A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



and St. Thomas, Bungay ; St. John, St. Laurence, 

 St. Andrew, and St. Margaret, Ilketshall ; Met- 

 tingham and Roughton, Norfolk ; and portions 

 of ios. and 40/. respectively, from Morton and 

 Redenhall. 1 



The advowson or patronage of this priory, im- 

 plying the assent of the patron (usually formal) 

 to the prioress chosen by the chapter, and certain 

 rights during a vacancy, belonged in the reign of 

 Edward I to Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk. 

 William de UfFord, earl of Suffolk, died seised of 

 it in 138 1 ; and John, duke of Norfolk, in 1 432, 

 as pertaining to the manor of Ilketshall. 2 



The visitations of Bishops Goldwell and Nykke 

 were entirely to the credit of this nunnery. 

 The numbers of the religious of this house were 

 considerably less towards the close of its history 

 than had been the case in the thirteenth century. 

 In 1287 there were a prioress and fifteen nuns, 3 

 but probably Bungay, like many other religious 

 houses, never recovered from the pauperizing 

 effects of the Black Death, as when Nicholas 

 Goldwell visited Bungay on 31 January, 1493, 

 as commissary for his brother the bishop, besides 

 Elizabeth Stephynson, the prioress, nine sisters 

 were resident. Nothing was then found worthy 

 of reformation.* Bishop Nykke visited this priory 

 in August, 1514 ; the register page beyond re- 

 cording the visit is blank. 5 The next visitation 

 entry was of that made by two of the bishop's 

 commissaries in August, 1520 ; the prioress, 

 Elizabeth Stephynson, did not appear on account 

 of infirmity, as well as another of the sisters ; 

 seven other nuns replied both as to the state of 

 the house and the essentials of religion, omnia bene. 6 

 At the visitation of 1526 Maria Loveday, the 

 prioress, stated that everything was praiseworthy 

 both in spiritualities and temporalities, and in this 

 estimate the visitor and seven nuns concurred. 7 

 Equally satisfactory was the visitation of 1532, 

 when Cecilia Falstolf was prioress ; there was 

 nothing to reform. 8 



This priory came, of course, under the Act of 

 1536 for the suppression of the smaller houses. 

 The exact date on which it was dissolved is not 

 known. In April of that year a memorandum in 

 the hand of the Duke of Norfolk was forwarded 

 to Cromwell, wherein he stated that he had 

 obtained possession of Bungay, worth £60 

 last St. Andrewtide. The nuns seem to have 

 forestalled forcible action and deserted the house, 

 knowing what was in store for them, for at that 

 date the duke found 'not one nun left therein.' 

 He stated that he had previously shown the king 

 that the nuns would not abide, so ' the house 



1 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 430-1. 



2 Inq. p. m. 35 Edw. I, No. 46 ; 5 Ric. II, No. 5 7 ; 

 1 1 Hen. VI, No. 43. 



3 Tanner, Not. Mon. Suff. viii. 

 ' Jessopp, Visit. 39-40. 



5 Ibid. 144. "Ibid. 189. 



7 Ibid. 261. 9 Ibid. 318. 



being void, I, as founder, 9 lawfully entered there- 

 unto.' I0 



On 18 December, 1537, Thomas, duke of 

 Norfolk, obtained a grant of the site of this 

 priory, with the whole of its property and advow- 

 son, from the crown at the modest rental of 

 £6 41. 3</., about a tenth of its annual value." 



Prioresses of Bungay 



Mary de Huntingfield, 1220 12 



Alice, occurs 1228 13 



Mary, occurs 1270 u 



Sara de Strafford, 1 29 1 u 



Joan, occurs 1301 la 



Elizabeth Folyoth, 1306 17 



Mary de Felbrigge, 1 308 13 



Mary de Castello, died 1335 " 



Katharine Fastolf, 1335 2IJ 



Ellen Becclesworth, resigned 1380 21 



Katharine de Montacute, 1380 22 



Margaret Smalbergh, 1395 23 



Margaret Park, 1 3 g 9 24 



Sara Richeres, 1 407 25 



Margaret Takell, 1433 s6 



Emmota Roughed, 1439 27 



Ellen Tolle, occurs 145 I 23 



Emma, occurs 1455 29 



Anne Rothenhall, occurs 1459 3 ° 



Margaret Dalenger, 1465 31 



Elizabeth Stephynson, 1490 32 



Maria Loveday, occurs 1526 33 



Cecilia Falstolf, occurs 1532 34 



The conventual seal of the priory of Holy 

 Cross, Bungay, was engraved in the Gentleman's 

 Magazine of May, 18 10, from an impression 

 attached to a deed of 1360. The design is our 

 Lord on the cross, with a man kneeling on each 

 side at the base. Legend : 



-)- s' . S'CIMONIALIA' . DOMUS -f- s' . CRUCIS 

 DE BUNGEYA 



The matrices of the seals of two early prioresses 

 are also extant ; in each case the design is 



patron. 



10 L. and P. Hen. VIII, x, 599, 1236 



11 Ibid, xii (2), 131 1. 

 " B.M. Topham Chart. 1 3 

 13 Feet of F. Suff. Add. MS 

 11 Ibid. 



16 Pat. 3 1 Edw. I, m. 24 d. 

 "Add. MS. 19m, fol. 15 

 15 Ibid. 

 ,0 Ibid. 

 " Ibid. 



191 1 1, fol. 158. 

 u Ibid. 



19 Norw. Epis. Reg. ii, 76. 

 " Ibid, vi, 73. 

 » Ibid, vi, 217. 

 " Ibid, vii, 6. 

 7 Ibid, x, 3 1. 



" Ibid, vi, 256. 



86 Ibid, ix, 67. 



13 Add. MSS. 141 1 1, fol. 158. 



89 Ibid. 3U Ibid. 



31 Norw. Epis. Reg. xi, 151. 



33 Ibid, xii, 145. " Jessopp, Visit. 260 



" Ibid. 318. 



82 



