A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



brother {conversus) said 150 Our Fathers and as 

 many Hail Marys, and they distributed to the 

 poor daily for thirty days after his death a loaf, 

 a gallon of ale, and a dish of meat or fish, such as 

 a canon is wont to receive daily. ^ In 1328 pro- 

 tection was granted for the abbey of Dereham, 

 which was of the advowson of the heir of John 

 de Hastings, deceased, a minor in the king's 

 custody, in consequence of its being impoverished 

 and in debt through injudicious management. 

 Richard Coppe, a parson of the church of 

 Oxborough, and Richard de Depham were af>- 

 pointed custodians, under whose direction the 

 abbot was to apply the revenues to the payment 

 of the debts, saving a reasonable sustenance for 

 himself and the canons and their servants." 



In 1325 the abbot of Dereham was prohibited 

 by the king from leaving the kingdom to attend 

 the general chapter at Prdmontre,' but in 

 September, 1327, Bartholomew de Burghersh, 

 constable of Dover Castle, was directed to per- 

 mit the abbot of Dereham to cross the seas from 

 that port to attend the chapter general at Pre- 

 montr^, and to allow him 20 marks for the 

 expenses of himself and attendants.* On 

 26 June, 1328, an exactly similarorder was made 

 for a like purpose, save that ;^20 instead of 20 

 marks was contributed for expenses.^ 



On 15 May, 1325, John, abbot ofWelbeck, as 

 father abbot of Dereham, wrote to the bishop of 

 Norwich to inform him of the death of the late 

 abbot, Paul de Tilney, and of the election of 

 John de Rutham, in his presence and that of 

 the abbots of Seiston and Wendling, and to ask 

 for his episcopal benediction.^ Although the 

 White Canons were specially exempt from 

 diocesan visitation, and their elections were held 

 independently of the bishop, it was usual for 

 the abbot-elect, after he had been chosen by his 

 convent and installed by the father abbot of the 

 house, to promise canonical obedience to his 

 diocesan, saving all rights of his order, and to 

 ask for episcopal benediction. In the case of 

 John de Rutham, the bishop's blessing was 

 given on 21 May. 



In 1344, Mary de Sancto Paulo, countess of 

 Pembroke, obtained the sanction of Clement III, 

 on behalf of the Premonstratensian abbot of \Vest 

 Dtreham, for faculty to confer the office of notary 

 public on six persons to be nominated by the 

 countess.' Pope Urban V, in 1366, granted, 

 during ten years, an indulgence of a year and 

 160 days to penitents visiting the chapel of 

 the Holy Trinity in this monastery on the 

 principal feasts.^ 



' Ca/. of Close, 18 Edw. II, m. 6. 



' Cal. of Pat. 2 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 12. 



' Ibid. 19 Edw. II, m. jod. 



* C.2I. ofCkse, I Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 16. 



' Ibid. z\d. « Add MS. 4935, fol. 7. 



' Ca/. Papa! Pet. i, 155 ; Cal. Papal Reg. iii, 275. 



" Cal. Pap. Reg. iv, 56. 



416 



William de Holt received the episcopal bene- 

 diction as abbot on 6 April, 1368, in the manor 

 chapel of Heningham, and promised canonical 

 obedience, saving the rights of his order.^ His 

 obedience, however, seems to have been some- 

 what incomplete if he is the person referred to 

 in 1387, when the crown appointed seven 

 officials to arrest William Holt, an ' apostate 

 vagabond canon' of Dereham Abbey, signified as 

 such to the king by John, abbot of Barlings, 

 and George, abbot of Welbeck, visitors of the 

 English Premonstratensian houses. If arrested, 

 he was to be delivered to his abbot, or to one of 

 the visitors or their attorney.'" 



Abbot John Saresson alias Wygenhale acted 

 as vicar-general to the bishop in 1436, as well as 

 on many later occasions. In 1444 he was 

 collated to the deanery of the college of St. 

 Mar)--in-the-Fields, Norwich, as well as to the 

 rectory of St. Mary's, Great Massingham j 

 which preferments he held in conjunction with 

 the rule of the abbey. He died about 1455, 

 and is particularly memorable on account of the 

 survival of the precatory or mortuarj' roll that 

 was issued by his convent at the time of his 

 death. It is a class of documents of which very 

 few examples are extant. On the death of a 

 religious, and more especially of a religious 

 superior, a roll was prepared on which was 

 written a statement of the death, together with 

 some eulogy or description of the deceased, with 

 religious reflections, and a request for the pravers 

 by other houses. The roll was then carried 

 round, sometimes only to neighbouring houses, 

 or those of the same order, but in the cases of 

 superiors or distinguished personages these brevia 

 or briefs were multiplied, and sent about through- 

 out the kingdom at large. The monk or canon 

 who carried the brief was termed a breviator, and 

 on its reaching each monastery it was inscribed 

 with the titulus or description of the house, 

 accompanied by a promise of their prayers for the 

 departed. On Abbot Wygenhale's death a 

 beautiful roll was prepared. That which now 

 remains (but it was doubtless originally longer) is 

 4 ft. 5i in. long by about 12 in. wide, formed of 

 two membranes. On the upper membrane is an 

 illuminated architectural design divided into three 

 compartments. At the top is the Eternal Father 

 supporting a crucifix, and at the right side is the 

 small figure of an abbot kneeling, with a scroll 

 asking the divine protection and guidance for 

 John Lynn, who was the abbot that succeeded the 

 deceased. In the centre is the Blessed Virgin. 

 At the base is the scene of the interment of John 

 Wygenhale, most interestingly portrayed. '^ 



' Norw. Epis. Reg. v, 80. 



" Cal of Pat. 10 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 20 J. 



" This roll was illustrated and described by the Lite 

 J. Gough Nichols in the Norfolk volume of the Jref: 

 Inst. (185 i), 99-1 14. It was exhibited to the Society 

 of Antiquaries in Jan. 1 861, by Rev. G. H. Dash- 

 wood, F.S..A. {Proceedings (sen 2), i, 289-90). 



