RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



ill at the Inner Temple, dated 28 September, 

 1 443, tells the sufferer how her mother had vowed 

 an image of wax of his own weight to Our Lady 

 of Walsingham and that she herself had vowed to 

 undertake a pilgrimage to that shrine for his sake.' 

 The Fasten Letters also tell of Henry VTs visit 

 to Walsingham in 1455 ; of the intention of 

 Edward IV and his queen, if her health permitted, 

 to undertake the pilgrimage in 1 469 ; of the Duke 

 and Duchess of Norfolk going there on foot from 

 Framlingham in 147 i, and of the Duke of Buck- 

 ingham undertaking the same in 1478.^ 



Henry VII kept Easter, 1487 at Norwich, and 

 from thence went in pilgrimage to Walsingham, 

 where he visited Our Lady's church, famous for 

 miracles, and made his prayers and vows for help 

 and deliverance.' When the king soon after- 

 ■wards gained a victory at Stoke, ' he sent his 

 banner to be offered to Our Lady at Walsingham, 

 where before he made his vows.' ^ The same 

 king, by his will, ordered an image of silver-gilt 

 to be set up in the shrine. 



Henry VIII made here an offering of 6s. 8d. 

 in 1 5 10. On a subsequent visit, according to 

 Sir Henry Spelman, the king walked barefoot 

 from Barsham to the chapel of Our Lady, and 

 offered a necklace of great value.^ The well- 

 known letter of Queen Katharine of Aragon to 

 the king, announcing the victory of Flodden 

 (15 1 3), concludes: 'and now go to Our Lady 

 at Walsingham, that I promised soo long agoo 

 to see.' * In April of the same year Admiral 

 Howard wrote to Henry VIII as to Master 

 Arthur Plantagenet, who, being in great peril of 

 shipwreck, called upon Our Lady of Walsing- 

 ham for help, and vowed that if it pleased God 

 and her to deliver him, that he would not eat 

 flesh or fish till he had seen her. The admiral 

 excused him from service to enable him to fulfil 

 his vow.^ 



In the king's book of payments there are 

 ■entered, under 1509 — William Halys, king's 

 priest, singing before Our Lady at Walsingham, 

 half a year's wages lOOi. ; for the king's candle 

 there, 4.6s. 8d. ; for 3^ oz. of fine gold for the 

 Icing's little chain, £6 6s. 8^/., and making the 

 same, 6s. 8d. ; in January 151 1, offering at Our 

 Lady of Walsingham, £1 145. ^d.; in June of 

 the same year, part payment for glazing Our 

 Lady's Chapel at Walsingham, ^^20. In Novem- 

 ber, 1512, £22 Hi- 4-d. was paid to Barnard 

 Plour, for glazing Our Lady Chapel, Walsingham. 

 In November, 1 5 15, there are entries of 100s. as 

 half a year's wage to Sir Richard Warde for 

 singing before Our Lady at Walsingham, and 

 .the king's candle there again cost 4.6s. Sd.'' 



' Paiton Letters (Gairdner), i, 48. ' Ihid. fassim. 

 ' Lord Bacon, Life of Henry FIl, vi, 56, 59. 

 * Spelman, IVorks, ii, 149. 

 ' Ellis, Orig. Letters, I, i, 29. 

 "Cott. MS. Calig. E. ii, fol. 141. 

 ' L. and P. Hen. Vlll, ii (2), 1442, 1449, 145 1, 

 1458, 1469. 



In September 15 17, Cardinal Wolsey, when 

 in bad health, made a pilgrimage to this shrine, 

 to which there are various allusions in the State 

 Papers. The cardinal was again there in 1520, 

 and apparently as devout as any one. But the 

 times were against these pilgrimages, and there 

 came a change. In 1528 Wolsey, as legate, 

 issued a decree granting to Richard Vowell, the 

 prior of Walsingham, and his convent — in con- 

 sideration that the universal devotion by which 

 the priory was first sustained was now cooled, 

 through the perverse reviling of some and the 

 pestiferous preaching of others — the Austin priory 

 of Flitcham, which had fallen into decay through 

 neglect, and the possessions of which were adja- 

 cent to those of the former. Four resident canons 

 were to be maintained for the due celebration of 

 divine service. The prior in return for this grant 

 promised to have daily mass celebrated for Wolsey, 

 and to pay a pension of lOs. to the bishop of 

 Norwich and his successors for episcopal consent 

 to the scheme.^ The 'king's candle' was still 

 kept burning at the Walsingham shrine, 43s. 4^. 

 being paid for its maintenance at Lady Day, 

 1529, together with ^^5 for the king's mass 

 priest ' before Our Lady.' ^ 



In her will, Katharine of Aragon, who died in 

 January 1536, provided that some personage 

 should go to Our Lady of Walsingham on pil- 

 grimage, distributing twenty nobles on the way.'" 



On 18 September, 1534, Richard Vowell, 

 the prior, Edmund Warham, the sub-prior and 

 twenty of the canons signed their acceptance of 

 the king's supremacy.'' 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 returned the 

 annual income of the priory from endowments 

 as j^39i lis. 7id., whilst the offerings even in 

 1534 amounted to ^^260 12s, ^.^d. These 

 offerings were threefold : those made at the 

 chapel of Our Lady ;^250 is ; at the sacred milk 

 of Our Lady 4.2s. ^d. ; and at the chapel of St. 

 Lawrence, £8 gs. 1 \d. 



It was apparently with reference to this Valor 

 that Prior Vowell wrote to Cromwell on 

 24 October, 1535 : — 



At my latest visit to you for valuation of the obla- 

 tions in Our Lady's chapel, you desired me to make 

 suit to you again when the certificate of the commis- 

 sioners was brought in, and beg audit for Rob Townes- 

 hend, to whom I have made known my mind more 

 fully than I can write. Without your aid our house 

 shall never be able to bear the charges." 



Cromwell's visitors, Legh and Ap Rice, were 

 here about the beginning of 1536; if the scan- 

 dalous comperta are to be believed six of the 

 Walsingham canons confessed their incontinency 

 to these men. They noted that there was much 

 superstition in feigned relics and miracles. 



' Ibid, iv (2), 2254. 



' Ibid, v, 309. 



" Cott. MS. Otho, C. X, fol. 216. 



" Rymer, Focdera (Rec. Com.), xiv, 519. 



" L.andP. Hai. Fill, ix, 229. 



397 



