Chapter LIII: Section IV: Account of the Gilds continued

After St. Gyles and St. Julian’s Gild, the next, in the Catalogue, is that of _St. Ethelered_, or _Ethelred_. Of this Gild we have met with no particular account; and but little more of the next to it, that of _St. Margaret_: Parkin just mentions that it was founded in the 8th of Henry IV. a patent being granted by that monarch for that purpose. {439a} Of _St. Anne’s_ Gild, the 7th in the Catalogue, Parkin only says, that there was here such a Gild, as appears by the inquisition taken in the 3rd of Elizabeth. He also queres, if there was not a chapel dedicated to St. Anne, somewhere near the Fort which still bears her name? {439b} which seems very reasonable to suppose. Of the next, the Gild of the 12 _Apostles_, we have met with no further account; nor yet of that which immediately succeeds it, the Gild of _St. Christopher_.

Of the 10th Gild, that of _our Lady_, the following mention is made by Parkin—

“These are the brethren and sisters of the Guild _Tigulat._ founded
to the honour and purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, _ao._ 3
Edward III.—Thomas de Langham, and Christian his wife; Charles de
Secheford, and Alice his wife; Robert de Derby, and Margery his wife;
William, son of the said Robert, &c. [The names of the rest are not
given.] Robert seems to be alderman of the Guild.—These are the four
Morwespeches of the said Guild: the first morwespeche is on the
Sunday [_le Dymeynge prochein_] after the purification of the Blessed
Virgin, the second on the day of the annunication of our Lady, the
third on the day of the assumption of our Lady, the fourth on the
conception of our Lady.—It is ordained that if any of the brethren be
summoned on any of the four morwespeches, and are in the said town,
and make default, they shall pay 1_d._ to the honour of our Lady.”
{440a}

This Gild, as the above writer hints, had its Alderman, {440b} and likewise, probably, all the other kind of officers mentioned in the account of St. Gyles and St. Julian’s Gild; with laws also somewhat alike those of that fraternity; but its records relating to those matters having all perished, nothing more can be said on those heads.—The chapel of our Lady, which belonged to this Gild, or to which the gild belonged, was not that _by the bridge_, to which it gave name, but that _on the mount_, which was formerly a very noted place in this town, both for its curious architecture and its reputed sanctity—the offerings there sometimes exceeding those of all our other holy places. But more of these matters when we come to treat of the religious houses.

Of the five Gilds, mentioned in the Catalogue next after that of _our Lady_, namely those of _St. Michael the Archangel_, _St. Nicholas_, _St. Audrey_, _St. Michael and King Henry_, and _St. Cyprian_, no particular information has been obtained. We therefore know not how they were constituted, or what were the particular objects of their respective confederations. That the members of all or of any of them were as useful and respectable in their generation as those of St. Gyles and Julian can neither be affirmed nor denied. They might be all very good sort of people, in their way, for aught we know. But we may without any breach of charity suppose they had their full share of childish credulity and stupid superstition. These were the predominant failings of their time, of which, however, even our own time, and with all its boasted advantages and improvements, is not yet quite clear. We must therefore suppose, that they readily and implicity believed all the marvellous monkish tales which were then propagated; especially those that particularly related to their respective tutelar or patron saints. The members of _St. Audrey’s Gild_, for instance, would all readily believe the extraordinary and miraculous virtues ascribed to her wonderful _Smock_ at _Thetford_: and those of _our Lady’s Gild_ would no less readily believe the wonderful accounts of her _appearances_ to divers persons in the very same town. Thetford being so nigh to Lynn, and in the same county, the miracles pretended to have been worked there would soon be reported and credited here; and those, especially, that were ascribed to _St. Audrey_ and _Our Lady_, would be so among the members of those Lynn Gilds which bore their names. {441}

The sixteenth Gild in the above Catalogue is that of _St. Fabian_ and _St. Sabestian_, or _Sebastian_, of which the following account is given by Parkin—

“At a colloquium, or general meeting (in the reign of Henry VII.) of
this Guild, held in St. George’s Hall, on Sunday next after the feast
of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, September 2, John Nicholl was chosen
alderman; John Johnson, William Manning, Robert Bachelor, William
Whithed, scabins; clerk of the guild, Thomas Haw,—dean, John Gyles.
The chattels of the guild in the scabins keeping—It was then
ordained, That the skevinths shal bere all as they have done before
tyme;—Also that the said skevens shall have of every brother, on the
general day, as many as dine there 2_d._ and the morspect l_d._—Also
ordained, that Thomas Rudwell and John Lowyn shall bere the ded
money: and Thomas Rudwell received 9_s._ the said John Lowyn received
9_s._ Also that the said Thomas and John, shall give for occupying
of the ded money, by yere, 11_s._ 8_d._—Also ordained the electioners
{444} shall find to the encresse or the company and in the worchep of
God and the seynt, the furst morspech; the alderman shall find the
second with the help of the feloshep, that he may have to the profits
of the seynt.—Also, that the skevens shall bere the 3 morspechs,
beside the general day, accordyng to the beforeseid.”

