Robert, pr lalme Margerie, pr lalme Margerie, pr lalme Alis & lalme Jon & pr tous nous autre bienfetours ke Amen Pr nostr pr lalme Alis, pr dieu les asoile. (The manuscript is here very illegible in parts) God for thy m'cy send suche wynd & wederyng on erthe yt gras corne & ffruites may grow crysten men to sustayne oure lyues to amend strengthyng off oure sowlys good lord for thy m'cy Amen. God for thy m'cy saue oure holy fadyr ye poope wt all hys cardinallys, patryarkys of Jerusalem, archebyshoppys and Bysshopys, parsones and vicarius & all ye yt hauyth holy chyrche vndyr gou'naunce, god geue them g'ce so to rewlle them selffe & thoo yt be vnder them that hytt may be pleasynt to god, saluacion bothe to ther lyuyes & soulys Amen. God for his marcy saue the priores of thys place and all here Systres, god geue here g'ce so to rulle herselfe and thoo that be vndyr her Rewell, plesyng to god and saluacon to theyr sowles Amendment, to here lyfe, and Amendment to thys poore place. Lord & it be thy wylle Amen. God for his m'cy saue all the bretheryn & Systerne is lyvys & specily Sr John Bycroft Confessor off thys place & Mast1 Willm Brayesbrak, Raaffe Beer, Richard Rykcles, Robert Gylmyn, Willm Roolff, Roberd fferrowre, Willm ffuller, And all othyr benefacturus that we be bownde to pry for, that god off hys mercy geue vs grace to p'y so for them that hytt may be to the pleasure off god & Saluacyon bothe to theyr lyvys and to theyr sowlys Amen. God for hys mrcy saue all thatt there is on water, on lande, in pryson, in det or dedly syne, in pell off dethe, in chyld bede lyyng, god for hys m'cy geue vs grace to p'y so for them plesyng to god saluacon bothe to theyr lyffys & sowlys. Amen. God for his mrcy saue the steward off thys place & Councellaris & the Rent gaderers & all the Seruantys that to thys place belongyng & all the tenawntes, god geue them grce so to rewlle the selfes that hytt may be pleasyng to god and saluacious to ther sowlys Amen. God for hys m'cy haue m'cy opon the sowll of Willm Wellys Bysshope of Rowchester & for the sowle off Bysshop John Low & for all the Bysshoppys sowlys that eur haue bene vysetorys synne thys place was fyrst fowndyd & send vnto them Requiem Sempiternam Amen, p'. n'. God for hys m'cy haue m'cy one owre preares sowle Dame Esobell Wade & for the sowle off Dame Margaret Boteler prares of this place and for all the preores sowlys that hathe byne syne thys place was fyrst ffowndyd and send vnto them Requiem Sempiternam Amen. Pr Nostr. God for hys m'cy haue m'cy apon all owre systren sowlys that haue benne Resseuyd in thys place & specially for the sowle of Ame Murden, subpreares of thys place and Dame Maude, her systerne Dame Margery, Dame Joone, Dame Alys, Dame Joone, Dame Kateryne, Dame Joone & for all the sowlys that have bene systres of thys place syne thys place was fyrst foundyd and send vnto the Requiem etr n. Pr. Nr. God for hys much m'cy have marcy on all our founders sowlys and specially for the sowle off Kyng Steuyne & for the sowle of quenne Mawde & dame Mary her dowgt that was Abbas off thys place & for the sowle of Kyng Johne & the sowle of Kyng Harry & for the sowlys of all the Kynges thatt hathe byne fownders off thys place syne this place was fyrst fowndyd & send vnto them Requiem Sempiternam Amen. Pr. Nr. God for hys muche m'cy haue m'cy apon owre ffaders sowlys & owre moders sowlys, owre Godfadyrs sowlys, owre godmothers sowlys, owre brethrene sowlys, owre systren sowlys, & all owre kynnys sowlys and all owre fryndys sowlys and for Dany Everard is sowle and Mast Harry Crosby ys sowle & for John Dagfeld sowlle & for all the sowlys yt we be bound to pry for & for all crysten sowlys. De profundis &c. Ffor the sowle of Rychard Morgan & Jehan hys wyffe, for the sowle of Raynold Assche & Rychard Gowlys sowle, for the sowle of Sr Thomas ffrowyke Knyght & Jehan hys wyffe and Thomas hys son. Hec sunt statuta pictanciarum ecclesie de Hegham. En la coception nostre Dame deus mes & pitance payn e c'ueyse. En la veyle de Nowel deus mes. Le iour de Nowel treys mes. Le iour de Stephene deus mes. Le iour de seynt John le Еungeliste, deus mes. Le iour de seint Thomas, deus mes. Le iour de la c'cucision, deus mes. Le iour de la Tiphayne, deus mes. Le iour de seynt Sulpis, ij mes. Le iour de la purificacion ij mes e pitance payn e c'ueyse. Le dimeygne prochein de vant les cendres ij mes elur crepis eflur. Le io del anunciacion nre dame ij mes e pitance payn e c'ueyse. Le dimeygne de paumes, ij mes. Le ior de la cene nre seyn' de vant Pask, ij mes. En la veyle de Pask, ij mes. Le iour de Pask, treys mes elur flauns. Len demeyn de Pask, ij mes. Le mardy suant apres, ij mes. *Le meskerdie aps deuons prendre pesson, le iouisdie apres charfres. En les vtaues de