Henry VIII--Fountains Abbey

providing a detailed survey of the former Abbey's lands and possessions purchased by Gresham, with some sixteenth century notes in the left margin with the names of certain manors and noting the value of certain rents of lands, in a single chancery hand with a pen and ink initial portrait of Henry VIII enthroned (c.10 x 55mm) and some engrossed lettering throughout, 9 vellum membranes (540 x 890 mm, the final membrane half-length), 1 October 1540, fragment of a Great Seal pendant on original green and white plaited silk cords, endorsed with a notarial mark and also with near-contemporary endorsement summarising the deed, wear, especially to folds and the final membrane, leaving some portions of text illegible, dust staining, three small holes to first membrane, creased, approximately one quarter of seal remaining 

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The grant by which one of the greatest monastic houses of Medieval England entered private hands, less than a year after its dissolution. Fountains Abbey was the largest and wealthiest Cistercian monastery in England, with estates valued by the 1535 church survey (itself a prelude to the dissolution) at £1115 per annum. The year after the valuation the abbot of Fountains, William Thirsk, was accused of corrupt practices including keeping six prostitutes and attempting to sell off jewels from the treasury; he  was duly removed from his post and replaced by his accuser, Marmaduke Bradley. Soon afterwards Thirsk took part in the Pilgrimage of Grace and was executed, whilst Bradley surrendered Fountains to the crown in November 1539 and retired on a generous pension.

Fountains was a valuable asset and soon drew the attention of the property speculators who made their fortunes in the aftermath of the dissolution of the monasteries. Within a year Sir Richard Gresham (c.1485-1549), the father of Thomas Gresham and himself a rich London merchant with good connections to the court (and especially Thomas Cromwell), agreed to buy the abbey buildings and about 500 acres of land for £7000. The estates purchased by Gresham were duly surveyed and the details of this survey incorporated into the current letters patent. One of the first actions undertaken by Gresham was to strip the buildings of lead and bells, both of which were reserved for the crown, for which purpose furnaces were built within the abbey for melting metal. The building escaped wholesale demolition, however, in large part because Gresham was an absentee speculator with no interest in resusing the stone for a house of his own nearby (Fountains Hall was built by Stephen Proctor in the early seventeenth century).

Today Fountains is one of the finest surviving medieval monastic buildings in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This document records a crucial moment in the history of Fountains itself, and an unusually important record within the great redistribution of land that reshaped England in the reign of Henry VIII.