67. THE COLLEGE OF METTINGHAM (fn. 1)
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. (fn. 2)
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, (fn. 3) 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
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 £866 13s. 4d. 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 10s. in rents,
and much more land in various townships, three
parts of the manor of Bromfield, the manor of
Mellis, and the manor of Lyng, notwithstanding
that the manor last named is held of the Duke of
Brittany as of the honour of Richmond. (fn. 4)
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 obtained 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. (fn. 5)
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. (fn. 6)
Sir John de Norwich of Mettingham Castle, by
will of 1373, left his body to be buried in
Raveningham church by the side of 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 Mettingham 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
to the castle of Mettingham, where it remained
until its dissolution. (fn. 7)
Richard Shelton, the master, and nine chaplains signed their acknowledgement of the royal
supremacy of 28 September, 1534. (fn. 8)
The Valor of 1535, when Richard Skelton
was master, gives the clear annual value of the
temporalities in Suffolk and Norfolk of the college
of the Blessed Virgin of Mettingham as
£191 10s. 0¾d. and of the rectories of Raveningham and Norton as £10 17s. 5d., giving a
total clear annual value of £202 7s. 5¾d. It also
appears from the Valor that the college supported
fourteen boys in the house and gave them
education as well as board, lodging, and clothes,
at an annual charge of £28.
The college was surrendered to the crown on
8 April, 1542. The surrender was signed by
Thomas, bishop of Ipswich, as master or warden,
with the consent of his fellows or chaplains. (fn. 9)
On 14 April of the same year the college with
all its possessions was granted to Sir Anthony
Denny. (fn. 10)
This Denny was clerk of the Privy Chamber
and keeper of Westminster Palace, and profited
much by monastic and collegiate plunder. A
letter from Robert Dacres of the Privy Council
to Anthony Denny, dated 13 May, 1542, states
that his profit had been advanced as well among
the chaplains of the college as the tenants.
There were secured for him two great chalices
and a great pix of silver and parcel gilt, divers
rich corporas cases and nineteen massive silver
spoons, as well as palls of silk, &c. The college,
notwithstanding the obsequious and servile wording of the 'voluntary' surrender, had made some
endeavour to conceal certain church goods and
other property from the legalized marauders;
but 'one simple priest being well examined gave
light to all these things, and then all the other
priests confessed.' (fn. 11)
Masters of Raveningham College (fn. 12)
Thomas Boyton, 1349
Alexander de Boyne, 1355
Adam Wyard, 1361
John de Carlton Rode, 1375
Roger Wiltey, 1380