In consideration whereof the king's most royal majesty, being supreme head on earth, under God, of the Church of England, daily finding and devising the increase, advancement and exaltation of true doctrine and virtue in the said Church, to the glory and honour of God, and the total extirping and destruction of vice and sin, having knowledge that the premises be true, as well by the accounts of his late visitations, as by sundry credible informations, considering also that divers and great solemn monasteries of this realm, wherein (thanks be to God) religion is right well kept and observed, be destitute of such full numbers of religious persons, as they ought and may keep--has thought good that a plain declaration should be made of the premises, as well to the Lords spiritual and temporal, as to other his loving subjects, the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled: whereupon the said Lords and Commons, by a great deliberation, finally be resolved, that it is, and shall be much more to the pleasure of Almighty God, and for the honour of this his realm, that the possessions of such small religious houses; now being spent, spoiled and wasted for increase and maintenance of sin, should be used and converted to better uses, and the unthrifty religious persons, so spending the same, to be compelled to reform their lives: and thereupon most humbly desire the king's highness, that it may be enacted by authority of this present Parliament, that his majesty shall have and enjoy to him and his heirs for ever, all and singular such monasteries, priories, and other religious houses of monks, canons and nuns, of what kinds of diversities of habits, rules, or orders soever they be called or named, which have not in lands, tenements, rents, tithes, portions, and other hereditaments above the clear yearly value of two hundred pounds. SUPPRESSION OF THE MONASTERY OF TEWKESBURY (1536). +Source.+--Burnet's _History of the Reformation_. 1st Part; _Collection of Records_, Book III. 3, Sec. V. "Copied from a book that is in the Augmentation Office," 1536. COUNTY: GLOUCESTER. {Surrender to the use of the King's Majesty and of {his Heirs and Successors for ever made bearing date Tewkesbury {under the Covent-Seal[47] of the same late monastery, late {the 9th day of January, in the 31st year of the reign Monastery. {of our most dread victorious Sovereign Lord, King Henry {the Eighth: and the said day and year clearly dissolved {and suppressed. The clear yearly {As well Spiritual as Temporal, over and value of all the {besides £136 8s. 1d. in Fees, Annuities and said possessions {Custodies, granted to divers persons by Letters belonging to the {Patents under the Covent-Seal of the said late Monastery {Monastery for term of their lives £1595 15 6