THE OBEDIENTIARIES
The officials of a monastery were frequently known by the name of
_obedientiaries_. Sometimes under this name were included even the prior
and sub-prior, as they also were appointed by the abbot, and were, of
course, equally with the others in subjection and obedience to him. But as
usually understood, by the word obedientiaries was signified the other
officials, and not the prior and sub-prior, who assisted in the general
government of the monastery. Various duties were assigned to all
obedientiaries, and they possessed extensive powers in their own spheres.
Very frequently in mediæval times they had the full management of the
property assigned to the special support of the burdens of their offices.
Their number naturally varied considerably in different monasteries; but
here it may be well to describe briefly the duties of each of the ordinary
officials, as they are set forth in the monastic Custumals that have come
down to us.
1. THE CANTOR OR PRECENTOR
The cantor was one of the most important officials in the monastery. He
was appointed, of course, by the abbot, but with a necessary regard to the
varied qualifications required for the office; for the cantor was both
singer, chief librarian, and archivist. He should be a priest, says one
English Custumal, of proved, upright character, wise and well instructed
in all knowledge pertaining to his office, as well as thoroughly
conversant with ecclesiastical customs. Under his management all the
church services were arranged and performed: the names of those who were
to take part in the singing of Lessons or Responsories at Matins or other
parts of the daily Office were set down by him on the table, or official
programme, and no one could refuse any duty assigned to him in this way.
In everything regarding the church services the cantor had no superior
except the abbot, although in certain cases, where the Divine Office, for
example, had been delayed for some reason or other, the sacrist might sign
to him in suggestion that he should cause the singers to chant more
briskly. What he arranged to be sung had to be sung, what he settled to be
read in the refectory had to be read; the portion of Sacred Scripture, or
other book that he had marked for the evening Collation, had to be used,
and no other.
The place of the cantor in the church was always on the right hand of the
choir; that of his assistant, the _succentor_, or sub-cantor, was on the
left. It was part of the cantor’s duty to move about the choir when it was
necessary to regulate the singing, and especially when any Prose, or long
_Magnificat_ with difficult music was being sung. Above all things, he had
to guard against mistakes, or even the possibility of mistakes, in the
divine service by every means in his power. With this end in view, he was
instructed to select only music that was known to all, and to see that it
was sung in the traditional manner. To guard against faults in reading and
singing he was obliged by his office to go over the Lessons for Matins
with the younger monks, and to hear the reader in the refectory before the
meals, in order to point out defects of pronunciation and quantity, as
well as to regulate the tone of the voice and the rate of reading.
When the abbot had to give out an Antiphon or Responsory on one of the
greater feasts, the cantor always attended him, and helped him if there
were need. If the abbot was unable to take any of his duties in church in
the way of singing, such as celebrating the High Mass or intoning the
Antiphons at the _Benedictus_ and _Magnificat_, the cantor took them as
part of the duties of his office. On all greater feasts of the second
class, the cantor, by virtue of his office, gave out the Antiphon at the
_Benedictus_ and at the _Magnificat_. At the Mass and other solemn parts
of the Divine Office on these occasions, he directed the choir with his
staff of office: assisted on first-class days by six of the brethren in
copes, and on feasts of the second class by four. His side of the choir
was always to take up any psalm he had intoned; the other side of the
choir, under the direction of the sub-cantor, doing the same in regard to
what he intoned.
Even when the cantor himself was not directing the choir, as on ordinary
days, he had to be always ready to come to the assistance of the
community, in the case of any breakdown in the singing or hesitation as to
the correct Antiphons to be used, etc. If an Antiphon was not given out,
or given out wrongly, or if the brethren got astray in the music, he was
to set it right with as little delay as possible. If the tone of the
chanting had to be raised or to be lowered, it was to be done only by him,
and all had to follow his lead without hesitation. On festivals it was
his duty to select the singers of the Epistle and Gospel, and he was to be
ever guided in his choice of deacon and sub-deacon by his knowledge of
their capacity to do honour to the feast by their good singing. When the
community were walking in procession through the cloisters or elsewhere,
it was his duty to walk up and down, between the ranks of the brethren, to
see that the singing was correctly rendered, and that it was kept
together. The brethren were charged unhesitatingly to follow his
suggestion and his leading.
