RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



What Dr. Jessopp says of the 1 492 visitation 

 must at least have been true of its earlier history: — 



That in a community of nearly fifty men of 

 different ages, temperaments and parentage, all should 

 be living devout and virtuous and blameless lives, it 

 would be foolish to suppose ; but there were no signs 

 of anything like a general laxity of conduct among the 

 J^orwich monks. 



There can be little doubt that the long sus- 

 tained strife between the monks and the 

 citizens had the evil effect of drawing the atten- 

 tion of successive superiors far too much to the 

 secular side of their rule, and this tendency was 

 further accentuated by the not infrequent occur- 

 rence of disputes between prior and bishop. In 

 the appointment of East Anglian bishops, the 

 earnest desires of the priory chapter were usually 

 set aside by pope or king. Only three of the 

 long roll of bishops of Norwich had been priors 

 of the Holy Trinity (Turbe Skerning and Tot- 

 tington), two of whom were of the best. 



Priors of Holy Trinity, Norwich 



Ingulf, occurs 11 21 



William Turbe, occurs 11 24, bishop of Nor- 

 wich, II 46 



Helias, elected and died 11 58 



Ranulph 



John, occurs c. II 70 



Elric 



Tancred 



Girard,' 1185-1201 



William de Walsham,^ 1201-18 



Ralph de Warham,' 121 8 ; bishop of Chich- 

 ester same year 



William FitzOdo,^ 1219-35 



Simon de Elenham,^ 1235, 125 I 



Roger de Skerning,^ 1257, bishop of Norwich, 

 1265 



Nicholas de Brampton,' 1265—8 



William de Burnham,* 1268-72 



William de Kirkby,' 1272-88 



Henry de Lakenham,^" 1289-1309 



Robert de Langley,^^ 1310-26 



William de Claxton,'^ 1326-44 



Simon Bozoun,^' 1344-52 



Lawrence de Leck,^* 1353-7 



Nicholas de Hoo,^* 1357-82 



Alexander de Totington,^^ 1382 ; bishop of 

 Norwich, 1406 



Robert de Burnham,'' 1407-27 



William Worsted,'^ 1427-36 



John Heverlond,^^ 1436-53 



' Cotton, Historid Anglicana (Rolls Ser.), 92 



•■ Ibid. 92, 109. 

 "* Ibid. 1 10, 118. 



* Ibid. 137, 156. 



* Ibid. 143, 150. 

 "•Ibid. 170. 



'- Ibid, ii, 9. 

 '* Ibid, iv, 138. 

 " Ibid, vi, 84. 

 '* Ibid, ix, 27. 



' Ibid. 109, III. 



' Ibid. 118, 137. 



' Ibid. 141, 143. 



' Ibid. 149, 170. 

 " Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 35. 

 " Ibid, iv, 45. 

 " Ibid. V, 23. 

 " Ibid, vii, 3. 

 " Ibid, ix, 87. 



John Molet,-" 1454-71 



Thomas Bozoun,^' 1471-80 



John Bonewell,^^ 1480-8 



William Spynke, 1488-1502 



William Baconthorp, 1502-4 



Robert Bronde, 1504-29 



William Castleton alias Catton, 1529 ; dean 

 1538 



The first seal of the priory, eleventh century 

 (circular, 2f in.), shows our Lord in half length 

 with nimbus, sceptre in right hand, and left 

 raised in benediction upon the cathedral church, 

 which is a building with side towers, each having 

 a domed roof surmounted by a cross. Legend : — 



SIGILL . . IS . NORWICENSIS . . LE . . ^' 



The elaborate second seal (circular, 3^ in.) 

 came into use in 1258. 



Obverse. — The cathedral church shows ar- 

 cading, stringcourse, and pediment, with three 

 pinnacled towers. On each side of the central 

 tower is an angel censing. Under the tower is 

 the founder, right hand raised in benediction, 

 left hand holding crozier ; on the plinth below, 

 Herbertus Fundator, In the arcade each side of 

 the bishop are three monks' heads. At the sides, 

 over the roof, are the sun and crescent moon. 

 Legend : — 



SIGILLUM . . ECCLESIE . . SANCTE 

 TRINITATIS . . NORWICI 



Reverse. — An elaborate architectural elevation, 

 probably intended for the west (.') front of the 

 cathedral. In the upper part is a double-quatre- 

 foil shape compartment, in which is the half- 

 length of our Lord with uplifted hands. In the 

 doorway, of two pointed arches, with central 

 pillar, over which is a trefoil compartment con- 

 taining the emblem of the Trinity, is repre- 

 sented the Annunciation, with the words Ave 

 Maria on the plinth below. On the roof are 

 two birds. In the middle on either side of the 

 central panel of the fagade are two circular com- 

 partments containing heads. Legend : — 



EST . MICHI . NUMEN . IDEM . TRIBUS . UNI 



LAUS . HONOR . IDEM . ET . BENEDICO . GREGI 



FAMULATUR . QUI . MICHI . REGI 



On the rim of the seal : — 



ANNO . DOMINI . MILLESIMO 

 QUINQUAGESIMO . OCTAVO . 

 HOC . SIGILLUM 



In 1544 this beautiful and striking seal was 

 shamefully mutilated to suit the changed tastes 

 of the time. The Annunciation was clumsily 

 removed to make way for a shield of arms, a cross 

 within a bordure, but the tops of the heads of 

 the Virgin and St. Gabriel are visible.^^ 



»° Ibid, xi, 31. " Ibid, xi, 179. 



" Ibid, xii, 75. " B.M. Iviii, I. 



" B.M. Iviii, 3, 4 ; Dugdale, Mon. iv, pi. xxi ; 

 Blomefield, Hist, ofhior/. iv, 62. 

 »' Add. Ch. 2013. 



DUCENTESIMO 

 EST 



FACTUM 

 24 



327 



