HOUSE OF GILBERTINES
41. THE PRIORY OF SHOULDHAM
This Gilbertine priory, dedicated conjointly
to the Holy Cross and the Blessed Virgin, was
founded by Geoffrey FitzPiers, earl of Essex, in
the reign of Richard I, for canons and nuns of
the order of St. Gilbert of Sempringham.
The foundation charter is cited in confirmation grants of both Edward III and Henry IV,
and has been printed in the Monasticon, (fn. 1) The
founder granted to the house his manor of Shouldham, with its members, the churches of All
Saints and St. Margaret's in Shouldham, and
those of Carbaysthorp, Stoke Ferry, and Wereham.
Geoffrey FitzPiers was chief justiciary of
England. On the foundation of the priory he
removed the body of his first wife, Beatrice,
eldest daughter and co-heir of William de Say,
to this church from the Gilbertine priory of
Chicksands, Bedfordshire, in which chapter-house
she had been originally buried. He died on
2 October, 1212, and was buried by his first wife.
By a further charter, temp. John, Geoffrey
bestowed on this priory twelve shops, with the
rooms over them, in the parish of St. Mary's
Colechurch, London, for the purpose of sustaining the lights of the church and of providing the
sacramental wine. (fn. 2)
William de Mandeville, earl of Essex, second
son of the founder, not only confirmed his
father's gifts but gave to the priory the messuage
and demesne lands, &c., which the founder had
reserved for his own use; he was buried at the
priory in 1227. His widow Christiana made
further bequests. (fn. 3)
In 1248 Henry III granted the priory a
Friday weekly market at Stoke Ferry, and a
yearly fair there on the morrow and feast of
St. Nicholas. (fn. 4)
The jury of the hundred of Clakelose found,
in 1275, that the prior of Shouldham had had
grant of free warren from Henry III, and also
that the tenants, by another charter of the same
king, need not answer for their lands in any
court save that of the king before his chief
justice. (fn. 5) About the same time the prior's right
to the advowson of All Saints, Shouldham, and
20s. rent there was called in question, and referred
for judgement to the next Hilary term at Westminster. (fn. 6) His rights were eventually maintained.
The taxation roll of 1291 showed that this
priory had an annual income of £207 7s. 9½d.,
holding property in twenty-six Norfolk parishes,
in addition to the shops in the city of London.
Licence to appropriate the church of Fincham,
by gift of John Bardolf, was also granted in 1344. (fn. 7)
Gervase de Willeford, rector of Burwash, and
Roger de Dersingham obtained licence for alienation to this priory, in 1344, of 40s. rent in
Shouldham, &c., to maintain a lamp to burn
daily in the church and to say a collect at masses
for their souls and their parents' souls. (fn. 8)
Pardon was granted to the priory in 1313 on
payment of the heavy fine of 40 marks for
appropriating in mortmain without licence the
church of Stanford, which was of their patronage. (fn. 9) It had been appropriated in 1301, and was
the gift of William Mortimer of Attleborough.
The ordination of the vicarage and leave to
appropriate were duly granted and registered by
the bishop, but civil sanction had either been
forgotten or deliberately overlooked on account
of the attendant expense.
The rectory of Fincham St. Martin was
appropriated to the priory and a vicarage ordained
in 1350. For obtaining the bishop's assent a
pension of 26s. 8d. was assigned to him and his
successors. (fn. 10) The priory paid 100s. to the king
in 1386 for licence to hold considerable lands in
Shouldham for celebrating yearly in their priory
church the obits of Guy de Beauchamp, knight,
and Philippa his wife, deceased, and of Katharine
their daughter when she had departed this life. (fn. 11)
Robert de Syvington occurs as prior on
10 July, 1387, when his signature was appended
to a deed securing a pension of 23s. 4d. to the
bishop of Norwich on the appropriation of the
church of Holy Trinity, Caister, which had been
granted to the priory by Lord Bardolf. (fn. 12) Pope
Boniface in 1392 confirmed the appropriation of
Caister church, valued at 40 marks, the priory
being valued at 200 marks. The confirmation
states that the other priory buildings had been
recently overthrown, almost from their foundations, by floods of river and sea (aquarum et maritimorum fluctuum), by fires, and a great gale, and
its possessions in great part destroyed. A fitting
portion was to be assigned for a vicar, who was
to be a secular clerk. (fn. 13)
A return made to the crown of the appropriated churches of this diocese in 1416 names
three churches appropriated to Shouldham Priory,
viz. Stanford, Fincham St. Martin (1350), and
Holy Trinity, Caister (1387); the priory held
also at that date the advowson of the churches
of Carleton St. Peter, Stoke All Saints, Wereham, Shouldham, and Wiggenhall St. Peter.
John Edmund, he being then prior, was instituted to the rectory of Fincham St. Michael on
18 February, 1502, on the presentation of Castle
Acre Priory; he died in 1504.
Robert Swift was prior in 1535 when the
Valor Ecclesiasticus was drawn up; the clear
annual value of the priory was then declared at
£138 18s. 1d.
