A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



one ; that she had laid violent hands on Agnes 

 Brakle on St. Luke's Day ; that she had been 

 alone with Thomas Langelond, bailiff, in private 

 and suspicious places, such as a small hall with 

 windows closed, and sub heggerowes ; that no 

 annual account had been rendered ; that obits had 

 been neglected ; that goods had been alienated, 

 and trees cut down and sold without knowledge 

 or consent of the convent ; and that she was 

 not religious or honest in conversation. On 

 Joan Tates being questioned as to incontinence, 

 she said that it was provoked by the bad example 

 of the prioress. 



The inquiry was adjourned to 1 1 September, 

 when the prioress, to avoid great scandal, made 

 her resignation in a written document witnessed 

 by all the nuns. The commissary's secretary 

 set down the details of this solemn scene, with 

 curious particularity, describing even the difference 

 in dress between the professed sisters and the 

 novices. Dr. Ringstede considered that all the 

 religious were to blame, and ordered the whole 

 convent to fast on bread and beer on Fridays. 

 Joan Tates having confessed to incontinence, 

 was to go in front of the solemn procession of 

 the convent next Sunday, wearing no veil and 

 clad in white flannel. The full form of resig- 

 nation and confession of the prioress was entered 

 in the diocesan register, and she was sent in 

 banishment to the priory of Wykes. 1 



Bishop Nykke personally visited Redlingfield 

 on 7 August, 1 5 14, when certain minor irregu- 

 larities were brought to light. The prioress 

 complained of the disobedience of some of the 

 sisters. Several of the nuns complained that 

 the sub-prioress was cruel and too severe in 

 discipline, even to the often drawing of blood. 

 It was objected by others that no statement of 

 accounts had been rendered for some years ; 

 that there were no curtains between the beds in 

 the dormitory ; that boys slept in the dormitory ; 

 that they had no proper infirmary ; and that the 

 refectory was unused for meals, being put to 

 other purposes. The visitor ordered the prioress 

 to exhibit an inventory of the valuables, of the 

 cattle, and of all movables before the feast of 

 All Saints, and a statement of accounts at 

 Michaelmas, I 5 1 5. The refectory and infirmary 

 were to be put to their proper uses, and a 

 warden of the infirmary appointed. The sub- 

 prioress was to correct and punish with discretion 

 and not cruelly. Curtains were to be provided 

 between the beds, and boys were not to sleep in 

 the dormitory. 2 



The suffragan Bishop of Chalcedon and Dr. 



1 Norw. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 104.-6. This is the 

 only religious house scandal that we have noticed in 

 the whole of the diocesan registers at Norwich. 



' Jessopp, Visit. 1 3 8-40. By the boys, as may be 

 gathered from other nunnery visitations, were meant 

 the little boys who occasionally accompanied their 

 sisters as boarding scholars. 



84 



Cappe visited this priory, as commissaries of 

 Bishop Nykke, in August, 1 520. Margery 

 Cokrose, the prioress, and nine other nuns were 

 all examined, with the result that not a single 

 complaint nor any remissness was brought to 

 light ; a full inventory of all the goods was 

 exhibited, and the annual account would be 

 presented at Michaelmas. 3 There was an 

 equally satisfactory visitation in July, 1526, 

 when there was nothing to redress ; the visitation 

 was attended by Grace Sansome {alias Sampson), 

 prioress, and by five professed sisters and three 

 novices. 4 The last visitation of this house, 

 undertaken by Bishop Nykke, with Miles Spenser 

 as auditor and principal official, was held on 

 5 July, 1532, when the same prioress and nine 

 other nuns testified ; all returned satisfactory 

 answers, and the bishop could find nothing 

 needing reformation. 



This house coming under the Suppression Act 

 of the smaller monasteries of 1536, the Suffolk 

 commissioners visited Redlingfield on 26 August 

 to draw up an inventory. The ornaments of 

 the altar were only valued at Js. 8d. A pair of 

 organs and four books in the quire were esti- 

 mated at 5$. The contents of the vestry 8s. \d., 

 including a silver chalice, many old altar cloths 

 and linen cloths, and a pair of censers and a ship 

 of latten. The contents of the Lady chapel 

 only added 8d. to the total. The hall, parlour, 

 chambers, &c, were but poorly furnished. The 

 only substantial items were the cattle jTii 141., 

 and the corn £11 i6x. The total of the 

 inventory was ^130 7;. n^d. 6 



Grace Sampson, the prioress, on the day before 

 the taking of this inventory, deposed to Sir 

 Anthony Wingfield and the other commissioners 

 that the house had seven religious and twenty- 

 three servants, of whom two were priests, four 

 women servants, and seventeen hinds. 



The priory was surrendered on 10 February, 

 1536-7, when each nun received the trifling sum 

 of 23;. 4-d.y the two priests 25;. each, and 

 thirteen other servants sums varying from 15;. 

 to 2s. 6d. The nuns were turned out penniless 

 save for their 'rewards.' The prioress obtained 

 no reward, but then she had been well pensioned 

 on the preceding 20 January at twenty marks 

 a year. 6 



The house and site of the dissolved monastery, 

 with the whole of its property, were granted on 

 25 March, 1537, to Sir Edmund Bedingfield 

 and Grace his wife. 7 Sir Edmund was a large 

 purchaser of the church furniture from the 

 inventory of 10 February. The lead and bells 

 were valued at ^90. 8 



•Ibid. 182-3. « Ibid. 224. 



* Proc. Suf. Arch. Inst, viii, 95-8. 



6 L. and P. Hen. Fill, xii, pt. i, 388, 510 ; Misc. 

 Bks. (Aug. Off.), ccxxxii, fol. 40^. 



7 Pat. 28 Hen. VII, pt. iv, m. 6. 

 1 L. and P. Hen. Fill, xii, pt. i, 388 (iii, iv). 