Besides this, the cantor was naturally the instructor of music in the
community, and at certain times he took the novices and trained them in
the proper mode of ecclesiastical chanting and in the traditional music of
the house. In many monasteries he had also to teach the boys of the
cloister-school to read, and the exasperating nature of this part of his
office may be perhaps gauged from a provision inserted in some statutes,
that he was on no account to slap their heads or pull their hair, this
privilege being permitted only to their special master.
On account of the cantor’s care of the church services and the necessary
labour entailed thereby upon him, some indulgence was generally accorded
to him in regard to his attendance at the parts of the Divine Office where
his presence was not specially required. He was, however, forbidden to
absent himself from two consecutive canonical hours, and was not to stay
away from Matins, Vespers, or Compline. On Saturdays, like the rest, he
had to wash his feet in the cloister.
So much with regard to the duties of the precentor, as chief singer of the
monastery. He was also the librarian, or _armarius_; the two offices,
somewhat strangely, perhaps, to our modern notion, always going together.
In this capacity he had charge of all the books contained in the aumbry,
or book-cupboard, or later in the book-room, or library. Moreover, he had
to prepare the ink for the various writers of manuscripts and charters,
etc., and to procure the necessary parchment for book-making. He had to
watch that the books did not suffer from ill use, or misuse, and to see to
the mending and binding of them all. As keeper of the bookshelves, the
cantor was supposed to know the position and titles of the volumes, and by
constant attention to protect them from dust, and injury from insects,
damp, or decay. When they required repair or cleaning, he was to see to
it; and also to judge when the binding had to be repaired or renewed. For
the purpose of thus renovating the manuscripts under his care, he had, of
course, frequently to employ skilled labour. At such times he received an
allowance of food for the workmen engaged “on cleaning the bindings of the
choir books,” etc. Special revenues also were at his disposal “for making
new books and keeping up the organs.”
At the beginning of Lent the cantor was to remind the community in Chapter
of those who had given the books to their house, or had written them; and
subsequently it was his duty to request that an Office and Mass for the
Dead should be said for such benefactors. And, during the morning Mass of
the first Sunday of Lent, he was to bring a collection of volumes into the
Chapter-house, that the abbot might distribute one volume to each monk as
his special Lenten reading. In the ordinary course, the precentor was
bound to give out whatever books were required or asked for, taking care
always to enter their titles and the names of the borrowers in his
register. He was permitted sometimes to lend the less precious
manuscripts; but if the loan was made to someone outside the monastery, he
had to see that he received a sufficient pledge for its safe return.
All writings of the church, or made for the church, came under the charge
of the precentor. He made, for example, the _tabulae_, or lists of those
taking any part in the services. These were graven on waxen tablets, the
writing on which could easily be changed, and for making and repairing of
which the sacrist had to furnish the wax. Moreover, the precentor had to
supply the writers with the parchment, ink, etc., for their work, and
personally to hire the scribes and rubricators who laboured for money.
Also, he was supposed to provide those in the cloister who could write and
desired to do so, with whatever materials they required; but before
receiving these the religious had first to obtain leave from the abbot or
superior, and then only to signify their wants to the precentor. He was
told to give them what they needed, remembering that none of the brethren
wrote or copied for their own personal good, but for the general utility
of the monastery.
The precentor also, in his capacity of librarian, had to provide the books
used for reading and singing in the church and for reading in the
refectory and at Collation. He had personally to see that the public
reader had his volume ready, and that it was replaced in the aumbry at
night. To prevent mistakes, as far as it was possible so to do, the cantor
was supposed to go over the book to be read carefully, and to put a point
at the places where the pauses in public reading should be made. It was
also his duty as archivist to enter the names of deceased members of the
community and their relatives in the necrology of the house, that they
might be remembered on their anniversaries. In this same capacity, at the
time of the profession of any brother, he received from the abbot the
written charter of the vows that had been pronounced, so that the document
itself might be placed in the archives of the house. He was also required
to draw up the “Brief” or “Mortuary Roll,” wherewith to announce the death
of any brother to other monasteries, etc., and to ask for prayers for his
soul. This document, often executed in an elaborate manner and
illuminated, after it had received the sanction of the Chapter was handed
to the almoner, who sent it by special messenger, called a “breviator,” to
the other religious houses. In like manner the cantor received from the
almoner all such notices of deaths as came to hand, and presented them to
the conventual Chapter to obtain the suffrages asked for. If, as was
frequently the case, the roll had to be endorsed with the name of the
monastery, with the assurance of prayers, or some Latin verses in praise
of the dead or expressive of sympathy with the living at their loss, it
was the precentor’s duty to see that all this was done fittingly before
the roll was committed again into the almoner’s hand, to be returned to
the “breviator” by whom it had been brought.
