Add Ch 67394

Friar John Bradfield, Robert of Hebton, William Brechton of Ekygan and John Fogg of Bradshaw testify that they heard William of Lener on his deathbed say that, when Alice of Hulton lay dying, he heard Richard French of Bolton say that the divorce between Robert of Pilkington of Rovington and Alice of Astley was done under a false pretext. Alice of Hulton swore that this was a lie and she did know Robert carnally. Given 20 December 1447.

Robert later married Katherine of Aynesworth and received a papal dispensation for this in 1403, as Katherine was a second cousin to Alice of Hulton. The dispensation states that Robert divorced Alice of Astley because of an unspecified family relationship between her and Alice of Hulton, with whom he had already fathered a child. For more on the case, see: Pilkington, History of the Pilkington Family (1912), pp. 91, 92, 216-21.

Endorsed: in a 17th century hand, ‘Declaration of John Bradfeld [and] ot[he]r[s]’.

Affixed with four red seals. The first, second and fourth are imperfect and unidentifiable; the third, with a ‘B’ monogram, may be that of John Bradfield or William Brechton. If the order of seals reflects that of order of names in the text, then they should correspond to John Bradfield, Robert of Hebton, William Brechton, and then John Fogg.