RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



In 1 318 the Close Rolls show further money 

 entanglements. Peter de Bosco, who had been 

 appointed prior in 13 16, acknowledged on the 

 part of the convent a debt of ;^ioo owing to 

 Master Roger de la Bere, clerk, and another 

 debt of ;^50, owing to John Sarazein, of 

 Ekenbleyen.' On 18 June of the same year, 

 Boniface Karle de Doliano, executor of the will 

 of Master Berenger de Quiliano, put in his place 

 Banquinus Brunelesii of Florence, to sue in the 

 matter of a recognizance in chancery for ;^200 

 made to Berenger by the prior of Thetford.^ 

 Evidently the house was in the hands of pro- 

 fessional money-lenders. In 1323 Prior Peter 

 acknowledged a debt of ;^200 to John de 

 Dynieton, clerk,' and James de Cusancia, prior 

 of Thetford, acknowledged in 1336 a debt of 

 j^82 1 31. 4.cl. due to William Cosyn, a citizen 

 of London.* 



In March, 1337, Prior James de Cusancia 

 further acknowledged his indebtedness in the sum 

 of jTSS to Peter Guernersi and Bindus Gile of 

 Florence ; this entry was afterwards cancelled on 

 payment.' In June of the same year the prior 

 had to acknowledge for himself and convent that 

 they owed to Andrew Berton, merchant of 

 Chieri, the great sum of £^i>Si to be levied in 

 default of payment on their lands, chattels, 

 and ecclesiastical goods in the county of Nor- 

 folk.' The prior was allowed to retain custody 

 of his house on the yearly payment to the 

 crown of 50 marks, and 10 marks as custody 

 fee.' 



Prior James in 1345 refused, in conjunction 

 with the other leading English priors of the 

 Cluniac order, to pay their subsidy to the abbot 

 of Cluni. Clement VI, on appeal, forwarded 

 his mandate, through the archbishop of Canter- 

 bury to the prior, ordering him to comply with 

 the ancient custom. 



On account of his great age Prior James was 

 removed from his rule in 1355, and was suc- 

 ceeded by Geoffrey de Rocherio." 



In 1376 letters patent were issued to the prior 

 and convent of Thetford, granting that they 

 should thenceforth be reputed denizen, and they 

 were thus free from all direct allegiance to Cluni.' 

 This grant was inspected and confirmed by 

 Richard II in 1380, on payment of a fine 

 of40J.>'' 



' Close, 1 1 Edw. II, m. 5 </, 4. d. 



' Ibid. pt. i, m. 3 d. 



' Ibid. 17 Edw. II, m. 27 </. 



* Ibid. 10 Edw. Ill, m. 30 a'. 



'' Cal. of Close, 11 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 32 d. 

 « Ibid. II Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 9 a'. 

 ' Ibid. pt. ii, m. 37. 



* Prior Geoffrey began a history of his monastery, 

 but only finished a fragment, which is among the 

 MSS. of Corpus Christ! College, Camb. Martin 

 ^ives it in App. ix. 



' Reyner, Afostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia, 209. 

 "■ Cal. of Pat. 3 Rich. II, pt. ii, m. 12. 



Although the priory of Thetford was made 

 denizen in 1376, which enabled it to elect its 

 own prior and set it free from any pecuniary 

 obligation to Cluni, the house continued to yield 

 some allegiance to the great abbey, and accepted 

 its visitations up to the close of its existence. 

 In 1390 the Cluniac visitors were at Thetford, 

 and described it as a direct affiliation of the 

 mother church of Cluni. There were then 

 twenty-two monks. There were six daily 

 masses, three of which were sung. A tenth part 

 of the bread was reserved for distribution to the 

 poor. The visitors found that all monastic 

 obligations according to the Cluni rule were 

 duly observed. 



In 1399 Boniface IX exempted Thetford 

 Priory from the jurisdiction of the abbot of 

 Cluni, who is described as distant and schisma- 

 tical ; he further authorized the convent to elect 

 their own prior, with confirmation from the prior 

 of Castle Acre." 



The yearly apport of 135. \d.., which the 

 priory of Thetford used to render to the house of 

 Cluni, was granted by Edward III, in 1462, to 

 the provost and college of Eton.'^ 



Robert Weting occurs as prior in 1480. In 

 the patents of that year it is recited that the king 

 ought to have a nomination to one corrody in 

 this priory, and he understood from Robert the 

 prior that, although Nicholas Michegood obtained 

 a corrody of the king's nomination in the time 

 of John the late prior, which he still holds, 

 nevertheless William Newerk, one of the gentle- 

 men of the king's chapel, obtained another 

 corrody from the late prior and still held it, so 

 that the prior and convent are chargeable with 

 two crown corrodies ; he then for the love he 

 bore his son Richard duke of York and Anne 

 his wife, daughter of John, late duke of Norfolk, 

 patrons of the priory, granted that henceforth 

 there should only be a small royal corrody at the 

 priory." A good example of a corrody is found 

 at an earlier date, 131 5, when Simon son of 

 Benedict of Thetford, and William de Thun- 

 derle complained that Prior Martin had refused 

 to give them the daily corrody to which they 

 were entitled, namely a white loaf called a 

 ' miche,' a whole-meal loaf called ' white bread 

 of the hall,' a gallon and a half of the best beer, 

 pure and not mixed, a portion of soup, a dish of 

 meat on the three meat days from both first and 

 second courses, namely as much of each as the 

 prior or two monks had, and on the four days 

 in the week when fish was eaten portions of the 

 two courses of fish, and if the first course were 

 herrings their portion should be six herrings, but 

 if eggs then six eggs, and for the second course as 

 much as the prior received.'* 



" Cal. Papal Reg. v, 196. 

 " Pat. I Edw. IV, pt. iii, m. 24. 

 " Ibid. 20 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 21. 

 " Assize R. 593, m. 3 1 </. 



367 



