RELIGIOUS HOUSES The gardener's receipts kept getting less and less, as time went on. Thus in 1 52 1, they amounted to 49^., and in 1530 to 42s. ^d. This diminution can partly be accounted for by the gross carelessness of at least one who held the office, as described in the subsequent account of the cell of St. Leonard. The most interesting of the hostilar or guest- master's rolls is that of 1534, which contains a full inventory of the furniture of his department, including the chapel of St. Edmund in the great chamber or lodgings that bore the saint's name, in which chamber were two enclosed beds {lecti incluii) called ' cryboleys,' or cribs. There were chambers bearing the names of the priors of Yarmouth and Aldeby, which were doubtless used by the superiors of those cells when attend- ing the mother house. The cellarer's rolls are nearly perfect from 30 Edward III to the end of Henry VII's reign. The cellarer or bursar had his lodgings hard by the refectory and kitchens on the south side of the cloister. The Norwich cellarer had to find wine on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and three days after the Circumcision, the Vigil of the Epiphany, Epiphany, Candlemas, Palm Sunday, Easter Eve, and Easter Day and three days after. He also paid the minstrels on Trinity Sunday, All Saints and Christmas Days. There are but few early chamberlains' rolls ; they are fairly perfect from Richard II. onwards. The refectorian or comptroller of the refec- tory, had to see that everything was in order for the meals of the brethren ; he had the charge of all the table linen, and the ordering of the lavatory. The pittancer, whose office it was to see to the observance and supply of the pittances, had to expend 13;. 4^. in wine for the convent on St. Margaret's Day, and to provide for the whole feast on the anniversaries of Prior Kirby and Thomas de St. Omer ; and on all high festivals treated the convent with almonds and raisins.^ The minor lay officers, or paid servants of the priory, who occur with more or less frequency in the accounts and rolls, were naturally numerous.^ The porters or janitors who kept the gates were several in number, but the head porter held a life office, and was nominated by the prior. In 1 38 1, Prior Hoo granted this office for life to Nicholas de Clenchwerton, he was to receive daily a monk's loaf and a gallon of ale, and the like provision out of the kitchen as was served to monks in the infirmary ; he also re- ceived a mark yearly, or a suit like those of the ' The abstract of these Norwich Rolls, as originally prepared, has had to be much abbreviated for lacic of space. On the general subject of Benedictine Obedi- entiaries see Gasquet, Engl. Monastic Life, chaps, iv and V. ' Blomefield, Hist, of Norf. ni, 61 2-1 . On the subject of the paid servants of a Benedictine house see Gasquet, op. cit. chap. x. cellarer's servants. He occupied a chamber over the main entrance gates.' The granarymen, or keepers of the garners, received and delivered the store of corn of various kinds for use in the house.* There were several grooms on the regular staff of the priory. The head groom was termed stallarius, or keeper of the stalls, and next him was the provendarius, who was responsible for the due supply of provender, especially oats and horse bread. They had in their charge four kinds of horses : manni, or saddle-geldings ; runcini, gallaways or pad nags ; summarii, sump- ter-horses ; and averii, cart-horses. The gaoler (carcerarius) had the charge of the prison for incorrigible monks, and also of the ' sentuery ' or sanctuary, the temporary refuge of debtors and criminals. The ' swanard ' or swanherd, had charge of the swans in the priory waters, and was responsible for their due mark- ing. A great variety of other servants had their daily bread out of the convent's stores, such as the prior's butler, the cellarer's butler, the infir- mary clerk, miller, cooper, maltster, carpenter, woodward, gardener's men, kitchen servants, scullions, &c. Much light is thrown on the inner life of this monastery from the moral point of view, by the several episcopal visitations of the priory during the last fifty years of its existence, which are to be found in the volume of visitations at the Bodleian.^ Bishop Goldwell visited Norwich Priory in person on Friday, 5 October, 1492, with full ceremonial. He was met at the west gates by the whole chapter in solemn state, and con- ducted, preceded by the banner of the Holy Cross, to the high altar, the bells ringing and the organs playing. After giving the pontifical blessing the bishop proceeded with the prior and chapter to the chapter-house, accompanied by Nicholas Goldwell archdeacon of Norwich, Dr. Shankwin his official, Dr. Falke his commissary general, and John Aphorsell notary public. After the sub-prior had read the Word of God, Friar William Spynke produced the citations and other documents pertaining to the visitation, the secret and individual examination of each member began, and was adjourned on the Saturday until the following Monday. The report upon the visitation stated that the third prior was indiscreet in his corrections ; that women (the wives of the barber and tailor) passed the night within the precincts ; that valuables had been sold, and the office of the sacrist deteriorated by 100 marks ; that due silence was not observed in choir, cloister, and ' Priory Reg. i, fol. 13.
- The garners were the low buildings, says Blome-
field, in the lower close east of the deanery. ' Tanner, MS. 100. Edited by Dr. Jessopp for the Camd. See. in 1808. 325
