A HISTORY OF NORFOLK obtained confessions of incontinency from four of the monks, and added to their report that they had strong suspicions of confederacy to reveal nothing, and reflected strongly on the abbot's conduct.^ Early, however, in 1536, Henry VIII made choice of Abbot William Rugge or Repps to fill the vacant see of Norwich, and he was conse- crated bishop on 1 1 June. An Act of Parlia- ment - had, in the meanwhile, been passed, whereby the ancient possessions of the bishop of Norwich were given to the king, and the abbey of St. Benet, with its possession, granted and annexed to the bishopric. With his subsequent extravagant life and squandering of the abbey's revenues we have no concern. It may be remarked that though the abbey buildings of this ancient foundation have long ago practically disappeared, the monastery of St. Benet, Holm, was the only religious house in England not actually suppressed by Henry VIII, and its revenues still serve the religious purpose of providing an income for the bishop of Norwich. The Norfolk Rolls at the Bodleian include several obedientiary rolls of the abbey of Holm ; namely, those of the cellarer, for 1373, 151 1 and 1517 ; of the chamberlain for 1464, and 1499; of the pittancer for 141 2 ; of the precentor, for 1529; and of the sacrist, for 13-9, 15 17 and 1535.^ They throw a good deal of lio-ht on the working of this retired but important Benedictine house through its different officials, but they cannot be dealt with in the space here available. Abbots of St. Benet of Holm* Elsinus, 1020 Thurstan de Ludham Ethelwold, 1064 Ralph, 1089 Richard, iioi Conrad, 1 126 William Basset, 11 28 Anselm, 11 33 Daniel, 1 1 40 Hugh, c. 1 1 50 Daniel (reinstated), 1 1 5 1 William, 1153 Thomas, 1 168 Ralph, 1 186 John, 1 2 10 Reginald, 1 2 14 Sampson,' 1229 Robert cie Thorkeseye,* 1237 ^L.andP. Hen. FIII,-s., 14^ ' 27 Hen. VIII, c. 45. ' Norf. R. 71 to 810.
- The dates throughout are those of election ; the
abbots from 1023 to 1 214 are taken from Oxenedes, C/iron. (Rolls Ser.), 291-300. » Pat. 13 Hen. Ill, m. 7. ^ Pat. 21 Hen. III. William de Ringfeld,' 125 I Adam de Neatishead,* 1256 Richard de Bukenham,' 1268 Nicholas de Walsham,'" 1275 Henry de Broke,^' 1302 John de Aylsham,^^ 1326 Robert de Aylsham,^^ '347 William de Hadesco,'* ^349 William de IVIethelwold,^° 1365 Robert de Sancta Fide,^^ 1395 Simon de Brigham,^' 1395 Richard de South Walsham,'^ 1 41 1 John Marte,^^ I439 John Kelyng,-" 1439 Thomas Pakefield,-^ 1470 Robert Cubitt,"^ 1492 William Forest,^^ 1505 John Redinge,-^ 1 5 10 John Salcot, alias Capon,^' 1517 William Repps,-^ 1530 A fragmentary example of the twelfth-century seal ^ shows that it was round (2 inches), and represented a seated figure with nimbus, the two hands outstretched, in the left a book (r) . Le^nd : — sigillv bendic 23 7. THE ABBEY OF WYMONDHAM The Benedictine priory of Wymondham, dedicated to the honour of the Blessed Virgin, was founded early in the reign of Yienry I, by William de Albini, chief butler to the king. By the foundation charter, Wymondham was made a cell of the great abbey of St. Albans, under certain specified conditions. These pro- vided that the monks of Wymondham, on a vacancy, were to elect a new prior out of their own convent, and present him to the founder or subsequent patron. When the abbot of St. Albans came to the priory he was to be honour- ably entertained, and the prior, as a token of dependence, was to pay a mark of silver yearly to the abbot on the festival of St. Alban. The ' Pat. 35 Hen. Ill, m. 7. ' Pat. 40 Hen. Ill, m. 10, 11. » Pat. 52 Hen. Ill, m. 2. '" Pat. 3 Edw. I, m. 19. " Pat. 31 Edw. I, m. 45. " Pat. 19 Edw. II, pt. i, m. II, 10, 5. " Pat. 21 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 27. " Nonv. Epis. Reg. iv, 108. '* Ibid, v, 64. " Ibid. vi. 209 " Ibid, vi, 217. " Ibid, vii, 42. >'Ibid. X, 26. "Ibid, xi, 113. " Pat. 49 Hen. VI, m. 19. " Norw. Epis. Reg. xii, 161. •^ Tanner, Norw. MSS. ii, 813. " Norw. Epis. Reg. xv, 38. « Tanner, Norw. MSS. ii, 81 1. ^ Ibid. " Ackn. of Supr. (P.R.O.), No. 65*. ■^ Dugdale, Mon. iii, 323. 336
