4. THE PRIORY OF ST. LEONARD, (fn. 1) NORWICH
The priory of St. Leonard was built by
Bishop Herbert on a hill near the city of
Norwich, in Thorpwood, for the accommodation of several Benedictine monks, whilst the
cathedral church and priory were in course of
erection. It was afterwards continued as a cell of
the great monastery under the rule of a prior appointed by the prior of Norwich and confirmed by
the bishop. The prior of St. Leonard's had to
account annually to his superior for all the
offerings in the priory church of St. Leonard, as
well as for those of the adjacent chapel of
St. Michael on the Mount, which was served by
the monks.
At the visitation of Norwich Priory in 1514
by Bishop Nicke, it was stated that John Sybbys,
prior of St. Leonard's, had not rendered his
account as master of the hospital of St. Paul, also
that two barns, through his neglect, had fallen
to the ground. Another monk testified as to
the vicious, opprobrious, and defamatory talk
that often went on at the cell of St. Leonard;
and two others stated that John Sybbys had
brought the office of gardener which he held to
almost utter ruin through his culpable carelessness, inasmuch as sheep and other animals had
common access to to the garden grounds. The
visitor considered these charges proved, for in
the comperta it is declared that quarrels and
opprobrious language were rife in the cell of
St. Leonard, and that Sybbys had failed to produce the accounts of St. Paul's, &c. The
injunctions which followed ordered the prior of
Norwich to dismiss Sybbys from the rule of
St. Leonard and not to allow him to hold any other
office. (fn. 2) The number of monks accommodated at
this cell was usually seven or eight.
Blomefield states that the church of this
priory was noted for a famous image of King
Henry VI, which attracted many pilgrims; 'so
that the offerings to this good king and the
images of the Holy Virgin, the Holy Cross, and
St. Anthony brought in a good round annual
sum.' It is rather a curious comment on this
statement to note that, under the elaborate
accounts of the cathedral priory in the Valor
Ecclesiasticus (1535), the only offerings named
in connexion with the church of this cell are
those that were made at the image of St. Leonard;
and they merely amounted to 6½d. in the year
1534.
At the dissolution the site and demesnes of
this priory were granted to Thomas duke of
Norfolk.
Priors of St. Leonard, (fn. 3) Norwich
Richard de Blakeden, occurs 1394
Richard Walsham, occurs 1452
Nicholas Ayrich, occurs 1472
Robert Farmquth, occurs 1496
Robert Cotton, 1517