A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



out of whom the convent of Bromholm should 

 elect one for their prior.* During these four 

 years the office of prior had been in abeyance, 

 but on an election being held on the basis of the 

 compromise of 1229, Vincent was chosen prior. 

 All grievances were not, however, healed at once ; 

 for ten years later Prior Vincent was writing to 

 the abbot of Cluni on the differences between 

 himself and the priors of Lewes and Castle Acre.* 



In 1275-6, Yves de Chassant, twenty-eighth 

 abbot of Cluni, ordered a visitation of the English 

 houses, and appointed for that duty John, prior 

 of Wenlock, and Arnulph, the lord abbot's 

 equerry. The visitors reached Bromholm on 

 12 March, 1276. They reported that the num- 

 ber of the brethren was sixteen, who lived suf- 

 ficiently well and regularly. The debts amounted 

 to /i20. The same orders were issued by the 

 visitors as are detailed under Castle Acre.^ 



In February, 1285, Roger, prior of Brom- 

 holm, wrote to the abbot of Cluni excusing 

 himself from personal attendance at the chapter- 

 general at Cluni in consequence of his having 

 legal business to attend to before the justices 

 on circuit in Norfolk. In 1293 ^^^ same prior 

 again excused himself from attendance at the 

 chapter-general on the ground of his serious 

 ill-health.^ 



In May, 131 3, a royal grant was made to 

 the monks of Bromholm to put them in the 

 same position which they had held during pre- 

 vious voidances. Upon the voidance of their 

 house by the death of their late prior, William 

 de Tutingdon, the king, believing that the tem- 

 poralities belonged to him during such voidance, 

 caused the priory to be taken into his hands 

 and placed in the custody of John de Norton, 

 king's clerk, and John Pike. Afterwards it 

 was found, by inquisition, that William 

 de Glanvill, the first founder of the priory, 

 and his heirs, and also Ralph and Edmund, 

 earls of Cornwall, to whom the advowson of 

 the priory successively fell, did not during void- 

 ance receive anything out of the issues of the 

 priory, but that on each voidance there had 

 been a porter appointed, who was accustomed 

 to have his sustenance out of the goods of the 

 priory during voidance as a sign of dominion. 

 Whereupon the king commanded John de Nor- 

 ton and John Pike not to interfere with the 

 custody of the priory, and to deliver without 

 diminution to the sub-prior and convent all the 

 issues they had levied or received.^ 



Adam Lumbard, who had long served the 

 king and his father, was sent to the priory in 

 1 3 1 9 to receive lifis^ sustenance in the place of 

 Adam Pullehare, deceased.* 



' Duckett, Cfrart. and Rec. of Cluni, i, 198. 



' Ibid, ii, 202. Nos. 451-3 of the Cluni charters. 



' Ibid, ii, 127. * Ibid. 145-6. 



' Pat. 6 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 5. 



' Close, 12 Edw. II, m. lid. 



In 1350, John de Karleton, monk of St. An- 

 drew's, Bromholm, obtained an indult to choose 

 a confessor for plenary remission at the hour of 

 death.' 



Early in the reign of Richard II, the priory 

 was in much distress. They paid 50 marks to 

 the king, in 1385, to secure the appropriation of 

 the church of Berdwell, of their own advowson,. 

 valued at 26 marks yearly ; it is stated in the 

 licence that the priory lands had been much 

 wasted by the sea, and their house recently 

 burned, and that if not relieved they would 

 shortly have to cease divine service.* 



The brethren of Bromholm in 1298 numbered 

 twenty-five, but they were reduced to eighteen 

 by the time of a visitation held in 1390. At 

 the latter date the house is described as directly 

 subordinate to the mother house of Cluni. There 

 were five masses celebrated daily, three were 

 sung and two were said throughout. The 

 visitors found that all statutes and monastic duties 

 were well and thoroughly observed.' 



On 15 April, 141 8, John Paston was collated 

 to the priory of Bromholm, vacant by the resig- 

 nation of Clement Chandellier.'" This was ap- 

 parently a papal appointment, and meanwhile 

 Nicholas had been elected by his own convent. 

 Prior Nicholas is the first witness to the will of 

 Clement Paston, dated June, 1419. An undated 

 letter, probably somewhat later than this, from 

 Prior Nicholas to William Paston, states that 

 John Paston had posted letters on Christchurch 

 gates summoning the writer to Rome.** There 

 can be no doubt that Nicholas, after a brief rule, 

 was deposed in favour of the papal nominee. 



This prior was of some notoriety because 

 of his connexion with the celebrated judge 

 William Paston. Paston Hall was about a mile 

 from the priory, and the Paston family regarded 

 it with special interest. This John Paston 

 claimed to be a kinsman of the lawyer, but the 

 claim was never admitted, William Paston 

 always maintaining that his true name was 

 Wortes. He was originally a monk of Brom- 

 holm, and Prior Chandellier took action against 

 him as an apostate, engaging William Paston as 

 his counsel in the prosecution. John retaliated 

 by bringing the matter before the Roman court, 

 and proceeded against both the prior and William 

 Paston, with the result that the former was called 

 upon to resign his ofHce, and the latter con- 

 demned in the heavy penalty of ;^205. Con- 

 trary to the advice of his friends William Paston 

 contested the validity of the sentence, but only 

 with the result of being for a time excommuni- 



' Cal. Papal Reg. iii, 372. 



' Cal. of Pat. 8 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 4 ; also 9 Ric. II, 

 pt. i, m. 40. 



' Duckett, Visitatms of English Cluniac Foundations, 

 41-42. 



"> Ibid. Chart and Rec. of Cluni, ii, 198. 



" Paston Letters, iii, 448, 484. 



36c 



