HOUSE OF PREMONSTRATENSIAN CANONS
31. THE ABBEY OF LEISTON
The abbey of Leiston was founded for the
white canons of the Premonstratensian Order,
in the year 1182, by Ranulph de Glanville, who
was also the founder of Butley priory. By the
foundation charter, this abbey, dedicated in
honour of the Blessed Virgin, was endowed
with the manor of Leiston, and with the advowsons of the churches of St. Margaret,
Leiston, and St. Andrew, Aldringham. These
churches, as stated in the charter, Glanville had
first granted to the Austin canons of Butley,
but they had been by them resigned. The
founder stated that he made these gifts for the
good estate of King Henry, and for his own
soul's sake, and for that of his wife Bertha, and
their ancestors and successors. (fn. 1)
The next benefactions were the church of
St. Mary, Middleton, (fn. 2) by Roger de Glanville,
confirmed by Roger Bigot, earl of Norfolk, and
the church of St. Botolph, Culpho, (fn. 3) by William
de Valoines, confirmed by William de Verdun.
Pope Honorius III, in 1224, confirmed to the
abbey the four churches of Leiston, Aldringham,
Middleton, and Culpho, (fn. 4) and on 26 February,
1280, John Peckham, archbishop of Canterbury,
who was staying at the abbey, confirmed to the
canons the appropriation of the same four (fn. 5)
churches.
The taxation roll of 1291 gave the annual
value of the priory as £130 15s. 7¼d. Of this
sum £56 13s. 4d. came from the appropriated
rectories, by far the largest amount (£34 13s. 4d.)
coming from the wide-spread parish of Leiston. (fn. 6)
John Underwood of Theberton and Matthew
Broun of Knoddishall obtained licence in 1342
to alienate to the abbey of Leiston a messuage
towards the sustenance of a canon to celebrate
once a week in the abbey church for their souls,
and for the souls of the faithful departed. (fn. 7)
The abbey obtained licence in 1344 to
acquire lands or rents to the value of £20
yearly, in consequence of their impoverished state
through the frequent inundations of the sea over
their lands. (fn. 8) Lands and rents in Leiston and
neighbouring parishes to the value of 55s. yearly
were granted under this licence to the abbey in
the following year. (fn. 9)
In 1347 the royal sanction was obtained for
the appropriation to the abbey of the church of
St. Peter, Kirkley. (fn. 10) On 1 May, 1380, Henry,
bishop of Norwich, and Nicholas, prior of Norwich, gave their assent to the appropriation of
the church of Theberton to the abbey and convent of Leiston, (fn. 11) and in the following year an
agreement was sealed securing to Norwich priory
a pension of 4s. from Theberton church, (fn. 12) but in
1382 Margaret countess of Norfolk effected an
exchange with the abbey, giving the canons the
advowson of Kirkley, and taking Theberton. (fn. 13)
John the abbot and the convent of Leiston
indemnified the Bishop of Norwich and the
cathedral priory in 1367, by reason of the
appropriation of the parochial church of Corton,
of their patronage, for first fruits, &c. (fn. 14) A
notarial instrument at the Bodleian concerning
the appropriation of this church is dated
27 November, 11 Pope Urban VI (1389). (fn. 15)
The Valor of 1535 gave the clear annual
value of the abbey as £181 17s. 1¾d. The
temporalities of the manor of Leiston and its
members produced £124 11s., and lands and
rents at Culpho, Laxfield, Clavering, and Pettaugh added about £24. The spiritualities from
the four churches of Leiston, Middleton, Aldringham, and Corton, realized a clear income of
£37 0s. 5d.
In 1350 the advowson or patronage of this
abbey, which had escheated to the crown by
the death of Guy de Ferre without issue, was
granted to Robert de Ufford, earl of Suffolk.
A few years later the new patron became the
munificent refounder of the abbey; for the first
abbey church and the buildings, which were
placed inconveniently near the sea, becoming too
small, Robert earl of Suffolk, in 1363, erected
new and larger buildings about a mile eastward,
in a better and somewhat higher situation. This
new abbey was unhappily, ere long, almost destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt on the same site
on a finer scale in 1308-9. (fn. 16)
The old abbey near the sea was never quite
abandoned, but treated as a small cell. Legacies
were left to our Lady of the old abbey in 1511
and 1516, (fn. 17) and John Green, the penultimate
abbot, relinquishing his office by choice, was consecrated anchorite at the chapel of St. Mary in
the old monastery near the sea. (fn. 18)
Richard II, in 1388, granted to the abbey an
ample charter of confirmation, adding the privilege of electing their superior on a vacancy,
without seeking licence of the crown or any
other patron, and that during such vacancy no
one should seize their temporalities or in any
way whatsoever meddle with them. It was
further provided that no abbot of the house
should ever henceforth be compelled to grant
any corrody or pension. (fn. 19) At this time the
Uffords had become extinct, and Michael de la
Pole, the new earl of Suffolk, is named in the
patent as the patron of the abbey, which was,
however, at that time a purely nominal and
honorary office.
During the reigns of Edwards II and III the
insisting on the support of royal pensioners by
the abbey had been a severe tax. In 1309,
Simon de St. Giles, a servant of the late king,
was sent to Leiston Abbey to be provided for life
with food and clothing and a suitable chamber.