pask quasimodo genite ij mes. Le ior de lexaltacion seint croys ij mes. Le veyle de ascencion pesson. Le ior de asceciō ij pitace payn c'ueise e checu un formage. La veyle de Pentecoste, ij mes. Le iour de Pentecoste iij mes. Le demeyn de Pentecoste, ij mes. Le meskerdie aprs deuons prendre pesson, le iouisdie chares fresches. Le mardy suant prochain apres, ij mes. Le iour de la Trinite ij mes. Le veyle de corpe c'sti pesson. Le ior de Corpe Crsti ij mes. Le iour de seint John" de baptiste ij mes. Le ior Peter & Paul ij mes, Le ior seint Anne, payn e c'ueyse. Le ior de la trasfiguracion, ij mes. Le ior seint Radegunde pitance, xij deners. Le veyle de la assupcion nre Dame ij mes. Le tierce ior apres ij mes, les vtas de assupcion, ij mes. Le ior de la Natiuite nre Dame ij mes, pitance payn e c'ueyse. Le ior de seint Mich ij mes. *Interlined in a later hand. Le feste de reliquis ij mes. + Interlined in a later hand. Le ior de dedicacion eccle ij mes. E qnt quatredubbla feste vyent sur Lundy dunk auera le Covent chars. Le iour del assupcion treys mes pitance payn e c'ueyse checun vn formage. Len demeyn del assumpcion ij mes. This list of pittances or allowances may be compared with that of the wealthy nunnery of Barking (Dugdale, Monasticon, I. 444). The document is very plainly written in a fifteenth century hand, and most of the Norman-French words are sufficiently like their modern equivalents to be understood. Mes stands for a portion, cervise or cervoise beer, crepis, in modern French crêpes, seem to have been fritters or wafers, flauns (from the low Latin fladonem) were custards, or open tarts; pesson is for poisson, charfres for chair fraîche. But I am unable to conjecture the meaning of elur (or e lur), or eflur (or e flur). It may be that eflur stands for et flur or à fleur, i.e. fleur de farine, which Cotgrave gives as XVIth century French for flour. Quasimodo genite are the opening words of the Introit, chanted at the Mass for Low Sunday, or the Sunday after Easter; the Octave (vtaves, utaves) of a Feast is the week or eight days following, including the Feast itself. the day of St Rhadegund it will be observed that the nuns got twelve pence (deniers) as well as a pittance. The last Prioress of the House, Anchoreta Ungothorpe or Owglethorpe, died 31 January 1520. Probably Fisher had had his eye on the nunnery for some time, and her death only hurried matters on. At this time there were but three nuns left, Agnes Swayne, Elizabeth Penny, and Godlive (also called Godliva, Godley, and Godliffe) Lawrence. The letters which follow seem to shew that Fisher left Metcalfe to take the leading part in obtaining the King's consent. The second of Sharpe's letters (now a mere fragment, the earlier portion having been torn away) VOL. XVII. 4G is interesting as shewing that some misgivings were felt as to the prudence of the course which was to be followed and its effect as a precedent. Addressed: To the Ryght Worshipfull Mr Archdeacon of Rochest this lettre be dd in hast. After all dew recomendacons Syr so it is the ladies of Heigham haue optened the kinges licence to elec a p'ores and so thei must goo to elecion hastely. my lord can no longer differ it but to his dishonor greatly. And if thei doo elec an hede, bothe yo' matter shalbe hyndred thereby and also in case that howse be t'nlate the charge thereof wilbe the more by reson of the p'oresse pencion that she must haue. ffor this consideracion and other my lord thynkes it best that yo' m'ship come to London as hastely as ye can aftr the sight herof, and to labor that either by the meanes of my lord of Devonshyre or some oder my lord cardinall may induce the kynges grce to send to the foresaid ladyes a comandmet to differ ther elecion to a forder knowlege of hys pleaso". Syr I came to London for this cawse onely for my lord saythe ye may do more good at London abowt thys matter now then at home. Wherefore it is hys mynd that aft the syght herof ye shall come in all goodly haste, and abowt thys matter do all diligence yt ye can. And when ye haue the for said comandmet of the kyng ye may not send it but get some seruand of my lord kardinalls to bryng it to Heigham in all hast or els some seruand of the kynges thus or lord p'sue yo' m' ship from london in great hast By yor seruand RAF MALLENDA p'st. Addressed: To the right worshipfull Maistr Docto1 Metcalfe Archdiacon of Rochest. My dewty of recomendacions premised. liketh it yor Maist shype to know my lord wold ryght gladly here how ye do in yor besines, his lordship marvelith that ye sende noo answer of the last letter that I wrott vnto yow My lorde wold yt yo maistershipe shuld gett the kynges letters (after the copyes that that ye sende to me) direckyd vnto his lordshipe frō the kynge |