RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



has been swept away, but his memory is 

 preserved in the college founded by him early in 

 the sixteenth century. 



He directed, by his will, dated 15 lO, that his 

 executors were to provide two secular priests 

 ' to sing and do service divine perpetually and 

 daily ' after his decease, in his chapel in the 

 church of St. Margaret. He adds by his will to 

 the endowment of the charnfil priest, founded by 

 his predecessor, Walter Cany, and then continues : 

 * I will that the said charnel priest and also the 

 said two priests that shall sing continually for my 

 soul shall have convenient chambers in the college 

 newly by me builded in Lynn.' 



This college, begun in 1502,^ was designed 

 for the lodgement of these and other priests 

 serving St. Margaret's church and the chapels of 

 St. James and St. Nicholas. It was unfinished at 

 his death, and he left towards its completion 500 

 marks, or more at the discretion of his executors. 

 There was to be a master of the college, each 

 priest had his chamber, but they had their 

 commons in the hall.^ 



The Valor of 1535 mentions 'Trenite College 

 in Lynne ' in connexion with the Gild of the 

 Merchants. There was a master with a stipend 

 of j^6 1 31. 4^/., and two chaplains each with a 

 stipend of ^^5 6s. Sd.^ 



The date of the destruction of this college is 

 not known. A special commission appointed in 

 1 561 to inquire into the chapels, colleges, and 

 chantries of Lynn, reported : — 



We saye there was a house which was called 

 Trenytie College, the founder thereof was one 

 Thomas Thursbye, late of the same town, merchant, 

 but to what use it was founded we know not, which 

 college was sold by the mayor of the saide towne to 

 one (Houghton, now owner thereof.) ' 



III. THE COLLEGE OF THE 

 CHAPEL-IN-THE-FIELDS, NORWICH.' 



At some date prior to 1248* an important 

 hospital and chapel, dedicated to the honour of 

 the Blessed Virgin, was founded in the parish of 

 St. Stephen by John le Brun, priest. It stood 

 at the time of its foundation in the open fields 

 on the south-west of the city, and hence became 

 known at an early date as the Chapel-in-the- 

 Fields. In a short space of time, aided by 

 various benefactions, the foundation became a 

 collegiate church on a noble scale, consisting of 



' Mackerell, Hist, of Lynn, 224. 



' Beloe, Kin^s Lynn, 97-103. Much of the college 

 remains, and is well described and illustrated in this 

 volume. 



^ Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 402. 



* Exch. Spec. Com. 1524. 



'Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. iv, 169-83 ; Dugdale, 

 Mon. vi, 1459 ; Taylor, Index Monastkus, 48. 



* In that year John Bond bequeathed a rent of 6d. 

 a year to the hospital of St. Mary in the Fields. 



a dean, chancellor, precentor, treasurer, and 

 seven other prebendaries. To these there were 

 afterwards added six chaplains or chantry priests, 

 termed conduct!, as well as other chantry priests 

 and gild chaplains — not on the foundation. 

 They had a common table and various ordinances 

 similar in the main to other collegiate establish- 

 ments. 



The founder gave to the college the advowson 

 of the church of St. George [Tombland] as well 

 as that of St. Andrew. Of the latter church 

 his brother Geoffrey, who confirmed the gift, was 

 rector. His brother, Matthew le Brun, also gave 

 the church of St. Mary Unbrent, Norwich. 



The taxation of 1 29 1 shows that the canons 

 were then in receipt of £4. 2s. 6d. per annum 

 in small sums from no fewer than nineteen of 

 the Norwich parishes, as well as c)d. in rent from 

 Thurston and 75. from lands in Earlham, giving 

 a total of £l^. 10s. ^d. 



On 16 July, 1341, Edward III gave leave for 

 the appropriation of the churches of St. Andrew 

 and St. George,' but episcopal sanction for these 

 appropriations was not granted until 1350.' 

 The same king granted licences for the appro- 

 priation of the church of Moulton and half the 

 church of Fressingfield (Suffolk) in 1361,' and of 

 Easton in 1374.^° 



In 1 38 1 the college paid a fee of ;^20 in the 

 hanaper for the alienation in mortmain of the 

 church of Field Dalling, the gift of William de 

 Walsham, chaplain, and four citizens of Norwich.^' 

 This appropriation was sanctioned by the bishop 

 of Norwich in 1384, together with that of the 

 church of St. Peter Mancroft.^' In the same year 

 40 marks were paid in the hanaper for licence 

 to hold the church of St. Peter Mancroft, saving 

 to the abbot and convent of Gloucester a yearly 

 pension of £4..^^ The other half of the church 

 of Fressingfield was appropriated to the college in 

 1420." 



In 1374 Roger Middleton, rector of St. Peter 

 Mancroft, gave the college ;^iO towards the 

 building of their common kitchen and the pre- 

 cinct walls. Building was also in progress 

 between 1377 and 1379, when the dean and 

 canons received several bequests towards the 

 building of their cloister. In 1428 ;^20 was 

 given towards leading the quire of the collegiate 

 church, and a like sum for a similar purpose in 

 1433. In 1458 William Martyn, notary public, 

 left a considerable sum towards the rebuilding of 

 the church, and Thomas Bachcroft, of Little 



'Pat. 15 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 27. 



' Norw. Epis. Reg. iv, 9. 



'Sanctioned by the bishop (ibid, iv, 33). 

 '"Pat. 26 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 24; 39 Edw. Ill, 

 pt. i, m. 26. 

 "Ibid. 4 Ric. II, pt. iii, m. 15. 

 "Norw. Epis. Reg. vi, 343. 

 " Pat. 7 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 7. 



"Norw. Epis. Reg. viii, 1 37; Pat. I Hen. V, 

 pt. iv, m. 12. 



455 



