30. THE PRIORY OF FLIXTON (fn. 1)
An Austin nunnery was founded in honour of
the Blessed Virgin and St. Katharine at Flixton,
in the year 1258, by Margery, daughter of Geoffrey de Hanes and relict of Bartholomew de
Crek, to whom Robert de Tatesale, son of
Robert de Tatesale, knt., in 1256, granted
licence to found a home of religion upon the fee
which she held of him in Flixton, wheresoever
she would in that town. He also granted her
the fee, which she held of him there on nominal
service, to appropriate to the said house. She
endowed it with the manor of Flixton, and subsequently with her moiety of the advowson of
Flixton, the advowson and appropriation of
Dunston and Fundenhall, Norfolk. (fn. 2)
The same Robert de Tatesale subsequently
granted to Beatrice, the first prioress, and the
convent, the tenement that Margery de Crek
held of him at Flixton, in pure alms, and Robert
son of Bartholomew and Margery de Crek released to the prioress and the nuns all his right
in the manor of Flixton (formerly his mother's)
with the advowson of the moiety of the church.
Particulars as to this nunnery do not appear
in the taxation roll of Pope Nicholas, 1291, but
a survey of the priory lands and possessions in
the following year supplies many interesting particulars. We there learn that the number of
the nuns was limited by the founders to eighteen, in addition to a prioress, and that everyone
received yearly 5s. for garments. The manor
and part of the church at Flixton was worth 40s.
a year, and the moiety of Flixton church,
£4 13s. 4d., and the church of Dunston, £5;
various lands, rents, and services brought the
annual value up to £43 18s. 2¼d. (fn. 3)
A general return of the appropriated churches
of the diocese, with the date of vicarage ordinations made in the year 1416, names only two
under Flixton priory: Fundenhall 1347, and
Flixton 1349. The advowson of Dunston is
named as given to the priory in 1274, but not
appropriated. (fn. 4)
At the instance of Master Robert de Cisterna,
the king's leech, licence was granted in 1311 to
the prioress and nuns of Flixton, on account of
their income being insufficient for their sustenance, to acquire lands and tenements to the value
of £10 a year. (fn. 5)
In 1321 the Bishop of Norwich effected an
exchange with this priory of a moiety of the
advowson (with permission to appropriate) of the
church of Flixton for the advowson of the church
of Helmingham, held by the nuns of the gift of
Cicely, widow of Robert de Ufford. (fn. 6)
At the time of the Black Death (1349) the
value of this house greatly deteriorated, and it
dwindled to half its former income, a position
from which it never recovered. The Valor of
1535 gave the total clear annual value, including
the appropriations of the churches of Flixton,
Fundenhall, and Dunston, as £23 4s. 0½d.
Among the considerable outgoings the largest
item was £8 3s. 4d., distributed to the poor on
the anniversary of Margery the foundress. (fn. 7)
Among the rolls at the Bodleian is one of 1370,
of articles, and depositions relative to a dispute
pending in the Roman court between the
parishioners of Fundenhall, Norfolk, and the
prioress and convent of Flixton, concerning the
repairs of Fundenhall church. (fn. 8)
Katharine Pilly, the prioress, who had laudably ruled this house for eighteen years, resigned
in 1432, on account of old age and blindness.
In the following year the bishop as visitor made
careful provision for her sustenance. The exprioress was to have suitable rooms for herself
and maid; each week she and her maid were to
be provided with two white loaves, eight loaves
of 'hool' bread (whole bread), and eight gallons of
convent beer; with a dish for both, daily from
the kitchen, the same as for two nuns in the
refectory; and with 200 faggots and 100 logs,
and eight pounds of candles a year. Another
kindly provision was that Cecilia Creyke, one of
the nuns, was to read divine service to her daily,
and to sit with her at meals, having her portion
from the refectory. (fn. 9)
Towards the close of the life of this house, the
average number of the nuns was about eight,
instead of the eighteen named by the founders.
No evil was brought to light at the visitations
of Bishops Goldwell and Nykke.
