RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



The gardener's receipts kept getting less and 

 less, as time went on. Thus in 1 52 1, they 

 amounted to 49^., and in 1530 to 42s. ^d. This 

 diminution can partly be accounted for by the 

 gross carelessness of at least one who held the 

 office, as described in the subsequent account of 

 the cell of St. Leonard. 



The most interesting of the hostilar or guest- 

 master's rolls is that of 1534, which contains a 

 full inventory of the furniture of his department, 

 including the chapel of St. Edmund in the great 

 chamber or lodgings that bore the saint's name, 

 in which chamber were two enclosed beds {lecti 

 incluii) called ' cryboleys,' or cribs. There were 

 chambers bearing the names of the priors of 

 Yarmouth and Aldeby, which were doubtless 

 used by the superiors of those cells when attend- 

 ing the mother house. 



The cellarer's rolls are nearly perfect from 

 30 Edward III to the end of Henry VII's reign. 

 The cellarer or bursar had his lodgings hard by 

 the refectory and kitchens on the south side of 

 the cloister. The Norwich cellarer had to find 

 wine on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and 

 three days after the Circumcision, the Vigil of 

 the Epiphany, Epiphany, Candlemas, Palm 

 Sunday, Easter Eve, and Easter Day and 

 three days after. He also paid the minstrels on 

 Trinity Sunday, All Saints and Christmas Days. 



There are but few early chamberlains' rolls ; 

 they are fairly perfect from Richard II. onwards. 



The refectorian or comptroller of the refec- 

 tory, had to see that everything was in order for 

 the meals of the brethren ; he had the charge 

 of all the table linen, and the ordering of the 

 lavatory. 



The pittancer, whose office it was to see to 

 the observance and supply of the pittances, had 

 to expend 13;. 4^. in wine for the convent on 

 St. Margaret's Day, and to provide for the whole 

 feast on the anniversaries of Prior Kirby and 

 Thomas de St. Omer ; and on all high festivals 

 treated the convent with almonds and raisins.^ 



The minor lay officers, or paid servants of the 

 priory, who occur with more or less frequency in 

 the accounts and rolls, were naturally numerous.^ 



The porters or janitors who kept the gates 

 were several in number, but the head porter held 

 a life office, and was nominated by the prior. In 

 1 38 1, Prior Hoo granted this office for life to 

 Nicholas de Clenchwerton, he was to receive 

 daily a monk's loaf and a gallon of ale, and 

 the like provision out of the kitchen as was 

 served to monks in the infirmary ; he also re- 

 ceived a mark yearly, or a suit like those of the 



' The abstract of these Norwich Rolls, as originally 

 prepared, has had to be much abbreviated for lacic of 

 space. On the general subject of Benedictine Obedi- 

 entiaries see Gasquet, Engl. Monastic Life, chaps, iv 

 and V. 



' Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. ni, 61 2-1 \. On the 

 subject of the paid servants of a Benedictine house 

 see Gasquet, op. cit. chap. x. 



cellarer's servants. He occupied a chamber over 

 the main entrance gates.' 



The granarymen, or keepers of the garners, 

 received and delivered the store of corn of 

 various kinds for use in the house.* 



There were several grooms on the regular 

 staff of the priory. The head groom was 

 termed stallarius, or keeper of the stalls, and next 

 him was the provendarius, who was responsible 

 for the due supply of provender, especially oats 

 and horse bread. They had in their charge 

 four kinds of horses : manni, or saddle-geldings ; 

 runcini, gallaways or pad nags ; summarii, sump- 

 ter-horses ; and averii, cart-horses. 



The gaoler (carcerarius) had the charge of the 

 prison for incorrigible monks, and also of the 

 ' sentuery ' or sanctuary, the temporary refuge 

 of debtors and criminals. The ' swanard ' or 

 swanherd, had charge of the swans in the priory 

 waters, and was responsible for their due mark- 

 ing. A great variety of other servants had their 

 daily bread out of the convent's stores, such as 

 the prior's butler, the cellarer's butler, the infir- 

 mary clerk, miller, cooper, maltster, carpenter, 

 woodward, gardener's men, kitchen servants, 

 scullions, &c. 



Much light is thrown on the inner life of this 

 monastery from the moral point of view, by the 

 several episcopal visitations of the priory during 

 the last fifty years of its existence, which are to 

 be found in the volume of visitations at the 

 Bodleian.^ 



Bishop Goldwell visited Norwich Priory in 

 person on Friday, 5 October, 1492, with full 

 ceremonial. He was met at the west gates by 

 the whole chapter in solemn state, and con- 

 ducted, preceded by the banner of the Holy 

 Cross, to the high altar, the bells ringing and 

 the organs playing. After giving the pontifical 

 blessing the bishop proceeded with the prior and 

 chapter to the chapter-house, accompanied by 

 Nicholas Goldwell archdeacon of Norwich, Dr. 

 Shankwin his official, Dr. Falke his commissary 

 general, and John Aphorsell notary public. 

 After the sub-prior had read the Word of God, 

 Friar William Spynke produced the citations and 

 other documents pertaining to the visitation, the 

 secret and individual examination of each 

 member began, and was adjourned on the 

 Saturday until the following Monday. The 

 report upon the visitation stated that the third 

 prior was indiscreet in his corrections ; that 

 women (the wives of the barber and tailor) 

 passed the night within the precincts ; that 

 valuables had been sold, and the office of the 

 sacrist deteriorated by 100 marks ; that due 

 silence was not observed in choir, cloister, and 



' Priory Reg. i, fol. 13. 



* The garners were the low buildings, says Blome- 

 field, in the lower close east of the deanery. 



' Tanner, MS. 100. Edited by Dr. Jessopp for 

 the Camd. See. in 1808. 



325 



