53. THE DOMINICAN FRIARS OF NORWICH
The Friars Preachers first took up their abode
in the city of Norwich in the year 1226. The
Norwich house was the third founded in England
after their arrival on our shores in 1221, and
ranked as one of the most important of the
Dominican priories. (fn. 1)
The old parish church of 'St. John Baptist
over-the-Water' was assigned to them at an
early date by Sir Thomas Gelham. It stood on
the north side of Black Boy Street, and by its side
they created their first dwellings. (fn. 2) Their rule
prohibited them from accepting any parochial
charge, so that the parish of St. John Baptist
must have been united to that of St. George
before the gift was made.
After another Dominican house had been
founded within the diocese at Dunwich, it became necessary to assign limits for their ministrations. Accordingly on 10 January, 1259, two
representatives of each house, elected by their
respective convents, met at the house of the
Austin Canons at Herringfleet and appointed an
arbitrator. His decision was in favour of the
river that divided Norfolk from Suffolk being the
boundary between the two houses, save that
the friars of Dunwich should have a right to
visit the parishes of Mundham and Rushford (?),
which lay in both counties. (fn. 3)
When Henry III was at Norwich in October,
1272, he ordered the sheriff to bestow 10 marks
on the Dominicans. (fn. 4) Edward I, at a visit m
September, 1289, gave them 40s. for three days'
food, (fn. 5) and two years later, the executors of Queen
Eleanor of Castile gave 100s. to this house. (fn. 6)
In 1280 they enclosed their site within a precinct wall, and between that date and the end of
the century, several extensions were granted them
for enlarging their plot. (fn. 7)
Meanwhile a new but short-lived order of friars
appeared in the city. The Friars of Penance of
Jesus Christ, commonly known from their rough
brown habit as the Friars of the Sack, or Sackites,
had their origin at Marseilles in 1251, and first
appeared in London in 1257. In the next year
a party of them arrived in Norwich, and a site
was secured in the parish of St. Peter of Hungate. Notwithstanding various small benefactions
enlarging their site, and such occasional windfalls
as the 6d. bequeathed them in 1272 by Thomas
son of Peter of Aldburgh, (fn. 8) these Friars of the Sack
never flourished, and at last there was only left
the prior, William de Hoo, 'broken with old age
and nearly blind.' In 1307 the end came, for
Clement V suppressed the whole order. (fn. 9)
The site of the Dominicans had become too
confined for their increasing numbers, and the
approach was very narrow and subject to overflow
of the waters. Accordingly they negotiated with
success to acquire the abandoned plot of the
Sackites, licence being granted by Edward II in
October, 1307, to the Friars Preachers of Norwich
to hold that plot of land in the city which the
Friars 'de Penitentia' formerly held in chief by
the service of 1½d. yearly, subject to providing.
reasonable sustenance for William de Hoo, a friar
of the latter order. (fn. 10) Hence the king was acknowledged as the founder of the second Norwich
house, his successors as royal patrons. Sanction
for this new foundation was speedily forthcoming
from Clement V.
In 1317 Pope John XXII confirmed to the
Friars Preachers of Norwich the grant made to
them by Clement V (1306-14) of the place formerly occupied by the Friars of the Sack
(Saccitarum), according to the ordinance of
Thomas, cardinal of St. Sabina's. (fn. 11)
The Friars Preachers obtained in 1310 licence
to acquire land adjoining their dwelling, whereon
to erect a church and other buildings, and also to
enlarge their cemetery and cloister. (fn. 12) Fortified by
this grant and by various benefactions of small
plots of contiguous lands, the friars proceeded to
erect a large church, dedicated to the honour of
St. John Baptist, on the site of the smaller one
pertaining to the Sackites, and to provide conventual buildings for the accommodation of sixty
religious. To house and provide for so large a
number required yet further extensions, and
further donations of adjoining houses were made
by the faithful. The friars also strained their
rules by purchasing others at some little distance.
