32. THE PRIORY OF PETERSTONE
The priory of St. Peter of Peterstone (de
Petra S. Petri) was founded in the parish of
Burnham St. Clement, or Overy, as a house or
hospital under the Austin rule, towards the close
of the twelfth century. Blomefield states that
it was to some extent subordinate to Walsingham
Priory from its foundation, but this is doubtful. (fn. 1)
From a return made 2 Henry IV of the
appropriated churches of the diocese, we find
that the church of Beeston was appropriated to
this priory in the year 1200, and the church of
West Lexham in 1229. (fn. 2)
Some time in the reign of Henry III there
was a dispute between the canons of Walsingham
and Thomas prior of the hospital of Peterstone.
The priory of Walsingham, which held the
appropriation of the church of Burnham
St. Clement, had granted to the master and
brothers of the hospital a free chantry in their
chapel with right of burial, for which they were
to pay a mark yearly. On the refusal of payment, however, it was recovered with the
arrears.
Messuages and lands were granted in 1336
to the prior and Austin Friars (sic) of Peterstone
to the yearly value of 18s. 5d., (fn. 3) and other small
grants were made at different dates.
The taxation roll of 1291 returned the temporalities of Peterstone at £20 10s. 10¼d. a
year, and the spiritualities at £3 6s. 8d. (fn. 4) The
temporalities of this priory were valued in 1428
at £20 10s. 10d. a year, and their spiritualities
at £27 4s. 2d. (fn. 5) When a crown return of the
appropriated churches of the diocese was called
for, in 1416, the reply from Peterstone Priory
was that they had held the rectory of West
Lexham since 1229, but that they were in sore
straits from the results of the pestilence of 1349,
the inundation of 1378, and the still more
serious inundation of 1387. (fn. 6)
This priory having fallen into considerable
decay was annexed to Walsingham Priory in the
year 1449. (fn. 7) In the episcopal registers where
the bishop's sanction to the union is recorded,
Peterstone, named as a hospital, is described as
being insufficient, poverty-stricken, much dilapidated, and having its income reduced to twenty
marks a year; a pension of 13s. 4d. was reserved
to the cathedral priory of Norwich. (fn. 8)
Priors Of Peterstone
Thomas; (fn. 9) occur temp. Hen. III
Philip (fn. 10)
Simon, occurs 1248, (fn. 11) 1250 (fn. 12)
Geoffrey, (fn. 13) occurs 1270
Roger, (fn. 14) occurs 1272
Eustace de Barsham, (fn. 15) elected 1308
Warin de Reppes, (fn. 16) elected 1314
Thomas de Warham, (fn. 17) elected 1339
John de Howhurd, (fn. 18) elected 1349
John de Massingham, (fn. 19) elected 1365
John de Dunton, (fn. 20) elected 1375
William Bryflet, (fn. 21) elected 1393
Dionysius de Warham, (fn. 22) elected 1396
Richard Hulme, (fn. 23) elected 1433