21. THE PRIORY OF HERRINGFLEET
The priory of St. Olave, Herringfleet, was
founded for Austin canons by Roger FitzOsbert,
near the ancient ferry across the River Waveney
about the beginning of the reign of Henry III.
The founder assigned to the monastery 40 acres
of land in Tibenham; he did not die until 1239,
and willed that his body should be buried in the
priory church. Peter, the founder's son, gave to
the canons the advowson of Witlingham. Both
Peter and his wife Beatrice, who died respectively in 1275 and 1278, were also buried in
the canons' church. (fn. 1)
In 1314 John son of Sir Ralph Nunoion, knt.,
granted the patronage of the priory of St. Olave
to Peter Gernegan, (fn. 2) and in 1410 the advowson
was granted to Margaret, wife of John Gernegan. (fn. 3) There are various other grants relative
to the transference of this priory patronage
to Sir John Hevyngham, knt., in the reign
of Henry VI, (fn. 4) but in 1491 the patronage
was restored to the family of Gernegan by Sir
John Hevyngham, Sir Henry Bryan, and
others. (fn. 5)
The churches of Herringfleet and Hales, Norfolk, were appropriated to St. Olave's at an early
date. St. Peter's, Burgh, was appropriated by
leave of the bishop about 1390, but in 1403 the
appropriation was resigned, a small pension being
reserved to the priory. (fn. 6)
The taxation of 1291 shows that the priory
then held the rectories of Herringfleet and Hales,
and a pension from the church of Bonewell,
yielding a total in spiritualities of £14 13s. 4d.
The temporalities in Suffolk and Norfolk at the
same time brought in £12 14s. 0¼d., giving a
total income of £26 17s. 4½d. (fn. 7)
According to the Valor of 1535 the gross
receipts from the temporalities were £15 13s. 8½d.
but the clear value was only £13 3s. 11d. The
spiritualities included the rectories of Herringfleet and Hales, together with a pension
from the church of Burgh, yielding a clear annual value of £5 2s. 7½d. There are evidently
some omissions from the details of this return, as
the net income is returned at £49 11s. 7d. (fn. 8)
Licence was granted in 1377 by the crown,
on payment of ten marks, to Edmund de Carlton, chaplain, and four others, to alienate to the
priory of St. Olave property in Ashby and
Herringfleet, for finding a lamp to be kept
burning before the high altar in the priory
church, and for performing the offices of the
dead at the anniversaries of the five donors. (fn. 9)
The priory of St. Olave was visited by Archdeacon Goldwell on 30 January 1493, as commissary for his brother the bishop. Thomas
Bagot the prior and five canons were severally
examined, with the result that William Cokke
was pronounced to be quarrelsome, and the
prior reported for not showing the accounts of
the house to the canons. The canons complained that they were scarcely able to live. (fn. 10)
The next recorded visitation was held in
July, 1514, by Bishop Nykke. Prior William
Dale stated that he rendered an account yearly
to the senior canons; that the canons were
obedient; and that he had recently purchased
certain lands of the annual value of £10 14s. 10d.,
and paid for them. Robert Starys, the sub-prior,
said that they did not rise for mattins at midnight, but at 5 o'clock; that they did not sing
the offices save on festivals and Sundays; and
that their number was incomplete because of the
insufficiency of income. The six other canons
gave unqualified praise to the condition of the
house. The bishop enjoined on the prior and
canons that they were to furnish him with a
sufficient dispensation from the apostolic see for
not observing the rule of rising at midnight for
mattins, and ordered the canons to observe
(entire) silence in cloister and quire on all
Fridays. (fn. 11)
The next recorded visitation was held by the
suffragan Bishop of Chalcedon in July, 1520. It
was attended by Prior Dale and five canons.
The prior was ordered to produce a statement of
accounts and an inventory at the Michaelmas
synod. The testimony of the canons was unanimous as to the good religious conditions of the
house. (fn. 12)
The visitation of June, 1526, attended by the
same prior and five canons, was entirely satisfactory. (fn. 13) Prior Dale and the like number of
canons appeared at the last visitation of Bishop
Nykke, in June, 1532, when the statements were
unanimously good, and the visitor reported that
there was nothing to amend. (fn. 14)
The Suffolk commissioners appointed to take
the inventories of the smaller monasteries visited
St. Olave's on 26 August, 1536. In the quire of
the church they found a silver pyx, two silver
chalices, a copper cross, two candlesticks of latten
on the high altar, an alabaster 'table,' and a
linen altar-cloth worth £4 2s. 10d. Other
plate included a pair of censers with a ship of
silver. There were but few vestments. The
furniture of the various chambers, the hall, the
parlour, pantry and kitchen was but ordinary.
The cattle and implements of husbandry were
valued at £12 1s., and the corn at £11 13s. 4d.
The total of the inventory only amounted to
£27 0s. 9d. (fn. 15)
This house was suppressed among the smaller
monasteries on 3 February, 1536-7. (fn. 16) On the
8th of the ensuing March a pension of ten marks
was granted to William Dale, the last prior; (fn. 17)
evidently no credence was given to the coarse
report made against him by Legh and Leyton in
their notorious comperta of a few months' earlier
date. (fn. 18)
The site of the priory and its possessions were
assigned to Henry Jernyngham on 1 March,
1537-8. (fn. 19)
Priors of Herringfleet
William, (fn. 20) occurs 1273
Benedict, (fn. 21) occurs 1301
Thomas de Norwich, (fn. 22) elected 1308
William Dale, (fn. 23) occurs 1309
John de Norwich alias Tybenham, (fn. 24) elected
1329
Philip de Porynglond, (fn. 25) elected 1341
John de Porynglond, (fn. 26) died 1354
John de Surlyngham, (fn. 27) elected 1354
Roger de Haddiscoe, (fn. 28) occurs 1370
William de Holton, (fn. 29) resigned 1371
Henry de Brom, (fn. 30) elected 1371
John de Hanewell, (fn. 31) elected 1391
John Wyloughby, (fn. 32) elected 1402
William Dald, (fn. 33) occurs 1403
John Welles, (fn. 34) elected 1430
Thomas Bagot, (fn. 35) elected 1480
William Dale, (fn. 36) occurs 1514, last prior
The thirteenth-century seal of this house
represents St. Olave, king and martyr, crowned
and seated on a throne, with an axe in the right
hand and an orbs mundi in the left. Legend—
S' . . . MUNE . EC . . . . . AVI . DE . HERLINGEFLE . . . . . RI . . A (fn. 37)