A HISTORY OF NORFOLK returned the annual value at £j^b y. 6f<3'., with debts owing to the amount of £20. The lead and bells were valued at £bo, and the house was in good repair. The religious only numbered three, and were of ' goode name ' ; but there were in addition seven servants and six children living in the house. ' One scholler of Oxonforde hath xb. yearly for his exibicione.' * On its suppression in June, 1 539, Prior Hudson was assigned a pension of ^5, and the canons smaller sums.^ The ex-prior was in receipt of the pension in 1553 ; he was at that time rector of Newton Flotman. The crown granted a lease of the site of the priory and its possessions to John Travers in 1 540 ; ' and in 1545 the site, lordships, lands, and tenements were granted jointly to Sir Edmund Wyndham and Giles Seafoule. Priors of Beeston Roger, occurs 1267 * Thomas, occurs 1297 ' William de Beston, elected 13 14* Geoflfrey de Hoton, elected 1325' Simon de Calthorpe, elected 1390' Laurence de Beeston, elected 1409' Geoffrey de Run ton, elected 1416,*" occurs 1435 John Catteson, occurs 1461 John Wylcmer, 1468" John Poty, 1444 '^ Simon Robyns, 1 53 1 Richard Hudson, 1532 23. THE PRIORY OF BROMEHILL'^ Bromehill Priory, in the parish of Weeting and about a mile south-east of the village, was founded by Sir Hugh de Plaiz about the beginning of the thirteenth century. It was clearly well esta- blished by 1224, for in April of that year the king granted a two days' fair on the vigil and day of St. Thomas the Martyr, to the prior of Brome- hill.'* This Austin house was under the joint invocation of the Blessed Virgin and St. Thomas the Martyr. The priory was endowed by the founder with a moiety of the manor of Weeting, termed Bromehill Priory Manor. The hundred ' Chant. Cert. Norf. No. 90. ' Aug. Off. Books, ccxxxii, fol. ^^b. ' L. and. P. Hen. Fill, xv, 250.
- Fin. R. Norf. 52 Hen. Ill, 106.
' Anct. D., A. 5577. ' Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 56. ' Ibid, ii, 5. * Ibid, vi, 15. ' Ibid, vii, 18. '» Ibid, viii, 8. " Ibid, xi, 170. " Jessopp, Norw. Fislt. (Camd. See), 55. " In Blomefield (vi, 163-7) 's a list of priors and numerous documents are cited. Where no other re- ference is given the information in this sketch is taken from that source. " Close, 8 Hen. Ill, m. 8. jury of 1275 returned the prior as lord of a moiety of Croxton as well as of the Weeting sub- manor, both being of the gift of Hugh de Plaiz in free alms." The taxation of 1 29 1 shows that the priory then held lands or rents in ten Norfolk parishes of an annual value of ^^23 8j. 2d.., in addition to the land in the two Suffolk parishes just named, which was valued at £2 2s. "jd.^^ In 1349 the priory obtained the royal licence for the appropriation of the church of Croxton. In this year Prior Thomas de Saham died, in all probability of the plague, and was followed by Peter de Burnham. In 1 37 1 the priory obtained licence of aliena- tion in mortmain to hold a messuage, 46 acres of land, 2 of meadow, and a fishery at Bernham, Suffolk, and lands and rents in Threxton, the gifts of William Smith and William Attemore.'* Three years later they obtained the handsome grant of ;r20 in rents at Weeting from Sir John de Plaiz. The manor of Mundford and the advowson of the church there were granted to the priory, in 1 391, by William Beauchamp,^* and in 1395 Boniface IX sanctioned the appro- priation of the church of Croxton, value 25 marks, to this monastery, which was declared of the value of 80 marks. The advowson had recently been given to the priory by its lay patrons with a view to appropriation.^' Frequent discord arose between the priory and the neighbouring town of Thetford as to the toll, stallage, and pickage of Bromehill fair. It seems to have originated through the mayor's right to hold a court at the fair clashing with the original grant of the fair to the prior and canons by Henry III. At last, in 133 i, an agreement was drawn up on the fair day between the mayor of Thetford and the prior of Bromehill, whereby the latter resigned all control of the fair to the town authorities for an annual payment of lid. out of the fair profits, with a proviso that in case of neglect the prior had power to indemnify him- self.22 Philip Martin, vicar of Croxton, in 1452 left to the prior 3^. ^d., and to each of the three canons 20(3'., showing that there were then only three canons besides the prior. On 20 June, 15 14, however, when the house was visited by Bishop Nicke, there were four canons in addition to the prior, all of whom were severally examined in the chapter-house. Prior Martin made a favourable report, and said that they had more " Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), i, 439. ^^ Pope NkA. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 95^, ioo<5, loi, 101(5, 1 1 3^, I 30, 131^. " Pat. 23 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 18. " Ibid. 45 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 11. "Ibid. 48 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 20. " Escaet Norf. 1 3 Ric. II, m. 1 30, cited by Tanner. " Ca/. Papal Reg. iv, 519. " This agreement is given in fiill in Martin's Hist. 0/ Thetford {Jt)), A^^. 27. 374
