A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



William Pikynham, LL.D. 14937 

 John Ednam, S.T.P. 14971517 

 Robert Bekinsawe, S.T.P. 1517-25 

 William Greene, S.T.P. 1525-9 

 Robert Shorten, S.T.P. 152935 

 Matthew Parker, S.T.P. 1535 



There are numerous impressions of the seal 

 ad causas of this college attached to various 

 Harleian charters. It is a pointed oval, bearing 

 the head of St. John Baptist, with rays and 

 large nimbus ; there is a flowering sprig above 

 and below the head. Legend : 



. i 



SIGILLU : COLLEGII : DE : STOKE : AD : CAUSAS : 



69. THE COLLEGE OF SUDBURY 



There lived at Sudbury in the first half of the 

 fourteenth century, close to the old church of 

 St. Gregory, a worthy burgher, Nigel Theobald, a 

 person of some position and one of the leading wool 

 merchants in the county of Suffolk. 2 To Nigel and 

 Sara his wife were born two sons, Simon of 

 Sudbury and John of Chertsey. The eldest 

 son, distinguished for his learning, was conse- 

 crated bishop of London in 1361, and translated 

 to the primatial see of Canterbury in 1375. 



Among the records of the borough of Sudbury 

 is a grant of land near the croft adjoining his 

 father's house, which was assigned to Simon the 

 future archbishop by Hugh de Dedlyn in 1339.' 

 On this plot of land and on the site of their 

 father's house, the two brothers Simon and John 

 founded the college of St. Gregory, a charter 

 granting the requisite permission being sealed by 

 Edward III on 21 February, 13745. In the 

 previous year the brothers had obtained the 

 advowson of the church of St. Gregory from the 

 prioress, prior, and convent of Nun Eaton. The 

 advowson and appropriation of the church were 

 to be put in the hands of a community of chap- 

 lains, one of whom was to be warden. 4 



A deed dated 9 August, 1375, when Simon 

 had become archbishop, was enrolled between 

 Simon and his brother John, of the one part, 

 and Henry bishop of Norwich, of the other part, 

 for the actual erection of the college, with the 

 licence of the latter prelate, who secured for 

 himself the sum of two marks and for the prior 

 and chapter of Norwich five shillings annually as 

 an acknowledgement. This licence was con- 

 firmed in 1381.' 



In March, 1380, licence was granted for the 

 alienation to the college by the joint founders, of 

 the manors of Balidon and Middleton, 570 acres 



1 Harl. Chart. 44217, 32-50 ; B.M. Cast, Ixxiii, 13. 

 ' Close, 13 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 34 ; 14 Edw. Ill, 

 pt. i, m. I ; 15 Edw. Ill, pt. ii. 

 1 Proc. Stiff. Arch. last, vii, 24. 

 4 Pat. 49 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 29. 

 * Norw. Epis. Reg. vi. 



of land, &c., of the yearly value of I 7 Os. 

 There were further grants in the following 

 year of a messuage and three shops in 

 St. Michael's, Cornhill, London, and of over 

 2OO acres of land in Sudbury and other places in 

 Suffolk, which were the endowment of the 

 priory of Edwardston (commonly called the 

 priory of St. Bartholomew, Sudbury), a cell of 

 the abbey of Westminster. 7 



In the college the warden lived, with five 

 secular canons and three chaplains ; they kept 

 the canonical hours and celebrated in the adjoin- 

 ing church of St. Gregory. 



In 1384 the endowments of the college were 

 increased by the alienation to the warden and 

 chaplains, by John Chertsey and John Renny- 

 shale, of the manor of Braundon, Essex, of the 

 yearly value of ji2 5;. I id? 



The Valor of 1535 shows that the college 

 was then in receipt of 37 Os. o\d. from houses, 

 lands, rents, &c., in Sudbury and the Sudbury 

 manor of Neles ; of j6 is. 4|d. from lands in 

 Essex ; and of ^19 from property in London. 

 In spiritualities there was the further income of 

 15 ii. tfd. from the church of Sudbury with 

 its chapel of St. Peter, and a small pension from 

 Cornard Parva. The gross annual value was 

 ji47 2s. 9<f., and the net value ^122 i8s. 3<-/. 9 



Archdeacon Goldwell visited this college as 

 commissary of his brother in 1493. 



Thomas Aleyn, the master, presented his 

 accounts, and eight other fellows attended ; it 

 was found that no reform was needed. 10 The 

 next recorded visitation was in 1514, by Bishop 

 Nykke in person. Master John Carver, and 

 eight fellows were examined ; all declared that 

 everything was in good order, save that there 

 was a debt of 15. The bishop enjoined on 

 the master and fellows to prepare a tripartite 

 indenture of the jewels and movable goods of 

 the college, whereof one part was to be handed 

 to the bishop at his next visit. 11 



At the visitation of 1 6 June, 1520, Richard 

 Eden, the master, although he had been duly cited, 

 made no appearance either personally or by 

 proctor. His name was again called on the 

 following day, and as there was again no ap- 

 pearance, the bishop excommunicated him. 

 John White, aged 80, testified that he had 

 been a fellow of Sudbury for 50 years ; he said 

 they lacked three fellows of their full foundation 

 number, but they had two ' conducts ' or 

 stipendiaries in their place ; that one of the 

 fellows had been acting as chantry priest at 

 Melford for five years ; and that divine worship 

 was duly observed ; and that all temporal mat- 



' Pat. 3 Ric. II, pt. i, m. I ; pt. ii, m. 17. 



7 Ibid. 4 Ric. II, pt. i, m. ii. See previous 

 account of the priory. 



8 Ibid. 7 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 29. 



9 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), Hi, 456. 



10 Jessopp, Visit. 41-2. Ibid. 80. 



150 



