RELIGIOUS HOUSES obedient, and only attended mattins and mass at his pleasure ; Sacrist Thomas Buckenham, that Canons Ixning and Benet came late to mattins, and that the procession before mattins was not duly observed ; Canon Richard Buckenham, that Canons Benet and Tailour did not duly attend divine offices ; Canon George Buckenham, that there was no due provision for the canons when ill ; Canon Ixning accused himself of very fre- quent absence from mattins ; and Canons Nor- wich, Benet and Winkfield all testified that omnia bene. A list of the debts of Canon Ixning, amounting to 5 55. T^d. was appended to the visitation. On 27 June, 1520, the house was visited by John, bishop of Chalcedon, and two other com- missaries of the bishop of Norwich. George Walden, one of the canons, though duly sum- moned, did not appear, and was pronounced contumacious. Prior John gave a good report, and stated that the parish churches of Bucken- ham were served by the canons, by licence sought and obtained from the bishop. The sub- prior, sacrist, and Canon Norfolk testified that all was well, save that they had no schoolmaster {preceptore?n in grammatica). The remaining five canons confined themselves to a good report. The priory was again visited on 24 July, 1526, when John Millgate prior, Thomas Beverley sub-prior, Thomas Brown sacrist, and five other canons all testified omnia bene. Thomas Flixtoun, and William Harvy, novices, com- plained of the insolence of a servant ; whilst John Sharpyng and Thomas Reve, two other novices, complained that their annual stipends of 13;. 4^. were so small that they could not pro- vide themselves with necessaries. Yet another visitation of this house is recorded on 13 July, 1532. Prior Millgate, five of the canons, and two of the novices knew of nothing worthy of reformation ; Sub-Prior Brown com- plained that some of the younger canons left the cloisters after compline against rule, and that Canon Sharpyng wore pointed shoes ; Canons Sharpyng and Harvy owned to wearing such shoes; Canon Flixton complained that silence was not duly observed after compline, and that some left the cloister ; and Richard Godeman, a novice, stated that Canon Harvy served the cure of Stanford and was not fit for it, and also complained of Canon Sharpyng. The consequent injunctions ordered that the canons should retire to the dorter immediately after compline ; that the south gates should then be closed and no one suffered to go out save by leave of the prior or sub-prior ; that no canon should wear pointed shoes, but only those of the old pattern ; and that no canon was to serve a secular cure without the bishop's licence.' ' Jessopp, Norw. Fisit. (Camd. Soc.) 29, 44, 160, 257, 307- 2 37; Prior Millgate and the full complement of ten canons signed the Acknowledgementof the King's Supremacy, in August, 1534.^ On 10 November, 1535, when it was known that suppression was imminent, the aged Prior Millgate wrote to Cromwell a somewhat piteous letter, enclosing a fee, and ' beseeching that we may obtain your favourable licence for the keeping of one cure and one chapel with four masses in the week day, with two honest re- ligious priests for maintaining their poor house.' Also that they may put some of the laymen of their house in trust for employing their pastures and receiving their rents ; else they are afraid great men who could not be resisted would require them to do as they like ; also that they may receive members and observe Cromwell's injunctions for maintaining God's service. Some of the younger men of their company, the prior continued, were not godly disposed, and rather desire liberty than to be straitened.' The local suppression commissioners of 1536, who visited Buckenham on 22 September,* re- ported that this ' priory of Black Chanones ' was of the clear annual value of ^^143 75. Sc/., that there were five canon priests, of whom one desired to remain religious, and the rest desired dispensations ; that ' the name ys good as we can lerne by reporte of there neybures,' that there were twenty-one waiting servants of the house, eleven hinds, and eight children which had their living there ; that the house was ' newly buylt and in marvellous goode reparacion,' and worth with the bells and lead ;^l8o ; that the movables, goods, stocks, and stores were worth £11 J c)s. ^d.; that the debts due to the house were ;^50 2j. i id.; and that the woods of diverse years growth covered 1 1 1 acres, and were worth ;^233 ts. 8d.^ The house was suppressed on 2 September, IS36.« An inventory of church goods of this monas- tery, taken about 1536, mentions a silver-gilt cross with crucifix attached, a silver-gilt cross enclosing a portion of the true cross, a small silver-gilt cross, two small silver-gilt crosses, four small chalices parcel-gilt, a silver-gilt pix, a silver-gilt pax, two silver-gilt candlesticks, a small parcel-gilt censer, two pairs of small silver-gilt cruets, a parcel-gilt ship, two parcel-gilt basins ; also a cope of red velvet, two copes of blue velvet, three copes of white damask, one cope of red damask, one of red silk, one of red satin, one of blue satin, two of white satin, and four of white fustian.' A pension of ^^15 was assigned to Prior Millgate on i February, 1537.' ' Defi. Keeper's Rep. vii, App. 2, 281. ' L. and P. Hen. rill, ix, 269-70.
- Ibid, xli (i), 455.
' Chant. Cert. Norf. No. 90.
- Suppression Papers (P.R.O.) &fS.
' (i) K.R. Ch. Gds. if^^.
- Aug. Off. Bks. ccxxxiii, fol. ^zb.
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