Chap. Vi

Account of the Monasteries and Religious Houses that were formerly at Lynn.

From the fraternities called gilds the transition is pretty short and natural to the monasteries and religious houses. Of these there were here formerly a great many, the account of some of which is so imperfect and confused, that it is difficult to fix their exact number, or point out the places where they all stood. The following were probably the chief of them—1. A Nunnery, or Convent of Nuns: the site unknown. 2. A Priory of Benedictins; situated in Priory Lane. 3. A monastery or Convent of the Carmelites, or White Friars; situated in South Lynn. 4. Another of the Grey-friars, Friars minors, or Franciscans; situated in Fuller’s Row, now St. James’s Street. 5. Another of the Black Friars, preaching friars, or Dominicans; situated in Clough Lane, or rather between that and Spinner Lane. 6. Another of Austin Friars, or Hermits of the order of St Augustin; situated in Hogman’s Lane, alias Hopman’s Way, now St. Austin’s Street. 7. Another of Friars de Penitentia Jesu; its site now unknown. 8. A College; situated near the Town Hall; now inhabited by Mr. Toosey. 9. St. John’s Hospital; the site not known. 10. St. Mary Magdalen’s Hospital; its site where the Gaywood Almshouse now stands. 11. Four Lazar Houses; sites, it seems, at West Lynn, Cowgate, Hardwick, and Gaywood.—To these may be added divers other religious houses and chapels, such as those of St. James’s, our Lady’s on the Mount, our Lady’s on the Bridge, St. Anne’s, St. Catherine’s, &c. the sites of some of which appear not very easy now to mark out. They seem, all of them, to have been laid by at the reformation, when the dissolution of the monasteries and gilds took place: except the Nunnery first above-mentioned; which had long before been removed hence to Thetford. Concerning which removal we are informed, that a certain priory of monks at Thetford being, in 1176, reduced to two, the Abbot of Bury persuaded them to resign; upon which he placed in their stead a convent of nuns who had previously resided at Lynn. But it is not said how long their residence here had been, or for what reason they were removed hence. Of the other convents, &c. we propose giving a further account, under the several following subdivisions or sections.