A contemporary narrative of the proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for sorcery in 1324, by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory / edited by Thomas Wright.
- Date:
- 1843
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A contemporary narrative of the proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for sorcery in 1324, by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory / edited by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
95/120 page 43
![ill blood between the bishop and Poer. The bishop accused him of heresy, had him excommunieated,* and by virtue of a writ of ZZvcommunicato capiendo, grounded on his certificate, he was committed prisoner to the castle of Dublin; but was by most people thought to be innocent ; insomuch that Roger Outlawe, Prior of Kilmainham, who in 1928 was constituted Justice of Ireland, shewed him some countenance, and treated him with humanity. The bishop was enraged at this procedure, and openly accused the justice of heresy, and for abetting Poer, and aiding him with his advice and counsel. The justice petitioned the Privy Council for leave to purge himself of this charge; and they ordered public proclamation to be made for three days ; that if any person had a mind to prosecute the said justice, they should have protection with freedom and safety to do it. But, no body appearing, the King's writ was issued at the request of the justice, to assemble the peers, bishops, abbots, priors, the mayors of the four cities ; viz. Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Waterford, as also the sheriffs, and seneschals, the knights of shires, and the principal freemen of the city of Dublin. When this parliament met the justice made it appear,T that the bishop's proceedings against Poer were partial and unjust iu favour of a kinsman of the bishop, who began the quarrel with Poer; and that there- fore the lord chief-justice only supported the cause of the oppressed. The parliament appointed a committee] of six to examine the charge. These were William Rodyeard dean of $St. Patrick's Dublin, the abbats of St. Thomas and St. Mary's, the prior of Christ Church, Mr. Elias Lawless, and Mr. Peter Willeby. lhey examined such witnesses as were summoned apart; and every one of them made oath, that the justice was orthodox, a zealous champion of the faith, and ready to defend it with his life. Upon this report of the Committee he was solemnly acquitted, and prepared a sumptuous banquet for all his defenders. But the unfortunate Poer died the same year, 1931,$ under his confinement, before the matter was fully adjusted ; and his carcass was a long time kept unburied, because he died unassoiled. However our bishop did not escape his share of troubles, which lay on him heavily for many years; and this accuser of heresy was obliged to fly his country for the same crime. For he was in his turn accused of heresy by his metropolitan, Alexander Bicknor, arch* bishop of Dublin, and was driven to shelter himself under an appeal to the apostolic see. I cannot fix the particular time when this happened; but believe it was in the year 1329. For on the eighth|| of June that year King Edward III. wrote to the Pope and many of the cardinals, warning them to take heed how they gave ear to the suggestions of Bishop Ledred; for that he had privately fled his country, when he ought to have stood his trial for his demerits ; and in 1331«| he wrote on the same occasion to the * King's Collect, M.S. p. 23. T Cox, i. v. p. 208. i Collect. ut supra. $ Cox, ibid. | Rym. tom. iv. p. 393. € Ibid. p. 473.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33096831_0095.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
