A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



primary objects the maintenance of the grammar 

 school, it used its revenues partly tor that purpose. 

 It is a curious thing that in each of the years 

 covered by the Court Books, from which this 

 entry comes, viz. 15 13-21, there is an entry 

 that the prandium vocatum k Corpus Christi dynner 

 and the ludus vocatus le Corpus Christi play 

 shall not be held this year. It looks as if the 

 good people of Ipswich were already tired of the 

 superstitious mummery long before the king began 

 to move in the direction of the Reformation. 

 William Stevynson, grammar master in the said 

 town of Ipswich, occurs as a witness to the will 

 of Richard Oke of Brooks Street in 1522. 1 



Meanwhile it would appear that John Squire 

 or Mr. Heed had the honour of superintending 

 the first beginnings of the education of the 

 Ipswichian who has loomed largest in history, 

 Cardinal Wolsey. His father Robert Wolsey 

 lived in the parish of St. Nicholas, and the cardinal 

 was born there about 1470, since the father's will 

 of 21 September, 1496, contains a bequest that 



if Thomas my son be a priest within a year after my 

 decease then I will that he sing for me and my friends 

 of the space of a year and he to have for his salary 

 10 marks. 



If not, ' another honest priest ' was to have it. 

 Presumably the son's priesthood was delayed only 

 by lack of the canonical age of 24. The fact 

 that Wolsey had gone up to Oxford at the age 

 of 15 as a demy of Magdalen College may per- 

 haps show that Ipswich Grammar School was not 

 at this time of the highest grade, but it may only 

 show that Wolsey was an exceptionally clever 

 boy. At all events, we may fairly infer that he 

 was an Ipswich Grammar School boy before 

 entering on the career that led to the summit of 

 fortune and of fame. 



On 14 May, 1528, Pope Clement VII issued a 

 bull authorizing the suppression of the priories of 

 Rumburgh (Romeborow), Felixstowe, Bromhill, 

 Blythburgh (Bliberow), and Mountjoy. On 

 26 May letters patent of the king ratified a bull 

 for the suppression of St. Peter's Priory, Ipswich, 

 and the conversion of the priory into a college, 

 and on 31 May further bulls issued empowering 

 Cardinal College, Oxford, to transfer to Cardinal 

 College, Ipswich, the priories of Snape, Dodnash, 

 Wikes, Horksley, and Tiptree (Typtre) in 

 Essex. On 26 June the king granted the rectory 

 of St. Matthew's, Ipswich. 



On 29 June the letters patent of Henry VIII 

 for the foundation of the college issued. Three 

 counterparts of the original — one with what is 

 evidently a portrait of the king in the initial 

 letter, beautifully drawn and tinted — are preserved 

 at the Record Office among Cardinal Wolsey's 

 charters. In view of these impending events they 

 have a curious sound. For in language that was 



1 Wills in Ipswich Probate office. I am indebted 

 for this reference to Mr. V. B. Redstone, an assistant 

 master of Woodbridge School. 



more appropriate in the mouths of Edward III 

 and William of Wykeham, they recite how it 

 was because of ' the sincere devotion and special 

 affection which he felt for the most glorious 

 Virgin, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 

 for the augmentation and increase of divine wor- 

 ship in celebration of masses, prayers, and other 

 divine offices and for the increase of the art and 

 science of grammar and the exaltation and estab- 

 lishment in this behalf of most holy mother 

 church, his bride,' that the king, on the 'pious 

 proposal and humble petition ' of his chancellor 

 the cardinal, wished to found a college in the 

 parish of St. Matthew, Ipswich, 3 ' in and of the 

 number of I dean, I 2 priest fellows, 8 clerks, and 

 8 chorister boys, there daily to serve at divine 

 worship, and of poor [egenorum) scholars desiring 

 to learn grammar, and 13 poor men perpetually to 

 pray for our good estate while alive and for our 

 souls when we have passed from this light.' 



On 3 July Wolsey issued a commission in 

 almost royal style to John Higden, dean of 

 Cardinal College, Oxford, Lawrence Stubbs his 

 almoner, Richard Ducke, dean of his chapel, 

 William Capon, dean of the college to be erected 

 at Ipswich, Cuthbert Martial, afterwards dean of 

 Darlington, and, most famous name of all, 

 Stephen Gardiner, LL.D., to prepare statutes for 

 Ipswich College. On 6 July further letters 

 granted to Wolsey ' perpetual caretaker 3 of 

 St. Alban's Abbey ' the nunnery of Our Lady 

 de Pratis, otherwise Pray, in Hertfordshire, ex- 

 tinct by the death of Eleanor Barnard, late 

 prioress. On 9 July Wolsey was empowered to 

 grant St. Matthew's to the college. On 15 July 

 the foundation stone of the college was laid by 

 John Longlands, bishop of Lincoln. On 26 July 

 two sets of letters patent were issued granting 

 the lands of the suppressed priories of St. Peter's, 

 Ipswich, and the priories of Rumburgh, Felix- 

 stowe, Bromhill, Blythburgh, and Mountjoy. 



On 28 July Wolsey executed his foundation 

 deed in pursuance of the letters patent, erect- 

 ing 'Saint Mary Cardynall College of Ipswich' and 

 converting the priory of St. Peter's into a college 

 to consist of a dean, &c, echoing precisely the 

 words of the letters patent, 



' also * of one Master Teacher or Preceptor and one 

 Undermaster in grammar whose duty it is to instruct 

 or teach the poor scholars and others whatsoever and 

 wheresoever from the realm of England coming to the 



' The licence in mortmain for the grant of lands was 

 for the largest amount then given, being up to £1,000 

 a year. 



3 This is the plain English. In ecclesiastico-Icgal 

 'jargon,' it is commendatory or holding in commendam.' 



* Necnon unius magistri Informatoris sive Pre- 

 ceptoris et unius hypodidascali in gramatica qui egenos 

 scholares aliosque quoscunqueet undecumque de dicto 

 regno Anglie ad dictum collegium confluentes in 

 rudimentis gramatice gratis absque pecunie vel alterius 

 rei exaccione debeant informare sive erudire juxta 

 ordinaciones fiendas, in villa Gippwici erigimus. 



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