30. THE PRIORY OF MOUNTJOY
William de Gyney or Gioneto, in the reign of
Richard I, founded a chapel dedicated to the
honour of St. Laurence at a place called Tueit,
afterwards known as Montegaudio or Mountjoy,
in the parish of Heveringland. The land on
which the chapel was to be erected was called
the old stew (vetus vyvarium), with the alder bed
adjoining. He endowed it with houses for the
brethren to live in, a mark of rent from a mill,
thirty acres of the assart of Sudfrid, twenty acres
of the assart of Rumholt, three ditches of turf to
be dug yearly near the ditches dug for the use of
his court of Heveringland; feeding for six pigs
in his park at acorn time without pannage, and
1,000 red herrings of the rent that is due yearly
at Michaelmas at Dilham for the buying of
herrings. (fn. 1)
It is said that originally this chapel and
houses for brethren, otherwise a. priory, was
granted to the priory of Wymondham, and that
they were to maintain two or three monks at
Mountjoy. But at all events, soon after its
foundation, the founder by another charter conveyed to Brother Vincent, a canon there, and his
successors, the mill of Likkemilne, with the
meadow by the millstream and an acre of land. (fn. 2)
A third grant of the founder of a piece of his
turbary, with the soil, water, and fishing in
Heveringland, was made to the prior and canons
of Mountjoy. (fn. 3) A fourth charter, witnessed by
the founder, whereby William Henecote grants
the priory a piece of land on payment yearly of a
root of ginger, and two other almost equally
early charters name canons and not monks. (fn. 4)
It may therefore be accepted that an Austin
prior and canons were established here early in
the reign of John, and that Vincent was the first
prior. There are five other undated charters, of
the beginning of the thirteenth century, at the
Public Record Office, whereby small grants were
made to the prior and canons of St. Laurence's,
Heveringland. (fn. 5)
Roger de Gyney, lord of Heveringland,
materially increased their pasture rights. (fn. 6) On
3 May, 1294, Roger de Gyney granted lands and
rents to the priory, to the annual value of £10,
of his fee in Heveringland, Sweningtone, and
Dilham, as their rents and profits were so attenuated that they did not suffice for their support, (fn. 7)
and in 1306 Sir Roger de Gyney granted to
Prior Thomas and the canons that none of his
bondmen should implead them in his court by
reason of any plea of trespass. (fn. 8)
On 28 October, 1311, John de Felthorp,
clerk, entered into an obligation, in the Mountjoy
chapter-house, to pay to the prior and canons a
mark of silver, a quarter of wheat, and a quarter
of barley as yearly pension during life, for his
sojourn of thirteen weeks in the year at their
house, payable in each year at Michaelmas before
his sojourn. (fn. 9)
Peter the prior of Mountjoy occurs in various
charters temp. Edward II, up to 1324. (fn. 10) Whilst
Peter was prior the house received considerable
augmentation of an endowment from Thomas
de Quitwell, rector of Felthorpe, of land and services in Felthorpe; in return for which the
priory was to provide a canon to celebrate mass
daily for the souls of the donor, of Richard and
Alice, his father and mother, and of Sir William
de Quitwell.
In 1343 John Fode and John de Hadescho,
chaplains, had royal licence on payment of 100s.
to assign to the priory two messuages and 7s. 7d.
rent in Heveringland, Felthorpe, &c., to support
two canons to celebrate daily for the souls of John
Fode and John de Shelton, (fn. 11) and next year John
the prior and the canons of St. Laurence had
released to them by Walter Neel of Heveringland all right in two pieces of land called ' Tolkesker ' and ' Netheryd.' In the same year
Peter, rector of Irmingland, released to the priory
all his rights in the advowson of that church, as
well as land and rents in the same parish. (fn. 12)
In 1364 Pope Urban V granted an indulgence
of a year and forty days of enjoined penance to
those penitents who should visit the convent and
conventual church of Mountjoy on Christmas
Day, Circumcision, Epiphany, Easter Day, Ascension, and Pentecost, as well as on the Nativity,
Purification, and Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin, and on the festivals of St. John Baptist,
SS. Peter and Paul, and St. Laurence. (fn. 13)
An indenture of 8 June, 1490, relates that
whereas the parish church of St. Andrew, Irmingland, with the patronage and advowson, were
given many years ago to the convent of St. Laurence of Mountjoy, and the church, rectory, and
tithes cannot now support a fit priest to officiate
there, and the chancel and rectory house are
ruined, and the parishioners wander elsewhere to
hear divine service, William the prior and his
convent demise the site of the rectory and
the church and rectory to Thomas Bettes of
Irmingland, with all tithes, for ninety years, to
provide a priest there, power being reserved to
remove such priest and institute another. (fn. 14)
In 1515 Thomas Clerke, B.D., was instituted
by the bishop. On 28 June, 1517, Prior Clerke
granted to Henry Fermour of East Barsham his
foldcourse and pasture in Mountjoy and Felthorpe, with the great close and all liberties of
pasturage for seven years, paying £14, viz. £5
in hand towards the sustentation and repair of the
monastery, and 26s. 8d. each year till the last,
and then 20s. The prior was to provide a
barrel of tar (for sheep marking?) every second
year, and a close house with lock and key to lay
the wool in till sold. (fn. 15)
This priory was one of those intended to be
suppressed by Pope Clement's bull of 1528
towards the endowment of Cardinal Wolsey's
colleges at Ipswich and Oxford; but his fall
prevented this being carried out.
The prior of Mountjoy was summoned to
convocation in 1529 (fn. 16) ; but probably this was an
oversight, for on the attainder of Wolsey the
priory was seized by William Hales, lord of
Heveringland, the patron of the house, as an
escheat to him, and was thus united to his lordship, (fn. 17) Thomas Clerke, the last prior, becoming
rector of Moulton Parva.
Priors Of Mountjoy
Vincent, (fn. 18) occurs c. 1200
Thomas, (fn. 19) occurs c. 1225
John Weting, (fn. 20) elected 1304
Thomas Carlevile, (fn. 21) elected 1305
Peter de Cleye, (fn. 22) elected 1308
John, (fn. 23) occurs c. 1323
Simon de Fleg, (fn. 24) elected 1349
John Ewedon, (fn. 25) occurs 1357
John de Cotton, (fn. 26)
Philip de Tideshale, (fn. 27) 1379
Edmund Ayms, (fn. 28) 1401
Edmund de Walsingham, (fn. 29) 1429
John Sudbury, (fn. 30)
Robert Snape, (fn. 31) 1448
Thomas Everhard, (fn. 32) 1465
John Clement, (fn. 33) 1470
Christopher Brown, (fn. 34) occurs 1479
William Lovell, (fn. 35)
William Kyrteling, (fn. 36) elected 1491
Thomas Grimston, (fn. 37) elected 1502
Thomas Clark, (fn. 38) elected 1515