113. THE COLLEGE OF RUSHWORTH (fn. 1)
Sir Edmund de Gonvile, founder of Gonvile
Hall, Cambridge, was both rector and patron of
Rushworth (now Rushford), when he formed the
plan of making Rushworth a collegiate church.
On 7 May, 1341, he obtained licence for the
alienation in mortmain of a messuage in Rushworth, and the rectory of the church for two
chaplains to celebrate daily for his good estate in
life, and for his soul after death, and for the souls
of his ancestors and heirs. (fn. 2) In 1342, Sir
Edmund resigned the rectory of Rushworth, and
was instituted to that of Terrington, where he
died in 1350. On his resignation the college
was ordained on a larger scale than was at first
intended, and consisted of a master or warden
and four brethren or fellows. The fellows were
to elect the master and present him at Larling,
the principal seat of the Gonvilles, to the
founder's heirs if there were any there residing;
he was then to be presented to the bishop and
installed by mandate to the archdeacon. The
church was appropriated to the college without any
endowment for a vicar, for the cure of the parish was
laid upon the master, who had to pay eight marks
for firstfruits at the time of his appointment.
The master and fellows were to lodge and
board in the same house, and always to use a
common table save when hindered by sickness.
For other necessaries, such as clothing, the
master was to have an annual stipend of 50s. and
each of the fellows 30s. Any fellow leaving the
college was to assign half his goods to the house.
All were enjoined to lead honest, modest, quiet,
peaceable, and chaste lives, quatenus humana permittit fragilitas. Offences were to be corrected
by the master in chapter, more religiosorum.
Collects for the founder and for their benefactors, living and dead, were to be said daily in
chapter after Mass. All the brethren, or at least
four, were to rise at dawn and say mattins of
Our Lady without music in the church of Rushworth, and afterwards to sing mattins and the
other canonical day hours according to the use of
the diocese. There were to be four daily Masses:
namely, High Mass, Lady Mass, and Mass for the
departed, in the church; and the Mass of the Holy
Trinity, in the chapel annexed to their dormitory.
The anniversary of Edmund Gonville was to be
solemnly observed. All from the college, whenever they were in the church, were to wear a
white mantle or cope with hood or amice, save
those who were in surplices or other ecclesiastical
vestments. Outside the church they were to
conduct themselves in gesture, dress, and in every
particular as became honest clerks. They were
forbidden to stay a single night away from the
college without the express leave of the master
or his deputy. The master was to present a
complete balance-sheet every Michaelmas. (fn. 3)
In 1409 Alexander Thelyk, the master, obtained the sanction of Pope Gregory XII to
appropriate to the mastership, to be held in conjunction with it, one other benefice with cure of
souls; but on condition that in that event he
was not to receive his stipend of 50s. over and
above the benefit of the church of Rush worth.
The petition to the pope set forth that it had
been the intention of the founder to endow this
college (for a master and five chaplains) much
better, but that he had died before this could be
accomplished, and that the master had to discharge much hospitality as the college was near
a great road. The bishop of Norwich's assent
being given, Alexander was presented, in 1414,
to the rectory of Larling by the fellows, and held
it with the mastership till his death. This
arrangement, however, broke down; for, though
the fellows of the college of Rushworth continued
to present to. the, rectory of Larling until their
dissolution, no subsequent master was appointed
thereto.
In 1387 Richard II granted licence to the
college for a further endowment up to the annual
value of forty marks; and on 1 July, 1389,
leave was given to Anne, wife of the late Sir
Robert Wingfield, Sir John Hevenyngham, Sir
William Calthorp, William Berdwell, and Henry
Spelman, to assign the manors of Rushworth and
Larling, of the annual value of £22, in part
satisfaction of the forty marks. (fn. 4)
In 1485 Lady Anne Wingfield, heiress of
Gonville, who died in 1500, re-settled the manors
of Rushworth and Larling on the college, with
further augmentation of the endowment, for her
soul's health and that of her three husbands. (fn. 5)
Two chantry priests or additional fellows were
appointed, to be termed Dame Anne's priests, to
sing ' for the wele of her soule, and her husbandes,
and anncestres, and kynnesfolkes soules, and for
all those for whiche she was mooste specially
bounden to pray.' By indenture of 1490 with
this benefactress the master and fellows were
bound to support five children, called Dame
Anne's children, to be nominated in turns by the
master and fellows. Their duty was to wait on
the fellows, for which they were to be taught the
service of God in the church. These five children, who lived in the college, and eight other
poor children, were to. be taught by one of the
two chantry priests, who was always to be ' well
studyd and lernyd in gramer.' As each child
came to the age of eighteen he was to be removed
and another appointed. An indenture of 1501,
by the executors of ' Dame Anne Lady Scrop,'
increased the children in the college from five to
seven.
By his will of 1492, William Halliday, the
senior fellow, left certain lands to the college to
keep the south porch of the church in repair.
He also gave a good stone house in Rushworth
to the college to be used as a gild hall (for the gild
of St. John Baptist) or as a hostelry for guests
when there was not room for them at any time
in the college.
George Windham, last master, and five chaplains or fellows, subscribed to the royal supremacy
on 25 August, 1534. (fn. 6)
According to the Valor of the following year
the rectory of Rushworth was worth 109s. 10½d.
a year, and the manors of Rushworth, Brettenham, Larling, and Elveden (Suffolk), £84 9s. 1½d.
The clear annual value of the college -was
£85 15s. 0½d. Among the outgoings was the
sum of 71s. 8d. for the feeding and clothing of
seven boys (Dame Anne's), and 20s. as stipend
for the priest who instructed them.
George Windham, the last master, was archdeacon of Norwich from 1528 until his death in
1543, and was also precentor of St. Paul's,
London, from 1531 to 1543.
The college was surrendered on 6 December,
1541, by Windham and three of the fellows, (fn. 7)
and the whole possessions were at once granted
to Henry, earl of Surrey. (fn. 8)
Masters of Rushworth College (fn. 9)
John Gadwyt
Nicholas de Wrotham, 1349
Hugh Herbert, 1351
Thomas de Wattone, 1354
Thomas Heyward, 1364
Thomas Le Mey, 1371
Robert de Asschele, 1374
Robert de Wortham, 1376
Robert Carter, 1381
Alexander Thelyk, 1385
Edmund Cooper, 1421
Thomas Sygo, 1436
Robert Crask, 1443
John Wurlych, 1443
Edmund Coupere, 1444
Ralph Beauford, 1446
Lawrence Gerard, 1450
Henry Costesey, 1472 (fn. 10)
John Bulman, 1483
John Brennys, 1508
John Purfett
Edward Anson, 1526
George Windham, 1529
The fourteenth-century seal (fn. 11) of this college is
oval (1¾ + 1¼ in.) and shows, under a canopied
niche crowned with crocketed pinnacles, a small
figure (? a priest), kneeling in adoration to a saint
standing upon a dragon and carrying in the right
hand a palm branch. Below is a shield of arms—
a bend charged with three (? scallop shells).
Legend:—
. . . COM' SCI . IOH'IS EWA . . . EL DE RUSSCHEWORTH