The cantor also was one of the three custodians of the convent seal, and
he held one of the three keys of the chest which contained it. When the
die, often in the shape of single or double mould, was needed for the
purpose of sealing a document he was responsible for bringing it to the
Chapter with the necessary wax in order to affix the common seal to the
document, in the presence of the whole convent, and for then returning it
to its place of safe custody.
[Illustration: HEADING OF MORTUARY ROLL THOMAS BROWN, BISHOP OF NORWICH,
D. 1445]
Such an important office as that of precentor obviously required many high
qualities for its due discharge. According to one English Custumal, he
should “ever comport himself with regularity, reverence, and modesty,
since his office, when exercised with the characteristic virtues, is a
source of delight and pleasure to God, to the angels, and to men. He
should bow down before the altar with all reverence; he should salute the
brethren with all respect; he should in walking manifest his modesty; he
should sing with such sweetness, recollection, and devotion that all the
brethren, both old and young, might find in his behaviour and demeanour a
living pattern to help them in their own religious life and in carrying
out the observances required by their Rule from each one.”
The succentor, or sub-cantor, was the cantor’s assistant in everything.
When the precentor was absent he took his place and performed his duties.
In ordinary course he regulated the singing on the left-hand side of the
choir, and attended to such details of the cantor’s administration as
might be committed to him. It was part, however, of his own duty, as fixed
by rule, to see that all the brethren who were tabulated for any duty, or
who were involved in any change made in the daily _tabula_, had knowledge
of it, in order to prevent the possibility of mistakes, which would
interfere with the solemnity of the divine service, and by such
carelessness manifest a want of that respect due to the community as a
body. Moreover, before the morning Mass and the High Mass the succentor
was to be at hand to point out to the celebrants the Collects that had to
be said in the Holy Sacrifice, and the order in which they came. If,
whilst at the altar, notwithstanding all his care, the priest could not
find the proper place, or made delay from some other reason, he was at
once to come to his assistance. Lastly, to take one more instance of the
succentor’s duty: if during the course of the night Office he should see
any of the brethren drowsy or forgetting to recite, it was his duty to
take his lantern and go towards them, in order to remind them that they
were to be more alert as “watchmen keeping their vigil in the Lord’s
service.”
2. THE SACRIST
Next in importance to the office of cantor, especially in regard to the
church services which formed so integral a part in the daily life of a
monastery, was the sacrist. To him, with his several assistants, was
committed the care of the church fabric, with its sacred plate and
vestments, as well as of the various reliquaries, shrines, and precious
ornaments, which the monastery possessed. It was his duty to provide for
the cleansing and lighting of the church, to prepare the choir and altars
for the various services, to see that on feast days they were decked out
with the appropriate hangings and ornaments; to provide that the vestments
for the sacred ministers were ready for use as required, and that, on days
when the community were vested in albs or in copes, these were rightly
distributed to the brethren. The High Altar was specially in his own
personal care: he had to see that it was becomingly decked for the great
feasts, and he was particularly enjoined never to leave it without a
frontal of some kind, that he might not seem to neglect the place where
the daily Sacrifice was offered.