The citizens took alarm at this appropriation of
so many houses in their midst, and urged that the
king should not permit this without the usual
inquisition and royal licence. Therefore the
crown seized the distant messuages, and returned
the purchase money of £60 to the friars. In
1345 an inquest was held at Norwich as to any
damage that might accrue from the friars holding
the lands in their custody. A verdict favourable
to the Dominicans was returned, and a royal
pardon was therefore granted for all contraventions of mortmain, with licence to retain all they
then held. (fn. 13)
In the course of the next few years they built
another and yet larger church. 'In all likelihood,
the old church was then or soon afterwards converted into the library, leaving, however, intact
the large groined-roof crypt, which was the
chapel of St. Thomas a Becket, with its altar. (fn. 14)
During a royal visit to Norwich in January,
1325-6, there was a pleasant interchange of gifts.
Edward II gave an alms of 17s. 8d. for a day's
food for the fifty-three friars then in residence,
and on the morrow they presented him with
fifty-three apples. Edward III when passing
through Norwich in 1328, repeated the same
alms for a like number of religious.
On 4 May, 1413, a grievous fire broke out at
Norwich, and consumed the greater part of the
city. The house and church of the Dominicans,
with all their contents, were destroyed, and two
of the friars perished in the flames. (fn. 15) The friars
were now thankful that they had retained their
old house and church across the water, known
as the Black Hall. There they continued until
1449, when they returned to their newly built
convent and church. (fn. 16)
The church was restored on a magnificent
scale between 1440 and 1470, mayors and other
leading citizens vying with one another in the
generosity of their gifts. There were two gilds
attached to this church, the gild of St. William
mentioned in 1251, and the gild of the Holy
Rood in 1527. (fn. 17)
Edmund Harcock, one of the last of a long
series of Dominican priors of this house, preached
a long sermon on Easter Monday, 1534, before
the mayor and aldermen of the city, taking for
his text the words from the Psalms, Obscurentur
oculi eorum, ne videant. The mayor, on his
coming down from the pulpit, took him to task
for alleged political allusion, and afterwards sent
for him, to which summons there was no response.
Thereupon the ex-Friar Richard Ingworth, who
was then at Norwich on his visitation for reducing
all friars to the royal supremacy, arrested Harcock,
and made him write out an abstract. This
abstract was sent to Cromwell on 1 May, with a
request to know what was to be done with the
prisoner; Harcock, who had already accepted
the supremacy, was alarmed, and offered to submit
himself to correction. Sir Roger Townsend was
ordered by Cromwell to arrest the prior and bring
him before the council. (fn. 18) Apparently he made
good his case, for he returned as prior to Norwich.
About a year later Harcock was again in trouble.
When preaching at St. Leonard's-without-Norwich, on Ascension Eve, 1535, he said in his
prayer, 'Ye shall pray for our Sovereign Lord
King Harry, of the Church of England chief
head so called.' This sentence, together with an
equivocally worded extract from his sermon, was
sent up to London to the council. (fn. 19) What was
his fate cannot now be discovered, but at all
events, he ceased to be prior.
The priory was suppressed by Ingworth in
November, 1538. On 5 September the mayor
and council foreseeing the suppression of the friars,
begged Cromwell to secure for their use the Black
Friars, which was in the midst of the city. (fn. 20) A
fortnight later the Duke of Norfolk wrote to
Cromwell telling him that the Dominicans had sold
their great bell. (fn. 21) On 7 October the duke again
wrote to Cromwell enclosing a petition from the
unhappy priors and convents of the Black and
White Friars of the city begging that the surrender of their houses might be taken. 'The old
and small charity in these days is insufficient to
live on, and they have been fain to sell their
goods; have made no waste, but are slandered
and inquieted by light persons breaking their glass
windows.' The duke told Cromwell that they
were 'very poor wretches'—a distinct compliment
to those of mendicant orders—and that as he had
already given the worst of the Grey Friars 20s.
for a raiment, it was a pity if these should have
less. (fn. 22)
The eventual disposal of the house and church
of the Black Friars will be treated of elsewhere.
