Mayors’ Feast

The original parchment kindly lent to me by Rachel and her mother for the site

Mayors Feasts

This is a copy of the original, (?) bill of the provisions for the table, in 1561 when William Mingay became Mayor of Norwich in 1561.

William Myngaye as they spelt it then, was born 1520 at Shotesham, the son of Robert Myngaye a , who married Joanne Turner, of Shotesham. William administered family Notary and Mercer of Norwich. He was Principal Registrar to the Bishop of Norwich, Alderman and Sheriff 1554,then Mayor in 1561.He married 1st Dorothy daughter of Alderman Robert Greene Mayor.

So let's start with the year  1529.

Robert Green was Sheriff in 1571 and Mayor in 1529. He married Joan, the daughter of Robert Brown, (Mayor 1522), and they had a daughter Dorothy, who was the first wife of our William Mingaye. Robert died on the 3rd July 1541, and is buried in the north aisle of St. Stephens's Church, Norwich. I couldn't find his stone but he was a grocer and the mark of the grocer's arms is apparently on his stone. His mark is also on the seal of a deed dated 1524, according to the book.

The next entry in the book is dated 1561

WILLIAM MINGAY  was Principal Registrar to the Bishop of Norwich, Alderman and Sheriff 1554 and Mayor in 1561. He was the son of Robert Myngaye a Norwich Cordwainer, (A worker in cordwain, or cordovan leather; a shoemaker), in1520 and his wife Joan Turner of Shotesham. William first married Dorothy Green, daughter of Robert Green, among whose issue was John Mingay, of Arminghall, and secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Wood and widow of Alexander Mather. They were armigerous, (they were entitled to write themselves Esquire), and were connected with St.Stephen's Parish. He probably lived at 14 Rampant Horse Street, (no longer exists), the site of the later Mingay house. He was described as a mercer, (a dealer in textiles particularly silk), and notary when admitted to the freedom, and was principal registrar to the diocese.

At the dissolution he, with Thomas Necton purchased from the crown the advowson, (The right in English ecclesiastical law of presentation to a vacant benefice), of St. Andrew's and in turn they sold it to Thomas Sotherton and others as trustees for the parish, as so it remains today, (1958). During the year of his Mayoralty he invited the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Northumberland, and other Lords with their retinues to the civic feasts at the New Hall now St. Andrews Hall, and they expressed a great deal of satisfaction with their generous reception. See extract from Mingay Manor page below.

The question how did the priory come to be in the ownership of the MINGAY family may be answered, in part but not conclusively, by two references both basically saying the same thing, namely that "Edward VI. in the seventh year of his reign, anno 1552, July 21, granted to William MINGAY & William NECTON, of Norwich, gents, to hold the Manor of East Greenwich, in Kent, by fealty only, the rectory & church of St Peter Mancroft in the city of Norwich; and all tithes of the same, with all their appurtenances, free & discharged of the pension hereof due to the Abbey of Gloucester, and they by deed dated March 1 in the same year conveyed the whole to Richard CATLYN, serjeant-at-law. For the sum of £510 3s 10d the said King conveyed to William MINGAY & William NECTON and their heirs, the advowson of the rectory of Shotesham St. Mary & St. Butloph, lately belonging to Pentney Priory etc.". So one can see that during the dissolution the King sold off much of the property he so gained to various people, hence it may be surmised that one of the properties was that of the Carmelite Priory in Norwich.

William died in 1564 and his will was proved in Norwich on 4th October 1565.

The speech of Mr. Johnny Martin, a wealthy citizen, at the dinner, after grace he said....

Maister Mayor, and may it please your worship, you have feasted us this day like a King. God bless the Queen’s grace! We have fed plentifully, and now Whillom I can speak plain English, I heartily thank you, Maister Mayor , .and so do we all: answer boys, answer, Bravo, Bravo! Your beer is pleasant, and potent, and will soon catch us by the caput, and stop our manners. And so huzza for the Queen’s Majesty’s Grace, and all her bonny browed dames of honour! Huzza for , Maister Mayor and our good dame Mayoress; Huzza for his noble grace of Norfolk, there he sits, God save him; Huzza for all this jolly company, .and all our friends round the county, who have a penny in their purse, and an English heart in their bellies, to keep out Spanish dons and Papists with their faggots to burn our whiskers! Handle your jugs, shove it about, trout your caps, and huzza for Maister Mayor, their worships, and all this jolly company

From Notes and Queries (2^nd S. No. 46, Nov. 15, 1856)

Footnote: Thomas Layer, a grocer, admitted to the freedom 1556, was Sheriff in 1567 & Mayor 1576,1585,& 1595. He and his brother Christopher, (Mayor 1581), were among the feast makers at Williams civic feast in 1561.

Then in 1617, JOHN MINGAY, an apothecary, (pharmacist), became Mayor after being Sheriff in 1602. Born in 156 the son of Robert Mingay of Shotesham he married Susan, daughter of Richard Skinner in 1579 by whom he had 4 sons and 3 daughters, (no names at this time). He died on 31st January 1625 at the age of 69 years. His wife survived until 1642. He is Buried in the north Aisle of St. Stephen's church where there is a mural monument. Many of his family are also buried here. (No records as yet). His will was proved in 1625-6 at Norwich.

On to 1658, an ironmonger Roger Mingay was Sheriff in 1653 and Mayor in 1658. He married at St. Peter Mancroft Mary, daughter of Simon Davy. They had 3 sons John Anthony & Roger. His family belonged to Norwich & Arminghall. He was Lord of Curson's manor in Swainsthorpe. He died in 1666 and is also buried in St. Stephens church.

* James Mingay K.C.