RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Robert de Nythcote, 1340 

 Richard Ive, died 1637 

 Adam de Cringlewood, 1367 

 John Hennye, 1369 

 John Bronn, 1374 

 John Cleneans, 1383 

 Henry de Well, 140 1 

 John Rekincall, 1436 

 Thomas Ringstede, 1440 

 Simon de Thornham, 1459 

 Robert Popy, died 1467 

 John Neel, 1467 

 Nicholas Goldwell, 1498 

 Robert Honywood, 1502 

 Freeman, died 1 5 13 

 Thomas Hare, 1 5 1 3 

 Nicholas Carr, 1526 

 Miles Spencer, 1532 



The thirteenth-century oval seal of this 

 college (ifxiin.) simply bears an ornamantel 

 fleur-de-lis. Legend : — 



+ DE CAPIS ~ 



NOM . 

 £T 



VIRGO 



ome' 



DEDIT . ADD 



The fourteenth-century- second seal {2^ in. X 

 if in.) has the crowned Virgin standing under a 

 canopied niche with Holy Child on left arm ; 

 in base, profile of kneeling figure (the dean). 

 Legend : — 



+ DE . CAMPIS . NOM . EN . v'gO. DEDIT. 

 ADDAT . ET OMEN ^ 



112. THE COLLEGE OF RAVENING- 

 HAM' 



The college of Raveningham was founded on 

 24 July, 1350, by Sir John de Norwich, eldest 

 son of Sir Walter de Norwich and Catherine 

 his wife. It consisted of a master and eight 

 secular priests or canons who were to officiate in 

 the parish church of Raveningham for the weal 

 of the souls of the founder and Margaret, his 

 wife, in honour of God and the Blessed 

 Virgin, St. Andrew the Apostle, and All Saints. 

 The church was dedicated to the honour of St. 

 Andrew, but the collegiate house, according to 

 the foundation charter, was to be named after the 

 Blessed Virgin.* 



The college was well endowed by the founder 

 and his heirs with the manors of Lyng, Howe, 

 Blackworth, Hadeston, and Little Snoring, and 

 with the appropriation of the churches of 

 Raveningham and Norton Subcourse,' as well as 

 with lands and rents in various other parishes. 



In 1382 there was a proposal to remove the 

 college to Mettingham Castle (Suffolk). On 



'B.M, 



'Add. 



XXXV, 239 ; Blomefield, Nor/, iv, 578. 

 Ch. 15889; Ackn. of Supr. (P.R.O.), 



94 • 



^ Blomefield, Hist. 0/ Norf. viii, 52-4; Dugdale, 



Mon. vi, 1459 ; Taylor, Index. Monastkus, 49. 

 * Weever, Funeral Monuments, 365. 

 'Norw. Epis. Reg. iv, fols. 31, 32. 



5 July of that year John Plays, Robert Honeard, 

 and Roger de Boys, knights, and John de 

 Wolterton and Elias de Byntre, rectors of the 

 respective churches of Harpley and Carleton, 

 paid the immense sum of £ib(> 135. j^d. to the 

 crown for licence to transfer the chantry of eight 

 . chaplains from Raveningham to Mettingham 

 Castle ; to increase the number of chaplains or 

 canons to thirteen, and to alienate in mortmain 

 to the college the said castle and 60 acres of land, 

 18 of meadow, 2 of pasture, ^^5 los. in rents, 

 and much more land in various townships, three 

 parts of the manor of Bromfield, the manor of 

 Mellys, and the manor of Lyng, notwithstanding 

 that the manor last named is held of the duke of 

 Brittany as of the honour of Richmond.^ 



Some difficulty as to this transfer arose chiefly 

 through the opposition of the nuns of Bungay, 

 who had the appropriation of the church of 

 Mettingham, and the college continued at 

 Raveningham for several years after this date. 

 On 6 August, 1387, the same applicants ob- 

 tained a grant from the king, on the payment 

 of the modest fee of one mark in the hanaper, to 

 transfer the chantry of Sir John de Norwich's 

 foundation from Raveningham, where it still was, 

 to the church which was then being newly built 

 in the rectory of Norton Subcourse, and that in 

 consideration of the great fine of 1382 the master 

 and twelve chaplains and their successors at 

 Norton should hold all the lands and possessions 

 granted to the chantry at Raveningham with 

 the castle of Mettingham and all lands and 

 possessions granted when it was proposed to 

 move the college to that castle.' 



A proposition for this transference to Norton 

 had been made in the reign of Edward III and 

 licence obtained in 1371, but it came to nought.* 

 Sir John de Norwich of Mettingham Castle, by 

 will of 1373, left his body to be buried in 

 Raveningham church by his father Sir Walter, 

 there to rest till it could be moved to the new 

 church of Norton Subcourse, to the building of 

 which he bequeathed ;^450. 



On the death of Sir John de Norwich, the 

 last heir male of the family, his cousin, Katharine 

 de Brews, was found heir ; Sir John Plays and 

 Sir Robert Howard and the others who obtained 

 licence for the removal of the college to Metting- 

 ham in 1382, and to Norton in 1387, were that 

 lady's trustees, on whom she settled the college's 

 inheritance. 



On the removal of the master and twelve 

 chaplains to Norton the college still retained 

 the title of the place where it was first founded ; 

 the society was termed ' Ecclesia Collegiata 

 S. Marie de Raveningham in Norton Soupecors.' 

 But the college merely tarried at Norton for 

 seven years ; in 1394 it was eventually removed 



* Pat. 6 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 35. 

 ' Cat of Pat. 1 1 Rich. II, pt. i, m. 25. 



* Pat. 45 Edw. Ill, pt. ii. m. 35. 



457 58 



