fishery, in this town, and in Brettenham, Bridgeham, and Thetford, held at half a fee of the honour of Clare, by William de Brettenham, and John de Brokedish, in 1297, and by Rob. Baygnard and others, in 1333, and by William de Brettenham, Simon Fitz, and Rich. Baygnard, in 1398. In 1411, the 8th of May, King Henry IV. licensed Hugh Stoppusly to grant the whole in mortmain, to the Prior of the monks at Thetford, on condition that the King should be paid 50s. every vacancy.
In 1459, it was held of Robert Baygnard, who held it of Anne, wife of Edmund Earl of March, as of Clare honour; it went with that house, at its dissolution, to the Norfolks, and at the Duke's attainder, fell to the Crown. In 1591, Queen Elizabeth granted to William Tipper, and Rob. Dawe, and their heirs, all the manor, fishery, lands, faldages, &c. in Rushworth, Thetford, and Gatesthorp, in Norfolk and Suffolk, which late belonged to the monks at Thetford, to be held by the rent of 2s. per annum, of her manor of East Greenwich, in socage, and not in capite; and soon after it was joined to Rushworth manor, with which it now remains.
As to the separate fishery belonging to it, that laid in Schadewell, (which is a hamlet to Rushworth,) and extended from Schadewell Mill, to Berdewell's Mill, in Herling-Thorp, on the south side of the river, and had liberty of a boat, and a pool, or wear; towards the latter end of the twelfth century, Philip de Schadewell, who lived by the river, owned it; in 1362, Adam de Schadewell conveyed it to William de Rothyng, parson of West-Herling, Hen. de Rothyng, and Cecily his wife, and their heirs, by the name of East-Fen Fishery; they were to hold it in as free a manner as John de Schadewell his father held it; and at the same time Agnes, widow of Philip de Schadewell, released her right in it; in 1399, James de Brettenham had it, and sold it to Tho. Gardiner, clerk, and in 1411, it was conveyed to Thetford priory, as aforesaid.
In 1252, the Abbot of Waltham in Essex had lands here, and in Scarning and Geyst, in all which he had free-warren allowed him, for which he paid a rent of 12d. a year to Gonvile's manor.
Rushworth was a rectory, and so continued till Sir Edmund Gonevyle, or Gonvile, who was both patron and rector, founded a college for a custos, or master, and five chaplains, who were brethren, or fellows, and were to elect their master, and present him at Lerling, to the founder's heirs, who, if they were there, were to present him to the Bishop, and not otherwise, after which he was to be installed, by mandate to the archdeacon. Upon this foundation the church was appropriated to the college, and no vicar endowed, because the ure of the parish was wholly laid upon the master; and each of them paid 8 marks first firuits at their installation; at the Dissolution it was granted to be held in the same manner, as the master held it, so that it hath been served ever since by a stipendiary curate, nominated by the impropriator, who, in 1603, is returned in the Answers of the Parsons, to receive 15l. a year of the proprietary for his stipend, Tho. Wolf,
