A HISTORY OF NORFOLK During the long rule of Nicholas de Kettle- ston (1339-86), Sir John Bardolf, of Maple- durham, was patron of the priory ; he held the great manor of Hempton, in succession to the family of St. Martin. The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 gave the clear annual value at ^^32 14J. 8d. In November, 1297, a commission of oyer and terminer was issued on the complaint of Guv Ferre, to whom the king had granted for life the manor of Fakenham, that the prior of St. Stephen's, Hempton, had depastured his beasts on the pastures of the said Guy and of the king's villeins in the hamlet of Pudding Norton, a member of the manor of Fakenham.^ In the following February, Guy Ferre further complained that Giles, prior of Hempton, with a multitude of malefactors, arrested in the high road at Waterdene the villeins of Fakenham Manor as they were taking the goods of the said Guy to the fair of Creake, imprisoned them, carried away the goods, and depastured not only the several pastures of the manor, but even the growing corn." These were troublous times for the priory. There seems to have been much difficulty in securing their manorial rights. In February, 1299, William de Bedingham, the king's minis- ter for the execution of the sheriff's writs, com- plained that, being ordered by the late sheriff in pursuance of a writ to aid the prior of St. Stephen's to distrain the prior's villeins of Worstead to perform their due and accustomed services, he was attacked by a mob of over sixty men and women, all of whose names are duly set forth.' The priory of Hempton held of the priory of Castle Acre a water-mill called ' Bryggemylle,' in Hempton, by Fakenham, at the yearly rent of 4.2s. Close to the mill was a high road, over the millpool causey, leading to Walsingham, which causey needed yearly repair. Certain men of Fakenham, scheming to destroy mill and high road, so as to make the high road go through Fakenham and not over the causey, got the prior and convent fined, from year to year, in the court of the lords of Fakenham, by pre- senting them for raising the causey beyond customary bounds, and keeping the water higher than usual. On the other hand, if Hempton Priory neglected to repair the causey, they would be fined no small sum at the sheriff's turn, to their own great impoverishment, the disinherit- ance of their churches, and the peril of travellers to Walsingham and others using the road. A commission of oyer and terminer was appointed, 1385, to adjudicate on the complaint of the two priories.^ By an indenture made in 1 461 be- tween Nicholas, prior of Castle Acre, and Stephen, ' Ca/. of Pat. 26 Edw. I, m. 32 </. • Ibid. m. z%d. ' Ihid. 27 Edw. I, m. ^6 J.
- Pat. 9 Rich. II, pt. i, m. 29 J. ; pt. ii, m. 37 J.
prior of the church of St. Stephen de Dammy- sende of Fakenham, the yearly rent of 42^. paid by the canons of Hempton to Castle Acre Priory for the water-mill, termed BridgemiU, was lowered to 20s. Accounts of the receipts and expenses of Hempton Priory from Michaelmas, 1 500, to Michaelmas, I 501, as entered by Canon Richard Marham, are extant." The rents of the tenants, the farms of the mills, and the receipts of grain and pease, and the sales of skins and underwood, &c., are all set forth. From the expenses it appears that considerable repairs were in progress in the cloister. There were at that time in the house three canons (including the prior), thirteen servants, and two boarders. William Fakenham was the next prior. He was in office in 15 14, when the house was visited, on 13 July, 15 14, by Bishop Nicke. The prior and Canon Creke bore testimony that all was well. Brother Henry Beteele, subdeacon, and brother Henry Milham said that they had usually nothing to eat before high mass was finished, except on days when they laboured, but had no other complaints. The bishop enjoined the prior that the brethren should have some- thing to eat daily at eight o'clock, save on fast days, and that silence should be observed in the cloister throughout one whole day each week.* John Sambrook occurs as prior in 1529, and Henry Salter, alias Salt, in 1534. On 22 No- vember, 1534, Prior Henry and three other canons signed their acknowledgement of the king's supremacy. This small priory is included in the list of lesser monasteries of Norfolk drawn up in 1536 for immediate suppression.' On 1 1 August, 1536, the priory was visited by Sir Roger Town- send, Sir William Paston, Richard Southwell, and Thomas Mildemay, as commissioners. They drew up an inventory of articles that were to be kept by the prior for the king's use until further orders. In tie fuyer at the kygh alter. Fyrst ij olde alter clothys not worne ; iiij lytle candyll stykes ofFlatyne ; an olde crosse with ye foote of copper ; iij Htyle olde cruettes off pewter ; an olde hangynge off Rede and grene sylke hangynge before y° alter not worne ; ij olde corporasse casys nothynge worthe ; ij olde syngle vestmentes worne and lytyll worthe ; vj olde bokes off there servys nothynge worthe ; a lytyll sacrynge belle. Jt our Ladys alter. An olde table of alabaster ; ij olde aulter clothys off lynyn roome ; an old vestment ; an old payntyd clothe before y' ault.-r worne and nothynge worthe. '.Add. MS. 1062I. It is a small quarto, of twentv-nine paper folios, and would be well worth printing in extenso. ' Jessopp, 'Norvi. Visit. (Camd. Soc), 1 1 2-1 3. 'L. and P. Hen. Fill, x, 516. 382
