A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



of Helmingham, held by the nuns of the gift of 

 Cicely, widow of Robert de Ufford. 1 



At the time of the Black Death (1349) the 

 value of this house greatly deteriorated, and it 

 dwindled to half its former income, a position 

 from which it never recovered. The Valor of 

 1535 gave the total clear annual value, including 

 the appropriations of the churches of Flixton, 

 Fundenhall, and Dunston, as £23 4*. oW. 

 Among the considerable outgoings the largest 

 item was £8 35. 4*/., distributed to the poor on 

 the anniversary of Margery the foundress. 8 



Among the rolls at the Bodleian is one of 1370, 

 of articles, and depositions relative to a dispute 

 pending in the Roman court between the 

 parishioners of Fundenhall, Norfolk, and the 

 prioress and convent of Flixton, concerning the 

 repairs of Fundenhall church. 3 



Katharine Pilly, the prioress, who had laud- 

 ably ruled this house for eighteen years, resigned 

 in 1432, on account of old age and blindness. 

 In the following year the bishop as visitor made 

 careful provision for her sustenance. The ex- 

 prioress was to have suitable rooms for herself 

 and maid ; each week she and her maid were to 

 be provided with two white loaves, eight loaves 

 of ' hool ' bread (whole bread), and eight gallons of 

 convent beer ; with a dish for both, daily from 

 the kitchen, the same as for two nuns in the 

 refectory ; and with 200 faggots and 1 00 logs, 

 and eight pounds of candles a year. Another 

 kindly provision was that Cecilia Creyke, one of 

 the nuns, was to read divine service to her daily, 

 and to sit with her at meals, having her portion 

 from the refectory. 4 



Towards the close of the life of this house, the 

 average number of the nuns was about eight, 

 instead of the eighteen named by the founders. 

 No evil was brought to light at the visitations 

 of Bishops Goldwell and Nykke. 



Bishop Goldwell personally visited this priory 

 on 20 June, 1493. Elizabeth Vyrly, the 

 prioress, Margaret Causten, the sub-prioress, and 

 four other nuns were severally examined, and 

 nothing was found worthy of reformation. The 

 nuns were attending mass at the parish church 

 because their chaplain had broken his arm and 

 was unable to celebrate. 6 



Bishop Nykke made his first visitation to this 

 priory on 11 August, 1514. Various complaints 

 were made as to the caprice and severity of the 

 prioress, the laxity of discipline and administra- 

 tion, and of the frequent access of John Wells, 

 a relative, to the prioress. The bishop ordered 

 that John Wells (who seems to have been the 

 chaplain) should leave the house and town, 

 before All Saints' day, and adjourned the visitation 

 to the following Easter. 6 



1 Pat. 14 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 21. 



* Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 446. 

 3 Bodl. Rolls, Suff. 13. 



* Norw. Epis. Reg. ix, 87. 



s Jessopp, Visit. 47-8. 6 Ibid. 1 44. 



The visitation of 14 August, 1520, was held 

 by the suffragan Bishop of Chalcedon and other 

 commissaries. Alice (Elizabeth) Wright, prioress, 

 complained of the disobedience of Margaret 

 Punder, her predecessor, but gave a good report 

 of everything in the house. The late prioress 

 complained of non-receipt of her proper pension, 

 board, and winter fuel. The sub-prioress stated 

 that no annual account was presented. Isabel 

 Asshe said that when she and her sisters were 

 unwell, the prioress compelled them to rise for 

 mattins, in which complaint three other nuns 

 agreed. The visitation was adjourned, and the 

 prioress was ordered to present the accounts and 

 inventory before Christmas. 7 



The visitation was resumed on 20 August by 

 Nicholas Carr, the chancellor of the diocese, and 

 another commissary, when each inmate was 

 again severally examined. The prioress pleaded 

 that no accounts had been presented, as she was 

 not accustomed to figures and had not written 

 down what she had expended. Margaret Pun- 

 der, the ex-prioress, repeated her complaint of 

 niggardly treatment, adding that she was unwill- 

 ing to yield obedience to the prioress as contrary 

 to the rules of religion. Five other sisters 

 testified omnia bene, save the non-presentment 

 of accounts. The chancellor enjoined on the 

 prioress that all dogs were to be removed from 

 the priory within a month, save one ; that the 

 prioress was to have a sister with her if she 

 slept outside the dormitory ; that she was to 

 render a yearly account before the senior sisters 

 of the state of the houses and of all receipts and 

 expenses, under pain of deprivation ; and that 

 she was to discharge Richard Carr from the 

 priory's service. 8 



At the visitation of August, 1526, the prioress, 

 ex-prioress, and four other sisters all testified 

 omnia bene, save that the sub-prioress complained 

 of the defective roofs of the cloister and refectory 

 which the prioress was ordered to repair as 

 quickly as possible. 9 The visitation was equally 

 satisfactory in every respect in 1532, when the 

 same prioress and ex-prioress and six other sisters 

 were all examined. 10 



Flixton Priory was among those numerous 

 small houses of East Anglia, &c, that were 

 authorized to be suppressed in 1527—8 by bulls 

 of Pope Clement VII, to enable Cardinal Wolsey 

 to found great colleges at Ipswich and Oxford. 

 Wolsey's fall, however, prevented the accomplish- 

 ment of this plan, so that Flixton was included 

 in the general suppression of the smaller houses 

 by the legislation of 1536. The Suffolk com- 

 missioners visited this nunnery on 21 August, 

 1536, when they drew up an elaborate inven- 

 tory of the goods and chattels of the house. 

 ' In the Chiste wt. in the quire ' were a great 

 array of vestments, but many of them very old ; 



7 Ibid. 185-6. 

 9 Ibid. 261. 



8 Ibid. 190-I. 

 10 Ibid. 318-19 



116 