Bishop Goldwell personally visited' this priory
on 20 June, 1493. Elizabeth Vyrly, the
prioress, Margaret Causten, the sub-prioress, and
four other nuns were severally examined, and
nothing was found worthy of reformation. The
nuns were attending mass at the parish church
because their chaplain had broken his arm and
was unable to celebrate. (fn. 10)
Bishop Nykke made his first visitation to this
priory on 11 August, 1514. Various complaints
were made as to the caprice and severity of the
prioress, the laxity of discipline and administration, and of the frequent access of John Wells,
a relative, to the prioress. The bishop ordered
that John Wells (who seems to have been the
chaplain) should leave the house and town,
before All Saints' day, and adjourned the visitation
to the following Easter. (fn. 11)
The visitation of 14 August, 1520, was held
by the suffragan Bishop of Chalcedon and other
commissaries. Alice (Elizabeth) Wright, prioress,
complained of the disobedience of Margaret
Punder, her predecessor, but gave a good report
of everything in the house. The late prioress
complained of non-receipt of her proper pension,
board, and winter fuel. The sub-prioress stated
that no annual account was presented. Isabel
Asshe said that when she and her sisters were
unwell, the prioress compelled them to rise for
mattins, in which complaint three other nuns
agreed. The visitation was adjourned, and the
prioress was ordered to present the accounts and
inventory before Christmas. (fn. 12)
The visitation was resumed on 20 August by
Nicholas Carr, the chancellor of the diocese, and
another commissary, when each inmate was
again severally examined. The prioress pleaded
that no accounts had been presented, as she was
not accustomed to figures and had not written
down what she had expended. Margaret Punder, the ex-prioress, repeated her complaint of
niggardly treatment, adding that she was unwilling to yield obedience to the prioress as contrary
to the rules of religion. Five other sisters
testified omnia bene, save the non-presentment
of accounts. The chancellor enjoined on the
prioress that all dogs were to be removed from
the priory within a month, save one; that the
prioress was to have a sister with her if she
slept outside the dormitory; that she was to
render a yearly account before the senior sisters
of the state of the houses and of all receipts and
expenses, under pain of deprivation; and that
she was to discharge Richard Carr from the
priory's service. (fn. 13)
At the visitation of August, 1526, the prioress,
ex-prioress, and four other sisters all testified
omnia bene, save that the sub-prioress complained
of the defective roofs of the cloister and refectory
which the prioress was ordered to repair as
quickly as possible. (fn. 14) The visitation was equally
satisfactory in every respect in 1532, when the
same prioress and ex-prioress and six other sisters
were all examined. (fn. 15)
Flixton Priory was among those numerous
small houses of East Anglia, &c., that were
authorized to be suppressed in 1527-8 by bulls
of Pope Clement VII, to enable Cardinal Wolsey
to found great colleges at Ipswich and Oxford.
Wolsey's fall, however, prevented the accomplishment of this plan, so that Flixton was included
in the general suppression of the smaller houses
by the legislation of 1536. The Suffolk commissioners visited this nunnery on 21 August,
1536, when they drew up an elaborate inventory of the goods and chattels of the house.
'In the Chiste wt. in the quire' were a great
array of vestments, but many of them very old; 'Seynt Kateryn's cote of clothe of gold lyttle
worth att iiiid.' The chambers were well supplied with bedding. The pewter in the buttery,
the table linen in the refectory, and the utensils
in the kitchen were much battered and worn,
and of small value. The church plate was
valued at £5 15s. 4d., the most valuable item
being 'a crosse cette with Glasse of Sylvar and
parcell gilt with Mary and John, pond, xx oz.
att iiis. iiiid. the oz. lxvis. viiid.' The conventual or table plate was valued at £8 7s.; it
included a maser with a silver foot, and two
other masers with silver bands. The cattle,
hay, and corn were worth upwards of £10, and
the whole inventory amounted to £20 9s. 5d. (fn. 16)
Elizabeth Wright, the prioress, surrendered
the house on 4 February, 1536-7. (fn. 17)
The priory and its possessions were granted
by the crown on 10 July, 1537, to Richard
Warton. (fn. 18)
Prioresses of Flixton
Eleanor, (fn. 19) occurs 1258
Beatrice de Ratlesden, (fn. 20) occurs 1263, &c.
Emma de Welholm, (fn. 21) 1301-28
Margery de Stonham, (fn. 22) died 1345
Isabel Weltham, (fn. 23) elected 1345
Joan de Hemynhall, (fn. 24) occurs 1357
Joan Marshall, (fn. 25) occurs 1371
Margery Howel, (fn. 26) elected 1375
Katharine Hereward, (fn. 27) elected 1392
Elizabeth Moor, (fn. 28) died 1414
Katharine Pilly, (fn. 29) elected 1414
Maud Rycher, (fn. 30) elected 1432
Mary Dalangehoo (Delanio), (fn. 31) died 1446
Cecilia Creyk, (fn. 32) elected 1446
Helen, (fn. 33) resigned 1466
Margery Arteys, (fn. 34) elected 1466
Isabel, (fn. 35) occurs 1483
Elizabeth Vyrly, (fn. 36) occurs 1493
Margaret Punder, (fn. 37) occurs 1510-16
Elizabeth Wright, (fn. 38) occurs 1520, surrendered
1537 (fn. 39)
Impressions of the seal, lozenge-shaped, with
a semicircular lobe on each of the four sides, are
affixed to several Flixton charters of the Stowe
collection of the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries. (fn. 40)
It bears our Lord on the Cross between St.
Mary and St. John, with sun and moon; in the
base, under an arch, the Agnus Dei; in each of
the lobes one of the symbols of the evangelists.