Upon the sacrist was specially enjoined the necessary virtue of
cleanliness. Every Saturday he had to see that the sconces of the
candlesticks were all scoured out, and that the pavements before the
altars were washed and cleaned. The floor of the presbytery was, like the
High Altar, to be his own special charge. He was directed constantly to
change the linen cloths of the altar and all those otherwise used in the
Holy Sacrifice, remembering as a guiding principle that it was “unbecoming
to minister to God, with things unsuitable for profane use.” The corporals
he was also to wash and prepare himself, polishing them with a stone,
known as “_lisca_”--“lischa,” or glass-stone. For this and the making of
the altar breads--concerning which work the minute legislation of the
Custumals testifies to the care required in the production of the bread
for the Holy Eucharist--the sacrist and his assistants had to be vested in
albs and were required to take every precaution in order to secure
spotless cleanness of hands and person. During the operation psalms and
other prayers were to be said. Once a week, also on Saturdays, if he were
a priest or deacon, the sacrist was ordered to wash thoroughly all the
chalices and sacred vessels used at the Holy Sacrifice, and to see that no
stains of wine, or marks of use, were left on them. If he were not in
Sacred Orders he had to get one of the brethren who was to do this office
for him. On the Wednesday of each week all the cruets were to be
thoroughly cleansed at the lavatory, as also all the jugs and utensils
under his care or belonging to his office.
Another function of the sacrist was the care of the cemetery where the
dead brethren were laid to their last rest. He was to keep it neat and
tidy, with the grass cut and trimmed, and the walks free from weeds. No
animals were ever to be allowed to feed among the graves or to disturb the
peace of “God’s acre.” This evidence of his care was intended to show to
all that it was here that the bodies of the holy departed were laid to
their peaceful repose to “await the day of the great Resurrection.” In
some places the sacrist also had care of the bells, especially of those
which summoned the brethren to the church; and of the clock, where there
was one, and this last could be touched by no one but himself or one of
his assistants on any pretence whatsoever.
Perhaps his most important duty, however, was that of looking after the
lighting of the entire establishment. His office in this matter, somewhat
curiously as it may appear to us, was not confined to the church; but from
him the officers of other departments had to obtain the candles or other
lights they needed. He had to purchase the supply of wax for making the
best candles, and the tallow or mutton fat for the cressets and the
commoner sort of lights, together with the cotton for making the wicks. At
certain periods of the year, it was his province to hire the itinerant
candle-makers and, having provided the necessary material, to preside over
the process of manufacturing the waxen and other lights that would be
needed by the community. From his store he had to supply the church with
all necessary lights for the altars, for the choir, and for illuminating
the candle-beams and candelabra on feast days. To light up the dormitory
and church cloister, the sacrist had to rise before the others were called
for Matins, so that all might be in readiness for the beginning of the
service. For those who had to read the Lessons, he was warned to provide
plenty of lights, especially in view of the difficulty experienced by “old
men and those with weak sight,” if the light was poor. Moreover, he had to
furnish the novices, who as yet did not know the psalms by heart, with
candles to read by. At Matins, he himself was always to have a lighted
lantern ready in case of any difficulty, and at the verse of the _Te
Deum_, “The heavens and the earth are full of Thy glory,” he took this
lantern and, going to the priest whose duty it was to read the Gospel,
bowed, and gave it to him so that he might hold it to throw its light on
the sacred text. At the conclusion of Matins he received back his lantern,
and going out from the choir rang the bells for Lauds.
For the use of the monastery, as has been said, the sacrist had to find
the material for lighting the cloister. When it was dark he had to light
the four cressets, or bowls of tallow with wicks, which, one in each part
of the cloister, can have done very little more than help to make the
darkness visible. When more light was needed the sacrist found tallow or
wax candles for particular purposes. He did the same in the church, where
also great cressets, one in the nave, one at the choir-gates, one at the
steps of the sanctuary at the top of the choir, and one in the treasury,
were always kept burning during the hours of darkness. Moreover, the
sacrist had to furnish the two candles for the abbot’s Mass, and to give a
certain specified amount of wax to each of the community to make their
candles. At St. Augustine’s, Canterbury, and Westminster, for instance,
the abbot had to receive 40 lbs. of wax for his yearly supply of candles;
the prior had 15 lbs.; the precentor, 7 lbs.; each of the senior priests,
6 lbs.; the junior priests, 5 lbs.; and the juniors, 4 lbs. He had
likewise to find all the candles necessary to light the refectory and
chapter-room, and to give the cellarer and the infirmarian what they
needed for the purposes of their offices. In winter, after the evening
Collation, the sacrist waited in the chapter-room after the community,
standing aside and bowing as they passed out. When all had departed, he
extinguished the lights and locked the door. As one amongst the many minor
duties of his office, the sacrist had each Sunday to obtain from the
cellarer the platter of salt to be blessed for the holy water. For this he
could either himself enter the kitchen, otherwise out of the enclosure, or
send another to fetch it. After the Sunday blessing of the salt, he was
himself to place a pinch of the blessed salt in every salt-cellar used in
the refectory.
