63. THE DOMINICAN FRIARS OF YARMOUTH (fn. 1)
The Dominican friars were first established at
Yarmouth in 1267, where they had a house by
the South Gate. Henry III gave them in 1271
a plot of land 500 ft. square, called la Strande,
and confirmed the previous gift to them of their
site by William Charles. (fn. 2) Thomas Fastolf was
a special benefactor to their house, which was
finished in 1278; and Godfrey Pilgrim, another
burgess of Yarmouth, erected their church, dedicated to the honour of St. Dominic, in 1280, at
his sole cost. (fn. 3) Pilgrim, who died in 1304, was
therefore esteemed joint founder with Henry III
and Fastolf.
When Edward I was at Yarmouth, in 1277,
he gave the friars on Low Sunday an alms of
23s. 10d. to find the food for two days. (fn. 4) From
this it may be estimated that there were about
thirty-five inmates.
In 1287 the east coast of England was ravaged
by a severe storm, and Yarmouth suffered grievously. Much of the town walls were destroyed,
and the house of the Dominicans was covered by
the waves. (fn. 5)
Thereupon the friars, with the idea of escaping
like misfortune in the future, began to fill up a
deep place between their house and that of Simon
Salle, beyond which the sea often flowed, with
stones and rubbish, and proceeded to build on
this small piece of reclaimed land, which measured
130 ft. by 115 ft. Early in 1290 a royal writ
was issued to the sheriff of Norfolk to hold an
inquiry whether this alteration, which involved
the removal of a part of the town wall, might be
licensed. The jurors, one of whom was Thomas
Fastolf, held that the proceedings of the friars
were calculated to jeopardize the town wall, and
the scheme was consequently abandoned. (fn. 6)
The executors of Queen Eleanor, about
Michaelmas, 1291, gave an alms of 100s. to
William de Hotham, provincial for this convent. (fn. 7)
Each of the three orders of friars at Yarmouth,
and in several cases the Friars Preachers alone,
had many small bequests made to them, by burgesses and others who prudently made their wills
at the time of the Great Pestilence of 1349.
Simon de Ormesly, smith, by will of 26 January,
1350, directed his body to be buried in the
church of the Friars Preachers, to whom he left
10s. as well as 12d. to two particular friars.
The wills of this county show that bequests to
this and the other two houses of friars at
Yarmouth were fairly frequent up to the time of
their dissolution. (fn. 8)
In the year 1525 the church of this convent
was burnt down and never restored. (fn. 9)
Richard Ingworth, the ex-friar, and special
instrument of the king for the suppression of
the mendicant orders, wrote to Cromwell in
November, 1538, naming nineteen houses of
friars whose surrender he had accepted, the Black
Friars of Yarmouth being among the number. (fn. 10)
The fourteenth-century seal of this house
(17/8 in.× 1¼) is an elaborate composition for its
size. In three niches stand the Virgin and
Child, St. Dominic with a cross, and a bishop
with crozier. In the base are two fishes naiant,
for the ancient arms of Yarmouth. Legend:—
S'. CONVENTS FRŪQ. PREDĪB. GERNEMUTE (fn. 11)
64. THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF YARMOUTH
The Franciscan or Grey Friars probably came
to Yarmouth soon after 1226, which was the
year of their arrival at Norwich. Their founder
is said to have been Sir William Gerbrigge, knt. (fn. 12)
The site originally granted them was about the
centre of the town, on ground now occupied by
Queen Street; their precincts gradually extended
from the river on the west to Middlegate Street
on the east, and from Row 83 on the north to
Row 96 on the south. (fn. 13)
Leave was given in 1285, after an inquisition
ad quod damnum, by the bailiffs of Yarmouth
for the Friars Minor to hold that rengiate of
land, with buildings and appurtenances, contiguous to their area, which the king held of
the grant of John son of William Gerbrigge, the
younger, for the enlargement of their site, provided that the lane between the said rengiate and
the rengiate of Thomas Gerbrigge remain open
and common for the easement of both rengiates,
and of the neighbours and others of the said
town as heretofore. (fn. 14) In May 1290, confirmation was granted of a quitclaim by John de
Bromholm to the Friars Minor of his right in a
plot of land lying between the dwelling-house
of the friars on the north side and the common
lane on the south side. (fn. 15)
A commission of oyer and terminer was appointed in 1302 touching the petition of the Friars
Minors of Yarmouth, who complained that some
malefactors of the town had broken the pavement
near the wall, whereby rainwater ran under it
to the destruction of the pavement, and that
some of the townsmen, with strangers, threw
down and broke to pieces their fence, which
they made for the defence of their dwellingplace against the flow and violence of the sea,
by putting timber and other heavy weights
upon it. (fn. 16)
Wills of the thirteenth century downwards
show frequent small bequests to the Grey Friars
by the townsfolk of Yarmouth, often accompanied by a request for interment in the church
or churchyard. Many of the once powerful
family of Fastolf were buried there. No men
tion has been found of the name of any warden
of this house, nor even of any friar save one,
John Rokeby, who was living in 1492, and who
must have been a typical ' jolly friar,' as he
weighed twenty-four stone, a fact that was considered sufficiently noteworthy to obtain an entry
on the Borough Roll. (fn. 17)
The house was suppressed in the autumn of
1538 by Richard Ingworth, and possession was
given to Mr. Millesent, a servant of Cromwell's. (fn. 18)
Cromwell obtained a grant of it in the following
year and transferred it to his nephew, Sir Richard
Williams.
