Priory+survey

SURVEY OF THE PRIORY.

A Survey of Rumburgh Priory, made some tune in the reign of Henry VIII, probably soon alter its dissolution, is now preserved in the Public Record Office. (Miscellaneous Books of the Exchequer, Treasury of the Receipt. Public Record Office, vol. 160). "The following extracts are taken from Dugdale's Monasticon, vol, iii, p. 615, in which, however, the figures of measurements differ slightly in one instance from those given in the MS. Survey in the Record Office.

Near the beginning of this Survey is the statement: " The Township of Rumburgh claim their church to be a parish church but it is none, and the profits will not find a priest."

" There is a saint in the church of Rumburgh called Saint Bay, to which there is much offering upon Michaelmas day of money and cheeses."

It is doubtful who this " Saint Bay " was. Dugdale has St. Bory which it has been conjectured may have been a corruption of Eboracum the Latin form of York, to whose abbey of St. Mary the Priory belonged.

More likely it was Saint Beia, at one time head of the Benedictine House in Scotland, who died in 896, since Rumburgh was founded as a Benedictine Priory. The name persists at St. Bees, in Cumberland and St. Bees' Head.

The Survey then describes in detail the buildings of the Priory, which to-day, with the exception of the church, have almost entirely disappeared. (The archaic spelling and numerals have been modernised for convenience).

" The hall of the late monastery there is covered with slate and contains in length 46 feet and in breadth 20 feet.

The cloister stands on the south side of the hall and it is covered with lead and contains in length on the south side and north side 45 feet and in length on the east side and west side 66 feet.

The breadth of the cloister within is 6 feet.

On the west side of the cloister is built a house, slated, wherein is contained a larder house, an old hall, an entree and the kitchen with four chambers over them, and contains in length 37 feet and in breadth 20 feet.

On the east side of the cloister one house covered with slate, where is a buttery, 2 1ow chambers, and a little chapel with the dorter chamber over them, and contains in length 66 feet and in breadth 19 feet.

At the east end of the hall there is built a parlour with a chamber overhanging chimney, in length 19 feet and in breadth 18 feet.

On the south side of the cloister stands the church and chancel under one roof, and is covered with lead, contains in length 87 feet and in breadth 22 feet."

The accompanying plan was prepared from these measurements, at my request, by Mr. Hugh Braun, F.S.A., A.R.I.B.A., who has added also the following notes.

The remarkable feature of the plan' is that the church is to the south of the cloister, instead of its usual position to the north, when its mass would keep off the north winds from the cloister.

The " hall " is clearly the monks' refectory or dining hall, and presents no difficulties.

The dimensions of the cloister show quite clearly that it was divides up into square bays, having eight arches to the east and west, and five on the north and south. This is unusual, cloisters were usually square.

The western range is always the prior's house. The chief building is the private hall of the prior, which is usually raised upon a basement in which the stores could be kept, so that he could keep an eye on them.

Here, however, we have a ground floor hall, with the " larder house " next to it. I have assumed that the man making the survey went along the cloister and noted the doors, coming to the larder first.

The sizes of hall and larder are not given, so I have had to guess these.

The " entry " is the main entrance to the priory, and is always through the entrance range continuing the range of the cloister.

The kitchen is of course at the " lower " end of the refectory, and here it can also serve the prior's hall.

The four rooms over on the first floor would be the prior's bedroom, and probably three guest rooms.

The eastern range presents a few difficulties': The " little chapel " is probably the Chapter House where the business of the priory was transacted.

There was clearly a little room next the church, where the squint looking towards the altar is situated. This should be the " slype " which contained the monks' entrance to the church, and through which their bodies were taken to the monks' graveyard beyond. I can only assume that this was one of the two " low chambers," and that the other was a sacristy for keeping vestments and church utensils.

The " buttery " is of course the " bottlery," where the drinks were kept in charge of the " butler " or cellarer.

Over the rooms of the eastern range was always the monks' dormitory, a long lofty room with the beds arranged along its sides. The " parlour " is the room where the monks were allowed to talk. It is often at the upper end of the refectory. Here it seems handy for the drinks also.

Above the parlour in this case was a " solar " or sunny upper room, apparently with a fireplace, but the survey here is incomplete. It was of half-timber and overhung. It was possibly in this case used for sick monks or those who had been bled for their health.

It may be noted that the length of the church, found by actual measurement to-day, is some twenty feet longer than that given in the Survey. It is possible that in that survey the tower may have been omitted.

The Survey also mentioned a House covered with straw at the north end of the kitchen, 47-by 17 feet ; the milnehouse* covered with straw 87 by 25 feet (Millhouse ; probably a rotary mill worked by a horse) ; the dairy house covered with straw 84 by 22 feet ; the barn covered with straw 144 by 32 feet ; the cart house 30 by 15 feet ; the dovehouse covered with straw 24 by 14 feet : the stables and other houses necessary under one roof and covered with straw 128 by 13 feet.



As to lands, etc., " the ground whereon the said mansion standeth with the church and other buildings to the same belonging with courts, fishpools, orchards, gardens, and swineyard, contains-Site, 11 acres ; Pightlet next bake house, 2 acres ; Pightle next the wood, 6 acres ; The Woods, 60 acres ; The Cawsey close and Wood Close, 251 acres 1 rood ; Monks' field, 341 acres ; Grete Bombothe close, 32 acres ; Little Bombothe close, 26 acres 1 rood ; Bromerode, 26 acres 1 rood ; Grete Smith Hedge close with the grove, 14 acres, of which the grove 5 acres ; Close called Knyghts Hill, 25 acres. The House called Millmount is in the hands of the Lord of the Manor of Rumburgh.

In 1538 the Manor of Rumburgh with the buildings of the dissolved Priory and the Advowson of the Church were purchased by the Duke of Norfolk, who in the reign of Henry VIII (1546) was attainted, and condemned to die. It was restored to the Duke of Norfolk in 1553, and was purchased by John Holland.

Afterwards it became the property of the Bayning, Cobbold, Jessup and other families.