Hundred of South Erpingham: Corpesty

CORPESTY.

The church of St. Peter of Corpesty hath a square tower, with one bell hanging in it, and two more stand in the church, one of which is thus circumscribed:

Jn multis Annis, resonat Campana Johannis.

The chancel and south porch are tiled; the nave is leaded; the north chapel, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is now ruinated. On the desk,
Anthonie Payne gave this, Amen.

On a small freestone by the altar,

Here lyeth the Body of Edmund Pooley, Sonne of Sir Edmund Pooley of Bradley in the Countie of Suffolk, Knt. and Dame Hester his Wife, he lived Eleven Monthes eight Dayes, died Sept. 4 1650.

There was a gild of St. Peter held here.

This village is laid to the King's tax with Irmingland at 411l. 10s. which pay jointly 7s. to every 300l. levy of the county rate, and Corpesty alone paid 1l. 19s. to every tenth.

The following religious, had temporals here; the prior of Lewes's was taxed at 3s. 4d. ob. The prior of Cokesford, 6s. The prior of Bromholme, 3s. 9d. The prior of Walsingham, 4s. The prior of Longaville, at 4s. and the prior of Waborne, at 16s. 2d.

The manor at the Conquest, belonged to Witcingham, now a part of Salle, and was valued with Stintonhall in Salle, and after became a member of Heydon, (fn. 1) and hath passed as those manors did, (fn. 2) for which see p. 241, 43, Augustine Earl, Esq. being the present lord, at the Conquest William Earl Warren had a small part in the soke of Ailesham, (fn. 3) which was given to Coxford priory, and William Bishop of Thetford, another part in the soke of Caston. The whole town is in the liberty of the dutchy of Lancaster.

The Rectory was given to the priory of Horsham St. Faith, to to which it was appropriated, the prior being taxed for his spirituals here, viz. the appropriate church of Corpsty at the rate of 8 marks, without the taxation of the Vicarage, which was endowed with the small tithes, the prior being to repair the chancel, who always presented to the vicarage till the Dissolution.

I have met with the following Vicars here:

1333, Robert Attechurch, of Corpesty.

1345, Nicholas Cok of Horsted.

1349, Walter Hamond.

1367, John de Wisete.

1416, Richard Abraham, &c.

At the Dissolution it continued in the Crown till 1552, and then King Edward VI. granted the impropriate rectory, church and advowson of the vicarage of Corpusti lately belonging to the dissolved priory of Horsham St. Faith, to William Mingay and William Necton and their heirs, (see vol iv. 187.) The advowson of the Vicarage and impropiation, came to Sir Christopher Heydon, Knt. who in 1572, got it perpetually united to Irmingland rectory, as at p. 322; and it continued so till, 1615 when he got it disunited again, and gave it to Richard Snoden, who held it by a personal union with Irmingland; and the same year Elias Bate was vicar here, and James Watts after him; it was sold by Heydon, to Thomas Jecks and John Shakle and by them to the Bacons; and in 1611 William Bacon seperated the advowson of the vicarage, and sold it to William Edmonds, but in 1665 Edmund Bacon, Christopher Edmonds, and Nicholas Pescod of Mattishall, sold the impropriation and advowson to John Earl, (which sometime belonged to the Colfers,) Nicholas Bell of Little Plumstede, Esq. and others.

There have been no vicars instituted lately, but it hath been held by sequestration only, and the Rev. Mr. Timothy Bullimere, senior, lately deceased, had it. The profits not being above 12 or 14l. per annum. It stands thus in the King's Books:

4l. 12s. 8d. ob. Corpusty vicarage. 6l. clear yearly value. So that it is discharged of first fruits and tenths, and is capable of augmentation.

Synodals, 1s.;—Bishop's procurations, 1s. 2d.;—Archdeacon's procurations, 2s.