65. THE CARMELITE FRIARS OF YARMOUTH
The house of White Friars of Yarmouth was
founded in 1276 in the north part of the town,
Edward I being regarded as their founder. It
was dedicated to St. Mary.
In 1276, an inquisition ad quod damnum was
held at Yarmouth, touching the petition of the
Carmelite Friars for licence to inhabit a void
place in Great Yarmouth called ' Le Denne';
containing 500 ft. by 400 ft., and there to build
a church for themselves. (fn. 19)
On 26 June 1291, Oliver Wych obtained
licence to alienate in mortmain a messuage to
the Carmelites of Yarmouth. (fn. 20)
Whilst the dread of the Black Death hung
over the land, bequests to friars were common
throughout England. William Hutte, in 1349,
gave to the Carmelite Friars of Yarmouth two
coverlets and a silver cup with a pelican; and to
John de Yarmouth, his nephew, a friar of the
order, a feather bed and other furniture. In the
same year, Simon atte Crosse left them 20s. for
masses for his soul; and Agnes his wife 6s. 8d.
Licence was given in 1378, on payment of
20s., to the Carmelites of Great Yarmouth to
enclose a lane adjoining their dwelling on the
south side for the enlargement of their house,
provided they made another lane as good for
passers-by. (fn. 21)
The following burials in this church occur in
a MS. at the College of Arms:—1309, Nicholas
Castle, Esquire, also Elizabeth his wife; 1330,
Dame Maude, wife of Sir Thomas Huntingdon;
1382, Sir John de Monte Acuto. (fn. 22)
On 1 April 1509, the church and convent
were burnt down. (fn. 23)
John Tylney, who was prior of this house
from about 1430 to 1455, was of much reputation as professor of divinity at Cambridge, and
wrote various treatises. (fn. 24)
This house was suppressed by Richard
Ingworth towards the close of 1538. (fn. 25) It was
granted in 1544 to Thomas Denton and Robert
Nottingham. (fn. 26)
66. THE AUSTIN FRIARS OF YARMOUTH
Although the house of these Austin Friars was
across the water in Suffolk, in the parish of Gorleston, as it stood in Little Yarmouth or Southtown,
mention had better be made of it in this place
as well as under the religious houses of Suffolk.
In several wills, bequests were made to the four
orders of friars of Yarmouth; but Gorleston was
not formally joined to the borough until 1688.
This friary was founded towards the end of
the reign of Edward I, by William Woderove
and Margaret his wife. (fn. 27) On 28 June 1131,
Roger Woderove, son of the founder, obtained
licence to grant to the prior and Augustine friars
of Little Yarmouth a plot of land adjacent to
their dwelling, (fn. 28) and in 1338 a further enlargement of their house was made on a plot of land
240 ft. by 70 ft., the gift of William Man, of
Blundeston. (fn. 29)
In the large and handsome church many distinguished persons were buried. Weever names
the founder and his wife; Richard earl of Clare;
Roger FitzOsbert and Katharine his wife; Sir
Henry Bacon, 1335, and many of his family;
Joan, countess of Gloucester; Dame Alice
Lunston, 1341; Dame Eleanor, wife of Sir
Thomas Gerbrigge, 1353; Dame Joan Caxton
1364; William de Ufford, earl of Suffolk, 1382;
Michael de la Pole, earl of Suffolk; Sir Thomas
Hengrove; Dame Sibyl Mortimer, 1385; Sir
John Laune, and Mary his wife; Alexander
Falstolfe; William March, esq., 1412, and
John Pulham, 1481. (fn. 30)
Lambarde, writing of this house, which he
mistakenly terms an abbey, says: ' Here was of
late years a librarie of most rare and precious
workes, gathered together by the Industrie of
one John Brome, a monk of the same house,
which died in the reign of King Henry the
Sixte.' (fn. 31) John Brome was prior of the house
and died in 1449. His collection of books was
famous and said to include several of which
there were no other copies in England; he was
himself the author of chronicles and sermons. (fn. 32)
The historian of Yarmouth says that these
Austin Friars had a cell across the water in
Yarmouth proper, the remains of which are to
be seen in Howards Street; the adjoining row
is still called Austin Row, though popularly
corrupted into Ostend Row. (fn. 33)
The house was suppressed, with the other
Yarmouth friaries, by Richard Ingworth towards the end of 1538, (fn. 34) and the site was
granted in 1544 to John Eyre, rightly styled
by Weever 'a great dealer in that kind of
property.'