# Edith Wilton > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edith_Wilton > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edith_Wilton.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wilton > Source revision: 1341763221 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English prioress}} {{Infobox person | name = Edith Wilton | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = before 1373 | birth_place = | death_date = 1430 | death_place = | death_cause = | other_names = | known_for = Prioress at [Carrow Abbey](/source/Carrow_Abbey) | education = | employer = | occupation = nun | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Edith Wilton''' (before 1373 – 1430) was an [English](/source/Kingdom_of_England) prioress at [Carrow Abbey](/source/Carrow_Abbey) in Norwich. ==Life== Wilton began her long career as a nun before 14 February 1373 as on that day she was promoted to be a cellarer which was a position of some responsibility at Carrow Abbey. Wills from the 15th century document many alternate spellings of Carrow, such as ''Carhoe'', or ''Carhowe''; or ''Carehowe''; or ''Carrowe''.{{cite book|last=Rye|first=Walter|title=The Norfolk antiquarian miscellany|url=https://archive.org/details/norfolkantiquar03unkngoog|accessdate=5 June 2011|edition=Now in the public domain.|year=1883|publisher=Printed by Miller and Leavins|pages=[https://archive.org/details/norfolkantiquar03unkngoog/page/n153 465], 470–471}} Wilton was elected to be the prioress and her position became official on 6 January 1396. At that time there was about eleven nuns living at the priory with varying finances of about £118 per year.{{Cite ODNB|title=Wilton, Edith (d. 1430), prioress of Carrow|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-107180|access-date=2021-03-28|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/107180|isbn = 9780198614111}} In 1414 a dispute began over ownership between Wilton and the Prior of Holy Trinity. The dispute was with Robert de Burnham, Prior of Holy Trinity (1407–1427) of County Norwich. de Burnham Prior pleaded that Wilton was wrongly described as Prioress of Carrow as Richard I granted the City of Norwich to the citizens, and the city was in the County of Norfolk till Henry IV separated it and made it a County of itself, which granted the citizens jurisdiction over Carrowe as "within a parcel of the City of Norwich." The Prior further stated that Carrowe was in the parish of Bracondale which is in the County of Norfolk and was never in the City of Norwich. The court ruled in favor of Wilton stating that Carrow was a parcel of the City of Norwich.{{cite book|author=Norwich (England). Corporation|title=The Records of the City of Norwich: Documents relating to the government and administration of the city, with an introductory sketch of its municipal development|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924091777502|accessdate=5 June 2011|edition=Now in the public domain.|year=1906|publisher=Jarrold & sons, ltd.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924091777502/page/n518 319]–}} Wilton also won litigation where she and another nun were accused of harbouring the murderers of William Koc of Trowse by his widow.{{Cite web|title=Houses of Benedictine nuns: The priory of Carrow {{!}} British History Online|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/norf/vol2/pp351-354|access-date=2021-03-29|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}} Trowse had been killed in 1415 at a cathedral property in Lakenham on 16 August 1415. Wilton had to travel to London to defend herself. She was arrested and was only released when her supporters from Norwich proved surety. The charges were not dropped until 1418 after many adjournments.{{Cite book|last=Power|first=Eileen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C9_CDwAAQBAJ&q=William+Koc+of+Trowse&pg=PT275|title=Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535|date=2019-11-21|publisher=Good Press|language=en}} In return Wilton accused the two monks of driving away her cattle. In October 1419 the nuns and the monks made peace. They agreed the jurisdiction of each of their houses and the expensive court cases ceased. ==Death and legacy== Wilton died in the first half of 1430. One of her successors was not so successful at running the priory. Thomas Wetherby was appointed by the bishop to manage the priory until a new prioress [Margaret Pygot](/source/Margaret_Pygot) was again entrusted to manage without an overseer in 1445.{{Cite ODNB|title=Pygot, Margaret (d. in or after 1474), prioress of Carrow|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-105620|access-date=2021-03-29|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/105620|isbn = 9780198614111}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilton, Edith}} Category:1430 deaths Category:15th-century English nuns Category:People from Norwich Category:14th-century English nuns Category:Year of birth uncertain --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edith Wilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wilton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wilton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.