In 1314 the great burden was laid on this convent of supporting for life Thomas de Varlay
in food, clothing, shoe-leather, and all necessaries,
together with suitable maintenance for two
horses and two grooms. (fn. 20) In 1334 William de
Banbury was sent by the crown to receive maintenance; (fn. 21) and in 1343 John de Lech, one of the
king's mariners, was sent on a like errand. (fn. 22)
The houses of the white canons were all
exempt from diocesan visitation, but they were
always rigidly and regularly visited by commissaries from the parent house of Prémontré.
When Bishop Redman held the office of visitor
he proved himself to be a singularly painstaking
and somewhat stern official. His visits to Leiston, according to his register at the Bodleian, were
almost entirely satisfactory.
The abbey was visited by Bishop Redman in
1478, when Richard Dunmow was abbot and
Robert Colvyll prior and cellarer. Fourteen
other canons were present. It was stated that
the five churches appropriated to the abbey were
served by the canons, and that their appointments were not perpetual. (fn. 23)
The next visit of the bishop was on 22 August,
1482, when high praise was given to the abbot
for his administration. The debt on the house,
which was £140 in 1478, was reduced to £80,
and there was abundance of grain and other
necessaries. (fn. 24)
At the visitation of 1488 sixteen canons were
present, exclusive of Abbot Thomas Doget
(Doket). The visitor enjoined a day's punishment on Robert Colvyll and three others for
breaking silence, and complained about the tonsures; otherwise he gave the house the highest
praise. (fn. 25)
The visit paid to the abbey on 30 September,
1491, found everything satisfactory; there was
a superabundance of all necessaries. (fn. 26) The next
visitation was in 1494; there were twelve priests
besides the abbot and six novices, and the report
was entirely favourable. (fn. 27)
The return for this abbey in 1497, when the
abbot, fifteen priests, a deacon, and sub-deacon
were present at the visitation, pronounced everything to be excellent. (fn. 28)
The visitation report on 13 October, 1500,
was somewhat longer; Abbot Thomas Doket
and fourteen other canons were present. The
bishop enjoined that there was to be a little
window to each cell or chamber of the dormitory. No canon, either within or without the
house, was to use hoods with either white or
black tails, (fn. 29) but simple cowls. Thomas March,
an apostate, was condemned to twenty days of
penance, but sentence was remitted at the prayer
of the convent. Everything else was excellent. (fn. 30)
This abbey came within the number of the
smaller houses suppressed by the Act of 1536.
The Suffolk commissioners came here on
21 August, 1536, and drew up a full inventory.
The conventual church was fairly well supplied
with ornaments and vestments. Details are
given of the high altar, and those in the Lady
chapel, St. Margaret's chapel, and the chapel
of the Crucifix. The last three altars were
supplied with alabaster tables, and there was
another small alabaster sculpture on the south
side of the quire door. The censers and candlesticks were of latten, but there were three pairs
of chalices (that is chalices and pattens) of silver
gilt. The vestments in the vestry were fairly
numerous, but chiefly old and of small value.
'A lyttell pair of old organs' in the quire was
valued at 10s. The furniture and utensils of
the chambers, cloister, buttery, kitchen, were of
an ordinary character, and of very little value.
The only large items of the inventory were the
cattle of the home-farm £22 3s. 4d., and the
corn £10 8s. 8d. The total of the whole inventory only reached £42 16s. 3d. (fn. 31)
George Carleton, the last abbot, received a
pension of £20, (fn. 32) but his fellow canons were
turned out penniless, the Act only providing pensions for the superiors of the suppressed houses.
The abbey and its possessions formed a part of
the vast monastic grants made by the crown to
Charles, duke of Suffolk; they were granted to
him on 7 April, 1537. (fn. 33)
Abbots of Leiston
Robert, (fn. 34) occurs 1182, 1190
Philip, (fn. 35) occurs 1190, 1235
Gilbert, (fn. 36)
c. 1240
Matthew, (fn. 37) occurs 1250
Robert, (fn. 38) occurs 1253
William, (fn. 39)
c. 1280
Gregory, (fn. 40) occurs 1285
Nicholas, (fn. 41) occurs 1293
John de Glenham, (fn. 42) occurs 1308
Alan, (fn. 43) occurs 1310
Robert, (fn. 44) occurs 1312
Simon, (fn. 45) occurs 1316
Robert, (fn. 46) occurs 1326
John, (fn. 47) occurs 1344
John, (fn. 48) occurs 1390, 1399
Thomas de Huntingfield, (fn. 49) occurs 1403, 1412
Clement Bliburgh, (fn. 50) occurs 1437, 1445
John of Sprotling, (fn. 51) occurs 1456, 1459
Richard Dunmow, (fn. 52) occurs 1475, 1482
Thomas Doget, (fn. 53) occurs 1488, 1500
Thomas Waite, (fn. 54) occurs 1504
John Green, (fn. 55) occurs 1527
George Carleton, (fn. 56) last abbot, 1531
The seal of Abbot Philip, c. 1200, shows the
abbot standing on a corbel, with crozier in right
hand, and book in the left. Legend:
. . .HILIPPI: ABBATIS: DE: LEESTONA (fn. 57)
The conventual seal, attached to a charter (fn. 58)
of 1383, also shows an abbot on a corbel, with
a crozier and book. Legend:
+ SIG': ABBATIS: ET: CONVENT: DE:
LEESTONA