RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



to the abbot and canons the advowson of the 

 church of Bodham, with two acres of land.' 



Anthony, bishop of Norwich, and the prior 

 and convent of Norwich, gave their sanction to 

 the appropriation of the church of Bodham in 

 August 1330' but the crown licence for the same 

 was not granted until 1332.' In 1338 licence was 

 also given to appropriate the church of Thurton 

 of their advowson,^ but apparently advantage 

 was not immediately taken of this, as in 1343 

 the abbot and convent of St. Mary's, Langley, 

 signified to the pope that their income from the 

 market had been much reduced by floods both 

 of river and sea, as well as by the number of 

 people asking hospitality, and therefore prayed 

 that the parish church of Thurton, in their 

 patronage, value not exceeding twelve marks 

 might be appropriated to the monastery, not- 

 withstanding that of custom the bishop takes the 

 fruits of the first year, they being ready to come 

 to terms with him. As the church was only 

 half a mile distant from the monastery, they 

 also prayed that it might be served by one of 

 their own canons. The diocesan was instructed 

 by the pope to arrange for this appropriation, but 

 to reserve a fitting vicar's portion.' 



The taxation of 1291 shows that the abbey 

 had much prospered in the first century of its 

 existence. It had at that date possessions in 

 sixty-two Norfolk and thirteen Suffolk parishes, 

 and its annual income was estimated at 



Further additions continued to be made to the 

 abbey's endowment in rents and lands ; thus 

 Edward I, in 1302, inspected and confirmed a 

 quit claim made by Roger le Bygod, earl of 

 Norfolk, to the Premonstratensian church and 

 canons of St. Mary, Langley, of 6j. rent and 

 suit at the earl's hundred of Ersham from three 

 weeks to three weeks, for lands which they hold 

 of the earl's fee in Riverhale, Brokedys Reden- 

 hall, Poringland, Yelverton &c.° 



Abbot Richard and his canons acknowledged 

 by an undated deed that they owed Sir William 

 Monchesney homage and relief on the ap- 

 pointment of each abbot of their house for a 

 certain tenement, and an aid to knight his son 

 and marry his daughter, as they did in the time 

 of Sir Warin Monchesney.' 



The abbot of Langley was the collector for 

 the diocese of Norwich of the crusade tenth im- 

 posed for three years by Boniface VIII ; the 

 amount, j^200, was handed in to the king's clerk 

 and a receipt obtained on 10 February 1304.' 

 The like sum was forwarded by the abbot from 



' Add. MS. 5948, fol. 55^. 



» Cal. of Bod I. Chart. 171. 



' Pat. 6 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 3. 



* Ibid. 12 Edw. Ill, pt. iii, m. 23. 



•■' Cal. Papal Pet. i, 29 ; CaL Papal Reg. iii, 138. 



' Cal. of Pat. 30 Edw. I m. 19. 



' Anct. D. (P.R.O.) A. 2978. 



» Cal. of Pat. 32 Edw. I, m. 25. 



Norwich diocese in the following year, and 

 ;^229 in. kd. in the third year. In discharging 

 this onerous office the abbot of Langley did not 

 give satisfaction, and on 10 December 1306, 

 Walter de Norwich was appointed by the king 

 to examine, in the presence of the abbot, the 

 acquittances given by him to the various con- 

 tributors. The abbot and his fellow canon, 

 Thomas de Jernemuta, had been lately presented 

 at Westminster for entering as arrears divers 

 sums which certain defaulting clerks and religious 

 asserted that they had fully paid. Walter was 

 instructed to enrol all the sums received by the 

 abbot during the whole time he was engaged in 

 the collection, with the names of those who 

 paid, and those to whom he had failed to give 

 acquittances, and to certify to the auditors. The 

 bishop of Norwich was ordered to give notice to 

 all aggrieved persons to be present.' 



Robert de Kendall, constable of Dover Castle, 

 and warden of the Cinque Ports was ordered, on 

 8 August 1 31 6, to permit Geoffrey, abbot of 

 Langley, Bartholomew, abbot of Dereham, and 

 two other abbots of the Premonstratensian order, 

 to pass the sea from the port of Dover to attend 

 their chapter general at Premontrc^, provided 

 that they carried with them no money in the 

 name of apport, 'census,' or imposition, contrary 

 to the late king's statutes."* 



Robert de Maners, an old soldier, who served 

 the late king in his wars in Scotland and was then 

 too infirm for further service, was sent to the 

 abbey of Langley, in 13 17, there to receive his 

 life maintenance. '^ 



On Ascension Day 1345, William, abbot of 

 Langdon (Kent) as commissary for the abbot of 

 Pr^montr6, sent John de B. and Thomas de C, 

 canons of Wendling, to the abbot of Langley 

 with a letter of request that they might be 

 admitted to the house of Langley, as the abbey of 

 Wendling was in such very straitened circum- 

 stances, mainly owing to the war, that it could 

 not support its own canons. In the spring of 

 that year, when Langley was formally visited by 

 the abbot of Langdon, as Premonstratensian 

 commissary, with the help of the abbots of 

 Alnwick (as father abbot), Dereham, and Ley- 

 ton, canons John de London, John de Binham, 

 and Thomas de T., were sent away to other 

 houses of the order in consequence of their faults. 

 But on 6 May of the same year, the abbot of 

 Langley was instructed by the abbot of Langdon 

 to receive the temporarily banished brothers back 

 again.*'' 



Licence was granted by the crown in 1346, 

 to the abbot and convent of Langley to build a 

 belfry within the abbey and crenellate the same." 



' Ibid. 35 Edw. I, m. 43. 



'" Close, 10 Edw. II, m. 2 8</. 



" Ibid. m. 14 a'. 



" Add. MS. 4935, fol. 40. 



" Pat. 20 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 4. 



419 



