28. THE PRIORY OF HICKLING
This small Austin house was founded by
Theobald, son of Robert de Valoines, in the
year 1185, and was dedicated to the honour of
St. Mary, St. Austin, and All Saints, the observances in use being those of the Essex house of
St. Osyth, from which four canons came for a
while to Hickling to instruct the brethren in
the rule of their order. (fn. 1)
In January, 1204, King John confirmed
Theobald's foundation charter, by which he had
granted to the canons of Hickling his lands at
Arlum, together with the churches of Hickling,
and of Parham and Hasketon in Suffolk. By
the same charter were confirmed the gifts by
William de Muntchanesy, of his land at Kessingland, Suffolk; by Robert de Waxham of a moiety
of the church of Waxham; and by Henry de
Fleg of the other moiety of the same church. (fn. 2)
About the same time the king granted them a
Friday market at Hickling. (fn. 3)
The founder and his wife Avice also granted
to the priory the church of All Saints, Ditton,
which was confirmed to them by the bishop of
Norwich in an undated charter. (fn. 4)
In 1209 Innocent III granted protection to
the prior and brethren of Hickling, present and
future, together with confirmation of their possessions, namely: the parish church of All Saints,
Hickling, with St. Mary's chapel, the church of
St. Mary, and chapel of St. Andrew's, Parham;
All Saints church and chapel of Hasketon; the
church of Hanwich and tithes of Runcton; the
rights they had in St. John Baptist's church,
Waxham, and in St. Margaret's, Westwick,
Norwich; the patronage of St. Margaret's Palling, the lands they had of the fief of Palling and
Waxham; lands and rents in the city of Norwich and town of Yarmouth, and a yearly rent
of 14 marks due to them by gift of Hamon de
Valoines from the monks of Gerwalle, in the
name of the town of Runcton. (fn. 5)
In 1227 Henry III granted to the priory of
Hickling the right to hold a three days' fair at
All Saints' tide at Hasketon. (fn. 6)
The priory had possessions in no fewer than
thirty-two Norfolk parishes at the taxation of
1291, but their total annual value was only
£15 12s. 9d.
The advowson of the church of Raveningham
was given to the priory of Hickling, in 1339, by
Katharine, widow of Walter de Norwich, and
her son John. (fn. 7)
The heavy fine of £24 was paid by the priory
in July, 1380, to obtain licence for alienation in
mortmain by John de Eccles and Geoffrey de
Somerton of the reversion of a third part of the
manor of Hickling called 'le Netherhall,' which
was held by trustees during the life of Edward
de Berkale, for finding a lamp to be kept burning daily before the high altar in the priory
church. (fn. 8) In October of the same year, the
further sum of £20 was paid in a hanaper by
the prior for the alienation in mortmain by the
same donors to the convent of a messuage, 40
acres of land, 30 of pasture, and 10 of rush bed,
and 60s. of rent in Palling and Waxham for
finding a chaplain to celebrate daily in the priory
church for the souls of John de Toucestre,
Richard de Pouche, chaplain, and others. (fn. 9)
The priory paid 20 marks to the king in
1384 for licence to hold a third part of the
manor of Hickling, a moiety of the church of
Catfield, and the manor called 'Boylondeshall'
in North Walsham. (fn. 10) In 1397 Pope Boniface
confirmed the bishop's sanction to the priory
that, on the resignation or death of the perpetual
vicar of All Saints, Hickling—in consideration of
impoverishment through frequent hospitality and
great exactions—they might cause the vicarage
to be served by one of their canons. (fn. 11)
The Valor of 1535 gives the clear annual
value of the priory as £100 18s. 7¼d. Their
most valuable possession was the manor of Hickling, which was estimated to be worth annually
£45 0s. 11¾d.
Hickling was one of the townships that suffered most severely from the tremendous storm
of December, 1287, no fewer than nine score
persons being drowned there. In the priory the
water rose more than a foot above the high altar,
and all the canons fled away except two, who
stayed behind and managed to save the horses
and other property by bringing them up into the
dormitory over the vaulted undercroft. (fn. 12) A still
worse disaster befell the priory in 1349, when
the prior, Richard, died of the plague, as did his
elected successor, Simon Wodewale, who passed
away even as the brethren were informing him
of his election. Such havoc did the pestilence
work that only two canons were left alive, one
of whom, John, became prior, though only a
novice and not even professed. (fn. 13) Another epidemic in 1439 visited Hickling and carried off
three or four of the brethren. (fn. 14) Nor did all go
well with the religious life of the house, for the
chronicler records that after the death of Prior
William Wroxham in 1390 all signs of true
religion disappeared from the priory and had
scarcely been restored more than forty years later,
adding that with the fall of the bell tower in
1400 perished also nearly all regular discipline
at Hickling. (fn. 15)
In September, 1343, Martin de Hapesburgh,
canon of the priory of Hickling, petitioned the
pope to order the abbot and convent of St. Benedict, Holme, to receive him as a monk according
to the mandate of Benedict III from which the
abbot, at the suggestion of the prior of Hickling,
did remove the bull. The petition was granted,
provided it was found that Pope Benedict did
make a special mandate. (fn. 16) In the following
December Clement VI issued his mandate to the
bishop of Norwich, the dean of Lincoln, and the
chancellor of Hereford to cause Martin de Hapesburgh to be received into the monastery of
Holme. (fn. 17)
A faculty was granted in 1364, by Pope
Urban V, to Prior Richard to dispense four of his
canons, provided they had completed their twentysecond year, to be ordained priests, there being
but few by reason of the pestilence. (fn. 18)
Archdeacon Gold well, as commissary of the
bishop, visited Hickling on 23 October, 1492.