The appreciation generally entertained for
these friars in the city where they were established, is shown by the very long list of gifts and
bequests from 1355 to 1529 given by Father
Palmer. (fn. 23)
Priors of the Dominican Friars of Norwich (fn. 24)
Nicholas de Edenham, 1290
Geoffrey de Derham, 1305
Adam de Halesworth, 1374
Robert de Fretone, 1381
John Pynnesthorp, 1451
Roger de Wichingham, 1470
Simon Curteys, 1483
Roger Bernude, 1501
Thomas Bekylls, 1505
William Brygges, 1507
Penyman
Edmund Harcock, 1534
Thomas Briggs, 1535
An imperfect impression of the circular ad
causas seal (2½ in.) of this house shows the
Baptism of Our Lord by St. John Baptist, with
dove descending; in the field a sun on the left
and crescent moon on the right. Legend:—
+ SIG . . . . . CONVEN . . . . . . RIVICO . AD CAS (fn. 25)
A later fifteenth-century pointed oval seal
(2¼ in. by 1½ in.) bears St. Dominic working a
miracle under a canopied niche. Legend:—
SIGILLUM . COMUNE . . . CWICATORU . . . (fn. 26)
There is an indistinct impression of the
thirteenth-century seal of the prior of the Sackites
(1¼ in. by 1 in.), with St. Edmund bound to a
tree and pierced with arrows. (fn. 27)
54. THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF NORWICH
The Franciscan or Grey Friars arrived at
Norwich in 1226, and were established on a
site given them by John de Hastingford, between
the churches of St. Cuthbert and St. Vedast
in Conisford. They gradually increased in
numbers, until, sixty years after their arrival, it
was decided to build a large church with suitable
conventual buildings. As their rule prohibited
them accepting any fresh grants of lands or
tenements save those that adjoined their house
for purposes of extension, it became necessary,
in this as in so many other cases, to obtain sanction for closing intervening thoroughfares. (fn. 28)
The Friars Minor of Norwich therefore
obtained leave in 1285 to close a lane, 211 feet
by 12 feet, adjoining their area on the south
side, for the enlargement of their close. (fn. 29) In
1292 the Franciscans received numerous grants
of small parcels of land in the city from no
fewer than nineteen benefactors, among whom
were included the prior and convent of Norwich, the prior of St. Faith's, and the abbot
and convent of Holm. (fn. 30) In 1297, they obtained
leave to close a lane on the north side of their
plot, 100½ feet long by 10 feet broad, for the
enlargement of their dwelling. (fn. 31) Three Norwich
messuages, the respective gifts of the prior of
Walsingham, Hugh de Rokeland, and Roger
le Mareschal, were bestowed on the friars in
1299. (fn. 32)
Having secured these considerable extensions,
the Franciscans set about building a new church
on a grand scale. The dimensions, as given in
two places by William of Worcester, are somewhat contradictory; but it is clear that the nave
was 105 feet in length, and that the cloister
on the north side of the nave was a square of
its full length. (fn. 33)
There were three gilds in connexion with
this church, namely, those of Our Lady, of
St. John the Evangelist, and of St. Barbara. (fn. 34)
Kirkpatrick and Blomefield give long lists
extending from 1330 to 1529 of those who
made small bequests to this house, and who were
buried in the church. As an example of the
more important of these testamentary gifts, that
of Roger Aylmer, esquire, in 1492, may be
cited: 'To the Warden and Convent of the Fryers
Mynors, to the amending of their bokys and
vestiments, 46s. 8d.; and I will that iche of
the four fryers that shall here my body to the
church of the said Fryers Minors have for his
labor 20d.; also to the repair of the said church,
to praye for my sowle and say a solempn mass
yearly for four yeres 8 li; and that Fryer
John Fyssher, of the said convent, be my prest,
and go to the court of Rome on pilgrimage, and
say mass for my sowle at Seala Celi, and to have
10 marks when he goeth forth, and when he
cometh home 40s.' (fn. 35)
When arrangements were in active progress
in the latter half of the year 1538 for the
suppression of the friars, the Duke of Norfolk
interceded with Cromwell to obtain the king's
sanction for the securing to him of the Grey
Friars. Writing to Cromwell on 21 September,
the duke stated he had intended to ride into
Norwich on the previous day to take the surrender of the Grey Friars, but was ill, and so
sent his son Surrey and others to act for him.
