5. THE PRIORY OF HOXNE
A small religious house existed at Hoxne in
pre-Norman times, dedicated in honour of St.
Athelbright; it is mentioned in the will of
Bishop Theodred II, in 962. Probably it formed
part of the bishop's manor of Hoxne, for Bishop
Herbert, of Norwich, founded here a cell in
1101, in connexion with the great Benedictine
cathedral priory, which Ralph, the sewer, rebuilt
from the ground. (fn. 1)
Bishop Herbert's charter granted the parish
church of St. Peter, Hoxne, and the chapel of
St. Edmund, king and martyr, to the monks of
Norwich, and the cell and priory were removed
to the immediate vicinity of the historic chapel
under Bishop de Blunville, who was consecrated in 1226. Bishop Roger de Skarning in
1267 consecrated a churchyard for the priory.
The house consisted of a prior, removable at will
by the prior and convent of Norwich, and seven
or eight monks. The monks kept a school for
the children of the parish, and supported or
boarded two of the scholars. (fn. 2)
Blomefield names various benefactions. The
chief of these was the manor, with the chapel
of Ringshall, granted to this priory by the mother
house in 1294. Luke, the parish chaplain of
Ringshall, made a return on oath that the chapel
was a free chapel belonging to the prior of
Norwich, who assigned it to his cell of St.
Edmund at Hoxne; that it was endowed with
thirty-two acres of land, and two parts of all the
tithe corn and hay of the ancient demesnes of
Sir Richard de la Rokele and Robert de la
Wythakysham and their tenants in Ringshall;
and that the tithes were then of the value of 30s.
per annum.
In 1313 Robert Guer, chaplain, had the whole
of the endowments of Ringshall assigned him for
life, paying 30s. a year to Hoxne priory, serving
the chapel thrice a week, and keeping the houses
in repair.
Gilbert, bishop of Orkney, as suffragan of
Norwich, granted a forty days' indulgence to all
persons making a pilgrimage to the image of
St. Edmund in the priory chapel of Hoxne,
and making offerings for the repairs of the
chapel.
Although Hoxne priory was allowed to hold
property granted to it independently of the
mother house of Norwich, the priors of Hoxne
were bound to make annual returns to Norwich
of their accounts. Among the obedientiary rolls
preserved in the cathedral there are a large
number of the annual accounts of this cell.
They extend from 1395 to 1399, and from
1407 to 1410; and there are thirty others at
irregular intervals, the last one being for the
year 1534.
In the time of Henry VI the annual value of
the lands and rents of this cell was returned at
£27. The commissioners of the Valor of 1535
made no return of the priory of Hoxne, contenting themselves with stating that it was a cell of
Norwich under Nicholas Thurkill, the prior, and
that the accounts would be included in those of
the cathedral priory. (fn. 3)
This priory obtains occasional mention in
wills. In 1375 John Elys, rector of Occold
Magna, left 3s. 4d. to the repairs of the chapel
of St. Edmund, and a rood of meadow-land near
Hoxne Bridge in perpetual alms. Bishop
Brown of Norwich, by will of 1445, gave forty
marks to the reconstruction of the chapel. (fn. 4)
William Castleton, the last prior and first dean
of Norwich, in view of the coming dissolution,
alienated the property of the cell to Sir Richard
Gresham, recalling the monks to Norwich. For
this act he was pardoned by the king on
1 April, 1538; the patent sanctioning this
transfer declared the clear annual value of the
cell to be £18 1s. (fn. 5)
Priors of Hoxne (fn. 6)
Hervey
Richard de Hoxne
Roger
William de Acle
John de Shamelisford
Geoffrey de Norwich, 1411
Nicholas de Kelfield, 1424
John Eglington, 1430
William Mettingham, c. 1428
John Elmham, c. 1438
John Eston, 1441
John Eshgate, 1452
Robert Gatelee, 1453
John Eston (again), 1453
Robert Bretenham, c. 1460
Simon Folcard, c. 1473
Nicholas Berdney, c. 20 Edw. IV, 1480
Robert Swaffham, removed 1492
John Attleburgh, 1492
Thomas Pellis, 1509
Stephen Darsham, 1523
Nicholas Thurkill, 1535