In brief, the sacrist, as one of the English Custumals has it, “should be
of well-tried character, grave at his work, faithful in all his duties,
careful in keeping the brethren to traditions, and watchful over the
things committed to his care.” “If he love our Lord,” says another, “he
will love the church, and the more spiritual his office is, the more
careful should he be to make the church becoming and attractive for use,
and to study to make it in every way more fitting” to be called “the House
of God.”
The sacrist in most of the greater monasteries appears to have had under
him four principal assistants: the sub-sacrist, called in some places the
_secretary_, in others the _matricularius_, in others, again, the _master
of works_; the _treasurer_; the _revestiarius_; and the assistant
sacristan. The first named, the secretary, had charge of the offerings
made to the church, and was to look after the fabric of the church. He was
entrusted also with the general bell-ringing, and was exhorted by the
Custumals to endeavour by study to master the traditional system of the
peals, which in most monasteries was very elaborate. The secretary also
had to see that wine was provided for the altar, and that a supply of
incense was procured when it was needed; also that the store of charcoal,
wax, and tallow was replenished and not allowed to fall too low. He had to
purchase these, and the materials, such as lead, glass, etc., for the
repair of the fabric, at the neighbouring fairs; and he was warned to keep
an eye to the building so that it might not suffer by neglect.
Besides these duties, he was the official chiefly concerned in the opening
and closing of the church doors at the appointed times, and in seeing to
the safe custody of the monastic treasures. For this purpose, he with two
other under-sacristans always slept in the church, or close at hand,
whilst the treasurer and one other monk slept in the treasury, and even
took their meals near at hand, so that the church was never left without
guardians either day or night.
The _revestiarius_, as his name implies, was mainly concerned with the
vestments, the copes, albs, curtains, and other hangings belonging to the
church. He was responsible for their care and mending, and for setting
them out for use according to their proper colour, and as their varied
richness was appropriate to the order and dignity of the ecclesiastical
feasts. By his office he was also charged with giving the albs to the
brethren when they were to be vested in them, and also with bringing to
the precentor in the choir sufficient copes for him to distribute one to
each of the community on festivals when the Office was celebrated “_in
cappis_”; or at other times to the _schola cantorum_, who assisted him in
the singing at the lectern.
The _treasurer_ was appointed for the purpose of looking after the
shrines, the sacred vessels, and other church plate under the orders of
the sacrist. He assisted also in other duties of the sacrist as he might
be required; for example, after Compline he, with the others, when the
community had retired to bed, prepared whatever lights would be necessary
for the night Office. Several times a year it was the general duty of the
officials of the sacristy to sweep the church and remove the hay with
which it was mostly carpeted, and to put fresh hay in its place. Once a
year also they had to find new rush mats for the choir, for the altars,
for the steps of the choir, to place under the feet of the monks in their
stalls, and before the benches, and at the reading-place in the
chapter-house. Various farmsteads, belonging to the monastery, were
usually bound at certain times to find the hay, straw, and rushes
necessary for this part of the sacrist’s work.
3. THE CELLARER
The cellarer was the monastic purveyor of all foodstuffs for the
community. His chief duty, perhaps, was to look ahead and to see that the
stores were not running low; that the corn had come in from the granges,
and flour from the mill, and that it was ready for use by the bakers; that
what was needed of flesh, fish, and vegetables for immediate use was ready
at hand. He had to provide all that was necessary for the kitchen; but
was to make no great purchases without the knowledge and consent of the
abbot. In some places it was enjoined that every Saturday he was to
consult with the prior as to the requirements for the coming week, so as
to be prepared with the changes of diet associated by custom with certain
times and feasts.
