A HISTORY OF NORFOLK who died in their house or within its jurisdiction, and who were probably buried there. The mortuaries were chiefly gowns or mantles ; thus Sir Ralph Hersent, a gown of violet colour ; Isabel Cooper, a gown of cloth of gold ; John Dolman, his best russet gown ; Cecil Narburgh, a gown of blood colour furred with minever ; Matilda de Marham, a mantle furred with white; Lady Eleanor, relict of Sir William Ingoldes- thorpe, a mantle furred with grey. But the mortuary of Thomas Rynstede was a sorrel horse and that of Sir John Champeney, a priest who had a chamber in the abbey precincts, a book, v.'hich was sold for eight marks. The abbess of Marham had the privilege of proving the wills of those who died within the precincts or jurisdiction of the house. In 1401 there was a dispute as to this privilege, but it was confirmed to them by the bishop of Norwich. A return made to the crown of the appro- priated churches of the diocese in 14 1 6, names the churches of Carleton St. Mary, Doddington, Hackford, Marham, Rockland, and Stow Bedon as appropriated to Marham Abbey.* The scandalous comperta of Legh and Ap Rice, drawn up in 1536, allege that the Abbess Barbara Mason and four of her nuns had confessed to grave incontinency. There seems to have been some foundation for these charges in this par- ticular case, for when the county commissioners visited Marham later in the same year they re- ported that there were * Religious persons of slaunderous Reporte whereof iij of them doue require ther Dispensacions, and the residue wvll contynue in Religione.' They further reported that there were twelve other persons having their living there, namely one priest, three women servants, and seven hinds ; that the lead and the bells were worth ^^4 4;. ; that the house was ' in sore decaye ' ; that the goods were worth
- ^32 1 35. bd. ; and that ios. were owing to the
convent. An inventory was taken of this house on 6 August, 1535. It is difficult to understand why church ornaments should have found their way to the dormitory ; their presence there points to much disorder. In the church there were two altar cloths and another hanging, a ferial vestment, a mass book and six other books, a latten censer, a sacring bell, and five small standards (candlesticks) of latten. In the dormi- tory, across plated with silver-gilt, a cope of green satin of Bruges, various old altar cloths and vest- ments and hangings, two candlesticks of copper- gilt, a silver-gilt chalice, ' a rounde bezall gar- nyshed with iiij fete of sylver and guylt,' and another bezall similarly garnished.' The goods and chattels of this house were sold, according to the county commissioners' certifi- cate of 16 February, 1537, for £2^ 19;. St/., save the plate in Richard Southwell's custody, which was valued at 6u. 8</. A lease of the site of the abbey and its demesne lands was granted in 1537 to Thomas Bukworth, serjeant-at-arms. On 3 July, 1546, this pro- perty was granted to Sir Nicholas Hare and John Hare, citizens of London. Abbesses of Marham* Mary, the first abbess Mary,' occurs 1305 Sarah,^ occurs 13 10 Agatha Howard Mary de Ingham,* elected 1365 Egidia Howard, occurs 1380 Eleanor Weyland, occurs 1384, 1 41 9 Margery, occurs 1435 Joan Narburgh, occurs 1453, 1467 Joan Heigham, occurs i486, I 50 1 Barbara Mason, occurs 151 1-35 HOUSES OF AUSTIN CANONS 21. THE ABBEY OF CREAKE = In a meadow of forty acres, on the right of the road leading from North Creake to Burn- ham Market, a house of Austin Canons was founded in 1 206, in honour of the Blessed ' Norw. Epis. Reg. viii, 127. ' There are articles on this abbey by the late Mr. Carthew, F.S.A. in Norf. Arch. (vi. 314-59 ; vii, 153-69), which give many interesting extracts from, and accounts of, charters and rolls among the muni- ments of Christ's College, Cambridge. The state- ments in this sketch, where no reference is given, are taken from these articles. There is a short thir- teenth-century chartulary of Creake, opening with .an account of the foundation, which is given, with two early charters in the Mon. (vi, 487-8). Bishop Kennett's extracts from it are in Lansd. MS. 1040, fols. 203-4. Virgin, by Alice, widow of Sir Robert de Ner- ford, governor of Dover Castle. At an earlier date, in the reign of Henry II, Sir Robert and Alice, his wife, had founded here a hospital, dedicated to the honour of St. Bartholomew, for a master, four chaplains, and thirteen poor brethren. The first master, William de Geyst, a secular priest, soon after its establishment, with the consent of Lady Alice (Sir Robert having died), became an Austin Canon and changed the foundation into a priory of that order, becoming himself the first prior of St. Mary de Pratis by 11 7 • _ Books, ccix. Ch. Gds. K.R. Aug. Off. From the Chartul. ' Assize R. 591, m. 16. Ibid. 593, m. 12. ' Norw. Epis. Reg. v, 65. fol. 95. 370