A commission was granted in 1281 to inquire
into the complaint of Richard Maillie, who
alleged that he was assaulted at the door of the
church of Northwold, maimed and imprisoned
by Benedict, prior of Shouldham, Brother John
de Shouldham, and ten others, who are named;
and that afterwards the same persons came to
his house at Stoke Ferry, broke open the doors,
and carried away his goods. (fn. 14) In 1294 there
was a renewed charge by the same complainant
for trespass at Stoke Ferry against Nicholas, prior
of Shouldham, and others. (fn. 15)
William Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, married
Maud, eldest sister and co-heir of Richard, Lord
FitzJohn, who was great-grandson of the founder
of the priory. By this marriage the patronage
of Shouldham remained with the earls of Warwick until the time of Henry VII. This William,
who died in 1298, had two daughters, nuns at
Shouldham, to whom (or rather to the convent)
he left by his will 50 marks. (fn. 16)
Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, who
died in 1369, left to Margaret, his daughter,
widow of Guy de Montfort, and then a nun at
Shouldham, a ring, a covered cup, and 40 marks.
He also bequeathed to Katharine, daughter of
his son Guy (who had pre-deceased him), a nun
of Shouldham, a gold ring and £20. (fn. 17) This
Guy Beauchamp, who made his will before going
to the wars, and died in France in 1351, left
his fourth best ring to his daughter the nun
Katharine, and the church of Necton to the
priory to serve for the maintenance of Katharine
and Elizabeth his two daughters, and after their
death as stipend for a priest to say daily mass for
the souls of his father and mother, himself, and
his wife and his daughters. (fn. 18)
Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, who
succeeded his father of the same name, incurred
the displeasure of Richard II in 1397-8, was
banished to the Isle of Man and forfeited his
estates; whereupon his niece Katharine, the
nun of Shouldham, petitioned the king in her
own behalf, as having had no share in her father's
inheritance, with the result that an annuity of
40 marks was granted her from the exchequer,
which, of course, went to the convent. Her
uncle, the earl, died in 1400, and instructed his
executors to bestow some suitable gift upon
Katharine. (fn. 19)
In 1321 a strange and fatal accident occurred
at this Gilbertine house. One of the canons,
William de Spalding by name, was playing at
football; during the game a lay friend of his,
also called William, ran against him and wounded
himself on a sheathed knife carried by the canon,
with the result that he died within six days.
No blame was attached to the canon, who felt
deeply the death of his friend, and on appeal to
the pope a dispensation was granted. (fn. 20)
On 7 April, 1324, the sheriff of Hampshire
was ordered to cause Margaret, the eldest daughter
of Sir Roger de Mortimer of Wilmore, to be
conducted to the priory of Shouldham. At the
same time the sheriff ordered the convent to
receive and keep her safely amongst the nuns,
informing them that they would receive from
the king's treasure 15d. weekly for her maintenance and a mark yearly for her robe. Margaret's younger sisters, Joan and Isabella, were
in like manner severally despatched to the Gilbertine houses of Sempringham and Cockersand,
12d. a week being paid for their maintenance. (fn. 21)
The untrustworthy comperta of Ap Rice and
Legh, presented in 1536, alleged confessions of
incontinence by two nuns and three canons of
this house. (fn. 22)
The house was surrendered on 15 October,
1538; it was signed by Robert Swift, prior,
Richard Foster, sub-prior, and eight other canons,
and also by Elizabeth Fincham, prioress, Joan
Plomstede, sub-prioress, and five other nuns. (fn. 23)
On 24 November the prior obtained a pension
of £20, and eight canons smaller amounts;
at the same time a pension of £5 was assigned
to the prioress, and smaller sums to eight nuns. (fn. 24)
After the dissolution this priory and its possessions remained in the hands of the crown until
1553, when it was sold to Thomas Mildmay
for £1,049 9s 4½d.
Priors of Shouldham
William, (fn. 25) occurs 1250
Richard, (fn. 26) occurs c. 1270
Benedict, (fn. 27) occurs 1281
Nicholas, (fn. 28) occurs 1294
Thomas de Carmirton alias Carmelton, (fn. 29) resigned before 1305
Robert de Syvington, (fn. 30) occurs 1387
Robert, (fn. 31) occurs 1404
Nicholas Feriby, (fn. 32) occurs 1413
Hugh Hull, (fn. 33) occurs 1435
Thomas, (fn. 34) 1439
John Wenham, (fn. 35) 1455
Thomas Stanton, (fn. 36) occurs 1479
Thomas, (fn. 37) 1493
John Edmund, (fn. 38) occurs 1502
John Bray, (fn. 39) occurs 1517
Robert Swift, (fn. 40) occurs 1534
Prioresses of Shouldham
|
|
| Margaret Cecily |
occurs 1404 (fn. 41)
|
Anna, (fn. 42) 1453
Joan, (fn. 43) 1465
Elizabeth Fincham, (fn. 44) 1531