A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Bowff^'nn, who was in charge of the cell of hostility by suppressing a house that bore so good 



Wormesay, said that that priory was much out a repute and did so much for the poor of the 



of repair. Canon Thomas Lytyll, who was also district.' 



at the cell of Wormegay, made no complaint. The county commissioners sold to ' my Lorde 



Canon Richard Lynn complained of the capacity of Rutland,' on i6 February, 1537, 'alle the 



of the schoolmaster.^ stuff in the Quyre for xb. the stuffe .'n Lady 



The Valor of 1535 gave the annual income Chappell fo. xs., and the stuffe in the vestry for 



of Pentney Priory, including Wormegay, as 

 The secret comperta of Legh and Ap Rice, 



£12 ^^- ^'^■' ^^ ^'^° purchased the contents of the 

 conventual buildings, cattle, corn, hay, and grow- 

 ing crops ; the total amounting to £114 15^. 9^. 



early in 1536, recorded that Prior Codde had In addition to this the plate, in the custody of 



carried on an intrigue with the abbess of Richard Southwell, was valued zX £iz \\i. \d. 



Marham, and we are asked to believe that the The debts of the house amounted to ^^ 1 6.® 

 prior and five of his canons confessed their In March, 1537, ex-Prior Codde was not 



incontinency to these two visitors, themselves of only awarded a pension of ^^24, but was appointed 



scandalous lives." In the face of the report of 

 the county gentlemen who visited the house a 

 few months later, and of the several satisfactory 

 reports made at the searching episcopal visitations 

 of this house during the sixteenth century, it is 

 impossible to give the least credence to the 

 slanders. The county commissioners reported 

 that ' the priory of Chanones of Pentney and 

 Wormegay of the Order of Seynt Augustine ' 

 had a clear annual value of ;^i8o 19;. o\d.\ 

 that the religious persons in the house num- 

 bered nine, ' alle Prystes of very honest name 

 and goode religious persones who doue desyre 

 the kynges highness to contynue and remayne 

 in religione ' ; that eighty-three other persons 

 had their living there — namely, twenty-three 

 hinds, thirty household servants, and thirty chil- 

 dren and other poor servants ; that the lead and 

 bells were worth ;ri8o, and that the house was 

 in very good and requisite repair ; that the goods 

 were worth ;^ii9 5^. 6^.; that the woods were 

 worth £20 ; and that £1(3 was owing to the 

 house.' 



In March, 1536, Richard Southwell, himself 

 a county commissioner, and Robert Hogen wrote 

 to Cromwell, specially commending to his notice 

 the prior of Pentney, who, according to Legh 

 and Ap Rice, was guilty of a grievous crime 

 and the head of a dissolute set of canons. 

 Southwell and Hogen assured Cromwell that the 

 ' prior relieved those quarters wondrously where 

 he dwells, and it would be a pity not to spare a 

 house that feeds so many indigent poor, which is 

 in a good state, maintains good service, and does 

 so many charitable deeds.^ 



On 6 October, 1536, the county com- 

 missioners, Messrs. Townsend, Paston, South- 

 well, and Mildmay, were at Pentney ; in a 

 subsequent report they stated that they did 

 not then suppress it because of the insur- 

 rection in the north parts ; probably thereby 

 meaning that they were afraid of exciting further 



' Jessopp, 'None. Visit. (Camd. See), 29, 106, 167, 

 251, 3IZ. 



'i. and P. Hen. Fill, x, 143. 

 ^ Chant. Cert. Norf. No. 90. 

 ' L. and P. Hen. 1111, x, 22I. 



warden of the hospital of St. Giles, Norwich.' 



The priory was granted on 14 February, 

 1538, to Thomas, earl of Rutland.* 



Priohs of Pentney 



Geoffrey,^ occurs 1 1 67 



William de Vaux,^" temp. Hen. II 



Ralph,^^ occurs 1225 



Simon,^- mentioned 1228, 1250 



Geoffrey,^' c. 1260 



William,^^ temp. Edw. I 



Richard de Marham,^' elected 1302 



Giles de Whitwell,^^ elected 1338 



Thomas de Helgeye,^' elected 1342 



Ralph de Framlingham,^^ elected 1349 



Vincent de Caldecote,^' elected 1 35 1 



Peter Bysshop,^" elected 1353 



Walter de Tyrington,^' elected 1 38 1 



John de Wilton," elected 1397 



William Swaffham,-' elected 1 41 4 



John de Tyrington,"^ elected 141 6 



Richard Pentney,-* elected 1449 



Ralph Medylton,^^ elected 1464 



John Woodbridge,"' elected 1496 



John Hawe,-* elected 1 5 18 



Robert Codde,"^ occurs 1526, last prior 



The thirteenth-century seal ad causas of 

 this house is oval (2 in. by li in.), and shows 



"Ibid, xii (i), 218. 

 « Suppression Papers (P.R.O.), ^p. 

 ' Aug. Off. Bks. ccxxxii, fol. 49 ; L. and P. 

 Hen. Flll,xn (1), 352 (33). 

 ^ Aug. Off. Bks. ccxi, fol. 22. 

 ' Hilt, of Abp. Becket (Rolls Ser.), vi, 262. 

 '° Blomefield, Hiit. of Norf. ix, 41 ; almost certainly 



Rymer, Foedcra, and Jessopp, Noixv. Fisit. 



390 