In a later letter the duke describes these friars
as ' very poor wretches,' and stated that he gave
them 40s. apiece to procure secular dress. (fn. 36)
The site, church, house, and all the possessions
of the Grey Friars of Norwich were formally
granted to the Duke of Norfolk by the crown
on 12 March, 1539. (fn. 37)
Wardens Of The Franciscan Friars Of
Norwich (fn. 38)
Thomas de Docking, 1260
Peter Queswell, 1299
Richard le Poringland
Roger de Merston, 1303
Walter Catton, 1343
John de Wiclingham, 1362
Simon de Tunsted, 1369
Geoffrey de Ling, 1390
Reginald de Langham, 1410
Robert de Carltton, 1432
Robert de Frisingham, 1460
Dr. Bernard
Richard de Colby, 1468
William Rokewode, 1469
John Morote, 1470
John Sparke, 1485
Thomas Thornham, 1494
Thomas Glanvyle, 1496
Dr. Shenkwyn
Dr. Call
55. THE CARMELITE FRIARS OF NORWICH (fn. 39)
The Carmelite or White Friars settled in this
city in 1256 on a site between the river and
St. James's Church on the east side of a street
called Cowgate. The donor of the site and
the founder of the house was Philip son of
Warin, a Norwich merchant, who from the
place of his residence assumed the name of
Cowgate. Additional gifts enabled these friars
to erect dwellings and a fine church dedicated
to the honour of St. Mary. Philip, the founder,
in his old age took upon him the Carmelite
habit, and entered the house of his own foundation, where he died in 1283. (fn. 40) Among the
muniments of the city of Norwich are copies of
early grants to the Carmelite Friars. (fn. 41)
Thomas Butetorte, rector of Tivetshall, and
Richard de Hedersete, rector of Beighton,
obtained licence to alienate to the Carmelite
Friars of Norwich a certain messuage adjoining
their residence. (fn. 42) In 1332 Richard de Hedersete,
chaplain, and Adam de Shotesham, chaplain,
gave the Carmelites small lots of land for the
enlargement of their dwelling. (fn. 43)
Licence was further granted in 1345 for the
alienation by Richard Kyng and two others to
the Carmelite Friars, for the extension of their
house, of two more small lots of land. (fn. 44) In the
same year the bailiffs and commonalty of the city
granted to the friars a lane called St. James's
Wente, on the west of their priory, 20 perches
long and 10 ft. wide. This was done, however,
without royal licence, but in the following year
Edward III pardoned their defect and allowed
the retention of the grant. (fn. 45) The royal licence
was duly obtained four years later for the enclosing of another lane of like dimensions on the
east side of their house. (fn. 46)
It was about this time that the friars were
occupied in building their new and capacious
church. It was ready for use in 1343, and the
new churchyard was dedicated by John Paschal,
bishop of Llandaff, acting as suffragan for
Norwich, in the following year. It was not,
however, until 1382 that the whole church was
finished, when it was dedicated by Thomas,
bishop of Sentari, another diocesan suffragan. (fn. 47)
The dimensions of the church are given by
William of Worcester. (fn. 48)
Richard II allowed the alienation to these
Carmelities of another messuage adjoining their
house and churchyard, the gift of Adam Pope,
rector of Southrepps, and others. (fn. 49)
During the early part of the fifteenth century
a certain Thomas Taverner of Walsingham
petitioned the Chancellor to compel John Thorp,
prior of the Carmelites of Norwich, to give up
his son Alexander, aged 13, whom he was
detaining contrary to the wishes alike of Thomas
and his said son. (fn. 50)
In 1486 Thomas Waterpytte, the prior, and
his convent petitioned the mayor, aldermen,
sheriffs and citizens of Norwich to become their
patrons, as their founder was a merchant and
citizen. The petition was granted, and at the
general chapter of the order, held at Burnham
in 1488, the position of the mayor and corporation as patrons was formally ratified, with a
perpetual participation in all masses, prayers,
labours, &c. (fn. 51) The city authorities were
evidently not ungrateful for these spiritual
benefits, as at an assembly held on 3 May, 1498,
the valuable privilege was granted by the city to
the Carmelites of being henceforth quit of all
city toll and custom of their own property,
whether carried by land or by water. (fn. 52)
Bale, Weever, Kirkpatrick, and Blomefield
give long lists of persons buried in the church of
these once popular friars. Sir William Calthorpe,
knt., by will proved in 1494, desired that he
might be buried in this church:—
Also I wylle that the Whyte Fryerys aforesaid have
ten marks for the repair of their churche and place,
and they to pray for may sowle and frendys sowlys.
