The Whitefriars stood south of the Ipswich Buttermarket street and mainly to the west of St Stephen's Lane, but nothing now remains visible above ground.
The site was partly exposed by diggings in c. 1898, observed by Nina Layard,[2] and very extensively excavated during the 1980s by the Suffolk County Council archaeologists.
[3][4] Of the three vanished friaries, the Greyfriars is now particularly notable for its distinguished patrons, the Blackfriars for knowledge of its buildings and the later public, charitable and educational purposes associated with them, and the Whitefriars for the rich story of its ecclesiastical and scholarly inmates.
They were also noted for their production of books employing people in such trades as limners (illuminators of manuscripts), scriveners (copyists), bookbinders, leather curriers and quill pen makers.
[17] During the mid-14th century Sir Geoffrey Badley joined the Ipswich Whitefriars, one of several knights attracted to the order who, however, held only junior positions owing to their lack of learning.
[18] It is known from a will dated 1463 that there was a chapel to St John the Baptist in the Whitefriars church, where the benefactor desired to be buried and to have Masses sung for his soul.
[18] In its last days the community became extremely impoverished, and were compelled to sell several of their messuages to raise money for their food, the Visitor having allowed them only £4 a year as a pittance.
The Prior and his co-brethren made a petition to Thomas Cromwell (the text of which is preserved) showing that a man named Copping had withheld his dues to them.
[44] Part of the monastic buildings were used for the town gaol or Sessions House for a time, but that was demolished in 1698:[12][46] most traces of the Whitefriars disappeared very rapidly.