124. THE PRIORY OF WITCHINGHAM
Walter Giffard, earl of Buckingham, granted
to the Cluniac monks of the priory of St. Faith,
Longueville, in the diocese of Rouen, the
manors of Great and Little Witchingham and
Weston, with the churches of All Saints, Weston;
St. Mary, Great Witchingham; and St. Faith,
Little Witchingham, together with various lands,
tithes, rents, and services in several other Norfolk
parishes. These grants were confirmed by
charter of Henry I, and subsequently by Walter
Giffard, son of the original donor and second
earl of Buckingham, and by Henry II. (fn. 1)
The taxation roll of 1291 mentions portions
or pensions from the churches of Weston (£4),
Witchingham St. Faith's (£2), and Stratton
St. Michael's (13s. 4d.) among the spiritualities
pertaining to the priory of Longueville. The prior
and convent of Longueville drew £10 4s. 8d.
per annum from the manor of Great Witchingham. In addition to the two Witchinghams
and Weston, they also had rents or lands at
Ringland, Helmingham, Swannington, Alderford,
Brandiston, Reepham, Corpusty, and Booton,
giving a total income in temporalities of
£25 10s. 11¼d.
There was a small priory or cell of Cluniac
monks at Witchingham, who had the control of
the prior of Longueville's Norfolk possessions.
This property reverted to the crown in 1414
on the dissolution of the alien houses, and was
granted to New College, Oxford, by Henry VI
in 1460.