Item I wyll that Fryer Thomas Waterpepe synge for
my sowle and my wyfe's and frendys sowlys, by the
space of three years, at the auter where my sepulture
is; and that, after the gospells, he seye opynly at
every masse De profundis for my sowle; and he to
have six marks per annum for his labour. (fn. 53)
Bale gives lists of many of the books contained in ' the noble and very fair library' of the
Carmelites of Norwich. (fn. 54)
The joint petition of the priors and convents
of the Black and the White friars of Norwich to
the Duke of Norfolk, early in October, 1538,
asking him to take the surrender of their houses
in their sore distress, has been already cited. (fn. 55) A
few days later an impostor, one John Pratte a
servant of Ralph Salter of Harpley, came to the
White Friars, when the prior and his brethren
were at dinner, asserting that he was the Lord
Privy Seal's (Cromwell's) servant, and had a
commission from him to suppress the house.
The prior desired sight of the commission, which
was not forthcoming, and being convinced he
was a cheat, brought him before the mayoralty
court. Whereupon John Pratte confessed to the
fraud which he had committed, expecting the
prior would offer him money. He was sentenced
to be taken about the market on the following
Saturday, with the words on paper, ' For false
feynging to be the kynge's comyssioner,' and
then to have both ears nailed to the pillory, and
then cut off. (fn. 56)
The site of the White Friars was granted by
the king, in 1542, to Richard Andrews and
Leonard Chamberlain. (fn. 57)
Priors Of The Carmelite Friars Of
Norwich (fn. 58)
Philip de Cowgate (founder, died prior),
1283
Thomas de Salthouse, 1334
John de Folsham, died 1348
Walter de Dysse, 1376
Richard Wichingham, 1381
Robert Ivory, 1386
John Tacesphalus, 1404
John Thorp, occurs after 1413 (fn. 59)
Robert Rose, 1420
John de Kenynghale, 1451
Thomas Waterpytte, 1488
Robert, 1517
Thomas, 1533
56. THE AUSTIN FRIARS OF NORWICH (fn. 60)
The Austin Friars came to Norwich about the
beginning of the reign of Edward I, when they
settled in a messuage provided for them by
Roger Mingot, who was hence esteemed their
founder. (fn. 61)
In 1293 they had so far prospered as to obtain
licence from Edward I to accept five separate
tenements adjoining their original site, which
they proceeded to demolish in order to enlarge
their own house. (fn. 62) Licence for the alienation by
the abbot and convent of Langley to the Austin
Friars of Norwich of a messuage in Norwich for
the extension of their dwelling was granted by
Edward II in 1325, (fn. 63) and ten years later pardon was
granted by Edward III to the Austin Friars of
Norwich for acquiring from Andrew le Barker
a plot of land 100 ft. by 60 ft. for the enlargement of their house without royal licence. (fn. 64)
In 1348 they obtained the grant of the church
of St. Michael Conesford from Sir Edmund de
Thorp, knt. The friars were permitted to include the church within their precincts on
undertaking to have there a chapel in honour of
St. Michael, to the reverence of the saint and for
the devotion of the faithful, who were frequently
to make mention in their prayers of the deceased
whose bodies rested in the churchyard. The
friars further undertook never to apply the churchyard to any other use than for preaching, for
sepulture, or for the building of a church, and to
have three masses celebrated in the chapel every
week by one of their own priests, in especial remembrance of the Thorp family. (fn. 65)
On their much enlarged site these friars proceeded to build a fine church, with cloister on
the south side, of which William of Worcester
gives the dimensions. (fn. 66)
One of the most interesting of the numerous
bequests made to these Austin Friars, as cited by
Kirkpatrick and Blomefield, is that of Margaret
Wetherbey, 1457, late wife of Thomas Wetherbey,
esq., who willed to be buried in the friary church
by the side of her husband. She left 100 marks
for building a new library, on condition that the
names of her husband and herself were inscribed
on the glass of the windows and on each of the
book-rests.
