HOUSES OF CLUNIAC MONKS
12. THE PRIORY OF MENDHAM
There are two charters of William de Huntingfield, the founder of Mendham Priory, in the
chartulary of Castle Acre. By the first of these
he gave to the Cluniac monks of Castle Acre the
isle of St. Mary of Mendham, with 'Ulordage,'
and the granges there, together with certain land
in 'Crodustune' on condition that as many
brethren as might be requisite for ruling the
island should be placed there, and their number
afterwards increased until a secular convent of
monks was properly established. The cell of the
island of Mendham was to show such subjection
to St. Mary of Castle Acre, as Castle Acre did to
the priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, and as Lewes did
to the mother house of Cluni; and it was to pay
half a mark yearly to Castle Acre, as an acknowledgement of submission. By his second charter
the founder described more in detail his gifts of
land; and at the same time he confirmed the
gifts of Roger de Hammesirl, William the son
of Hoscetel, and Sigar, and provided that the
bequests of these three should only be used towards providing the monks with a church of
stone. (fn. 1) The exact date of these charters is not
known; but the founder died in 1155, and his
wife Sibyl in 1186. (fn. 2)
Roger de Huntingfield, the son of the founder,
who died in 1204, materially increased the endowments of Mendham. He gave to the monks
the church of St. Margaret, Linstead, a moiety
of the church of St. Peter, Linstead, and all his
right in the church of Mendham. The convent
of Mendham was by this time complete; and
Roger appointed John de Lindsey the first prior.
An agreement was at the same time entered into
between Hugh, prior of Castle Acre, and his
convent and Roger de Huntingfield, that the
prior of Mendham was not to be deposed, save
for disobedience, incontinence, or dilapidation
of the house, and that such deposition was not to
take place without the advice of the monks of
Mendham and the patron. It was also agreed
that the convent of Mendham was to consist of
at least eight monks, four of whom were to be
sent from Castle Acre. Any man betaking himself to Mendham through fear of death was to be
received; but no one in health to be admitted
without the consent of the prior of Acre. If the
house at Mendham so increased as to sustain its
whole congregation, they were to be at liberty
to receive any according to their own discretion. (fn. 3)
The taxation of 1291 showed that Mendham
priory had an income of £19 18s. 6½d. Of this
sum, £11 came from a portion of the rectory of
Fressingfield, and the remainder in lands or rents
from ten parishes in Suffolk and Norfolk. (fn. 4)
During the wars with France Mendham was
treated as an alien priory; but in 1337 Edward
III ordered the restoration to the prior of Mendham of the priory with all its lands, benefices,
goods and chattels (in like manner as with Castle
Acre, of which Mendham was a cell), as the
prior and all his monks were Englishmen, and
the priory was founded by an Englishman,
and sent no 'apport' or contribution across
the seas. (fn. 5)
The visitors from Cluni reported of Mendham,
about 1405, that it was a cell subordinate to
Castle Acre. The brethren then numbered nine;
there were three daily masses, two sung and one
said. (fn. 6)
A writ was issued in November, 1534, to the
sheriff of Suffolk to the effect that Sir Humphrey
Wingfield, kt., and others had recovered in the
king's court the manors of Mendham and Kingsshall, with other rents and lands against Thomas,
prior of Mendham. (fn. 7)
There is no entry with regard to this priory in
the Valor of 1535.
This house and its revenues were given by
Henry VIII, together with the possessions of
several dissolved priories to the short-lived Benedictine abbey of Bisham, Berks, established in
1537. In the following year, when this abbey
was suppressed, the Mendham possessions were
granted by the crown to Charles duke of Suffolk.
Priors of Mendham
John de Lindsey, c. 1170 (fn. 8)
John, occurs 1239 (fn. 9)
Simon, occurs 1250 (fn. 10)
John, occurs 1307 (fn. 11)
Nicholas Cressi, died 1336 (fn. 12)
John de Walton, 1340 (fn. 13)
Henry de Berlegh, 1342 (fn. 14)
William, 1353 (fn. 15)
John de Tornston (fn. 16)
Robert, 1400 (fn. 17)
John Betelee, 1420 (fn. 18)
Thomas Rede, 1449 (fn. 19)
Thomas Pitte, 1487 (fn. 20)
Thomas Bullock, 1501 (fn. 21)
Simon, 1523 (fn. 22)
Thomas, 1534 (fn. 23)
An impression of the seal of John, prior of
this house, A.D. 1307, shows the Blessed Virgin
seated on a throne, under a canopy supported on
slender shafts, with the Holy Child on the left
knee. In the base, under a trefoiled arch, a
shield of arms, on a fesse three plates, for William
de Huntingfield the founder. Legend:—
S' FRIS JOHIS . . . . MENDHAM. (fn. 24)