A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



alle Prystes of goode name and they require their 

 dispensaciones. Persones havynge livynges ther 

 Ixiiij, whereof weytinge servauntcs vij, hindes xl, 

 childerne iiij, almes folke in the hospitalle xiiij.' 

 The lead and bells were reported to be worth 

 ;^I00, but the house was in decay and ruinous. 

 The goods were worth 03"] "ji. i \d. ; the 

 movable goods and cattle £\-] -js. lid.; and the 

 corn £s^- There were no debts due, but the 

 house owed £26 13;. \d} 



On 30 April, 1536, Prior John Mathew 

 wrote to Cromwell asking for his poor living and 

 pension without further vexation and trouble, and 

 said that Dr. Legh had assured him he should 

 have ;^20 a year. He also begged for his 

 chamber with two beds, one for himself and one 

 for his servant.^ The pension eventually granted 

 was one of ;^I5. 



The four commissioners for Norfolk certified, 

 on 27 January, 1537, to the sale of goods of 

 this house,' including the following interesting 

 items : — 



Furst sold to Mr. Fermor, the table at 



the high altar . . . . xs 



Item sold to Mr. Fermor, the orgaynes 



in the quire .... iiij// 



Item sold, the table of alabaster in the 



quire to Sr. Thomas Strange . . v/ 



Item sold, a pece of lynen and another 



olde altar cloth .... iiijV 



Item sold to Master Fermor, the stuff in 



the churche .... vij; \\\]d 



The plate valued at 68j. id. was reserved in 

 the charge of Richard Southwell. 



The site and possessions of the priory were 

 granted in May, 1537, to Thomas, duke of 

 Norfolk.* 



Priors of Coxford 



Matthew Cheney,' first prior 

 Hubert,^ occurs 1 1 90, 1 2 19 

 William,' occurs 1232 

 Adam de Dalling,' occurs 1244 

 John,' occurs 1250 and 1257 

 Hugh de Elmham,'" occurs 1286 

 Reyner, occurs 1288 " 

 Robert,^^ occurs 1299, 13^4 '^ 

 William de Hampton,'* elected 1315 

 John Thorp,'* died 1342 

 John de Thornham,'^ elected 1342 

 Peter de Fleckenho," elected 1346 



' Chant. Cert. Norf. No. 90. 



' Cott. MS. Cleop. E. iv, 269. 



^ Suppression Papers (P.RO.),-|^. 



' L. and P. Hen. Fill, xii (i), 605. 



' Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. vii, 156. 



' Ibid. ' Ibid. 



' Ibid. ' Ibid. '» Ibid. 



" Assize R. 1282, m. 18 </. 

 '• Pat. 27 Edw. I, m. 37. 

 " Assize R. 593, m. 32 d. 



" Xorw. Epii. Reg. i, 61. '^ Ibid, ili, 56. 



"Ibid. '" Ibid, iv, 55. 



Henry de Elmham, c. 1369 

 John de Walsingham," elected 1404 

 Edmund de Snetisham," elected 1430 

 John de Dereham,-" elected 1438 

 Benedict de Snetisham,-' elected 1449 

 John Wichingham, resigned 1468 

 John Knollys,^^ alias Clement, died 1478 

 Henry Mileham,^' elected 1478 

 John Mathew,-* occurs 1 5 14 

 Henry Salter," occurs 1532 

 John de Coxford,^* alias Mathew, occurs 1 53^, 

 last prior 



There is a cast of an imperfect impression of 

 a fifteenth-century seal of this priory at the 

 B.M. The seated Virgin bears the Holy Child 

 on the left knee and holds a fleur-de-lis-headed 

 sceptre in the right hand. On each side is a 

 kneeling canon. In the base the prior kneeling. 

 Legend : — 



■f s' PRIORIS ET CONVENTUS BEATE MARIE 

 DE COKISFORD " 



26. THE PRIORY OF FLITCHAM 



This small Austin priory was founded about 

 the beginning of Henry Ill's reign by Sir Robert 

 Aguillon, as is proved by documents cited in 

 Blomefield.-' Damietta de Flitcham is sometimes 

 named as the foundress, but this lady merely gave 

 the manor of Snoring in Flitcham parish to the 

 priory of Walsingham. Although the priory of 

 Flitcham became a cell of Walsingham at an 

 early date, the manor of Snoring was held by 

 Walsingham down to the dissolution indepen- 

 dently of Flitcham Priory. 



In 1275 the jury of the hundred of Freebridge 

 found that the prior and convent of Flitcham 

 held a carucate of land in free alms of the gift 

 of Robert Aguillon in times beyond their 

 memory.'' 



The taxation of 1 291 shows that the priory 

 had possessions at that date in eight Norfolk 

 parishes, and its annual income was estimated at 



From the year 13 16 the vicars of the parochial 

 church of Flitcham were presented by the 

 priory, the great tithes being appropriated by the 

 convent. The diocesan muniments generally 

 term this house St. Mary ad Fontes or de 

 Fontibus. Documents of the sixteenth century 

 name it as the priory of St. Mary at the Welle. 



In 1365 the prior and convent received the 

 fourth part of the manor of Flitcham at the 



>" Ibid. X, 21. 



■' Ibid, xiii, 63. 



" Jcssopp, Norzc. Fisit. ill. 



'Mbid. vi, 314. 



" Ibid, ix, 41. 



" Ibid, xi, 43. 



" Ibid. 



"Ibid. 169. 



" Rymer, Foedera (Rec. Com.), xiv, ;oi. 



'" B.M. Ixix, 14 ; Dugdale, Mon. vi, 369, 



■" Blomefield, Hist, of Norf viii, 418. 



" Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), i, 463. 



38c 



