Francis Blomefield

“ Why do we, to frail Life such Glory give, When Marbles make Men after Death to live, And tho' these stones were silent, yet the Tongues Of Prophets, People, & the Poor, in throngs Shall freely speak, and tell Posterity, Here rest their Friends, Patterns of Piety. ”

“ The 37th chapter treats of the six poor men (or beads-men) to be nominated by the King's privy seal, who are constantly to attend divine service, obey the dean, vice-dean, and prebends, in those things that belong to the cleaning and adorning the church, and to help the sextons to toll the bell for prayers, and each may be absent only 40 days in a year; and every one of them shall always wear upon their left shoulder, a rose made with red silk, and no man who hath the like place in any other church, shall have any such place in this. ”

“ In the castle of Norwich, is a chapel which is called the King's Free Chapel, because the chaplain there daily sings, as he is obliged, for the souls of all the Kings before and since the Conquest, and the said chapel hath the following liberties, and had before the Conquest, that if all England be interdicted, but the King's chapel, the chaplain of this chapel can sing his mass by note in the said chapel; and neither archbishops, bishops, nor none of their officers, have or ought to have any visitation or correction in the fee of the castle, by reason of the franchise of the said chapel ”

“ But the most wise men of his own and other orders never so much as suspected him to be guilty of any unwarrantable practices; otherwise they would not have chosen him for their superiour, or minister provincial of England, as they really did, in which office he succeeded John Bungeye, D. D. in Oxford, who seems to have been not only his titular, but natural brother. He was some time divinity professor at Cambridge, whence he retired in his old age, to the convent of his order at Northampton, and there died and was buried amongst his religious brethren ”

“ In 1443, King Henry VI. granted, that the Bishop of Norwich and his successours, should for ever be justices of the peace in the city and in the precinct, and liberty of the same, and that in every commission of justices of peace, the Bishop for the time being, should be justice in the city, liberty, county, &c. and also should have power by his own commissions, to appoint his justices of the peace for the precinct of his palace, who shall execute the office there, in the same manner as other justices in the county do. ”

“ Brother Simon de Tunsted was born in Norwich, his father being originally of Tunsted in Norfolk: he entered himself in this convent after he had perfected himself in classick authors; he was a very great lover of piety and learning, took much pains in the pursuit of the liberal sciences, and became a finished master in philosophy; especially in the mathematicks and musick, and on these considerations gained a great name in the world. In natural philosophy nothing pleased him so much as the speculation of meteors, and the situation of celestial bodies ”

“ And at this hospital shall be an arch a Domini, or Lord's box, from which the poor that pass by, shall be daily relieved, as far as the revenues will bear. From Lady day to the Assumption, at a certain hour, the great bell shall ring, and a quantity of bread sufficient to repel hunger, shall be given to all the poor then present. And because this house shall be properly Domus Dei, or the House of God, and of the Bishops of Norwich, he ordained, that as often as any Bishop of the see went by, he should go in, and give his blessing to the sick there ”

“ But the heirs of the benefactors denying to pay the wonted beneficence for any sermon, unless it was preached in the Green Yard; after a full hearing, it was adjudged, that they should be always preached in the cathedral, for the future, as they still continue to be, every Sunday morning; the preachers being appointed by the Bishop every half year, viz. the Norfolk clergy in the winter time, (as being nearest,) and the Suffolk in summer time: and each minister so appointed, receives a guinea of the mayor for his sermon, and is entertained at the corporation's expense. ”

“ Michael in Coselany to be bought with his money, and appropriated to find a chantry priest in this chapel for ever, if it could be, to sing for the souls of Roger Daniel of Fundenhall, and Christian his wife, his father and mother, his own soul, and those of Maud and Emma his wives, the souls of Walter Daniel his brother, and Joan his wife, and all his friends and benefactors; and if it could not be, then he founded a chantry here for 40 years, and appointed John Barsham, chaplain, to have it for life, and 9 marks per annum stipend ”

“ The 36th chapter orders the dean to choose a porter, to keep the keys of the outward gates of the precinct, a butler to serve the common-hall, a cator, cook, and under-cook, and a keeper of the ferry, who shall at his own cost, be always ready with a boat to set over the water, the dean, prebends, and other ministers of the church, and with oars to carry and recarry the dean to and from Newton; and he is also to keep the water-gates of the church. He shall also appoint a beadle of the poor men, who is also to blow the organs. ”

“ It was built before 1250, in the fields on the south-west part of the city, by John le Brun of Norwich, priest, and at first was designed for an hospital only, by which name it is often called; but in a short space it became a noble college, consisting of a dean, (the founder being the first,) chancellor, precentor, treasurer, and seven other prebends; and afterwards there were added six chaplains, conducts, or chantry-priests, all on the foundation; besides gild-chaplains, soul priests, priests, and gentry, who used to have a common table, and live in a collegiate manner. ”

