Francis Blomefield

“ Nicholas de Hoo, priest, monk of the said monastery, was elected prior, and confirmed by the Bishop in the church of St. Mary at Bares, Dec. 12, 1357, at whose request, on the first of January following, the Bishop granted a commission to brother Thomas de Felethorp, Robert de Jermemuthâ or Yarmouth, and Will. de Dersyngham, monks here, to hear confessions in the cathedral; Tho. de Linne was now sub-prior. He resigned in 1382, and was succeeded by
24. Alex. de Totington, who was afterwards Bishop; see his life at p. 525. He gave a fine suit of vestments to the church. ”

“ Will. de Kirkeby, or Kirkby, so called from a village of that name near Norwich, was elected Oct. 1, 1272, confirmed at Thorp by the Bishop, and installed the day after; he died March, 9, 1288, having settled an annual pittance for the monks to be added to their dinner; it made his anniversary a grand feast in this monastery; in his time, viz. 1278, the cathedral was magnificently repaired, and its beautiful tower built. ”

“ Bokenham, prior of the cell of Yarmouth, was elected abbot of Windham in 1466.
These are the few remarkable men produced from this monastery, which considering the number of monks belonging to it, are few indeed; the other monasteries of this place producing so many more in proportion than this, evidently shows, that the monks were a more lazy sort of people than the friars, who having no settled revenues to live on, always endeavoured to outvy each other in learning, as well as living ”

“ CHAPTER XXXIX. OF THE PRIORS Bishop Herbert having built the monastery on the south side of the church, that the monks might be free from any noise or hurry of the people going backward and forward to the palace, and having obtained license of Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury to institute monks, instead of secular canons, that hitherto attended this see: in the year 1101, he introduced 60 monks, who were to be governed by a prior, elected by the majority of them ”

“ Adam de Easton, born at Easton by Norwich, brought up by the monks at their cell of St. Leonard's on Mushold, near the city, afterwards a professed monk in their monastery at Norwich, studied in the University of Oxford, and in 1366, became D. D. at the expense of the cell, where he had his juvenile education; a man so eminent for his skill in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, that for his merit only he was called to Rome by Pope Gregory XI. and made cardinal of St. ”

“ Cellarius, Cellerarius, the cellerer, or burser, was the officer, who bought in all provisions, appointed the pittances, ordered the daily provisions, and overlooked the cellar, buttery, and kitchen; he had always lodgings assigned him, and lands to maintain himself and office ”

“ Man Woman or Child, that here pass by, Remember Death, learn well to dye, These Pictures see, these Figures View, The Sculls below, the Truth tell you.
Underneath were three sculls, the first with teeth, to signify youth; the second with only two teeth in the lower chap, to signify advanced age; and the third without any teeth at all, to represent old age ”

“ He died beyound sea in 1407, being then dean of York; he was called the Norwich Cardinal, and was a benefactor to the library of his own monastery at Norwich, as is before observed.
5. Richard de Folsham was a great favourite of Tho. Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury; he was born at Folsham in Norfolk, was much in the Pope's court at Rome, and very conversant with John XXII. to whom he wrote many epistles, 28 of which he published in one volume, besides divers others in another; he flourished about 1410, in the reign of Henry IV.
6. William Sylton was so great a favourite with Hen. ”

“ Pitanciarius, or pittancer, whose office was to see the pittances of the convent regularly observed. He always expended 13s. 4d. in wine for the convent at dinner, on St. Margaret's day, and the whole feast on Prior Kirkeby's anniversary; and another on the anniversary of St. Tho. de St. Omer, and on all high festivals treated the convent with almonds and raisons.
10. Infirmarius, the keeper or curator of the infirmary, or firmary; wherein persons downright sick, had care taken of them, as physick, and private attendance ”

“ Nic. Burgate succeeded; he was removed, and in 1443, John Molet, D. D. late prior of Yarmouth, succeeded. 1487, Brother Edmund Derham. 7. Eleemosinarius, or the almoner, who distributed the alms of the convent to the poor, his office for that purpose, is called the almonry; he looked over and took care of the alms-houses and alms people of the convent, had many certain revenues settled on his office, as temporal rents in Waybred in Suffolk taxed at 5s. 1d.; in Askeby 8d.; in Lowestoft 3l.; in Stokeash 6s. 8d.; in Yaxley 13s. 5d. ob.; 10s. pension from Sprowston rectory, &c. ”