To procure the necessary stores, the cellarer had of course to be
frequently away at the granges and at neighbouring fairs and markets; but
he had to inform the abbot and prior when he would be absent, and to leave
the keys of his office with his assistant. As the “Martha” of the
establishment, always busy with many things in the service of the
brethren, he was exempt from much of the ordinary choir duty, but when not
present at the public Office, he had to say his own privately in a side
chapel. He did not sleep usually in the common dormitory, but in the
infirmary, as he was frequently wanted at all hours.
As part of his duty the cellarer had charge of all the servants, whom he
alone could engage, dismiss, or punish. He presided at their table after
the conventual meals, unless he had to be present in the abbot’s chamber
to entertain guests, when the under-cellarer took his place. At dinner,
the cellarer stood by the kitchen hatch to see the dishes as they came in,
and that the serving was properly done. On days when the community had
dishes of large fish, or great joints of meat, or other portions from
which many had to be served before the dinner, the dishes, after being
divided in the kitchen, were set in the vestibule of the cellarer’s
office, and there the prior inspected them to see that the portions were
fairly equal. At supper it was his duty to serve out the cheese and cut it
into pieces for the brethren.
In the case of Westminster and St. Augustine’s, Canterbury, the cellarer
was urged to look well to the supply of fish, both fresh and salt. In the
case of the first, he was to be careful that it had not been caught longer
than a couple of days or so, and that it was always properly cooked. In
regard to all the meals he was to see that the cooks were prepared and in
time with their work, since, says the Custumal, “it were better to let the
cook wait to serve up the dinner, than to oblige the brethren to sit
wanting for their meal.”
In Benedictine monasteries, on those days when, in the daily reading of
the Rule, the part dealing with the duties and qualifications of the
cellarer was read, he was supposed to furnish something extra to the
brethren in the refectory. On those occasions he was to be present when
the passage of the Rule was read out, and to make sure that he might not
be away, was to ask the cantor to let him know a few days beforehand.
[Illustration: ADAM THE CELLARER ST. ALBANS]
Besides the main part of his office as caterer to the community, on the
cellarer devolved many other duties. In fact, the general management of
the establishment, except what was specially assigned to other officials,
or given to any individual by the superior, was in his hands. In this way,
besides the question of food and drink, the cellarer had to see to fuel,
the carriage of goods, the general repairs of the house, and the purchases
of all materials, such as wood, iron, glass, nails, etc. Some of the
Obedientiary accounts which have survived show the multitude and variety
of the cellarer’s cares. At one time, on one such Roll, beyond the
ordinary expenses there is noted the purchase of three hundred and
eighty quarters of coal for the kitchen, the carriage of one hundredweight
of wax from London, the process of making torches and candles, the
purchase of cotton for the wicks, the employment of women to make oatmeal,
the purchase of “blanket-cloth” for jelly strainers, and the employment of
“the pudding wife” on great feast days to make the pastry. He had, of
course, frequently to visit the granges and manors under his care, to look
that the overseer knew his business and did not neglect it, to see that
the servants and labourers did not misconduct themselves, and that the
shepherds spent the nights watching with their flocks, and did not wander
off to any neighbouring tavern. Besides this he was charged to see that
the granary doors were sound and the locks in good order, and in the time
of threshing out the corn he was to keep a watch over the men engaged in
the work and the women who were winnowing. He was constantly warned by the
Custumals that he should frequently discuss the details of his work with
his superior, and take his advice, and get to know his wishes. Finally, in
one English Custumal at least, he is warned, in the midst of all his
numberless duties undertaken for the community, not to let it affect his
character as a religious. He should avoid, he is told, ever getting into
the habit of trafficking like a tradesman, of striving too eagerly after
some slender profit, or of grinding out a hard bargain from those who
could ill afford it.
As chief assistant the cellarer had an under official, called the
sub-cellarer, who was told to be kind and to possess polished manners.
