A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Priors of VVeybourne ^ 



Roger de Hoxne,' occurs 1309, died 1314 



John de Frenes,' elected 131 5 



Roger de Geistweyt,'' elected 1334 



John de Elyngham,* elected 1 391 



John de Laxfield/ elected 1422 



Andrew Burgate," resigned 1438 



Walter Marlowe,* elected 1438 



Henry Clement,^ elected 1466 



John Frost,"' elected 1526 



Thomas Bulman," elected 1 5 30, last prior 



A cast of a late twelfth-century seal of this 

 house (2f by if in.) shows the crowned Virgin 

 standing, with book in right hand and fleur-de-lis 

 in left. In the field on the left, a crescent. 

 Legend : — 



SIGILL 



BT 



DE WABURN 



There is also another slightly different seal of 

 thirteenth century date (2J in. by if in.), but 

 very imperfect. '' 



37. THE PRIORY OF WEYBRIDGE " 



Hugh Bigod, earl of Norfolk, founded a 

 small house for Austin Canons, dedicated to the 

 honour of St. Mary, at Weybridge, in the parish 

 of Acle, towards the close of the reign of 

 Henry III. Robert was the first warden or 

 keeper of this humble foundation, and, by an 

 undated deed, the earl granted to Robert and his 

 brethren of the church of St. Mary all his marsh 

 in Acle, with all appurtenances, in free alms. 



Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk, son of Hugh, 

 the patron and founder, granted to Robert the 

 chaplain, the first warden of the house and the 

 brethren of the same, power to elect, after the 

 death of the said warden, one of the brethren in 

 his place, provided that two or three be nomi- 

 nated by them from themselves, or from else- 

 where if sufficient be not there found, to be 

 presented to the earl and his heirs, by whom the 

 one that should seem most fittmg should be pre- 

 sented to the bishop. He further granted that, 

 if the means of the house should so increase that 

 the secular habit and life there is converted into 

 the religious, and an order of religious there 

 established with a prior or abbot, that then the 



' In the tenth volume of Norfolk Archaeology 

 (1888) are papers on this priory and its remains by 

 Rev. C. R. Manning and Rev. Dr. Jessopp. 

 ' Blomefield, Hiit. of Nor/, ix. 451. 

 ' Ibid. * Ibid. 



* Norw. Epis. Reg. vi, 161. 

 ^ Ibid, viii, 76. 



Mbid. X, 16. ' Ibid. 



' Ibid, xi, I 59. 



" Blomefield, Hist. ofNorf ix, 451. " Ibid. 

 " B.M. Ixix, 50 ; Ackn. ofSupr. (P.R.O.), 112. 

 " B.M. Ixix, 51. 



'* See Blomefield H'nt. of Noif xi, 92-4 ; the 

 statements in this sketch — which are without other 

 reference — are derived from this source. 



406 



religious of the house may elect from themselves 

 or elsewhere their superior to be presented to the 

 earl or his heirs and by him to the bishop ; provided 

 that no warden, prior, or abbot shall be ordained 

 except upon presentation by the earl or his heirs.'* 

 Small parcels of land in various parts of the 

 county were bestowed on the priory soon after 

 its foundation. At the taxation of 1 29 1, Wey- 

 bridge Priory had lands in fifteen Norfolk 

 parishes, which were estimated at the annual 

 value of ;^8 7^. \\d. 



In 1 31 8 the priory had patents for 3 acres 

 of land in Felthorpe and the advowson of that 

 church, and for 12 acres in Clippesby, Oby 

 and Burgh.'* In 1320 the king sanctioned the 

 alienation to the priory of a moiety of the church 

 of Fishleyand half an acre of land." The priory 

 paid the king j^io in 1385 for licence to hold, 

 by the gift of Margaret Mareschall, countess of 

 Norfolk, and others, a messuage, 92 acres of 

 land and 3J. rent in South Burlingham, Lingwood, 

 and other townships, together with the advowson 

 of Lingwood church, to pray for the soul of 

 Anne, late countess of Pembroke and others.'* 



A commission was appointed in 1279 touch- 

 ing an appeal of robbery which Roger Grubbe 

 brought before the king against the prior of 

 Weybridge and eleven others.'^ 



When the house was first vacant, early in 

 1308, John de Kayly, rector of Rollesby, was 

 given the temporary custody, and removable at 

 the bishop's will,^" but on 10 November, 1308, 

 the king notified to the bishop the presentation 

 of Matthew de Horseye, a brother of the house 

 of St. Mary, Weybridge, upon the death of 

 Humphrey to be keeper or prior of that house. 

 The house was at that time in the king's custody 

 by reason of the lands of Roger Bigod, late 

 earl of Norfolk, being in his hands.*^ 



John Barnham, by his will of 1465, was 

 buried in the priory church of Weybridge ; he 

 appointed his wife Katharine and Prior Robert 

 Norwich as his executors. 



The Valor of 1535 returned the clear annual 

 value at the small sum of j^7 13J. \d. 



After its suppression the site of the priory 

 and all its possessions in Weybridge, Upton, 

 South Burlingham, Billockby, Clippesby, Oby, 

 Ashby, Burgh St. Margaret's, Acle, Harleston, 

 and Redenhall, were granted in March, 1539, to 

 Richard Fulmerston, of Thetford, the recipient 

 of much monastic property." 



' The site of it,' says Blomefield, ' was by 

 Acle-Dam, near the bridge as you go to Yar- 

 mouth.' Taylor, in 1821, wrote : ' On or near 



" Close, 2 Edw. II, m. i %a. 



" Pat. II Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 15, 14. 



" Ibid. 14 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 10. 



" Cal. of Pat. 8 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 25. 



" Pat. 7 Edw. I, m. 11 d. 



'" Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 20. 



" Pat. 2 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 20. 



•' Ibid. 30 Hen. VIII, pt. viii, m. 27. 



