RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



In a cheste nere to ye prior's chamber. 



An olde vestement with decon and subdecon and a 

 cope of blew or purpur velvyt ; an olde cope with a 

 vestment and a decon and subdecon off olde blew 

 sarsnet worne and nothynge worthe ; an old cope of 

 olde copper gold and sylk ; iij copys or vestmentes 

 decon and subdecon off blake sylke and worne no- 

 thynge worthe ; an olde syngle vestment off blake 

 velvyt ; ij olde vestments the on off whyt . . . the 

 other grene worne and lytell worthe ; iiij olde copys 

 off sylke nothynge worthe ; a fayer chalesse per' at 

 X Oz di' ; a lytyll crosse of wode playtyd with sylver 

 where ys conteynyd certeyn relyques ; ij other pecys 

 of wode playtyd with sylver ; x sylver sponys pond 

 viii Oz di', at iij/. in]d. ther oz. 



Inventories were also taken of the contents 

 (for the most part ordinary and poor) of the little 

 chamber next the prior, the guest chamber called 



* Walles chamber,' the hall, buttery, kitchen, 

 bakehouse, brewhouse, storehouse, and bailifPs 

 chamber. The cattle consisted of 20 swine, 

 5 kine, 125 sheep, 40 lambs, and 13 horses and 

 mares for the plough. The standing corn on 

 68 acres was estimated at ^i^ I2j., and the 

 barley, pease, and oats on 97 acres at ,^14 i is. gd. 

 The total of the inventory estimate came to 

 ^12835. 9<^. 



On 24 January, 1537, Richard Southwell was 

 again at Hempton and paid various small sums 

 as'rewardes' to twelve different persons attached 

 to the monastery in sums varying from lox. to 

 20d., and including 6s. Sd. to ' the daye wyff.' 

 Opposite the name of Henry Salter, prior, is nil. 

 On the following day (25 January) the goods of 

 the house were sold ; they realised ^^73 131. 6^d. 



With these papers is given the sworn deposi- 

 tion of the prior before the commissioners, to the 

 effect that — 



the howse ys of th order of seynt Augustyne and 

 ys a hede howse havynge a convent seale. Item ther 

 ben of religious persones within the same howsse ij 

 requyryng capacities. Item there of servants xv, 

 hindes x, and waityng servants v. 



The lead on the steeple, transepts, quire, 

 south chapel, gate-house, and cloister was esti- 

 mated at twenty-one fodders, worth £6;^. The 

 four bells in the tower weighed 24 cwt., and 

 were valued at ^^25 41. The debts of the prior 

 -were ^^8 175., whilst there was £6 16s. owing 

 to him. The priory debts included 10;. for 

 beef owing to the butcher, and I id. due to the 



* Butter Wyffe ' for butter.* 



The priory obtained a pension of ^^4 1 31. ^.d. 

 on 10 December, 1537.^ 



On 22 March, 1537, Francis Bedingfield, of 

 London, obtained a lease of the priory site and 

 demesne lands.' 



The site of the priory, with the manor and 

 appropriated rectory, were granted in 1546 to 

 Sir William Fermer and Catharine his wife. 



' Suppression Papers (P.R.O.), 17,270 ; also S^K 

 ' Aug. Off. Books ccxxxii, fol. 3. 

 ' Ibid, ccix, fol. 5 7 3. 



Priors of Hempton 



Simon,^ before 1 165 



Richard,' occurs 1269 



Giles,' occurs 1297 



Richard de Westacre,' elected 1 301, occurs 



1305* 

 Alexander de Lenn,' elected 1324 

 Nicholas de Kettleston,*" elected 1339 

 John de Snoring," elected 1386 

 John Pensthorp,'- elected 1393 

 Richard,'' occurs 1438, 1450 

 Stephen Wighton,'* elected 145 1 

 John de Lexham, a/ias Penton," elected 1481 

 William Fakenham," occurs 15 14 

 John Sambrook,'' occurs 1529 

 Henry Salter, a/ias Salt," occurs 1534, last 



prior 



The thirteenth-century seal of this house is 

 oval (2 X i^ in.) and shows St. Stephen standing 

 between two great candles under a gothic canopy ; 

 below was apparently a half-length figure (? of 

 the prior), but in the only known specimen '' this 

 part is broken. Legend : — 



sigillO commv 



DE HEMPTONN 



28. THE PRIORY OF HICKLING 



This small Austin house was founded by 

 Theobald, son of Robert de Valoines, in the 

 year 1185, and was dedicated to the honour of 

 St. Mary, St. Austin, and All Saints, the obser- 

 vances in use being those of the Essex house of 

 St. Osyth, from which four canons came for a 

 while to Hickling to instruct the brethren in 

 the rule of their order."" 



Li January, 1 204, King John confirmed 

 Theobald's foundation charter, by which he had 

 granted to the canons of Hickling his lands at 

 Arlum, together with the churches of Hickling, 

 and of Parham and Hasketon in Suffolk. By 

 the same charter were confirmed the gifts by 

 William de Muntchanesy, of his land at Kessing- 

 land, Suffolk ; by Robert de Waxham of a moiety 

 of the church of Waxham ; and by Henry de 

 Fleg of the other moiety of the same church.^* 

 About the same time the king granted them a 

 Friday market at Hickling. ^^ 



* Blomefield, Hisl. o/Nor/. vii, 101. 



Ibid. 



" Ibid, vi, 1 19. 



Ibid. " Ibid. 



' Assize R. 591, m. I 5 </. 

 ' Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 114. 

 '" Ibid, iii, 24. 

 " Ibid. 184. 



" Blomefield, Hist. o/Norf. vii, loi. 

 '* Norw. Epis. Reg. xi, 27. '' Ibid, xii, 82. 

 '* Tanner, Norw. MSS. i, 344. " Ibid. 



" Rymer, Foedera, xiv, 503. 

 " Ackn. of Supr. (P.R.O.), 62. 

 '■' Oxenedes, Chron. Minor (Rolls Ser.), 433. 

 *' Chart. R. 5 John, m. 15, No. 117. 

 ''Ibid. No. 116. 



383 



