RELIGIOUS HOUSES abuses, we should have been sure to hear of them, for Peckham was the last man to show any mercy to monks who had gone wrong. The episcopal registers for Norwich diocese contain, as far as our search of them has extended, no accounts of visitations save of one Suffolk nunnery. Probably such visitation records were, in this diocese, always kept in a separate volume. We know that this was the case during the latter part of the life of the monasteries, from the highly interesting visitation registers of Bishops Goldwell and Nicke, extending from 1492 to 1532, which are now at the Bodleian. ' At that period episcopal visitations were undertaken every six years, and twenty-seven houses were thus regularly visited by their diocesan. In that volume much that is sad and much that was irregular came to light, but the cases of good reports infinitely outweigh those of the contrary nature. The same may be said of the visitations every three years of the Premonstra- tensian houses for about the same period, which were exempt from diocesan control. All these reports are frankly dealt with under each house. The severity of the discipline exercised by the visitors, particularly in the houses of the White Canons, is most marked. The condition of the Norfolk monasteries at the time of their sup- pression has been most fully and critically examined, by Dr. Jessopp,' and the horrible comperta of Cromwell's tools set down side by side with the detailed reports of the county commissioners of the same year.' The latter give us the details of twenty-four religious houses, and in nineteen cases the report as to the moral condition and general character of the inmates is highly favourable. HOUSES OF BENEDICTINE MONKS i: THE CATHEDRAL PRIORY OF north side of the great church, and of the monas- THE HOLY TRINITY OF NORWICH * tery on the south. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1096, and by the year iioi An intrinsic part of the great scheme of the monastic buildings were sufficiently advanced Bishop Herbert de Losinga (himself a monk) for occupation. The bishop gathered together when he transferred the episcopal seat from sixty monks, and in September, 1 1 01, at Wind- Thetford to Norwich, was the building of a sor, sealed the foundation deed, which was monastery for the Benedictine monks, who witnessed by the king and queen, the two arch- were to have the charge of the new cathedral bishops, eight bishops, the papal legate, and by church. The bishop's palace was built on the many earls and abbots. By this deed the bishop 'Edited for the Camden Society in 1888 by documents prior to 1 272 — the date of the great Dr. Jessopp. fire — are preserved, but they fortunately include ,■ ^ T:he Norwich Antiquarian Miscellany (1883), ii, charters of William Rufus and of the first bishop of 434-63. Norwich. ' Cert. Norf. No. 90. The Norwich Cathedral Domesday Book is a large
- The chief printed account of the early history of folio volume of about a thousand pages, giving fiill
the cathedral priory of Norwich is the chronicle of details of the temporalities and spiritualities of all Bartholomew Cotton, a monk of this house, who the religious houses in the diocese. It was compiled died in 1298. Part of the original chronicle, termed about the beginning of the fifteenth century. A note Hisloria Anglicana, consisting of fifty-three parchment on a flyleaf at the end of the calendar states that it folios, is among the Norwich muniments. Another was given by Brother Robert Middleton to the ofiice ropy is in the Cotton collection, Nero C. v. This of the sacrist. Robert Middleton was cellarer in chronicle was printed and edited by Dr. Luard, in the 1403. Rolls Ser. in 1859. There are twelve volumes of old chartularies or Numbers 1 and 5 of the registers or chartularies of registers pertaining to the dean and chapter of Nor- the capitular muniments also contain accounts of the wich. founding of the priory. Only a few of the actual The following is a very brief statement as to their
