RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Peter Tryon, 1 elected 1454 



Reginald Ilberd, 2 elected 1471 



John Burnell, alias Burham, 3 1496 



William, 4 1503 



Thomas Vicar or Lowthe, 6 occurs 1512 



John Thetford, 6 occurs 1519, 1534 



John Clerk, 7 occurs 1535 



The thirteenth-century seal of this priory has 

 under a pinnacled canopy Our Lord rising from 

 the sepulchre, at the head of which is an angel, 

 with two sleeping soldiers in base. Legend : 



.ECCLESIE D THETFORD. 



A fine but imperfect impression of a seal 

 ' ad causas ' of this house is attached to a charter 

 of 1457. It bears the risen Saviour standing, 

 the right hand raised in benediction, and the left 

 grasping a long cross. In the field, on the left, 

 are the arms of Warenne, chequy ; and on the 

 right a crescent and a star. Legend : 



.HEFO. 



.AD CAVS. 



28. THE PRIORY OF WOOD- 

 BRIDGE 



The small priory of Austin canons at Wood- 

 bridge, in honour of the Blessed Virgin, was 

 founded about the year 1193, by Ernald Rufus. 

 It was endowed at the outset with lands at 

 Woodbridge and in the neighbourhood, and with 

 the advowson of Woodbridge church, and to 

 these were soon added the advowsons of 

 Brandeston and St. Gregory, Ipswich. 10 



There were no appropriations to this priory at 

 the time when the taxation roll of 1291 was 

 drawn up, but the temporalities brought in an 

 income of ,23 i is. 8^. This amount was 

 chiefly derived from lands and rents in Wood- 

 bridge parish, namely, jCi2 10*. iod., and the 

 next largest item was ^6 13*. ^.d. from lands at 

 Layer de la Hay, Essex. 11 



The Valor of 1535 showed a considerable 

 increase. The prior and canons at that time 

 held the rectory of Woodbridge (j8), whilst 

 a portion of Brandeston Rectory produced 

 2 13*. 4</. The temporalities came chiefly 

 from Woodbridge, Alnesbourn, Lyndeley, and 

 Aspall. The total clear annual value of the 

 priory was 50 3*. 5^. 12 



I Norw. Epis. Reg. xi, 76. ' Ibid, xi, 82. 

 * Martin, Hist, of Thetford, 190. 



4 Ibid. * Jessopp, Norw. Visit. 88. 



Ibid. 155. ' Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.). 



8 B.M. Cast, Ixix, 48 ; Dugdale, Man. \\, 729 ; 

 Acknowledgement of Supremacy (P.R.O.), 109. 



9 Add. Chart. 17245 ; Blomefield, Norfolk, ii, 98. 



10 Dugdale, Man. vi, 600 ; Proc. Stiff. Arch. lust. 



iv, 338. 



II Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 27, 124^, 125^, 

 1 271$, 128^, 129^. 



" Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 422. 



The alliance of the small priory of Alnes- 

 bourn with that of Woodbridge, in 1466, has 

 been previously described. 



Licence was granted by Edward II, in 1318, 

 to the prior and convent of Woodbridge to 

 acquire in mortmain lands and rents to the value 

 of loo/, a year. 13 But there was no ready 

 response of benefactors to avail themselves of 

 this licence. It is not until the year 1344 that 

 we find a gift made under shelter of the licence 

 of 1318, and then it was only land and rent, 

 the gift of John de Brewon, clerk, to the value 

 of two out of the hundred shillings that were 

 sanctioned. 14 



Bishop Nykke personally visited Woodbridge 

 priory on 2 August, 1514. The prior and one 

 of the canons stated that all was well, but two 

 other canons said that the prior was remiss in 

 the collecting of rents to the detriment of the 

 house. It was also reported that the manor 

 house of Alnesbourn was in complete ruin, but 

 not through the fault of the then prior. The 

 bishop enjoined on the prior to be more par- 

 ticular and diligent in collecting rents due to the 

 priory. 15 



At the visitation of the same bishop in 1532, 

 William Lucham, sub-prior, deposed that the 

 prior was remiss and a poor administrator ; that 

 the priory gates were not shut at proper times ; 

 that the house was in debt jio ; and that they 

 had neither corn nor barley in store for the next 

 autumn. Canon Goodall stated that the south 

 porch of the conventual church was in ruins on 

 account of defects in the timber, and that the 

 house was overburdened with the pension to 

 ex-prior Coke. Canon Penderley, the curate of 

 Woodbridge, said that there was not sufficient 

 income to discharge the burdens and to do the 

 repairs of the priory. Canon Pope considered 

 that the prior had incurred too great expense in 

 making a water-mill. Canon Daneby said that 

 the priory suffered from penury and want, and 

 that both house and mill were in bad repair, but 

 that otherwise all was well, and in this Canon 

 Houghton agreed. The bishop admonished the 

 prior to use all diligence in repairing the defects 

 and dilapidations of the priory. 16 



Henry Bassingborne, the prior, and six 

 canons signed their acknowledgement of the royal 

 supremacy on 21 August, I534- 17 



The house was suppressed in February, 

 1526-7, and a pension was assigned to Prior 

 Henry. 18 The rest of the canons went out 

 un pensioned. 



The site of the priory and its possessions 

 were granted to Sir John Wingfield and Dorothy 

 his wife. 



13 Pat. 2 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 4. 



" Ibid. 1 8 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 2. 



15 Jessopp, Visit. 134-5. 16 Ibid. 292-3. 



17 Dep. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. ii, 305. 



18 Misc. Bks. (Aug. Off.), ccxxxii, fol. 40/5. 



Ill 



