RELIGIOUS HOUSES Very possibly she had been a nun of Carrow in her youth. It must not be supposed that the anchoress attended the Paston funeral, for it was the very essence of the life of these recluses to live and end their days in a single chamber. Moreover Juliana must have been nearly a hun- dred years old at the date of this funeral. Dona- tions to Juliana, the anchoress of Carrow, occur several times in wills of this period, coupled with a request for her prayers for the soul of the donor. Money received by anchorites was usually spent in alms to the poor.^ Other anchoresses, termed ' of Carrow,' seem to have used her cell after her death. Bishop Goldwell personally visited Carrow on lO October, 1492. He was met by the prioress and nuns in solemn procession, and with the banner of the holy cross borne before him, amid the ringing of the bells, proceeded to the altar and gave the episcopal benediction. Thence the bishop went at once to the chapter-house, accom- panied by Nicholas Goldwell, archdeacon of Norwich, Thomas Wotton, bachelor of laws, and John Aphowell, the notary, when the prioress and twelve nuns were severally and separately examined. Katharine Segryme was prioress, and Cecilia Ryall sub-prioress. The respective state- ments are not given, but the report shows that there was nothing serious amiss. The prioress was too partial, and there was not a sufficiency of bread. ^ Bishop Nicke personally visited the priory on 25 August, 1 5 14. Isabel Wigan, the prioress, who had been elected that year, and seven of the nuns contented themselves with omnia bene. Anne Martin sub-prioress said that Margaret Kidman, one of the nuns, was not gentle in her behaviour, and Joan Grene thought that the food was sometimes insufficient.' On 14 June, 1526, the bishop held another visitation. Prioress Isabel reported favourably and denied that the house was in debt. The aged sub-prioress Anne Martin, who had been sixty years in religion, knew of nothing worthy of reformation, but not unnaturally thought that the sisters read and sang in the offices quicker than was seemly and without due pause ; she also complained of the weakness of the beer. Mar- garet Steward, who had been a nun for thirty- eight years, also complained that there was not sufficient pause in the offices, and that breach of silence was not punished. Katharine Jerves, chantress, who had also been professed for thirty- eight years, reported favourably of everything save the weakness of the beer. Agnes Warner also complained of rapidity and lack of pause in the offices. Agnes Swanton, sacrist, professed for twenty-one years, stated that they had no clock. ' N. and Q. (ser. 3, x), iii. 137 ; Rye and Tillett, Norf. Antiq. Misc. ii, 469-70. ' Jessopp, T<lorw. Visit. (Camd. See), 15. » Ibid. 145. 2 353 Anne London and Cecilia Suffield had no com- plaints. Joan Botulph said that the festivals of the Name of Jesus and of St. Edward were not observed ; that the obedientiaries were held liable for breakages of the pots and pans ; and that at Christmas there was a game of the assumption of the functions of an abbess by one of the younger nuns, the expenses of which were defrayed by friends. The result was that the bishop enjoined on the prioress to provide a clock by Michaelmas ; to celebrate the divine service with greater rever- ence and due pauses ; to replace broken vessels at the general expense ; to abandon the girl-abbess play ; to impose penalties for breach of silence ; and to observe the feasts of the Name of Jesus and of St. Edward as in other parts of the diocese. Six years later, namely on 10 June, 1532, another visitation of Carrow Nunnery, destined to be the last, took place, and all the aged ladies were still in their peaceful cloisters. The prioress simply made a good report, in which she was joined by Agnes Swanton the sacrist. Anne Martin was evidently too old to continue to act as sub-prioress, and was then in charge of the farmery. Margaret Steward, as sub-prioress, complained that some of her younger sisters per- sisted in wearing silk waistbands, and were ad- dicted to gossip. Katharine Jerves and Anne Langdon referred to the absence of gates between the quire and nave. Joan Botulph complained that the festival of relics was not duly observed ; that the nuns did not have their faces veiled when they left the convent ; that they had no annual pension ; that laity could enter the quire through the absence of gates or doors ; that the priest saying vespers could scarcely be heard by the sisters in quire, through lack of a desk for his book. Cecilia Suthefield's one complaint was as to there being no regular pension. Matilda Gravell said that the rule of one of the nuns waiting on the others at table in the fratry was not observed, and that they did not keep the octave of St. Benedict. Thereupon the visitor enjoined that the younger nuns, who were not office-holders, should sit to- gether in the afternoon in a room assigned them by the prioress according to past custom ; that the sub-prioress should not permit the absence, or call from quire any of the nuns during compline save once a week ; that after the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, no laity should enter through the west door of the quire ; that the feast of relics should be duly observed as elsewhere as a double, on the Sunday after the Translation of St. Thomas ; and that the prioress, according to ancient custom, should see that one of the nuns served her sisters in the fratry.' In the Litle Boke of Phyllyp Sparow, by John Skelton, rector of Diss and poet laureate to Henry VIII, reference is made to Jane Scrope, who was probably one of the young ladies brought Ibid. 209- Ibid. 273-5. 45