“ Why art thou slack, whilst no Man puts his Hand, To raise the Mount where Surrey's Tower must stand? Or who the Groundsil of that Work doth lay, Whilst like a Wand'rer, thou Abroad dost stray, Claspt in the Arms of some lascivious Dame, When thou shouldst rear an Honour to thy Name ”

“ Every one that subscribes 20s. a year, is a trustee of course; and the trustees meet at the city library at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the first Thursday in every month, to dispatch all business relating to the schools, which is done in such a publick manner, that every one concerned may see, and be evidently convinced, that this noble and useful charity is not converted to any other uses, but such as the generous donors designed it for, than which nothing can be of more service and greater advantage to any community. ”

“ Since which each Soveraign Prince has kindly lent To feeble age, his generous Aid, Well Knowing Kings were truly Sent, To Comfort Subjects when dismaid, St Helen thus the poor protects, From Poverty and Want, A Patroness whom Kings elect, Time never can transplant. ”

“ This hospital is situated on the north-east part of the cathedral, from the precinct of which it is divided by the street called Holmestreet; it consists of 50 aged men and 50 aged women, and is governed by a master, elected by the court, who has the sole management of the hospital; there is a chaplain, who hath his dwelling in its precinct, and serves the church, the whole of which is standing, with a square tower at the south-west corner, in which hangs only one small bell ”

“ The church is dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, and had a gild kept in it to his honour; it was a rectory till 1204, and then John de Grey Bishop of Norwich, after the decease of Roger Luvel, then rector, appropriated it to the sacrist of the cathedral, reserving a pension of 2s. per annum to the celerer, and the patronage of the vicarage to the prior and convent, and all episcopal and parochial jurisdiction, to himself and successours, so that it became exempt from all archidiaconal jurisdiction, and paid neither synodals, procurations, nor Peter pence; and only 3d. ”

“ In the hundred and village of Taverham, St. Michael's church in Norwich had one carrucate of land, in the time of King Edward the Confessor, and Stigand (the Bishop) held it in right of that church, there were there always 4 villeins and 2 bordars, one plough tilth in the demean, and another in the tenants hands, and four socmen that had twelve acres of land; there were always 8 acres of meadow, and shack in the wood for 12 swine, and the rents were then annually worth 20s. ”

“ On an altar tomb on the north side in the churchyard, having Byar's arms and crest,
Under this Marble Tomb, in Hopes of a joyfull Resurrection, are deposited the Remains of Lockyer Byar Gent. Son of Lockyer Byar and Judith his Wife, Oct. 15, 1728, 34, his Father and Mother, and six of their Infants, he died 1708, 38, she 1726, 52. Reader, who ever thou art, prepare to follow, let thy Loins be always girded, and thy Lamp always burning, for thou knowest not the Day, nor the Hour, when thou shalt be called to give an Account of thy Stewardship. ”

“ The City Bridewell, which is a noted building, being esteemed the most curious wall of black flints in all England, for its neat work and look, the stones being broken so smooth, and joined so well; it was owned by Bartholemew Appilyerd, bailiff here in 1372; but the present building was built by William, his eldest son, who was the first mayor of Norwich, and kept his first mayoralty here in 1403; and in 1418, he settled it on Margaret his wife, and Rob. de Erpingham, parson of Braken, his trustee; who with Nic. Appleyerd, their son, released it to Tho. ”

“ The leper-house without Magdalen's-gates, on the east side of the way, was in this parish; and it appears, that though they had a small oratory or chapel belonging to it, for their private use, it had then no burial place, for the lepers that died there were buried in this churchyard, till 1448, and then there was a new chapel built for the lepers at Fybridge-gate, and a small burial place added thereto; and it was not dissolved, but continued as a place of reception for the poor, under the care of a master or guider, instead of the hermit who formerly presided over the lepers ”

“ Hall, carpenter, and others, executors of Benjamin Penning of Norwich, clerk, deceased, according to his will dated June 15, 1696, settled a messuage and garden in St. Paul's parish, the west part abutting on Magdalen-street, on feoffees, who are to dispose of the clear profits annually, one-third part to the overseers of St. Paul's, and another to the overseers of St. James and Pokethorp, which is constantly divided among the poor there. He settled also 500l. on 7 trustees, who when they are reduced to three, are always to choose four new ones, who are to put out the 500l. ”

“ The good Bishop lived to see his charitable foundation thus endowed.
Benefactors after his death were, William de Berford, lord of Cringleford, who gave them a meadow there. In 1260, Will. de Suffield, alias Calthorp, the founder's brother, Archdeacon of Norwich, ordered his beloved chaplain and steward, Bartholomew de Sparham, to convey to the hospital, a messuage, croft, and the advowson of Reppes and Bastwick, with his body to be buried in their church, as his gift. ”