The above seems to be taken from some old record relating to this gild; Parkin then adds—

“I find at this time several men and women admitted brethren and
sisters, the men paying 2_s._ admission, and the woman 1_s._ Among
them Domps. Robs. Metford, _monachus_, and paid 2_s._ and prior
William Lobbis, or Cobbis, 2_s._ It was a mean Guild. At one
Colloquium I find expended in lervis. 9_d._ in pane 3_d._ in casu &
carn. 3_d._ _Colloq. tent. in aula Hen. Bretenham_, _Die Dominic.
prox. post fest. see. Cather. Ao. Hen. VII. 3º_.—_Colloq. Gen._ on
the feast of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, Ao. 3, Hen. VII. John
Nichol chose alderman, &c. when it was ordered that there should be
kept 2 morspech in the yere, besides the general, and that the
skevens shall have of every brother and sister of the general day, as
many as dine and sup, 2_d._ and the morspech-pence.—_Colloq. Gen._ in
St. George’s Hall on Sunday next after the feast of St. Fabian and
St. Sebastian Henry. VII. 4º. Robert Johnson chose alderman: ordered
that there be bert one morspech in the year, besides the general day,
this morspech to be kept the Sunday before St. Margaret’s day—ordered
that the brethren and sisters dyne and sup together, and pay every
brother and sister that dine and sup 1_d._ and the morspech 1_d._
when it appeared that they had goods and chattels belonging to
them.—Ordered that the clerk’s wages shall be 12_d._ and the dean
10_d._ _per annum_. {445a} and we will that John Sturmyn shall bere
the perk money for to find the perk lights.—_Dna. Alice Belle_, a
recluse, entered and paid 1_s._—1492. Adam Mylke then alderman—Henry
Bretenham chose alderman, 1492, after Mylke, when I find children
entered brothers and sisters, under age.—_Dompn. Geor_. . . . prior
of Lyn entered brother 1495.—_Mem._ that the alderman gave a drinking
the first Sunday in May, and 3_s._ 4_d._ was gathered and delivered
to the alderman, to be delivered the next general day to the brethren
again, with his good devotion to God, and to the good holy seynt, and
in encressin of the Gyld.—At a drinking, on Sunday next after
Allhallowsmass, at John Bevies smith, gathered 2_s._ 4_d._ for the
perk money.—_Dnus_. Nicholas Berdeney, intrat. Ao. 4 Henry. VII.
The Morspech held on Relick Sunday 1490. Robert Johnson,
alderman;—In the 7th of Henry VII. Ad. Mylke alderman; ordered that
every brother, on the next morrow after the general, shall wait on
the alderrnan for the time being, at our Lady of the mount, {445b} at
nine of the clock, and there every brother to offer then, and what
brother come not, without a lawful excuse, shall pay at the next
morspech following after the general, half a pound of wax, without
any grace, and he that come not, to send his offering, and every
brother having a wife, or sister, they to offer betwixt them a
halfpenny.—This general held Sunday 22d of January.—In 1492, Adam
Mylke occurs alderman, chose on Sunday after St. Fab. and the feast
in St. George’s Hall.—Adam Mylke, alderman, 1493.—In 1493, there
seems to be 38 of this guild, the morspech pence being 8_s._ 2_d._—In
1493 the second paid at their dinner and supper, by every brother
1_d._ to the Gild and 1_d._ to the scevyns, a brother and his wife
3_d._—1_d._ to the gyld and 2_d._ to the schevens.—In the 10th of
Henry VI [VII.] Henry Bretenham chose alderman, on Sunday next after
St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, and occurs 1495. Ordered that the
skyvens on the day of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, or one of them,
come to the church, and do ring none, and see that the candles about
and afore the awter be light, at evening and at service, on the day,
on pain of dim. lib. of wax, each of them to the lightward; and I
find 4 minstrells belong to them and brethren.—In the 13 of Henry
VII. Bretenham occurs alderman.—The altar light, perk, &c. kept by
the guild, and that of the bason, and the dead.—In 1500 H. Bretenham,
Mayor; and 1501, H. Bretenham, alderman; and 1502, and 1503.—In the
2d of Henry VIII. Thomas French, late alderman, died.—In the 4th of
Henry VIII. Robert Baker, chose alderman.”

