Ipswich Greyfriars was a mediaeval monastic house of Friars Minor (Franciscans) founded during the 13th century in Ipswich, Suffolk. It was said conventionally to have been founded by Sir Robert Tibetot of Nettlestead, Suffolk (before 1230–1298), but the foundation is accepted (by Knowles and Hadcock) to be set back before 1236 (and therefore before Sir Robert's time).D. Knowles and R.N. Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses: England and Wales (Longmans, Green and Co., London 1953), p. 225. This makes it the earliest house of mendicant friars in Suffolk,N. Pevsner and E. Radcliffe, Suffolk. The Buildings of England (Yale University Press, 1974), p. 27 (Google). and established no more than ten years after the death of St Francis himself. It was within the Cambridge Custody.A.G. Little, Studies in English Franciscan History, Ford Lectures 1916 (Manchester University Press/Longmans, Green & Co., London 1917), pp. 235-36. It remained active until dissolved in the late 1530s.
Although some of the conventual buildings appear to have survived into the 17th century, by the early 19th century very little remained, and almost nothing is now visible, the few fragments being incorporated into a multi-storey development. It formerly stood in the neighbourhood of St Nicholas's church, Prince's Street and Franciscan Way, on a site opposite the Willis Faber building, with a frontage towards the River Gipping near its outflow into the River Orwell.
Less well-documented than the Ipswich Blackfriars (Dominicans) and the Ipswich Whitefriars (Carmelites), very few records concerning the Greyfriars survive. However its importance among the several religious houses of mediaeval Ipswich can be traced through its association with the Barons Tibetot, a title active from 1308 to 1372, immediate descendants of the supposed founder, as the place of burial for various members of the Tiptoft family and of other noble or titled persons associated with them.B.P. Grimsey, 'The Grey-friars Monastery, Ipswich', Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and Natural History Vol. IX Part 3 (1897), pp. 372-78 (Suffolk Institute). By the time of the dissolution its patronage had passed by descent to the Wentworths.'Grey friars of Ipswich', in W. Page (ed.), A History of the County of Suffolk Volume 2 (VCH, London 1975), pp. 126-27 (British History Online, accessed 2 May 2018).
The locality is still referred to as "Greyfriars", but is associated more in popular imagination with a failed shopping complex of that name erected (and since demolished) there in 1965–66,D. Kindred, 'Gallery: Kindred Spirits looks at the unused and unloved Greyfriars in Ipswich town centre', Ipswich Star, 13 July 2015 (Ipswich Star) and with the Ipswich Tax Office nearby. Excavations contingent to the site were conducted in 1990, and also in 2002 and 2006 by the Suffolk Archaeological Unit.K. Wade, 'Franciscan Way: Archive Summary', IAS 5003, Late Medieval pdf pp. 9-11 (archaeology data service). A documentary survey of the site was conducted in connection with the Report.A.M. Breen, Appendix 4: Documentary Survey, in M. Sommers, Archaeological Excavation Report: Wolsey Street/Franciscan Way, Ipswich, Report no. 2004/62 (County Hall, Ipswich 2004).
The founder and patrons Sir Robert and Dame Eva de Tibetot John Speed (1614) named "Robert Tilbot" as the founder,J. Speed, 'A Catalogue of the Religious Houses Within the Realme of England and Wales', in The Historie of Great Britain Under the Conquests of the Romans, Saxons Danes and Normans (Iohn Sudbury & George Humble, cum Privilegio, London 1614), Book 9, Chapter 21, pp. 787-800, p. 797 (Google). but John Weever (1631) has "founded by the Lord Tiptoth", and then names the earliest memorial he had observed at Greyfriars ("for I finde no further of it then the foundation") to be that of Sir Robert de Tiptoth and his wife "Una".J. Weever, Ancient Fvnerall Monvments Within The Vnited Monarchie Of Great Britain (Thomas Harper for Laurence Sadler, London 1631), p. 751 (as p. 750) (Google). The son of Henry de Tibetot, Sir Robert de Tibetot, of a family anciently associated with Bramford near Ipswich, had livery of his lands in 1250,H.E. Maxwell Lyte (ed.), Close Rolls of the Reign of Henry III, A.D. 1247–1251 (HMSO London 1922), p. 258 (Internet archive). and married Eva, daughter of Payn de Chaworth and Gundreda de la Ferté (a descendant of William de BriwereW. Farrer and C.T. Clay (eds), Early Yorkshire Charters, 6: The Paynel Fee (Yorkshire Archaeological Society 1939), pp. 53-54 (Google).). Eva's brother Patrick de Chaworth was father of the younger Patrick, who succeeded him as Lord of Kidwelly and was the first husband of Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of the 9th Earl of Warwick, and afterwards wife of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester.'Chaworth', in W. Dugdale, The baronage of England 2 vols (Tho. Newcomb, for Abel Roper, Iohn Martin, and Henry Herringman, London 1676), I, pp. 517-18 – with sources there cited. These kinships exercised a strong influence over the future alliances of the patron family of Greyfriars.
