A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



the abbot should purchase the episcopate, rather than that it should be kept 

 vacant by the crown for the appropriation of the income, as was the case at 

 this period with the archbishopric of Canterbury for four years and the 

 bishopric of Chichester for three years. 



Bishop Herbert brought about the transference of the East Anglian see 

 from Thetford to Norwich, which was rapidly becoming an important 

 commercial centre, in 1094, and became the munificent founder of the 

 cathedral church and Benedictine priory of that city. His life and times 

 were in many ways eventful, but their story far more concerns the county of 

 Norfolk, than that of Suffolk. His attempts to destroy the exempt jurisdiction 

 of the abbey of St. Edmunds were as futile as those of Bishop Herfast. 1 

 During this episcopate, which ended by the death of the bishop in 11 19, 

 Suffolk saw the rise of various small religious houses, the priories of Hoxne 

 (a cell of Norwich), Blythburgh, Eye, Herringfleet, and Ixworth. 



The particular incident that affected Suffolk during the episcopate of 

 Bishop Everard (1 121-48) was the dividing of the archdeaconry of Suffolk, 

 which had hitherto been conterminous with the county, into two parts. 

 Richard was the last archdeacon of the whole county. Upon his being 

 appointed to a French bishopric, Bishop Everard took the opportunity or 

 apportioning the county between two archdeacons, the one retaining the 

 title of Suffolk, and the other receiving his name from Sudbury in the 

 south of the county. Walkelin, a nephew of Bishop Everard, was appointed 

 archdeacon of Suffolk in 1127, and William Fitz-Humphrey archdeacon of 

 Sudbury about the same time. 2 



During the next episcopate, that of William Turbe (1146-74), the 

 staunch supporter of Thomas of Canterbury, the nunnery of Bungay 

 was founded; whilst Bishop John of Oxford (1 175-1200) distin- 

 guished himself in Suffolk by rebuilding the Austin priory and church of 

 the Holy Trinity, Ipswich. Bishop John de Grey was the diocesan (1200- 

 12 14) during all but the final stage of the disastrous rule of King John ; but 

 throughout this period it was Abbot Sampson of St. Edmunds and not the 

 bishop of Norwich who was the great champion of the Church in East 

 Anglia. 



The diocese might almost as well have been without bishops during the rule 

 of Pandulf Masca the papal legate and the non-resident Thomas de Blunville, 

 whilst William de Raleigh (1239-44) was speedily translated to Winchester. 

 Episcopal functions must have been almost entirely discharged by suffragans 

 during the first half of the thirteenth century. It was, however, during this 

 period that the mendicant friars reached England, and brought about a 

 marked revival in religion. Both Dominicans and Franciscans were strongly 

 •established at Norwich during the episcopate of Thomas de Blunville 

 (1223-36) and they doubtless crossed the county frontier into Suffolk. None, 

 however, of the friars took up their residence in Suffolk until somewhat later 

 in the century and chiefly in the reign of Edward I. Their first establish- 

 ment was the important house of Austin friars at Clare, founded in 1248. 

 The respective dates of their introduction elsewhere in the county are subse- 

 quently discussed, suffice it here to say that eventually the Dominicans had 



1 See Goulbourn and Symonds, Life, Letters, and Sermons of Herbert de Losinga (1878), 2 vols. 

 ' Le Neve, Fasti ii, 486-90. 



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