Thomas Greggs, the prior, and eight canons
were in attendance. The result of their examination was summed up in the report. The servants of the house were badly paid; there were
formerly three lamps burning in the church, and
then scarcely one; the altars lacked their proper
coverings; there was too great parsimony both
in food and drink; the vestments of the church
needed repair; the fire for the canons was
insufficient in the winter; there was an absence
of necessaries for the sick in the farmery; the
prior did not show the state of the house to his
brethren; Robert Sutton obtained the prior's
licence to hold the cure of Hanworth for two
whole years, and the prior was too rigorous in
correcting him without reasonable cause; and
the prior was unwilling to pay to Canon Robert
Wymondham his pension as a priest. There is
no record of the injunctions that followed on
this visitation. (fn. 19)
The priory was visited on 21 July, 1514, by
Bishop Nicke. The prior acknowledged that
he made no return of his accounts to his brethren. Canon Edmund Norwich said that there
was general irregularity in attending the divine
services. Canon Andrew Wales said that the
cure of Hanworth was served by a canon and
not by a secular chaplain. Canon John Hickling complained that there was no schoolmaster.
Five other canons, one of whom was a subdeacon,
and another an acolyte, were content to testify
omnia bene. As a result, the bishop enjoined
on the prior to provide an instructor in grammar
before Christmas. The bishop also united the
vicarage of Hanworth with the rectory for the
term of the life of the then prior. (fn. 20)
The priory was again visited on 18 July,
1520, by the bishop suffragan of Chalcedon and
other commissaries, when Prior Robert Wyndham and eight canons were severally examined.
They all united in reporting omnia bene, and
the only injunction was that the prior should
furnish an inventory and balance-sheet of his
house at the next Michaelmas synod at Norwich. (fn. 21)
On 13 June, 1532, the aged Bishop Nicke
visited the priory in person, when Prior Robert
and nine canons were examined. The prior,
Robert Walsham the sub-prior, and five of the
canons had no complaints to make. Richard
Norwich, the chanter, stated that the steps to
the hall were so worn that they were in a dangerous state. Canon John Hickling said that
the expense of attendance in the farmery was
laid upon the sick. Canon Robert Aleyn confirmed this statement. The bishop's consequent
injunctions provided that the attendance in the
farmery was to be paid for at the expense of the
house, and that the steps to the hall were to be
repaired before Christmas. To these injunctions
was added a most exceptional one that does not
appear to have been caused by any statements in
the formal examinations. It was ordered that
cudgels (fustibus) should be provided for the
defence of the priory. This was evidently considered a matter of importance, for there is added
in English 'Memorandum for clubs to be provided.' (fn. 22)
Prior Robert and nine of the canons subscribed
to the king's supremacy in the chapter-house on
4 June, 1534. (fn. 23)
The scandalous comperta of Legh and Ap Rice,
drawn up early in 1536, give the names of six
canons of this house who are supposed to have
confessed their incontinency to these visitors. (fn. 24)
Before, however, the county commissaries could
visit the priory later in the same year, the house
had been dissolved. They therefore contented
themselves with reporting its dissolution, and
stating that 'the Religious persones are sent uppe
for ther Dispensacions to my lorde of Caunterburyes grace. They added that —
the possessiones of the housse ys grauntyd to the
Bishoppe of Norwiche by Acte of Parliamente whiche
said Bisshope claymeyth by the same Act the goodes
and catalles appertaynyng to the same whiche we have
lefte to your determinacione and judgement. (fn. 25)
The prior obtained a pension of 20 marks. (fn. 26)
Priors Of Hickling (fn. 27)
Alexander, 1185-1209
Roger, 1209, resigned 1232
Nicholas, 1232-48
Alan, 1248-70
Hubert, 1270-6
Geoffrey, 1276-88
Ranulf, 1288 (fn. 28) -93
John, 1293-1319
Richard de Hemesby, (fn. 29) 1319-49
John Grys (fn. 30)
alias Netesberch, (fn. 31) 1349, resigned
1358
Richard de Hemesby, (fn. 32) 1358, resigned 1366
William de Wroxham, (fn. 33) 1366-90
John de Tudyngton, (fn. 34) 1390-3
Thomas Haneworth, (fn. 35) 1393, resigned 1408
John de Hickling, (fn. 36) 1408-24
Richard Norwich, (fn. 37) 1424, resigned 1431
Roger Okkam, (fn. 38) 1431
Thomas Thorp, (fn. 39) 1461
Thomas Gregg, (fn. 40) 1485-1503
Robert Botyld alias Wyndham, (fn. 41) 1503
There is a cast of the pointed oval seal of this
house (2 in. by 1¼in.) of thirteenth-century date
at the British Museum. The seated Virgin
bears the Holy Child on the left knee. On each
side are three cherubs. Legend:—
SIGILL ECCE SCE MARIE DE HIKEL (fn. 42)