A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Melton, gave the large sum of ^^40 in 1 50 1 for 

 the construction of a new rood loft.^ 



Among the numerous interments in the colle- 

 giate church of which there is record the fol- 

 lowing may be mentioned : Joan, widow of 

 Sir Thomas de Gissing, 1388, to be buried by 

 her husband's tomb ; she bequeathed a vestment 

 of red velvet and gold stars to the altar of 

 St. Katharine. Sir Thomas Hemgrave, 141 9, 

 before the image of the Blessed Virgin in the 

 quire. Richard Schyrlok, 1434, before St. John's 

 image. William Fake, 1483, before the holy 

 rood ; he ordered four marble stones one foot 

 square and twenty half-yard square to be laid as 

 pavement by his grave, to give example to others 

 to pave the whole church with marble.^ 



The bishop had the right of collation to the 

 deanery and to the ten prebends. The different 

 prebends were known by the names of (i) the 

 Morning Mass, (2) the Chancellor's, (3) the Trea- 

 surer's, (4) the Precentor's, (5) the Provostship, 

 (6) the Sacrist's, (7) the Chapter's Mass, (8) the 

 High Mass, (9) the Lady Mass, and (10) the 

 Great Mass. The six conducts were chantry 

 priests added by degrees to the foundation for the 

 souls of their several founders and benefactors. 

 They were (i) Kyrkely's chantry, founded in 

 1331 ; (2) Appleyard's, in 1388 ; (3) Church- 

 man's, 1391 ; {4) Kentone's, 1405 ; (5) Sedman's, 

 14H ; and Wygenhale's in 1460. In addition 

 there were two other chantries, Bokenham's, 

 1479, and Goldwell's 1520. 



In connexion with this church were the gilds 

 of Corpus Christi ' and the Tailors' gild.'* 



The college was visited by Bishop Goldwell 

 in 1492, when nothing was found demanding 

 reformation. The visitation was attended by 

 the dean, John Neel, seven prebendaries, and six 

 chantry priests.' 



The visitation by Bishop Nicke in 1526 was 

 equally satisfactory, save that the college income 

 was slender and insufficient ; it was attended by 

 the dean, Nicholas Carr, three prebendaries, and 

 six chaplains.^ 



The last visitation was on 7 June, 1532, 

 when Dean Spencer, six prebendaries, and five 

 chaplains attended. Ever)'thing was satisfactory 

 save that the steward reported that the income 

 of the college was not sufficient for the burdens 

 and expenses of the house.'' 



Miles Spencer, dean, Thomas Cappe, pre- 

 bendary, together with six other members of the 

 college, signed their acknowledgement of the 

 king's supremacy on 30 July, 1534.* 



The Valor of 1535 enumerates as spiritualities 

 the four Norfolk rectories of Field Bailing, 

 Moulton, Bowthorpe, and Easton, the three Nor- 



' Blomefield, Hist. ofKorf. iv, 1 80-1. ' Ibid. 



' Coll. and Chant. Cert. Norf, <)\a. 



* Ibid. Z\a. 'Jessopp, A'o/Tf. Visit. 10. 



Mbid. 208. 'Ibid. 270. 



^Dcj>. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. 2, p. 295. 



wich rectories of St. Peter Mancroft, St. George, 

 and St. Andrew, and the Suffolk rectory of 

 Fressingfield, valued at ;^63 "js. T^d. per annum. 

 The temporalities in Norfolk and Norwich were 

 valued at ^^47 13^. "jd. The pensions and fees 

 due from the college were considerable, so that 

 the clear annual value is only returned at 

 j^86 125. id. At this time Dr. Spencer was 

 dean and received a stipend of j^i6 16;. 8^. 

 Thomas Pellis was chancellor, Edmund Stewarde, 

 precentor, Richard TaiUor, treasurer, William 

 Hedge, prebendary of the first stall on the north 

 side ; Thomas Cappe, prebendary of the second 

 north stall ; Richard Redmayne, prebendary of 

 the first south stall ; and John Bury, prebendary 

 of the second south stall. The return states 

 that none of these prebendaries received any 

 stipend on account of the insufficiency of the 

 endowments. The dean made a like return 

 with regard to the other inmates of the college ; 

 but as there was a balance in hand of ^69 i6j. 

 after the payment of his own salary, it is difficult 

 to understand why the prebendaries and others 

 did not draw their share. 



The surrender of the college was signed on 

 29 January, 1544. The only signatures are 

 those of the dean and the bishop of the diocese.* 

 Dean Spencer cunningly persuaded his colleagues 

 to resign on small pensions, and on 22 April 

 following the surrender he obtained from 

 Henry VIII a grant of the site of the college 

 and its whole possessions for himself and his 

 heirs at a nominal sum. The grant contem- 

 plated the immediate destruction of church and 

 college by its late dean, for it specified the 

 timber, iron, glass, tombs, and stones of the 

 church, chancel, cloisters, and other buildings, 

 with all the lead on the roofs and about the 

 cisterns and conduits.^'' 



Spencer was a shameless pluralist. He was 

 rector of Helvingham and Redenhall, Norfolk ; 

 vicar of Soham, Cambridgeshire ; archdeacon of 

 Sudbury ; and vicar-general of the diocese. He 

 lived to the age of ninety, and was buried in the 

 cathedral church.'^ 



Deans of Chapel-in-the-Fields College, 

 Norwich '- 



John le Brun, 1260 

 Richard de Ringstead, 1305 

 Walter, 1309 



Walter de Ditchingham, 1 32 1 

 Simon de Cley, 1326 

 William de Hemenhall 



'Ibid, viii, App. 2, p. 35. 



'" Ibid. X, App. 2, p. 275. 



" Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. iii, 633 ; iv, 171. 



" The list of deans, slightly amended, is taken by 

 the Norfolk historian from the diocesan registers 

 (Blomefield, Hist, of h'orf. iv, 170-1) ; he also gives 

 long lists of the prebendaries from the same sources, 

 171-4- 



456 



