

RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



monks was properly established. The cell of the 

 island of Mendham was to show such subjection 

 to St. Mary of Castle Acre, as Castle Acre did to 

 the priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, and as Lewes did 

 to the mother house of Cluni ; and it was to pay 

 half a mark yearly to Castle Acre, as an acknow- 

 ledgement of submission. By his second charter 

 the founder described more in detail his gifts of 

 land ; and at the same time he confirmed the 

 gifts of Roger de Hammesirl, William the son 

 of Hoscetel, and Sigar, and provided that the 

 bequests of these three should only be used to- 

 wards providing the monks with a church of 

 stone. 1 The exact date of these charters is not 

 known; but the founder died in 1155, and his 

 wife Sibyl in n86. 2 



Roger de Huntingfield, the son of the founder, 

 who died in 1 204, materially increased the en- 

 dowments of Mendham. He gave to the monks 

 the church of St. Margaret, Linstead, a moiety 

 of the church of St. Peter, Linstead, and all his 

 right in the church of Mendham. The convent 

 of Mendham was by this time complete ; and 

 Roger appointed John de Lindsey the first prior. 

 An agreement was at the same time entered into 

 between Hugh, prior of Castle Acre, and his 

 convent and Roger de Huntingfield, that the 

 prior of Mendham was not to be deposed, save 

 for disobedience, incontinence, or dilapidation 

 of the house, and that such deposition was not to 

 take place without the advice of the monks of 

 Mendham and the patron. It was also agreed 

 that the convent of Mendham was to consist of 

 at least eight monks, four of whom were to be 

 sent from Castle Acre. Any man betaking him- 

 self to Mendham through fear of death was to be 

 received ; but no one in health to be admitted 

 without the consent of the prior of Acre. If the 

 house at Mendham so increased as to sustain its 

 whole congregation, they were to be at liberty 

 to receive any according to their own discretion. 3 



The taxation of 1291 showed that Mendham 

 priory had an income of 19 1 8*. 6^d. Of this 

 sum, 1 1 came from a portion of the rectory of 

 Fressingfield, and the remainder in lands or rents 

 from ten parishes in Suffolk and Norfolk.* 



During the wars with France Mendham was 

 treated as an alien priory ; but in 1337 Edward 

 III ordered the restoration to the prior of Mend- 

 ham of the priory with all its lands, benefices, 

 goods and chattels (in like manner as with Castle 

 Acre, of which Mendham was a cell), as the 

 prior and all his monks were Englishmen, and 

 the priory was founded by an Englishman, 

 and sent no ' apport ' or contribution across 

 the seas. 6 



1 Cited in Dugdale, Man. v, 58. 

 'Harl. MS. 972, fol. 113. 

 1 Charters cited, Dugdale, Mm. v, 58-9. 

 4 Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 92^, 94^, 104, 

 104^, 105, 107, 115^, 1 1 8^, 126^, 127^. 

 4 Close, 1 1 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 39. 



The visitors from Cluni reported of Mendham, 

 about 1405, that it was a cell subordinate to 

 Castle Acre. The brethren then numbered nine ; 

 there were three daily masses, two sung and one 

 said. 6 



A writ was issued in November, 1534, to the 

 sheriff of Suffolk to the effect that Sir Humphrey 

 Wingfield, kt., and others had recovered in the 

 king's court the manors of Mendham and Kings- 

 shall, with other rents and lands against Thomas, 

 prior of Mendham. 7 



There is no entry with regard to this priory in 

 the Valor of 1535. 



This house and its revenues were given by 

 Henry VIII, together with the possessions of 

 several dissolved priories to the short-lived Bene- 

 dictine abbey of Bisham, Berks, established in 

 1537. In the following year, when this abbey 

 was suppressed, the Mendham possessions were 

 granted by the crown to Charles duke of Suffolk. 



PRIORS OF MENDHAM 



John de Lindsey, c. iiyo 8 

 John, occurs I239 9 

 Simon, occurs 1250' 

 John, occurs 1307 u 

 Nicholas Cressi, died 1336 12 

 John de Walton, 1340 13 

 Henry de Berlegh, 1342 u 

 William, 1353 15 

 John de Tornston 1B 

 Robert, 1400 17 

 John Betelee, 1420"* 

 Thomas Rede, 1449 19 

 Thomas Pitte, I 4 87 20 

 Thomas Bullock, 1501 " 

 Simon, 1523 22 

 Thomas, 1534 23 



An impression of the seal of John, prior of 

 this house, A.D. 1307, shows the Blessed Virgin 

 seated on a throne, under a canopy supported on 

 slender shafts, with the Holy Child on the left 

 knee. In the base, under a trefoiled arch, a 

 shield of arms, on a fesse three plates, for William 

 de Huntingfield the founder. Legend : 



s FRIS JOHIS 



MENDHAM.- 



' Duckett, Visitations and Chapters-General of Order 

 of Cluny, 40. 



I Ibid. 229. 



8 Dugdale, Man. v, 59. 



9 Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. iii, 254, from Mendham 

 Ct. R. 



10 Ibid. 



II Maddox, Form. Angl. 360. 



" Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. iii, 254. 



u Ibid. " Ibid. 



" Ibid. " Ibid. 



19 Ibid. Ibid. " Ibid. 



" Bodl. Chart. Suff. 229. 



"Dugdale, Man. v, 57 ; B.M. Cast Ixxii, 8. 



" Ibid. 

 13 Ibid. 

 " Ibid. 





