A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



obtained confessions of incontinency from four 

 of the monks, and added to their report that 

 they had strong suspicions of confederacy to 

 reveal nothing, and reflected strongly on the 

 abbot's conduct.^ 



Early, however, in 1536, Henry VIII made 

 choice of Abbot William Rugge or Repps to fill 

 the vacant see of Norwich, and he was conse- 

 crated bishop on 1 1 June. An Act of Parlia- 

 ment - had, in the meanwhile, been passed, 

 whereby the ancient possessions of the bishop of 

 Norwich were given to the king, and the abbey 

 of St. Benet, with its possession, granted and 

 annexed to the bishopric. With his subsequent 

 extravagant life and squandering of the abbey's 

 revenues we have no concern. 



It may be remarked that though the abbey 

 buildings of this ancient foundation have long 

 ago practically disappeared, the monastery of 

 St. Benet, Holm, was the only religious house 

 in England not actually suppressed by Henry 

 VIII, and its revenues still serve the religious 

 purpose of providing an income for the bishop 

 of Norwich. 



The Norfolk Rolls at the Bodleian include 

 several obedientiary rolls of the abbey of Holm ; 

 namely, those of the cellarer, for 1373, 151 1 

 and 1517 ; of the chamberlain for 1464, and 

 1499; of the pittancer for 141 2 ; of the 

 precentor, for 1529; and of the sacrist, for 

 13-9, 15 17 and 1535.^ They throw a good 

 deal of lio-ht on the working of this retired but 

 important Benedictine house through its different 

 officials, but they cannot be dealt with in the 

 space here available. 



Abbots of St. Benet of Holm* 



Elsinus, 1020 



Thurstan de Ludham 



Ethelwold, 1064 



Ralph, 1089 



Richard, iioi 



Conrad, 1 126 



William Basset, 11 28 



Anselm, 11 33 



Daniel, 1 1 40 



Hugh, c. 1 1 50 



Daniel (reinstated), 1 1 5 1 



William, 1153 



Thomas, 1 168 



Ralph, 1 186 



John, 1 2 10 



Reginald, 1 2 14 



Sampson,' 1229 



Robert cie Thorkeseye,* 1237 



^L.andP. Hen. FIII,-s., 14^ 



' 27 Hen. VIII, c. 45. ' Norf. R. 71 to 810. 



* The dates throughout are those of election ; the 

 abbots from 1023 to 1 214 are taken from Oxenedes, 

 C/iron. (Rolls Ser.), 291-300. 



» Pat. 13 Hen. Ill, m. 7. ^ Pat. 21 Hen. III. 



William de Ringfeld,' 125 I 



Adam de Neatishead,* 1256 



Richard de Bukenham,' 1268 



Nicholas de Walsham,'" 1275 



Henry de Broke,^' 1302 



John de Aylsham,^^ 1326 



Robert de Aylsham,^^ '347 



William de Hadesco,'* ^349 



William de IVIethelwold,^° 1365 



Robert de Sancta Fide,^^ 1395 



Simon de Brigham,^' 1395 



Richard de South Walsham,'^ 1 41 1 



John Marte,^^ I439 



John Kelyng,-" 1439 



Thomas Pakefield,-^ 1470 



Robert Cubitt,"^ 1492 



William Forest,^^ 1505 



John Redinge,-^ 1 5 10 



John Salcot, alias Capon,^' 1517 



William Repps,-^ 1530 



A fragmentary example of the twelfth-century 

 seal ^ shows that it was round (2 inches), and 

 represented a seated figure with nimbus, the two 

 hands outstretched, in the left a book (r) . 



Le^nd : — sigillv bendic 



23 7. THE ABBEY OF WYMONDHAM 



The Benedictine priory of Wymondham, 

 dedicated to the honour of the Blessed Virgin, 

 was founded early in the reign of Yienry I, by 

 William de Albini, chief butler to the king. 

 By the foundation charter, Wymondham was 

 made a cell of the great abbey of St. Albans, 

 under certain specified conditions. These pro- 

 vided that the monks of Wymondham, on a 

 vacancy, were to elect a new prior out of their 

 own convent, and present him to the founder or 

 subsequent patron. When the abbot of St. 

 Albans came to the priory he was to be honour- 

 ably entertained, and the prior, as a token of 

 dependence, was to pay a mark of silver yearly 

 to the abbot on the festival of St. Alban. The 



' Pat. 35 Hen. Ill, m. 7. 



' Pat. 40 Hen. Ill, m. 10, 11. 



» Pat. 52 Hen. Ill, m. 2. 

 '" Pat. 3 Edw. I, m. 19. 

 " Pat. 31 Edw. I, m. 45. 

 " Pat. 19 Edw. II, pt. i, m. II, 10, 5. 

 " Pat. 21 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 27. 

 " Nonv. Epis. Reg. iv, 108. 

 '* Ibid, v, 64. " Ibid. vi. 209 



" Ibid, vi, 217. " Ibid, vii, 42. 



>'Ibid. X, 26. "Ibid, xi, 113. 



" Pat. 49 Hen. VI, m. 19. 

 " Norw. Epis. Reg. xii, 161. 

 •^ Tanner, Norw. MSS. ii, 813. 

 " Norw. Epis. Reg. xv, 38. 

 « Tanner, Norw. MSS. ii, 81 1. ^ Ibid. 



" Ackn. of Supr. (P.R.O.), No. 65*. 

 ■^ Dugdale, Mon. iii, 323. 



336 



