcrra. Turr. Abbot of Mellefout should appear before the Justices in Eyre, in Drogheda, and produce there Friar Geoffry de Ballybaldrick, Friar Nicholas, lately Al bot of this house, and Friar Luke de Caryg, debtors to the king. In two years afterwards, the Abbot paid into the Exchequer, as Governor and Controller of the Irish Cistercian establishme...« less