(directed as the first) informeth and showeth your lords sir Thos Hesketh knight his majesty's attorney general of the said court of wards and liveries for and on behalf of the right honourable Hen de Vere earl of Oxenford his majesty's ward that whereas the late right honourable Edw de Vere earl of Oxford lord great chamberlain of England deceased was in his lifetime lawfully seised in his demesne as of fee of and in divers and sundry portions of tithes and other hereditaments to them severally belonging severally lying and being and arising and renewing in and out of divers and sundry manors lands tenements and hereditaments in the said parishes hamlets and fields of Lavenham Aldham Bures St Mary Suffolk and of Hedingham Sible Aldham Marks Tey Maplestead Magna Maplestead Parva Stansted in the parish of Halstead and Mount Bures in the county of Essex which several portions of tithes were sometime parcel of the possessions of the late dissolved priory of Colne Essex and were by the said earl and by divers of his ancestors before letten out to farm to several persons at several rents and have so continued in lease for many years past and whereas by reason thereof and also for that the incumbents and parsons farmers proprietors and owners of the parsonages and of other the tithes of the said parishes have severally obtained and gotten into their several possessions long since the several interests in the said several leases and have for may years by reason thereof continued the possession of the said several portions of tithes they have utterly obscured and brought out of knowledge what lands and tenements are liable to payment of the said several portions and how much the same several portions do contain and how far the same do extend and hav e confounded the same with other the tithes of the towns and parishes aforesaid and whereas the same late earl some few years before his decease was likewise lawfully seised in his demesne as of fee of and in divers yearly rents annuities pensions and sums of money issuing and going out of divers and sundry lands tenements and hereditaments lying and being in the towns and places before named and in Mersey Ashleden alias Ashen den Sutton Colne Engaine and divers other towns and places in the said county of Essex and Suffolk now unknown which were also late parcel of the possessions of the said late dissolved priory of Colne Essex and also of and in a certain messuage lands meadows pastures and hereditaments called or known by the name of Langley Hill lying and being in Colne Engaine aforesaid and also of and in 2a of land late parcel of the manor of Brettes lying and being in Westham in the said county of Essex and whereas divers of the ledger books registers surveys deeds of grant rentals evidences writings and muniments as well touching and concerning the said several portions of tithes as also touching and concerning the said yearly rents annuities pensions and sums of money messuages lands and tenements were in the lifetime of the said earl by and through the fraud practise and negligence of some of the officers of the said late earl embezzled conveyed and taken out of and from the custody and possession of the said earl which would manifest not only the certainty of the said portions and what manors lands and tenements are charged with the payment of the same portions of tithes but also what the certainty of the said rents annuities pensions and sums of money are and out of what lands and tenements the same are and ought to be issuing and also by reason of the embezzling and conveying away of the said ledger books registers rentals and other evidences the said yearly rents annuities pensions and sums of money have been for the space of divers years in the lifetime of the said earl withdrawn concealed and unpaid to and from the said earl and the said earl through the want of the said evidences was without any remedy to recover the same by the ordinary course of the common laws of this realm and whereas by office duly found at Brentwood Essex 27.9.2Jas1 it is found by the office that the said late earl at the time of his decease was seised in his demesne as of fee of the said portions of tithes and that he died thereof so seised and that the same were at the said time of his decease and the day of the taking of the said inquisition holden of the king's majesty by knights service in chief and that Hen de Vere now earl of Oxford was his son and next heir and within the age of twenty one years as by he said office returned into the king's majesty's high court of chancery and from thence transcripted into the said court of wards and liverys more at large may appear and whereas the said Hen now earl of Oxford is yet still within the age of twenty one years and the king's majesty's ward now so it is if it may please your good lordship that the said ledger books registers surveys rentals leases evidences writings and muniments or the great or some part of them are now come to the hands and possession of Rich Harlakenden Thos Harlakenden sons of Roger Harlakenden deceased Ann Harlakenden widow late wife of the said Roger Harlakenden Clem Stonard gentleman sir Francis Hubbard knight Hen Coppinger clerk Wm Harrington Jn Watson clerk Wm Blythe clerk Thos French gentleman Dan Syday gentleman Wm Syday gentleman Jeff Little gentleman Theodore Goodwin esq and Mary his wife Rich Ofeeld and Alex White or the some of them or to the hands custody and possession of some other person or persons by their or some or one of their knowledges privity content or delivery who by colour of having the possession thereof have entered into the said portions messuages lands tenements and rents and have done and still do take the profits of the said portions of tithes messuages lands and tenements and do receive the said yearly rents annuities pensions and sums of money to their or some of their own use which of right do belong and appertain to the king's majesty in the right of the said ward and by colour thereof have contrived divers and sundry secret estates to themselves and others unknown to the said attorney by reason whereof the same cannot certainly be put in charge to the king's majesty to the great damage and loss of the king's majesty and the disinherison of the said ward and for as much as the certain dates and other particular certainties of the said ledger books registers evidences and writings are unknown but only to the said persons before named and all the premises are within the survey and jurisdiction of the said court of wards and liveries it may please your lordship to grant the king's majeties writ and writs of privy se al to the direct ed to the aforesaid persons etc