RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



tenements, and rents, in relief of their ' poor pos- 

 sessions,' to the value of ;^40, that they may pray 

 for the good estate of the king and queen and for 

 their souls after death. ^ 



About 1345, the prior and canons of Wal- 

 singham petitioned Elizabeth, lady of Clare, 

 beseeching her to abandon her intention of per- 

 mitting the Franciscan friars to have a house in 

 either Great or Little Walsingham. They ad- 

 vanced various reasons against the coming of the 

 friars ; but they were all of them of a purely 

 selfish character, and did not touch on the higher 

 grounds of education and of a faithful ministering 

 to the poor, which were no doubt the actuating 

 motives of this noble lady in her new foundation. 

 The petitioners stated that they foresaw that 

 certain tithes would lapse and that their income 

 derived from mortuary masses and offerings at 

 burials, churching of women, confession and 

 other occasions would certainly diminish. The 

 most interesting objection was that wherein they 

 stated that for the security of the valuable jewels 

 that had been presented to their shrine by Lady 

 Elizabeth and her ancestors and others, the gates 

 of the priory were always closed at night ; that 

 the pilgrims who arrived late were accustomed to 

 make their offerings the next morning ; and that 

 this would probably not be the case if they were 

 entertained by the friars.^ It is satisfactory to 

 know that the petition failed. 



In 1346, John de Watlington, canon of Wal- 

 singham, obtained an indult to choose a confes- 

 sor for plenary remission at the hour of death. ^ 

 Benedict de Bodham, another canon of this 

 house, had the dignity of papal chaplain conferred 

 on him in 1350,* and in the same year Canon 

 Benedict and Thomas de Clare, prior of Walsing- 

 ham, obtained the papal indult for plenary re- 

 mission at the hour of death.* James de Wighten 

 and Richard Brutiham, canons of Walsingham, 

 obtaining the like privilege in 1352.* Pope 

 Urban, in 1364, granted a faculty to Prior 

 Thomas to dispense four of his canons provided 

 they had completed their twenty-second year, to 

 be ordained priests, there being but few, owing to 

 the pestilence.' 



On I March, 1384, the custody of the priory 

 was given by the king to the sub-prior, acting on 

 behalf of his kinsman Roger, son and heir of the 

 late earl of March, a minor, in consequence of 

 contention between the sub-prior and John 

 Snoryng, prior, the latter being wasteful of its 

 revenues in his desire to secure the position of abbot. 

 This step was taken on the advice of a commis- 

 sion, presided over by Michael de la Pole, the 

 chancellor, appointed to inquire into the dispute.* 



' Cal. of Pat. 5 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 4. 

 ' Cott. MS. Nero E. vii, fol. 152. The petition 

 is given both in French and Latin. 



^ Cal. Papal R:g. iii, 233. * Ibid. 393. 



^ Ibid. 402. * Ibid. 473, 505. 



' Ibid, iv, 41. 

 * Pat. 7 Ric. II, pt. 2, mm. 21, 231/. 



One of the charges against Prior Snoryng was 

 that he had interfered with the weekly market at 

 Walsingham, placing divers windows and doors 

 in the priory wall on the site where it was held. 

 The letters patent, however, of I March, giving 

 the custody of the priory to the sub-prior, were 

 speedily cancelled, for on 9 March the prior was 

 allowed to resume his rule, but only upon finding 

 three recognizances of 1,000 marks each, pledg- 

 ing him to keep the priory and all its lands and 

 manors without waste or alienation until the next 

 Parliament, and further pledging him not to go 

 or send to the Roman Court. ^ 



Further financial irregularities on the part of 

 Prior Snoryng resulted in his suspension and even- 

 tual removal from the office in 1387-8 by the 

 commissaries of the bishop of Norwich, against 

 which sentence he appealed to Rome. The king 

 took the priory and its possessions into his own 

 hands, appointing a commission, at the head of 

 which was the abbot of Holm, for its due ad- 

 ministration. Licence was granted to Snoryng 

 in 1389 to pass beyond the seas, to defend his 

 right before the Holy See. In June 1391, a 

 further licence was granted by the crown to 

 Snoryng to prosecute to a conclusion in the 

 Roman court his long pending suit. Sir Thomas 

 Geney, and three citizens and mercers of London 

 giving bail, each in 1,000 marks, that he would 

 not during his stay attempt aught against the 

 king's regality or the laws and customs of the 

 realm.'** 



Conditional absolution was granted by Boni- 

 face IX, in May 1398, from excommunication 

 of Prior John Harford and the convent of Wal- 

 singham, together with relaxation of their inter- 

 dict, and the annulment of formal papal letters 

 and proceedings. Thomas Fornesete, canon of 

 this house, having set forth to the pope that for 

 certain reasons he had formerly, without leave of 

 his superior, thrown off his habit, broken iron 

 chains and prison and left his order, the pope 

 ordered the archbishop of Canterbury and the 

 bishops of Norwich and Ely to carry out, with 

 regard to him, Pope Benedict's ordinances as to 

 apostates. The recent petition of the convent of 

 Walsingham, however, set forth that the bishop 

 of Ely, in defiance of the pope, absolved Thomas 

 and ordered restoration to his canonry and pre- 

 bend, as well as payment of his costs in going and 

 returning to Rome. They further stated that 

 on their refusing to receive Thomas, the com- 

 missary of the bishop of Norwich excommuni- 

 cated the convent and put the priory under 

 interdict, from which sentence they appealed to 

 Rome, adding that Thomas had suppressed the 

 truth." 



' Cal. of Pat. 1 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 

 '" P.it. 12 Ric. II, pt. 2, m. 9 ; 



m. 36 ; 13 Ric. II, pt. 2, m. 

 m. 6. 



" Ca!. of Papal Reg. v, 157-8. 



32 



'7- 



13 Ric. II, pt. 



; 14 Ric. pt. 



395 



