RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



obedient, and only attended mattins and mass at 

 his pleasure ; Sacrist Thomas Buckenham, that 

 Canons Ixning and Benet came late to mattins, 

 and that the procession before mattins was not 

 duly observed ; Canon Richard Buckenham, that 

 Canons Benet and Tailour did not duly attend 

 divine offices ; Canon George Buckenham, that 

 there was no due provision for the canons when 

 ill ; Canon Ixning accused himself of very fre- 

 quent absence from mattins ; and Canons Nor- 

 wich, Benet and Winkfield all testified that 

 omnia bene. A list of the debts of Canon 

 Ixning, amounting to 5 55. T^d. was appended to 

 the visitation. 



On 27 June, 1520, the house was visited by 

 John, bishop of Chalcedon, and two other com- 

 missaries of the bishop of Norwich. George 

 Walden, one of the canons, though duly sum- 

 moned, did not appear, and was pronounced 

 contumacious. Prior John gave a good report, 

 and stated that the parish churches of Bucken- 

 ham were served by the canons, by licence 

 sought and obtained from the bishop. The sub- 

 prior, sacrist, and Canon Norfolk testified that all 

 was well, save that they had no schoolmaster 

 {preceptore?n in grammatica). The remaining five 

 canons confined themselves to a good report. 



The priory was again visited on 24 July, 

 1526, when John Millgate prior, Thomas 

 Beverley sub-prior, Thomas Brown sacrist, and 

 five other canons all testified omnia bene. Thomas 

 Flixtoun, and William Harvy, novices, com- 

 plained of the insolence of a servant ; whilst 

 John Sharpyng and Thomas Reve, two other 

 novices, complained that their annual stipends of 

 13;. 4^. were so small that they could not pro- 

 vide themselves with necessaries. 



Yet another visitation of this house is recorded 

 on 13 July, 1532. Prior Millgate, five of the 

 canons, and two of the novices knew of nothing 

 worthy of reformation ; Sub-Prior Brown com- 

 plained that some of the younger canons left the 

 cloisters after compline against rule, and that 

 Canon Sharpyng wore pointed shoes ; Canons 

 Sharpyng and Harvy owned to wearing such 

 shoes; Canon Flixton complained that silence 

 was not duly observed after compline, and that 

 some left the cloister ; and Richard Godeman, 

 a novice, stated that Canon Harvy served the 

 cure of Stanford and was not fit for it, and also 

 complained of Canon Sharpyng. 



The consequent injunctions ordered that the 

 canons should retire to the dorter immediately 

 after compline ; that the south gates should 

 then be closed and no one suffered to go out 

 save by leave of the prior or sub-prior ; that no 

 canon should wear pointed shoes, but only those 

 of the old pattern ; and that no canon was to 

 serve a secular cure without the bishop's 

 licence.' 



' Jessopp, Norw. Fisit. (Camd. Soc.) 29, 44, 160, 

 257, 307- 



2 37; 



Prior Millgate and the full complement of ten 

 canons signed the Acknowledgementof the King's 

 Supremacy, in August, 1534.^ 



On 10 November, 1535, when it was known 

 that suppression was imminent, the aged Prior 

 Millgate wrote to Cromwell a somewhat piteous 

 letter, enclosing a fee, and ' beseeching that we 

 may obtain your favourable licence for the 

 keeping of one cure and one chapel with four 

 masses in the week day, with two honest re- 

 ligious priests for maintaining their poor house.' 

 Also that they may put some of the laymen of 

 their house in trust for employing their pastures 

 and receiving their rents ; else they are afraid 

 great men who could not be resisted would 

 require them to do as they like ; also that they 

 may receive members and observe Cromwell's 

 injunctions for maintaining God's service. Some 

 of the younger men of their company, the prior 

 continued, were not godly disposed, and rather 

 desire liberty than to be straitened.' 



The local suppression commissioners of 1536, 

 who visited Buckenham on 22 September,* re- 

 ported that this ' priory of Black Chanones ' was 

 of the clear annual value of ^^143 75. Sc/., that 

 there were five canon priests, of whom one 

 desired to remain religious, and the rest desired 

 dispensations ; that ' the name ys good as we 

 can lerne by reporte of there neybures,' that there 

 were twenty-one waiting servants of the house, 

 eleven hinds, and eight children which had their 

 living there ; that the house was ' newly buylt 

 and in marvellous goode reparacion,' and worth 

 with the bells and lead ;^l8o ; that the movables, 

 goods, stocks, and stores were worth £11 J c)s. ^d.; 

 that the debts due to the house were ;^50 2j. i id.; 

 and that the woods of diverse years growth 

 covered 1 1 1 acres, and were worth ;^233 ts. 8d.^ 

 The house was suppressed on 2 September, 

 IS36.« 



An inventory of church goods of this monas- 

 tery, taken about 1536, mentions a silver-gilt 

 cross with crucifix attached, a silver-gilt cross 

 enclosing a portion of the true cross, a small 

 silver-gilt cross, two small silver-gilt crosses, four 

 small chalices parcel-gilt, a silver-gilt pix, a 

 silver-gilt pax, two silver-gilt candlesticks, a small 

 parcel-gilt censer, two pairs of small silver-gilt 

 cruets, a parcel-gilt ship, two parcel-gilt basins ; 

 also a cope of red velvet, two copes of blue 

 velvet, three copes of white damask, one cope of 

 red damask, one of red silk, one of red satin, one 

 of blue satin, two of white satin, and four of 

 white fustian.' 



A pension of ^^15 was assigned to Prior 

 Millgate on i February, 1537.' 



' Defi. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. 2, 281. 

 ' L. and P. Hen. rill, ix, 269-70. 



* Ibid, xli (i), 455. 

 ' Chant. Cert. Norf. No. 90. 



* Suppression Papers (P.R.O.) &fS. 

 ' (i) K.R. Ch. Gds. if^^. 



* Aug. Off. Bks. ccxxxiii, fol. ^zb. 



48 



