RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



75. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN 

 BAPTIST, LYNN 



There was in the Dam Gate of Lynn an 

 important hospital,^ of early foundation, dedicated 

 to St. John Baptist, consisting of a community 

 of master and brethren, with church, hospital, 

 hall, chambers, houses, and court. 



In the thirteenth century a dispute arose as 

 to the right of the chaplain to administer the 

 sacraments in the hospital chapel or church. The 

 prior of St. Margaret's endeavoured to stop what 

 he regarded as an infringement of the rights of 

 the mother church of Norwich, and the matter 

 was referred to the judgement of the priors of 

 Bury St. Edmunds and Thetford and the sacrist 

 of Bury. The award, dated 1 1 February, 1234, 

 decreed that the private chaplain of the hospital 

 should celebrate one mass a day in the chapel 

 for the brethren in a low voice [submissa voce), 

 and that no one else was to celebrate there on 

 the same day save the prior of Lynn and some 

 priest nominated by him ; that all oblations of 

 every kind, without any diminution, were to be 

 restored to the priory church of St. Margaret; 

 that brothers and sisters dying in the hospital 

 were to be buried in St. Margaret's ; that the 

 chaplain was not to hear confessions ; that they 

 were to be allowed a single bell for summoning 

 the brethren ; and that the prior of Lynn was 

 annually to visit the hospital.^ 



On 26 May, 1399, the chapel was the scene 

 of the public recantation of William Chatrir 

 alias Sawtre, a priest of the church of St. 

 Margaret, Lynn. There had been another re- 

 cantation on the previous day in the churcliyard 

 of the chapel of St. James. Sawtre solemnly 

 took his oath, before the bishop of Norwich in 

 the chapel, on the book of the Gospels, that he 

 would never after that time preach publicly the 

 eight conclusions which he repudiated. But the 

 next year he relapsed, abjured his repudiation, 

 and was burnt.' 



In 1535 the value of the hospital's small 

 possessions at Hardwick, Clenchwarton, and 

 Lynn, were estimated at £"] 6s. iid. a year ; 

 the master at that date was Robert Newman.'' 



This house was destroyed by the later legis- 

 lation of Henry VIII. On 18 May, 1545, it 

 was surrendered to the crown by Robert 

 Bumpstead, the master. He is described as 

 generosus, so he was clearly not in holy orders.* 



Priors of the Hospital of St. John, 

 Lynn* 



Michael,' occurs 1273 

 William de Lingwode,* admitted 1331 

 Joini Barsham,^ admitted 1390 

 John Blake,'*' admitted 1390 

 Roger Loksmith," admitted 1401 

 John Vyne,'^ admitted 1405 

 Richard Warden,'' admitted 14 10 

 Thomas Lank,'* 141 8 

 John Lovell,'* admitted 14 18 

 Thomas Lovys,'^ admitted 1426 

 William Cowper," admitted 1471 

 Robert Newman," occurs 1535 

 Robert Bumpstead,'" surrendered 1545 



76. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. MARY 

 MAGDALEN, LYNN 



The hospital of St. Mary Magdalen was 

 founded on the causeway leading to Gaywood, 

 in the year 1145, by one Peter the chaplain. 

 It consisted of a prior and twelve brethren and 

 sisters ; of these ten, the prior or chaplain being 

 one, were to be sound, and the other three 

 infirm or leprous. From the foundation deed 

 it appears that this was a reconstruction of a yet 

 older hospital, for the opening clause provides 

 that the brethren were to dress after a decent 

 fashion, like their predecessors (' secundum 

 morem fratrum antecessorum domus '). The 

 statutes drawn up by the founder and Arch- 

 bishop Winchelsey ordered that the infirm 

 were not to enter the quire, the cellar, the 

 kitchen, or precincts, without reasonable cause, 

 but to confine themselves to the places assigned 

 them in church, hall, and court, and not to 

 wander about in public ; that the brethren were 

 not to eat or drink outside the hospital for the 

 space of a mile in circuit lest scandal might 

 arise ; that the common seal, books, chalices, 

 vestments, relics, wax, and other church orna- 

 ments, and the chest with the treasury of the 

 house, were to remain in the custody of the infirm 

 brethren, and the common money be kept in a 

 pix with three keys, one with the prior, and the 

 other two with two of the sound brethren, and 

 the alms from within or without the hospital to 

 be placed in the pix ; that if anyone wislied to 

 visit his wife or friends he might do so two or 



' It was probably founded /iTOT/. Hen. I. SeeDugd.iIe, 

 Mot!, vi, 648-9, where two early undated charters 

 are cited from the town muniments. 



' The award is with the capitular muniments at 

 Norwich ; a photographic facsimile is given in Mr. 

 Beloe's King's Lynn : Our Borough, Our Churches (1896), 

 where there is an excellent account of the chapel, 



PP- 74-77- 



' Fox, /ids and Mons. (ed. 1837), iii, 225. 

 * Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 397. 

 ' Dep. Keeper's Rep. viii, App. 2, 30. 



2 441 



* The priors of this hospital were collated by the 

 bishop of Norwich. 



' Close, 15 Edw. II, m. 35. 



* Norw. Epis. Reg. ii, 42. 

 ' Ibid vi, I 50. 



"Ibid. 258. "Ibid. "Ibid. 320. 



" Ibid, vii, 27. 



" Ibid, viii, 36. 



"^ Ibid, ix, 10. 



'« Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.). 



" Dep. Keeper's Rep. viii, App. 2, 30. 



'^ Ibid. 38. 

 '" Ibid, xi, 



56 



