A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



The historian of Yarmouth says that these 

 Austin Friars had a cell across the water in 

 Yarmouth proper, the remains of which are to 

 be seen in Howards Street ; the adjoining row 

 is still called Austin Row, though popularly 

 corrupted into Ostend Row.' 



The house was suppressed, with the other 

 Yarmouth friaries, by Richard Ingworth to- 

 wards the end of 1538,' and the site was 

 granted in 1544 to John Eyre, rightly styled 

 by Weever ' a great dealer in that kind of 

 property.' 



HOSPITALS 



67. THE HOSPITAL OF BECK 



In the old village of Bee or Beck, in the 

 parish of Billingford, a hospital was founded 

 early in the reign of Henry III, by William de 

 Bee, on the main road between Norwich and 

 Walsingham.^ This hospital, or hostelry, was 

 dedicated to the honour of St. Thomas of Can- 

 terbury, and the adjacent chapel to that of St. Paul ; 

 it was intended for the reception and entertainment 

 for a single night of thirteen poor travellers as 

 they made their pilgrimage to the shrine of Our 

 Lady of Walsingham. 



Immediately on its foundation, the bishop's 

 official admitted Richard, the chaplain of the 

 founder, to the mastership. On 17 November, 

 1224, William de Bee granted the right of 

 patronage of this hospital to the bishop of 

 Norwich and his successors. In the same year 

 Simon de Hederset was admitted to the master- 

 ship. The hospital was, at an early date in its 

 history, well endowed with the manors of Bee, 

 Billingford, and Howe, and with certain lands 

 and rents in upwards of thirty Norfolk parishes. 



The masters of the hospital appear on one or 

 two occasions to have come into collision with 

 the powerful family of Curzon, who were 

 owners of considerable estates in this county ; 

 thus Andrew Hokere complained that in 1396 

 he was illegally disseised of a hundred acres of 

 land by John Curzon, and that when he en- 

 deavoured to recover this by law, the sheriff, 

 Thomas Curzon, packed the jury, and so con- 

 trived that he not only lost his suit, but was 

 further fined ^^44.^ Apparently the Curzons were, 

 or claimed to be, the patrons towards the middle 

 of the fifteenth century, as when John KnoUys — 

 master about 1447 — complained that during the 

 period the hospital was vacant before his appoint- 

 ment, the door was broken down, and certain 

 relics of St. Thomas, a set of vestments and 

 other things, carried away by Edmund Dokking 

 and John Dowe, they made the double defence 

 of denying the accusation and of asserting that the 

 chapel of St. Thomas was the freehold of their 

 master, Sir John Curzon.'' 



' Palmer, Hist, of Yarmouth, i, 428. 

 ' Blomefield, Hist, of Norf viii, 190-1 ; Dugdale, 

 Men. vi, 767 ; Taylor, ItiJe.x Monailicus, 52. 

 ' Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 3, No. 88. 

 * Ibid. bdle. 17, No. 7. 



On 20 April, 1419, the bishop of Norwich 

 formally declared the benefice of Beck hospital 

 compatible, i.e. capable of being held with 

 another benefice. In the official entry, it is 

 stated that the hospital or chapel of St. Thomas of 

 Beck was without cure, and was then held simul et 

 semul by Henry Kays, rector of Fakenham, and 

 that it had been held several times in the days of 

 the bishop's predecessors by clerks in possession 

 of other benefices.^ 



The Valor of 1535 gave the gross annual 

 value at j^5 6j. fa"., and the clear value ^4 i <,s. 9a'. 

 There had evidently been some alienation of 

 the property by some of the later masters before 

 this valor was taken. 



The hospital and its possessions were granted 

 to Sir John Perrot in 1556. It was eventually 

 purchased by Sir Edward Coke, Lord Chief 

 Justice, whose family built a mansion on this 

 site. 



Masters of the Hospital of Beck 



Richard, first master 

 Simon de Hederset, admitted 1224 

 Robert de Elman, occurs 1250' 

 William, occurs 1268 

 John de Geiste 

 Thomas, 1286 



Gilbert de Burlwell,* admitted 1309 

 Nicholas de Ayshefield,' admitted 13 14 

 Ralph de Plechesdone,'" resigned 1332 

 Roger de Hedersete," admitted 1332 

 John de Wyneston,'^ resigned 1352 

 Roger Oslak," admitted 1352 

 Robert Markaytc,^' admitted 1354 

 Richard Roche of Lynn," admitted 1358 

 John de Walsham,'^ resigned 1372 

 John de Babbyngle," admitted 1372 

 John Clerevaus,'' admitted 1375 

 Andrew Hoken,'^ admitted 1379 

 John de Haldanby,^ admitted 1387 



' L. and P. Hen. Fill, xii, 1021. 

 ° Norw. Epis. Reg. viii, 1 34. 

 ' Assize R. 560, m. 17. 

 ' Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 34. 



Ibid, i, 59. 



Ibid. 



Ibid. 



Norw. Epis. Reg. v, 27. 



Ibid, vi, 18. 



Ibid. 33. 



Ibid. 122. 



" Ibid, ii, 52. 

 " Ibid, iv, 14;. 

 " Ibid. 



151. 



" Ibid. 

 " Ibid. 



65. 



43^ 