Weever gives an account of various distinguished
persons who obtained sepulture in this conventual
church. His list includes such names as Bigot,
Ufford, Hastings, Clifton, Morley, and Wyndham. (fn. 67)
Various gilds held their services in the nave of
this church, namely, the gilds of St. Christopher,
of St. Margaret, of the Holy Cross, and of St.
Austin pertaining to the shoemakers. (fn. 68)
Several of the bequests refer to masses at Scala
Celi in connexion with this conventual church.
The Scala Celi or Ladder of Heaven was the name
of a celebrated chapel and altar at Rome, to which
special indulgences were granted. The Lady
chapel of the Austin church at Norwich was
permitted to bear this name, and a like privilege
was granted to chapels at Westminster and Boston.
To each of these English Scalae Celi indulgences
were assigned almost as great as those at their
Roman counterpart. This Austin Scala Celi was
a great attraction to the devout of East Anglia. (fn. 69)
The house of the Austin Friars was dissolved
on 29 August, 1538. (fn. 70) It eventually came into
the hands of the Duke of Norfolk, and the site
was known as 'My Lord's Garden.'
' These friars,' says Blomefield, ' to do them
justice, were always reckoned a society of learned
men, good disputants, and eloquent preachers,
and were truly industrious in propagating literature; the most remarkable men among them
were priors thereof.'
Priors Of The Austin Friars Of Norwich (fn. 71)
Benedict, Janus, or Bennet of Norfolk (titular
Bishop of Sardis), and suffragan to Bishop
Bek, died 1340
Richard Cheffer, died c. 1354
Richard de Lammesse, 1367
Roger Twyford, 1390
John de Sloley, 1420
John Tony, 1478
John de Langham
Hugh Lovemere, 1501
Dr. Stokes
A cast of the oval thirteenth-century seal
(15/8 in. by 1 in.) of this house shows a finely-cut
St. Michael in combat with the dragon. Legend:
S' PRIORIS . ET . FRATSŪ . ORDINIS . SBĪ .
AUGUSTINI . NORWICI (fn. 72)
57-59. FRIARS OF THE LESSER ORDERS, NORWICH
The short-lived sojourn of the Friars of the
Sack at Norwich has been mentioned under the
account of the Black Friars.
The Friars of St. Mary, or 'De Domina,'
were in Norwich as early as 1290, for in that
year Roger de Tybenham gave them a legacy.
Their house stood on the south side of the
churchyard of St. Julian, with the east end
abutting on the street. They continued here
till the Black Death of 1349, which so grievously
afflicted Norwich, when they perished, and their
house became private property. (fn. 73)
The Friars ' de Pica,' or Pied Friars, are said
by Blomefield to have had a house at the northeast corner of the churchyard of St. Peter
Mountergate. At the time when they were
obliged to join one of the four principal orders
their house became the property of the hospital
of Bek. The master of Bek made it his city
house, and their various chanting priests and
others lived after a collegiate fashion. (fn. 74)