Sir Robert was appointed governor of Portchester Castle in 1266 by King Henry III: he became a trusted servant to Prince Edward and accompanied him on the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land, receiving a grant from the King in 1270 that if he failed to return his executors should have the wardship and marriage of his heir, Payn de Tibetot. Edward I made him governor of Nottingham Castle (1275), and in 1277 he was among the King's Commissioners to make peace with Owain Goch ap Gruffydd. Again governor of Nottingham in 1280, in the following year he was Justice of South Wales, and governor of Carmarthen and Cardigan Castles. Granted wardship of the lands of William de Braose (of Gower) in 1291, he defeated the revolt of Rhys ap Maredudd (allegedly prompted by Tibetot's governance) and took its leader prisoner. Soon afterwards he was in the King's expedition to Gascony, where he assisted John of Brittany, Lieutenant of Aquitaine, in concluding friendly relations with the King of Castile; but upon being besieged by a French army, he had not the strength to withstand them, and withdrew. In 1297 he fought in Scotland, and died the following year, leaving extensive estates in various parts of England to his son and two daughters.'Tibetot', in Dugdale, The Baronage of England, II, pp. 38-39 (Umich/eebo).
From Tibetot to Wentworth A sequel is found in Weever's record that the heart of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford (who died in 1296, his body buried at Earl's Colne) was also buried there: and that the tomb of Margaret (Mortimer), daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore and wife of the younger Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford (1257–1331), was in the same church.Weever, Ancient Fvnerall Monvments, p. 751 (as p. 750). Payn de Tibetot, aged 19 at his father's death, married Agnes, daughter of William de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros of Helmsley: after taking part in several military expeditions, mainly in Scotland, he was summoned to Parliament among the Barons between 1307 and 1314, when he lost his life at the Battle of Bannockburn. His widow then married Thomas de Vere, who thus became stepfather to Payn's son and heir John Tibetot (1313–1367), aged only one. John succeeded his father as the 2nd Baron Tibetot when he came of age. John married Margaret (youngest daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere), whose elder sister Maud de Badlesmere was Countess to John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford.'Badlesmere', in Dugdale, Baronage of England, II, pp. 57-60 (Umich/eebo). The De Vere burials at Greyfriars reflect this phase of alliance with the Tibetot patrons, following the death of the 1st Baron. Weever recorded that Margaret (Badlesmere), wife of Sir John Tibetot, was also entombed there; and there were graves of Sir Thomas Tibetot the younger, and Robert Tibetot, Esquire, unidentified.
In 1319 Robert of Fornham left two tenements to the Greyfriars in his will, which, however, was neither signed nor witnessed. The executors brought this before the bailiffs and coroner of Ipswich, who granted probate when two of the grey friars themselves were brought in to witness that the testator had been of sound mind. King Edward III granted protection to the Warden and Friars Minor of Ipswich in September 1328 and February 1331. Sir Nicholas Fraunceys (manorial lord at East BergholtW.A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk: Notes on their History and Devolution Vol. 6: The Hundreds of Samford, Stow and Thedwestry (Author/Taylor, Garnet, Evans and Co. Ltd., Manchester 1910), pp. 19-20 (Internet archive).) granted to them a messuage and toft to enlarge their dwelling-house, a grant which was licensed after inquisition in January 1332, and the friars were at the same time pardoned for two similar grants made without licence.Page, A History of the County of Suffolk VCH II, pp. 126-27. One of these was from Sir William de Cleydon, knight: Weever recorded the monument of John, son of William Cleydon, in the Greyfriars church, who died in 1333 holding the manors of Claydon with Thurleston (Mortimer), Farnham (Montagu),W.A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk: Notes on their History and Devolution Vol. 5: The Hundreds of Lothingland and Mutford, Plomesgate and Risbridge (Author/Taylor, Garnet, Evans and Co. Ltd., Manchester 1909), p. 130 (Internet archive). Orford, and Westleton (de Ufford), a rent held from the Beauchamps, and rents in Baylham, Little Blakenham and Great Blakenham.Inquisitions post mortem: 562. John, son of William de Cleydon, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward III, File 109', in J.E.E.S. Sharp, E.G. Atkinson, J.J. O'Reilly and G.J. Morris (eds), Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. 9: Edward III (London, 1916), pp. 387-394 (British History Online, accessed 4 May 2018).
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick and wife of Sir Thomas Ufford (K.G.), was buried here: both died shortly before 1369. (Sir Thomas was the brother of William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, and Elizabeth was sister of his Countess, Isabella.R.E.C. Waters, Genealogical Memoirs of the Extinct Family of Chester of Chicheley, 2 Vols. (Robson & Sons, London 1878), I, pp. 322-42 (HathiTrust).) Weever also reports the burials of Dame Margery (aunt of Sir Robert Ufford), Elizabeth Ufford, and the heart of Petronilla Ufford. The Ufford family connection arose through Maud de Chaworth (daughter and sole heir of the younger Patrick de Chaworth and Isabella de Beauchamp) who married Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster. Their daughter Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster by 1343 married Sir Ralph de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland, brother of Robert de Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk (created 1337). Upon Sir Ralph's death in 1346 Maud buried him and established a chantry at the de Ufford house of Campsey Priory and retired into that convent. Soon afterwards her daughter Maud de Ufford was married to Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford (died 1371), reconnecting with his Tibetot and Badlesmere descent. The Countess Maud in 1356 expressed special love for the friars minor and provided for alms to be given to the Ipswich Greyfriars whenever one of her chaplains died.D. Allen, 'A newly-discovered survival from the muniments of Maud of Lancaster's Chantry', Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History XLI Part 2 (2006), pp. 151-74, at pp. 162-63 and p. 170 (Suffolk Institute pdf). She remained at Campsey until 1364, then establishing and joining the Poor Clares at Bruisyard Abbey. Robert Earl of Suffolk (d. 1369) and his son William the 2nd Earl (d. 1382), maintaining patronage of Butley Priory and Leiston Abbey, made Campsey Priory church their dynastic mausoleum.