A HISTORY OF NORFOLK In 1446 a remarkable and ambitious man, Stephen London, D.D., was appointed prior of Wymondham by Abbot John VII. Stephen had been acting for some time as archdeacon of St. Albans, and had incurred the active dislike of Abbot John Stoke in consequence, it is said, of his plainness of speech in pointing out his superior's faults. In order to procure his removal from St. Albans the abbot caused Prior Waleys to resign Wymondham on the ground of old age and put Stephen in his place. The new prior speedily won the affections of his house, and more especially of Sir Andrew Ogard, the patron. Within a year of his appointment the abbot visited Wymondham, and apparently through jealousy ordered Stephen to resign the priory. This was not only distasteful to the prior but still more so to Sir Andrew Ogard, and in 1447 they jointly petitioned the king to sanction their application to the apostolic see to convert Wymondham into an abbey. Their case was an exceedingly strong one, for the action of the abbots of St. Albans, for more than two centuries, in the nomination and re- moval of priors was in absolute contradiction to the foundation charter ; and it will be remem- bered that that charter expressly reserved to the crown or to the founder's successors power to tranform the house into an abbey. The king gave his consent, and in 1448 Pope Nicholas V granted a bull in compliance with the letters supplicatory.^ On 26 November, 1449, Prior Stephen was formally elevated to the dignity of an abbot. Robert, bishop of Grado, suffragan of Norwich, with the various diocesan officials, and a great concourse of folk of all classes, both of the district and from a distance, assembled at Wymondham. Pontifical mass was sung with all solemnity at ten o'clock. After the reading of the gospel, Thomas Mikkelfelde, sub-prior, and William Westegate, clad in copes, conducted the prior to the steps of the high altar, whereupon Master Symon, the registrar, read in a loud voice the Latin charter of the king, followed by the papal bull. He was followed by Master John Wig- genhall, as vicar-general, who briefly and clearly explained all the circumstances in the vulgar tongue. Then the bishop gave the prior his blessing, and by virtue of the bull declared him abbot. At the conclusion of the mass the bishop conducted the abbot to the quire and there installed him. The convent at once re- assembled in the chapter-house, where a record of the proceedings, duly witnessed, was inscribed by Master Godfrey Joye, notary public, and all the members of the chapter promised due 'Regis/rum, If^hethamstede (Rolls Ser.), 148-52. Prior London had fourteen claustral monks in his charge who united with him in desire for complete separation from St. Albans. Ibid. 147. Weever, MoBumcnts, 809-10. obedience to their abbot. The company there- upon adjourned to the frater.* Henceforth till the dissolution, Wymondham was an independent abbey ; the abbots were elected out of the monks of the convent unless all consented to a contrary course ; they were admitted by the bishop and presented to the patron, who could refuse none unless for notorious offences. It is anything but credit- able to their first abbot, Stephen London, that, in the moment of his triumph, he addressed to the abbot of St. Albans a monstrous letter, which for bitter insults could not well be surpassed. Scriptural allusions to the stories of Doeg, Dathan, and Abiram, Susanna, and Pilate, are all pressed into his service to give point to his boundless abuse ; the epistle thus ends : — ' Vale et mores in meliores stude convertere.' ^ At the time that he granted the bull of trans- ference of the priory into an abbey. Pope Nicholas V took the very unusual step of issuing another bull to four monks of St. Albans authorizing them to leave that abbey without the assent of their abbot and to move to Wymondham. When William Albon, abbot of St. Albans, was visiting his Norfolk cell of Binham on 28 February, 1467, the prior showed him a copy of this bull whereby Richard Langley, Edmund Shenley, William Godered, and Wil- liam Wysebeche, were permitted to leave St. Albans for Wymondham. The register of Abbot Albon states that Langley and Shenley dragged out their conventual life in the new abbey in the greatest misery, and that Langley died in a state of destitution. Godered declined to act on the apostolic letter and remained at St. Albans, while Wysebeche speedily repented and desired to return to St. Albans, and earnestly sought the abbot's leave. This was granted on I March, 1467, when Abbot Albon wrote to Abbot Bokenham giving the necessary sanction.* Bishop Goldwell visited the abbey on Satur- day, 13 October, 1492. The report thus enumerates the numerous sad irregularities discovered — that the divine offices are celebrated grudgingly [morose) ; that the monks buy and sell like merchants, contrary to religion ; that the precinct walls are not well repaired ; that the monks lawlessly hunt with dogs and nets ; that after prime, the brothers mix with the seculars in the south part of the church ; that the brothers are not in cloister at the customary hours ; that they do not receive clothes but money from the chamberlain ; that the frater is not properly guarded ; that the buildings of the dorter and farmery are not repaired ; that certain brothers leave the cloister for recreation without the abbot's leave ; that they do not exercise ' Regisfrum, IVhetkamstede (Rolls Ser.), 152-3. ' Harl. MS. 602, fol. 61, printed in Amundesham, jinn. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 366-9.
- Registrum Albon (Rolls Ser.), 61-5.
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