47. THE CARMELITE FRIARS OF BURNHAM NORTON
A house of Carmelite or White Friars was
founded in 1241 by Sir William Calthorp and
Sir Ralph Hemenhale in the parish of Burnham
Norton. (fn. 1) In 1298 the prior and convent of
Carmelite Friars of Burnham had licence for
the alienation to them by Walter de Calthorp
(son of one of the founders) of a rood of meadow
for the enlargement of their house. (fn. 2) In 1353,
they obtained another licence for further enlargement. (fn. 3)
Thomas Gigges, of Burnham St. Clement, by
will of II March, 1467, left a small bequest in
money to the Carmelite priory of Burnham, (fn. 4) and
other members of his family followed his example, another Thomas Gigges in 1505 leaving
to the friars of Burnham 6s. 8d., 'that is to say,
to the prior 12d., and to every friar being a
priest 4d., and to every novice 2d., and to their
pittance 12d., they to keep a solemn dirige and
a mass for my soul and all my friends' souls at
my burying.' (fn. 5) The will of Olive Gigges,
widow, made in 1510 mentions a bequest of
6 combs of barley to 'the whight friers of
Burnham, (fn. 6) who also received a legacy of
26s. 8d. from Nicholas Esthawe in 1457. (fn. 7)
Robert Bale, the most distinguished literary
Carmelite of the English province, was a friar
of this house. He used to pass a part of every
year at the Carmelite houses of Oxford and
Cambridge for the purposes of study. His chief
work was the annals of his own order. He
died prior of this house in 1503 and was here
buried. (fn. 8)
When rumours of the approaching dissolution
of the friars were rife, Jane Calthorp wrote to
Cromwell, on 17 May, 1538, asking him to
obtain the king's leave for her to purchase the
White Friars, Burnham, as it was near Polsted
Hall, which manor had been granted to her and
her heirs male. In the letter she stated that she
had only one poor house to dwell in at Norwich,
where she was often driven by the plague. The
letter also stated that there were only four friars left
at Burnham, and as they were too poor to sustain
the charge and repairs of the house they were
willing to part with it. (fn. 9)
A paper drawn up towards the end of 1538
enumerating the friaries that had not been
'defasede ne rasede,' states that the houses of the
White Friars, Burnham, were not sold, but remained as left by the visitor (Richard Ingworth),
on account of an order not to meddle as
Sir Richard Gresham had the preferment of the
house at the king's hands. (fn. 10)
Among the spoils of church plate from the
religious houses of Norfolk were '3 oz. gilt,
58 oz. white and a nutt garnished with silver,'
from the White Friars of Burnham. (fn. 11)