A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



house. Thereupon Thomas Mead (usually 

 called Thomas Medicus or Thomas the Phy- 

 sician) was appointed prior about 1224. He 

 had accompanied the earl's father in a pilgrimage 

 to the Holy Land, and brought back his body 

 from the East, giving it reverent interment in 

 the priory church of Wymondham.^ 



In 1228 an agreement was entered into 

 between the bishop of Norwich and the abbot 

 of St. Albans, as to the jurisdiction of the 

 diocesan in the cells of Wymondham and 

 Binham, whereby it was arranged that the 

 priors of both houses should be presented for 

 institution to the bishop and should attend his 

 synod and sit with the other priors.^ 



William of St. Albans, who had been ap- 

 pointed prior in 1257, took part in the election 

 of Roger de Norton as twenty-fourth abbot of 

 St. Albans in 1260, and accompanied the abbot 

 when he presented himself before the king,' he 

 died on St. Gregory's day, 1262, and was 

 buried in the quire of the church. On his 

 death Isabel de Albini, countess of Arundel, 

 claimed the sole power of confirming the prior 

 of Wymondham, in accordance with the foun- 

 dation charter. The abbot of St. Albans re- 

 sisted, and a long suit began in the Roman 

 courts. Eventually, on 14 September, 1264, 

 the countess entered into acompromise with Abbot 

 Roger, whereby William de Horton (her own 

 nominee), was to be appointed prior, and on all 

 future vacancies the countess and her heirs were 

 to name three monks of St. Albans, one of whom 

 was to be presented by the abbot to the bishop.* 

 A joint letter, dated 8 November, was sent by 

 both parties to their proctors at Rome, ordering 

 them to stay further proceedings. 



In April, 1 300, a commission was appointed 

 on the complaint of Abbot John III, of St. 

 Albans, touching the persons who prevented 

 him from visiting Wymondham priory, a cell 

 to his abbey, as his predecessors had always 

 been wont to do.' This was in consequence of 

 the active resistance of Sir Robert Tateshall, 

 patron. Hearing of the intended 

 Sir Robert entered the priory and 

 gates as well as the doors of the 

 not only prevented the entry of 

 III, but refused permission to the 



the then 

 visitation, 

 closed its 

 church, and 

 Abbot John 



prior or any representative to leave the priory 

 to speak with the abbot.* Abbot John IV 

 succeeded as twenty-fourth abbot of St. Albans 

 in 1302, and in September of that year was 

 present at the inaugural feast of the abbot of 

 Bury St. Edmunds, where he met Sir Robert 

 Tateshall. The abbot thought it prudent to 

 put an end to all disputes, and by way of paci- 



' Gesta Abbatum, i, 275. 

 ' Ibid, i, 399. 



* Ibid, i, 407-9. 



' Cal. of Pat. 1 292-1 301, p. 



* Gesta Abbatum, ii, 23. 



Ibid, i, 278-9. 



fication restored to Sir Robert as patron of 

 Wymondham, the livery of bread and ale from 

 that priory, of which he had been deprived. 

 The result was that the patron treated the abbot 

 with great courtesy and there was peace for a 

 time, although the abbot did not really recognize 

 Tateshall's right to the patronage of the priory, 

 which he had claimed on the death of the 

 Countess Isabel.' 



Prior PuUeyn died on 25 December, 1303. 

 The St. Albans annalist complains that during 

 his rule he had complied more with the wishes 

 of the patron than the abbot. On his death the 

 escheator of the crown, acting in the name of 

 the son and heir of Sir Robert Tateshall, who 

 was under age and the king's ward, took pos- 

 session of the priory, with a large following, 

 seizing the keys and placing wardens at the 

 gates and in all the offices. The convent pleaded 

 that they held in free alms, but William Curzon, 

 the escheator, persisted in taking possession. He 

 also seized the grange at Happisburgh and in- 

 flicted various hardships on the tenants. At last 

 on 5 March, 1304, at the prayer of the abbot 

 of St. Albans, a temporary arrangement was 

 made till the matter could be brought before the 

 courts, and the abbot presented John de 

 Stevenache, one of his monks, to the priory. 

 Finally the abbot obtained from the justices of 

 the King's Bench at York a formal declaration 

 as to the exemption henceforth of the priory of 

 Wymondham from the authority of the escheator, 

 and the temporalities were restored to John de 

 Stevenache.* 



An order was entered on the Close Rolls in 

 March, 1309, to deliver to Thomas de Cailli, 

 kinsman and co-heir of Robert Tateshall, a 

 tenant in chief of the late king, in whose ward- 

 ship he died under age, the knights' fees and 

 advowsons of the inheritance. The advowson 

 of the priory of Wymondham was one of the 

 possessions thus transferred, and with it was in- 

 cluded the bread and ale that the lord was wont 

 to receive each time he visited Wymondham.' 



In the beginning of the reign of Edward II 

 the priory was in money difficulties, and the 

 prior obtained a loan of 100 marks from Walter 

 de Langton, bishop of Lichfield, the king's 

 treasurer. When Langton was in disgrace with 

 the king, the crown took into its own hands 

 debts due to the bishop, and as there was a sum 

 of 140 marks due from the crown to one 

 William Inge of Norfolk, for arrears of wages 

 and compensation for the loss of horses in the 

 Scotch war, the king transferred to Inge, in part 

 payment of the 140 marks, this debt of 100 

 marks from the prior of Wymondham.'" 



John de Hurlee was appointed prior in 131 7, 

 by Abbot Hugh (1308-26). This abbot was 



5+9- 



338 



' Ibid, ii, 63-6. 



' Close, 2 Edw. II, m. 9. 



'" Cal. of Pat. 1307-13, p. 



Ibid, ii, 83-9. 



269. 



