RELIGIOUS HOUSES therein termed ' the priory of Datforde in Great Massingham.' Bound up with it are various later surveys, mostly of Elizabethan date. Priors or Wardens of Great Massingham William,^ 1 260 Geoffrey de Fakenham,^ elected 1299 John de Lenn,^ elected 1325 John Wesenham/ elected 1354 John de Reynham,^ elected 1372 Roger de Brisele/ elected 1378 Stephen Helgeye/ appointed 1395 Robert Bate,* appointed 1405 John de Hegham,^ elected 1420 Nicholas Felbrigg,'" elected 1420 John Gedney,^' elected 1 45 6 John Cousyn,'^ elected 1467 30. THE PRIORY OF MOUNTJOY William de Gyney or Gioneto, in the reign of Richard I, founded a chapel dedicated to the honour of St. Laurence at a place called Tueit, afterwards known as Montegaudio or Mountjoy, in the parish of Heveringland. The land on which the chapel was to be erected was called the old stew (vetus vyvarium), with the alder bed adjoining. He endowed it with houses for the brethren to live in, a mark of rent from a mill, thirty acres of the assart of Sudfrid, twenty acres of the assart of Rumholt, three ditches of turf to be dug yearly near the ditches dug for the use of his court of Heveringland ; feeding for six pigs in his park at acorn time without pannage, and 1,000 red herrings of the rent that is due yearly at Michaelmas at Diiham for the buying of herrings." It is said that originally this chapel and houses for brethren, otherwise a priory, was granted to the priory of Wymondham, and that they were to maintain two or three monks at Mountjoy. But at all events, soon after its foundation, the founder by another charter con- veyed to Brother Vincent, a canon there, and his successors, the mill of Likkemilne, with the meadow by the millstream and an acre of land." A third grant of the founder of a piece of his turbary, with the soil, water, and fishing in Heveringland, was made to the prior and canons of Mountjoy.^* A fourth charter, witnessed by ' Fin. Norf. 44 Hen. Ill, 33.
- Pat. 27 Edw. I, m. 36.
^ Norw. Epis. Reg. i, 115. « Ibid, iv, 156.
- Blomefield, Hisi. of Norf. ix, 8. "• Ibid.
' Pat. 18 Ric. II, p. 2, m. 13. Mbid. 6 Hen. IV, p. I, m. 15. ' Norw. Epis. Reg. vi, 92. '° Ibid, viii, 56. " Ibid, xi, 94. 'Mbid. i6i. " Anct. D. A. 3014. " Ibid. 3013. '■' Ibid. 3012. the founder, whereby William Henecote grants the priory a piece of land on payment yearly of a root of ginger, and two other almost equally early charters name canons and not monks. '^ It may therefore be accepted that an Austin prior and canons were established here early in the reign of John, and that Vincent was the first prior. There are five other undated charters, of the beginning of the thirteenth century, at the Public Record Office, whereby small grants were made to the prior and canons of St. Laurence's, Heveringland.^' Roger de Gyney, lord of Heveringland, materially increased their pasture rights.'* On 3 May, 1294, Roger de Gyney granted lands and rents to the priory, to the annual value of ^^lO, of his fee in Heveringland, Sweningtone, and Diiham, as their rents and profits were so attenu- ated that they did not suffice for their support,'* and in 1306 Sir Roger de Gyney granted to Prior Thomas and the canons that none of his bondmen should implead them in his court by reason of any plea of trespass.^" On 28 October, 1311, John de Felthorp,, clerk, entered into an obligation, in the Mountjoy chapter-house, to pay to the prior and canons a mark of silver, a quarter of wheat, and a quarter of barley as yearly pension during life, for his sojourn of thirteen weeks in the year at their house, payable in each year at Michaelmas before his sojourn."' Peter the prior of Mountjoy occurs in various charters temp. Edward II, up to 1324.^^ Whilst Peter was prior the house received considerable augmentation of an endowment from Thomas de Quitwell, rector of Felthorpe, of land and ser- vices in Felthorpe ; in return for which the priory was to provide a canon to celebrate mass daily for the souls of the donor, of Richard and Alice, his father and mother, and of Sir William de Quitwell. In 1343 John Fode and John de Hadescho, chaplains, had royal licence on payment of loox. to assign to the priory two messuages and 1$. "jd. rent in Heveringland, Felthorpe, &c., to support two canons to celebrate daily for the souls of John Fode and John de Shelton,-' and next year John the prior and the canons of St. Laurence had released to them by Walter Neel of Hevering- land all right in two pieces of land called ' Tol- kesker ' and ' Netheryd.' In the same year Peter, rector of Irmingland, released to the priory all his rights in the advowson of that church, as well as land and rents in the same parish.^* In 1364 Pope Urban V granted an indulgence of a year and forty days of enjoined penance to those penitents who should visit the convent and '* Ibid. " Ibid. 2999-3003. 'Mbid. 2782-3-4. "Ibid. 2781. " Ibid. 2788. " Ibid. 2750. " Ibid. 2807, 3043-6, 3051. " Ibid. 2748 ; Pat. 17 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 27. ^' Anct. D. A. 2732-3; Pat. i8Edw.III,pt. i, m. 28. 387
