RELIGIOUS HOUSES In 1 318 the Close Rolls show further money entanglements. Peter de Bosco, who had been appointed prior in 13 16, acknowledged on the part of the convent a debt of ;^ioo owing to Master Roger de la Bere, clerk, and another debt of ;^50, owing to John Sarazein, of Ekenbleyen.' On 18 June of the same year, Boniface Karle de Doliano, executor of the will of Master Berenger de Quiliano, put in his place Banquinus Brunelesii of Florence, to sue in the matter of a recognizance in chancery for ;^200 made to Berenger by the prior of Thetford.^ Evidently the house was in the hands of pro- fessional money-lenders. In 1323 Prior Peter acknowledged a debt of ;^200 to John de Dynieton, clerk,' and James de Cusancia, prior of Thetford, acknowledged in 1336 a debt of j^82 1 31. 4.cl. due to William Cosyn, a citizen of London.* In March, 1337, Prior James de Cusancia further acknowledged his indebtedness in the sum of jTSS to Peter Guernersi and Bindus Gile of Florence ; this entry was afterwards cancelled on payment.' In June of the same year the prior had to acknowledge for himself and convent that they owed to Andrew Berton, merchant of Chieri, the great sum of £^i>Si to be levied in default of payment on their lands, chattels, and ecclesiastical goods in the county of Nor- folk.' The prior was allowed to retain custody of his house on the yearly payment to the crown of 50 marks, and 10 marks as custody fee.' Prior James in 1345 refused, in conjunction with the other leading English priors of the Cluniac order, to pay their subsidy to the abbot of Cluni. Clement VI, on appeal, forwarded his mandate, through the archbishop of Canter- bury to the prior, ordering him to comply with the ancient custom. On account of his great age Prior James was removed from his rule in 1355, and was suc- ceeded by Geoffrey de Rocherio." In 1376 letters patent were issued to the prior and convent of Thetford, granting that they should thenceforth be reputed denizen, and they were thus free from all direct allegiance to Cluni.' This grant was inspected and confirmed by Richard II in 1380, on payment of a fine of40J.> ' Close, 1 1 Edw. II, m. 5 </, 4. d. ' Ibid. pt. i, m. 3 d. ' Ibid. 17 Edw. II, m. 27 </.
- Ibid. 10 Edw. Ill, m. 30 a'.
Cal. of Close, 11 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 32 d. « Ibid. II Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 9 a'. ' Ibid. pt. ii, m. 37.
- Prior Geoffrey began a history of his monastery,
but only finished a fragment, which is among the MSS. of Corpus Christ! College, Camb. Martin ^ives it in App. ix. ' Reyner, Afostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia, 209. "■ Cal. of Pat. 3 Rich. II, pt. ii, m. 12. Although the priory of Thetford was made denizen in 1376, which enabled it to elect its own prior and set it free from any pecuniary obligation to Cluni, the house continued to yield some allegiance to the great abbey, and accepted its visitations up to the close of its existence. In 1390 the Cluniac visitors were at Thetford, and described it as a direct affiliation of the mother church of Cluni. There were then twenty-two monks. There were six daily masses, three of which were sung. A tenth part of the bread was reserved for distribution to the poor. The visitors found that all monastic obligations according to the Cluni rule were duly observed. In 1399 Boniface IX exempted Thetford Priory from the jurisdiction of the abbot of Cluni, who is described as distant and schisma- tical ; he further authorized the convent to elect their own prior, with confirmation from the prior of Castle Acre." The yearly apport of 135. d.., which the priory of Thetford used to render to the house of Cluni, was granted by Edward III, in 1462, to the provost and college of Eton.'^ Robert Weting occurs as prior in 1480. In the patents of that year it is recited that the king ought to have a nomination to one corrody in this priory, and he understood from Robert the prior that, although Nicholas Michegood obtained a corrody of the king's nomination in the time of John the late prior, which he still holds, nevertheless William Newerk, one of the gentle- men of the king's chapel, obtained another corrody from the late prior and still held it, so that the prior and convent are chargeable with two crown corrodies ; he then for the love he bore his son Richard duke of York and Anne his wife, daughter of John, late duke of Norfolk, patrons of the priory, granted that henceforth there should only be a small royal corrody at the priory." A good example of a corrody is found at an earlier date, 131 5, when Simon son of Benedict of Thetford, and William de Thun- derle complained that Prior Martin had refused to give them the daily corrody to which they were entitled, namely a white loaf called a ' miche,' a whole-meal loaf called ' white bread of the hall,' a gallon and a half of the best beer, pure and not mixed, a portion of soup, a dish of meat on the three meat days from both first and second courses, namely as much of each as the prior or two monks had, and on the four days in the week when fish was eaten portions of the two courses of fish, and if the first course were herrings their portion should be six herrings, but if eggs then six eggs, and for the second course as much as the prior received.'* " Cal. Papal Reg. v, 196. " Pat. I Edw. IV, pt. iii, m. 24. " Ibid. 20 Edw. IV, pt. ii, m. 21. " Assize R. 593, m. 3 1 </. 367
