St. Nicholas and Corpus Christi Gilds had made; which was, that every brother and sister should pay a certain sum every quarter into the gild chest, to be kept until it should amount to a sum sufficient to purchase lands to endow their stipendiary priest. This was so generally approved of, that few died here without leaving, some more, some less, towards this purchase; and the chief inhabitants subscribed to it, though they were not brethren; nay, several left money to be annually paid by their executors to it for years after their deaths. This by degrees raised enough to buy more than they at first intended; but yet they laid out more than at that time they had, for they bought no less than eighty acres of freehold ground, called Coldhaugh, alias Cowle-hall, in Framlingham; and Thomas Cowper, of Diss, rafman, Edward Cooper, John Lowdale, and Thomas Folser, of the same, were infeoffed therein: they in 1508 infeoffed Thomas Shardelowe and fourteen more and by an English schedule annexed, declared the uses of the feoffment, viz. "that a bailly or officer, by them or the moste part in nombre of them appointed, shall take and perceyve the yerly profites of the seide londes and tenements, and other the premises comprised within the said deed, therwith an honest and govenable seculer preest, by the moste parte of the cofeoffers to be named, hired and waged competently, yerly to synge or seye masses and other devygne service, for the sowles of the brethern and sistern of the gildes and fraternities, of Corporis Christi and St. Nicholas the bishop, in the parish churche of Disse, within the counte of Norff. by the space and terme of lxxxxix. yeres next ensewing the date of the seide present dede, and at the end of the seid lxxxxix. yeres the seid feofees their heirs and assignes, and all maner of persons that then shall be lawfully seased, or infeoffed in the premises or ony of them, at and for suche price as they or the most part of them in nombre, canne agree, shall selle alle and every of the premises with the appurtenaunces, and with or for the mony thereof or therefor comyng or growying, shall fynde annuelly, an honest govenabill seculer preest, to synge for the sowlys aforeseid, or ellis with the seid mony or londs or tenementes, and other the premises, shall make further provision for a competent levying for an honest preest for the tyme being, if it then may be, by an amortisement, or otherwise as they shall seeme best, for the most sewer and longer continuance of the fynding of the seid honest preest, to contynewe for ever, if it so may be contynued, by the ordour of the lawe, the same preest for the tyme being, to do the devygne servyce, and synge for the sowles in manner and forme abovesaid." When all the feoffees are dead but five, then they to renew again, and those five to name twelve more at least, all which are to be brothers of one of the said gilds, and none of them heirs of the former feoffees. The stipend allowed to each of these priests was, at the Dissolution, 5l. 6s. 8d. though at first it was but four marks each; or if they kept one priest only for both gilds, then he was to have eight marks per annum, and the overplus was laid out in repairing the steeple, church, and streets, every year. Thus it continued until the second year of Edward VI. when it was seized by the statute for dissolution of the gilds, chapels, and chantries;