Such is the account we have of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian’s Gild. As it had _goods and chattels_ belonging to it, it was probably dissolved at the reformation, like all others so circumstanced. Parkin calls it _mean gild_: it might perhaps be so, compared with some of the wealthier ones; but there is reason to believe that it was superior to some of the others. It had its _company of minstrels_, which may be thought to answer to a modern _band of music_, and seems to indicate that this society was not among our meanest or lowest gilds. The number of its members in the reign of Henry VIII. Parkin reckons to consist of 38, by the amount of the morspech pence; but if the officers were exempted, from that payment, they might be no less than 45.—However that was, this gild in its days might answer some very useful purposes.

Of the two Gilds named, in the catalogue, next after that of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, namely, those of _St. Lawrence and St. Agnes_, nothing is known but the names: all the rest seems to have gone long ago into irrecoverable oblivion.—Of the next, the 19th Gild, that of _Corpus Christi_, something more is known. Both Parkin and Mackerell have made some mention of this ancient fraternity. The former speaks of it as follows—

“Licence was granted that John de Brunham, and John Waryn, of Lenn,
might give one messuage, 75_s._ 7_d._ _ob._ rent. with the
appurtenances in Lenn, and that Richard Dun might give the rent of
12_d._ and the profit of one passage-boat beyond the port of the
village of Lenn, with the appurtenances, to Thomas de Couteshale,
master of the said guild, [as I take it] and the aforesaid John and
Richard might give to Thomas de Couteshale, one Shop and solar, with
the appurtenances in the said Village, which Thomas de Couteshale
holds.—John de Brunham, John de Perteneye, and Adam Skert, burgess of
Lynn, grant, &c. to Jeffrey Talboth, Thomas Botekysham, John de
Dockyn, &c. 2_s._ which they used to receive of the heirs of John de
Syssewell of West Lenne, for the liberty of a ferry, of a
passage-boat over the water.—Dated at Lenn Bishop on Sunday after the
feast of the purification of the blessed Virgin, in the 3d. of
Richard II.—Jeffrey Talboth then mayor:—Witnesses John de
Tyteleshale, Roger Paxam, &c.” {448}

Hence it appears that this Gild had goods and chattels, was in possession of a ferry boat, &c. And must have been a fraternity of some consequence. From Mackerell’s account it seems to be one of the commercial, or mercantile gilds; what he says of it is contained in the following passage—

“_Of the Company of Merchants of_ CORPUS CHRISTI, _their agreement_,
_and for what_.—This Indenture made witnesseth, that John Pygot,
burgels, merchant of Lynne Byshope, Master of the company of Corpus
Christi in Lynne aforesaid, hath delivered to William Marche,
Wex-Chandeler of Lynne C and vi _lb_ (i.e. 106 _lb._) in clene wex
vxx and xii _lb._ (_i.e._ 112_lb._ for the hundred) and in torches
half an c and xxi _lb._ of wex and in x grete chapterell xvii _lb._
and half a _lb._ of wex and Rosyn, and in smale chapterell xi _lb._
Wex and Rosyn: To have the kepyng of the same weight of Wex duryng
the terme of x yeers. The seid William to fynde every yeer duryng
hys seid Terme, as welle all the lyghtes about the Tabernacle of
Corpus Christi, in the Chirche of Seynt Margaret in Lynne, the
lyghtes of all the torches which the seid Company spendeth or shal
spende every yeer durylnge the seid Terme. And the seid William to
sette up every year the Heerse of the said Company in the chirch
before-said, and take it downe upon his owne costs and expens, as it
has ben doon and used aforne this tyme; and in the ende of the seid
Terme the seid William to deliver ageyn the seid Weyght of Wex
Torches and Chapterell to the Mayster of the said Company for the
tyme beeng, for the which Lyght-making, and fyndyng every yeer, the
seid William shall have of the Maister and Company V Marks and X
shillings of good money of Inglond to be paid to the seid William
every yeer in the utasse of the feste of Corpus Christi. Into
Witnesse hereof, the partyes aforesaid to these Indentures alternatly
have sette their seales. Written at Lynn foreseid on Wednysday the
feste of Seynt Gregory the Pope, the yeer of the reigne of King Henry
the sixth after the Conquest xxvii.” {449a}

From this last extract it is very evident that the Society of Corpus Christi made no mean figure among the Lynn gilds. The _Tabernacle_ of Corpus Chisti, {449b} in the church of St. Margaret, belonged to this Gild, and must have been attended with considerable expense, both in its formation, and the subsequent charges which it occasioned, for the lights that were there kept, &c. Indeed we are expressly told that they were a _company of merchants_, and therefore we need not wonder that they were, and could afford to be at more expense than most of the others. In short, we may pretty safely conclude that this must have been one of our most opulent Gilds. Had we known more of its history we might be able to record some of its good deeds, and prove that it deserved an honourable remembrance; but as that is not the case, our account of it must be here concluded.