A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



conventual church of Mountjoy on Christmas 

 Day, Circumcision, Epiphany, Easter Day, As- 

 cension, and Pentecost, as well as on the Nativity, 

 Purification, and Assumption of the Blessed 

 Virgin, and on the festivals of St. John Baptist, 

 SS. Peter and Paul, and St. Laurence.' 



An indenture of 8 June, 1490, relates that 

 whereas the parish church of St. Andrew, Irming- 

 land, with the patronage and advowson, were 

 given many years ago to the convent of St. Lau- 

 rence of Mountjoy, and the church, rectory, and 

 tithes cannot now support a fit priest to officiate 

 there, and the chancel and rectory house are 

 ruined, and the parishioners wander elsewhere to 

 hear divine service, William the prior and his 

 convent demise the site of the rectory and 

 the church and rectory to Thomas Bettes of 

 Irmingland, with all tithes, for ninety years, to 

 provide a priest there, power being reserved to 

 remove such priest and institute another .- 



In 15 1 5 Thomas Clerke, B.D., was instituted 

 by the bishop. On 28 June, I 517, Prior Clerke 

 granted to Henry Fermour of East Barsham his 

 foldcourse and pasture in Mountjoy and Fel- 

 thorpe, with the great close and all liberties of 

 pasturage for seven years, paying ;^I4, viz. jC^ 

 in hand towards the sustentation and repair of the 

 monastery, and 26s. 8d. each year till the last, 

 and then 205. The prior was to provide a 

 barrel of tar (for sheep marking ? ) every second 

 year, and a close house with lock and key to lay 

 the wool in till sold.' 



This priory was one of those intended to be 

 suppressed by Pope Clement's bull of 1528 

 towards the endowment of Cardinal Wolsey's 

 colleges at Ipswich and Oxford ; but his fall 

 prevented this being carried out. 



The prior of Mountjoy was summoned to 

 convocation in 1529'' ; but probably this was an 

 oversight, for on the attainder of Wolsey the 

 priory was seized by William Hales, lord of 

 Heveringland, the patron of the house, as an 

 escheat to him, and was thus united to his lord- 

 ship,' Thomas Clerke, the last prior, becoming 

 rector of Moulton Parva. 



Priors of Mountjoy 



Vincent,' occurs c. 1200 

 Thomas,' occurs c. 1225 

 John Weting,' elected 1304 

 Thomas Carlevile,' elected 1305 

 Peter de Cleye,'" elected 1308 

 John," occurs c 1323 

 Simon de Fleg,'- elected 1349 



' Rymer, Toedtra (Rec. Com.), vi, 439. 

 » Anct. D. A. 2739. ' Ibid. 2825. 



* L. and P. Hen. nil, iv (3), 2699. 

 ' Blomefield, viii, 231. 



* Anct. D. A. 3012-3. 



' Ibid. 2782-4. ' Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 17. 



' Ibid. 19. '" Ibid. 28. 



" Anct. D. A. 2749. " ^O"^'- Epis- Reg- iv, 96. 



John Ewedon,'' occurs 1357 



John de Cotton,'* 



Philip de Tideshale," 1379 



Edmund Ayms,'* 140 1 



Edmund de Walsingham,'' 1429 



John Sudbury,'* 



Robert Snape," 1448 



Thomas Everhard,-" 1465 



John Clement,-' 1470 



Christopher Brown,-' occurs 1479 



William Lovell,23 



William Kyrteling,-* elected 1 491 



Thomas Grimston,-* elected 1502 



Thomiis Clark,-* elected 15 15 



31. THE PRIORY OF PENTNEY 



The Austin priory of Pentney, founded in 

 the twelfth century by Robert De Vaux, was 

 dedicated in honour of the Holy Trinity, the 

 Blessed Virgin, and St. Mary Magdalen. The 

 founder endowed it for the health of the souls of 

 himself and his wife Agnes and his ancestors, 

 with the manor of Pentney in the isle of Eya, 

 with all its appurtenances, and especially with the 

 mill of Bridgemill ; with two salt pans, the one 

 at Lynn and the other at South Wootton ; the 

 whole rent of Fulk de Cougham ; the assart 

 belonging to the hermitage of Walney, with 

 Ofifsey and Shortwood ; fifteen acres of land at 

 Wadington, called Crundale ; thirteen acres of 

 Richard the weaver at Wadington ; the mill at 

 Shotesham ; the land of Ralph the son of the 

 priest ; and the advowsons of his churches of 

 Thurton, Chediston, Ketteringham, Shotesham 

 St. Botulph, Houghton, and Shotesham All 

 Hallows.-' 



William the eldest of the three sons of the 

 founder, confirmed his father's grants with a 

 small addition. William de Vaux, in his turn, 

 left three sons, and was succeeded by Robert, as 

 William his eldest son took holy orders, and 

 eventually became prior of Pentney. John 

 de Vaux, great-grandson of Robert, died in 

 1288, leaving two daughters, his co-heirs. 

 Petronel the elder daughter, who married Sir 

 William de Nerford, brought her husband the 

 patronage of the priory. 



In 1 29 1 this priory held property in thirty- 

 four Norfolk parishes, in addition to Chediston, 



" Anct. D. A. 2884. 



" Abp. Wittlesay, Reg. 



" Norw. Epis. Reg. vi, 64. 



" Blomefield, Hist, of h'orf. viii, 232. 



" Ibid. '' Ibid. 



" Norw. Epis. Reg. xi, 19. 



"Ibid, xi, 147. " Ibid. 178. 



" Blomefield, Hist. ofNorf. viii, 232. 



»' Ibid. " Ibid. "^ Ibid. « Ibid. 



" The foundation charter is given in Dugdale, 

 Mm. vi, 67—70, from a chartulary at Belvoir ; 

 Blomefield (W/i/. o/Norf.ix, 3S-41), cites largely from 

 the same source. 



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