St John's Top 5: papal bulls
For April we have a selection of papal bulls (or papal charters) and church documents from the 13th to 16th centuries. (Bull or bulla is the name of the seal affixed to papal letters and charters to authenticate them. The term comes from the Latin bullire , "to boil" because whether made of wax, lead or gold, the material for the seal had to be melted to soften it and take on an impression. The seals on the College's papal bulls were made of lead and have the images of St Peter and St Paul on one side with the pope's signature on the reverse.
Pope Nicholas IV confirming sentence in appeal of St John’s Hospital vReginald de Lenna, vicar of Horningsea, Cambridgeshire. 1289
Appropriation by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Boniface of Savoy, in accord with a papal bull of 31 March, to Ospringe Hospital, Headcorn Kent. 1267
Papal bull, Pope Alexander VI at the instance of Lady Margaret, confirming the feast of Jesus with indulgences similar to those confirmed for Corpus Christi. 1494
Papal bull, Julius II to Lady Margaret Beaufort and Henry VII, granting them licence to choose confessors, with privileges relating to absolution and permission to relax the Lenten fast, and to visit enclosed religious houses. 1504
Expenses of papal bulls for suppressing Broomhall priory and Higham priory, with Sunninghill, Aldworth and Rockland churches and confirming them to St John’s College. 1524