Besides taking the chief’s place when occasion required, in most
well-regulated religious establishments certain ordinary duties were
assigned to the sub-cellarer. They were mainly concerned with the
important matters of bread and beer. He kept the keys of the cellar, and
drew the necessary quantity of beer before each meal. When he took his
place in the refectory he handed his keys to the cellarer, in case
anything should be required during the meal. He was specially charged with
seeing that the cellar was kept tidy, and that the jugs and other “_vasa
ministerii_” were clean. When the barrels were filled with new beer, they
were to be constantly watched by him for fear of an accident. In winter he
was to see that straw or hay bands were to be placed round the vats to
protect them from frost, and that, if need be, fires were lighted; in
summer he should have the windows closed with shutters, to keep the cellar
cool. He was not to serve any beer till at least the fourth day after it
had been made.
His special help, in seeing to the bakery and the bread, was the
_granatorius_, or guardian of the grain. It was his duty to receive the
grain when it came from the farms, and to note and check the amounts, to
see to the grinding, and to superintend the bakery. He had to watch that
the flour was of the proper quality, and on feast days he was supposed to
give a better kind of bread and a different shape of loaf. At times the
community might have hot bread--a special treat--and if it were not quite
ready, the meal could be delayed for a short time on such occasions. The
granator was supposed to visit the manors and farms several times in the
year, to estimate the amount of flour that would be required, and to
determine whence it was to be furnished, and when. Under the
assistant-cellarer and the granator were several official servants, of
whom the miller, the baker, and the brewer were the chief. It was the
sub-cellarer’s place to entertain any tenants of the monastic farms who
might come on business, or for any other reason, to the monastery; and
from him any of the monks could obtain what was necessary to entertain
their relatives or friends when they visited them, or the small tokens of
affectionate remembrance, called _exennia_, which they were permitted to
send them four times in the year.
4. THE REFECTORIAN
The _refectorian_ had charge of the refectory, or as it is sometimes
called, the _frater_, and had to see that all things were in order for the
meals of the brethren. He should be “strong in bodily health,” says one
Custumal, “unbending in his determination to have order and method, a true
religious, respected by all, determined to prevent anything tending to
disorder, and loving all the brethren without favour.” If the duties of
his office required it, he might be absent from choir, and each day after
the Gospel of the High Mass he had to leave the church and repair to the
refectory, in order to see that all was ready for the conventual dinner,
which immediately followed the Mass.
Out of the revenues attached to his office, the refectorian had to find
all tables and benches necessary, and to keep them in repair; to purchase
what cloths and napkins, jugs, dishes, and mats might be required. Three
times a year he received from the monastic farms five loads of straw, to
place under the feet of the brethren when they were sitting at table, and
the same quantity of hay to spread over the floor of the refectory. Five
times a year he had to renew the rushes that were strewn about the hall;
and on Holy Saturday, by custom, he was supposed to scatter bay leaves to
scent the air, and to give a festal spring-like appearance to the place.
In summer he might throw flowers about, with mint and fennel, to purify
the air, and provide fans for changing and cooling it.
In preparation for any meal, the refectorian had to superintend the
spreading of the table-cloths; to set the salt and see that it was dry; to
see that in the place of each monk was set the usual loaf, that no
wood-ash from the oven was on the underside of the bread, and that it was
covered by the napkin. The drink had to be poured into jugs, and brought
in, so as to be ready before the coming of the community; and on the table
the cup of each monk was to be set at his place. In some houses the spoons
also were distributed before the commencement of the meal; but in others,
after the food had been brought in, the refectorian himself brought the
spoons and distributed them, holding that of the abbot in his right hand a
little raised, and the rest in his left hand. Both cups and spoons were to
be examined and counted every day by the refectorian, and he had to repair
them when necessary, and see that they were washed and cleaned every day.
Amongst the refectorian’s other duties may be mentioned his care of the
lavatory. He was to provide water--hot if necessary--for washing purposes,
and was to have always a clean hanging-towel for general use, as well as
two others always ready in the refectory. All towels of any kind were to
be changed twice a week, on Sundays and Thursdays. The refectorian was to
be blamed if the lavatory was not kept clean, or if grit or dirt was
allowed to collect in the washing-trough. He had to keep in the lavatory
a supply of sand and a whetstone for the brethren to use in scouring and
sharpening their knives. When the abbot was present at meals, he had to
see that the ewer and basin with clean towels were prepared for him to
wash his hands. On Maundy Thursday the tables were to be set with clean
white cloths, and a _caritas_, or extra glass of wine, was to be given to
all the community. At the approach of the festival of All Saints the
refectorian had to see that the candlesticks were ready for the candles to
light the refectory; one candlestick being provided for every three monks
at the evening meal from November 1 to the Purification--February 2.
