A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



In 1255 the bishop obtained the assent of 

 Pope Alexander IV to the foundation and 

 statutes of this hospital, which were at that time 

 formally matured and signed by the founder. It 

 was stated in the papal confirmation that the 

 several churches presented to the hospital had 

 been purchased from laymen by the bishop 

 for that purpose, and that they were to de- 

 volve to the hospital on the death of their 

 respective rectors ; it was further ordered that 

 perpetual chaplains or vicars, with fitting stipends, 

 were to be provided for the churches.^ 



During the founder's lifetime William de 

 Dunwich, a wealthy burgher of the city, gave 

 for his own soul and that of Katharine his late 

 wife a meadow by Bishopsbridge adjoining the 

 hospital, 6s. Sd. rent in Holme Street, and a 

 great variety of other rents and tenements 

 throughout the city. By his will, dated 1272, 

 he ordered that his body should be buried before 

 St. Katharine's altar in the hospital church, and 

 made bequests to support five sick people in the 

 hospital continually, and to find two chaplains at 

 that altar to daily sing for him and his wife and 

 ancestors. He also made provision for four wax 

 tapers to be always burning at St. Katharine's 

 altar during mass, and gave to the same a chalice 

 and cruets of silver. So great were his benefac- 

 tions that he was usually regarded as a co-founder 

 with the bishop. In 1260 William de Suffield, 

 archdeacon of Norwich, the founder's brother, 

 gave to the hospital the church of Repps-with- 

 Bastwick. 



The founder died in 1257 ; by his will the 

 bishop left to the hospital of St. Giles, built 

 as he states for the remission of his sins, 300 

 marks to be used in any way for its advantage 

 according to the consent of the master and his 

 executors. He commended the hospital specially 

 to his executors, exhorting them to benefit it in 

 any way in their power out of his goods. He 

 also ga\'e to the hospital the silver-gilt cup which 

 had belonged to the Blessed St. Edmund, and 

 the Bible he had bought of Master Simon Blound. 



The somewhat cumbersome rules for the 

 appointment of the master were altered, with the 

 archbishop's sanction, by Bishop Roger de Skirn- 

 ing in 1272, so that the chaplains of the house, 

 on a vacancy, were entitled to choose their 

 successor. 



By the year 13 10 the rents of the hospital 

 had so increased that Bishop John Salmon added 

 four other chantry priests to the foundation, so 

 that there were eight clerical brethren, who were 

 ordered to wear the habits of regular Austin 

 Canons. 



The patent rolls of Edward III contain various 



of the city records. In the same parcel with the 

 foundation charter are the founder's will, William of 

 Dunwich's will, and other early bequests down to 



' Ca/. Paj>. Reg. i, 312. 



small bequests to the hospital,' and in 1 334 

 Bishop Ayermin obtained licence to appropriate 

 to St. Giles's the church of Thurlton.' In 1340 

 Bishop Antony Bek confirmed the appropriation 

 of the church of St. Peter, Mundham.* 



In 1409 Thomas Lord Dacre, lord of the 

 manor of Horsford, licensed William Westacre, 

 archdeacon of Norwich, and others, to settle in 

 mortmain on the hospital the manor of Cringle- 

 ford, on condition of finding a chaplain to live as 

 a brother in the hospital, and to celebrate daily 

 for the soul of John de Dorlington, late arch- 

 deacon of Norwich, for Roger Pratt, the late 

 master, and for William Paston of Paston.' 



In 1420 Henry VI, for his own soul and for 

 that of his wife Margaret, granted licence to the 

 hospital to hold additional lands to the value of 

 £'iO. It was therein stated that the house then 

 consisted of a master, eight chaplains, two clerks, 

 seven poor scholars for choristers, eight poor bed- 

 ridden people, thirteen poor fieople daily dining 

 there, besides poor strangers passing by who had a 

 night's lodging there, as many as the beds would 

 hold, and all the poor chaplains of the dioce.e 

 labouring under any constant infirmity, and two 

 sisters to wait upon the poor.' 



In 1450 Sir John Fastolf sold the manor of 

 Mundham and the advowson of the church of 

 St. Ethelbert to the hospital for 200 marks. 

 The master and brethren of St. Giles covenanted 

 with the mayor and commonalty of the city, in 

 1472, to find a chaplain to serve in the chapel of 

 St. Barbara in the Guildhall.' 



Bishop Goldwell visited this hospital on 

 9 October, 1492. Robert Godfrey, one of the 

 brethren, appeared as proctor of Master Oliver 

 Dynham, who claimed to be master of the 

 hospital, but exhibited neither assignment as 

 proxy nor the title of Oliver Dvnham to the 

 mastership. Robert Godfrey, together with John 

 Dowe, John Hector, George Vyrly, and William 

 Hadenham, chaplains and brethren of the hospital, 

 were then severally examined. The report of 

 the visitation, as entered by the notary, was 

 simply to the effect that the master of the hospital 

 was absent and non-resident, contrary to the 

 hospital statutes, and that on account of his 

 absence the house was vexed with suits and other 

 serious injuries.* 



The executors of Bishop Goldwell settled in 

 1520, with the residue of his estate, lands to the 

 value of 53 marks a year in mortmain on the 

 master and brethren of St. Giles, on condition 

 of their finding three chaplains to celebrate for 



' Pat. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 33 ; 8 Edw. Ill, pt. i, 

 m. 35 ; pt. ii, m. 27 ; 9 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 13. 

 ' Noitv. City Rec. 71. 

 * Cal. ofBodl. Chart, and R. 199. 

 ' Pat. 1 1 Hen. IV, pt. ii, m. 24. 

 ' Ibid. 22 Hen. VI, pt. ii, m. i. 

 ' Liber Albus (Cit)- Rec), 53. 

 ' Jessopp, Norw. Fisit. (Camden Soc), 1 2. 



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