The
Dominican Friars
The vision
of the endless worship of God, undistracted by earthly cares and responsibilities
was the basis for the foundation of all the monastic orders, Benedictine,
Augustinian, Carthusian etc.
They wanted
their followers to withdraw from the world, leave pastoral work and evangelism
to the secular clergy and discipline themselves into devout, privileged
families under the paternal care of an Abbot or Prior.
This vision
was not shared by St. Francis in Italy or St. Dominic in South France
and Spain. To both of them it was a totally mistaken ideal, ignoring Christ's
specific command to the Twelve to go into the world and preach repentance
and the forgiveness of sins.
In the early
13th century, within three years of one another, they had each gathered
round them groups of young men keen to preach the gospel to all people
everywhere as Christ commanded. To take nothing for their journey save
a staff only, no bread, and no money but be shod with sandals, St. Francis
believed absolute poverty was necessary for anyone giving his life to
Christ. His followers became the Greyfriars.
St. Dominic
expected his Blackfriars or Preaching Friars to lead similar lives, but
he also asked that they should be well read in the scriptures and early
writings because he wanted them efficiently armed to hunt and kill the
heresies that he feared were threatening the life of the Church.
St Francis
feared that "learning" was capable of distracting his followers
from their true mission of imitating Christ.
Nevertheless
within 50 years the Franciscans in England were as renowned as the Dominicans
for their learning.
First Dominicans
arrived in the south of England in 1221 and the Franciscans followed
three years later.
The Sudbury
Priory, founded by Baldwin de Shimpling and Chabilla his wife was of the
second generation of Dominicans and was set up in 1272.
Sudbury at
that time belonged to Gilbert de Clare who the year previously had divorced
his wife, a niece of HenryIII, on the grounds of hypochondria.
The site of the Priory was outside the town ditch but accessible from
Church Street and it covered five acres (see aerial photograph)
The modest
buildings would have been timber-framed with possibly a flint and rubble
chapel
They were
well received in Sudbury, which was fast becoming a prosperous wool town.
1290
Gilbert de Clare married the sister of Edward 1st, Joan of Acre with a
stipulation.
1291
The friars were granted 100 shillings from the executors of the late Queen
Eleanor
1314
Gilbert's son, also Gilbert, had inherited his father's estates but was
killed, childless at Bannockburn. The stipulation comes into force. Elizabeth
de Burgh, his sister, inherits Sudbury.
1316
The Chapter of the Dominicans is held at Sudbury The king sends a donation
to cover expenses of entertainment.
During the
next thirty years the town is expanding and the Ditch is being filled
in and the earthbanks removed as Friars Street is formed.

Joshua
Kirby's engraving of the Dominican Priory
1352
The Friars are given eight and a half acres of land adjoining theirs by
Nigel Theobald. It is from about this time when the Priory House, familiar
to us through Joshua Kirby's engraving, was built. From this time the
Priory wall was also constructed. (The remains can still be seen today,
which is
now the oldest structure in existance in Sudbury).
In 1368
Sudbury was again the venue for the Chapter of the Dominicans and
again the King gave a donation to cover entertainment expenses. This time
however they have a handsome setting for the event, 1380 Nigel Theobald's
son, Simon of Sudbury, gives them a piece of land at Ballingdon Hall,
20ft square, containing a spring from which through a subterranean pipe
they obtained a fresh water supply.
The spring
is still there at Ballingdon Hall and it feeds a pond.
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From wills
of the time it is obvious that the Friars were respected and popular.
Time and time again there are bequests for the preaching friars at Sudbury.
Their church was much desired for burials. It was apparently quite large.
We know it had a cloister because John Brown, a carpenter in 1454
requests to be buried in it. Guild of St. James.
Thomas Fen,
Chaplain and Rector of Borley in 1473 asks to be buried before
the image of St. Mary in the church of the Friar Preachers.
Forty persons
of note are recorded in Fuller' s Worthies as being buried within the
church.
1425-40
They built a new gatehouse.
Opposite is the carriage sweep from which the photograph was taken below
of the Ship and Star cottages built against the wall and formed a lodging
house.
When the Priory was closed by Henry VIII on 8th October 1539 the value
was given as £222.18s.0d. The last Prior John Cotton moved across
the road into a house on the carriage sweep and the remaining friars were
pensioned off.
One year
later the Priory and all its possessions were granted to Thomas Eden and
Griselda his wife, clerk to the Star Chamber. He immediately pulled down
the Church and adapted the house to suit his requirements. Sir James Marriott
of Twinstead eventually demolished it in 1820.
John Hodgkin,
a friar from Sudbury was appointed vicar of Walden in Essex in 1541.
He was a Doctor of Divinity from Cambridge who taught Theology at the
priory. In 1529 he had been granted the use of a house and garden
west of the priory with stabling for fifteen shillings per annum. In 1537
he was created Bishop of Bedford but remained in Sudbury until forced
to vacate when the Priory was closed. He was living within yards of the
Priory church when Eden set about demolishing it. When he went to Saffron
Walden he took the chancel roof with him with the help of Chancellor Audley.
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