Lastly, it was the refectorian’s duty to sample the cheeses intended for
the community. He could taste two or three in a batch, and if he did not
like them reject the whole lot. At Abingdon a “weight of cheese” was equal
to eighteen stone, and such a “weight” was supposed to last the community
five days!
5. THE KITCHENER
The office of kitchener was one of great responsibility. He was appointed
in Chapter by the abbot with the advice of the prior, and he should be one
who was agreeable to the community. According to the Custumal of one great
English abbey, the kitchener was to be almost a paragon of virtue. He
ought to be “a truly religious man, just, upright, gentle, patient, and
trustworthy. He should be ready to accept suggestions, humble in his
demeanour, and kind to others. He should be known to be of good
disposition and conversation; always ready to return a mild answer to
those who came to him.” He was “not to be too lavish, nor too niggardly,
but ever to keep the happy mean in satisfying the needs of his brethren,
and in his gifts of food and other things to such as made application to
him. And as the safeguard of all the rest, he should strive ever to keep
his mind and heart in peace and patience.”
The kitchener needed to be well instructed in the details of his office.
He had to know, for example, how much food would be required for the
allowances of the brethren, in order to know what and how much to buy, or
to obtain from the other officials. He was to have what help he needed,
and, besides the cooks, he had under him a trustworthy servant, sometimes
called his _emptor_, or buyer, who was experienced in purchasing
provisions, and knew how and at what seasons it were best to fill up the
monastic store-houses. It was obviously of great importance, in order to
prevent waste, that the kitchener should keep a strict account of what was
expended in provisions and of what amounts were served out to the
brethren. Each week he had to sum up the totals, and at the end of the
month he had to present his accounts for examination to the superior,
being prepared to explain why the cost of one week was greater than that
of another, and in general to give an account of his administration.
As his name imported, the kitchener presided over the entire kitchen
department. He was directed to see that all the utensils made use of were
cleaned every day. He was to know the number of dishes required for each
portion, and to furnish the cook with that number; he was to see that food
was never served to the community in broken dishes, and was to be
particular that the bottoms of the dishes were clean before allowing them
to leave his charge, so that they might not soil the napery on the
refectory tables. Whilst any meal was being dished, he was to be present
to prevent unnecessary noise and clatter, and he was to see that the cooks
got the food ready in time, so that the brethren might never be kept
waiting. If the High Mass and Office, preceding the dinner, were for any
reason protracted beyond the usual time, the kitchener was to warn the
cooks of the delay. In the refectory his place was opposite to that of the
prior on the left, but if there were need, he could move about during the
supper to arrange or change the portions. In a special manner he was to
see to the sick, and serve them with food that they might fancy or relish
or that was good for them.
In some places the office of kitchener, like many of the others, was
endowed with special revenues which had to be administered by the
kitchener. At Abingdon, for example, the rents of many of the town
tenements were assigned to it. From his separate revenue the abbot in the
same place paid into the kitchener’s account more than £100 a year, to
meet the expenses of his table, chiefly in the entertainment of guests.
Besides money receipts, in most monasteries there were many payments in
kind. In the same abbey, to take that place as a sample, at the beginning
of Lent various fisheries had to supply so many “sticks of eels.” So, too,
on the anniversary of Abbot Watchen, the kitchener had the fish taken from
the fish-stew at one of the monastic manors; and during Lent, from every
boat which passed up the Thames carrying herrings, except it were a royal
barge, the kitchener took toll of a hundred of the fish, which had to be
brought to him by the boat’s boy, who for his personal service received
five herrings and a jug of beer.
The character of the religious kitchener as sketched in one English
Custumal is very charming.
“He should be humble at heart and not merely in word; he should
possess a kindly disposition and be lavish of pity for others; he
should have a sparing hand in supplying his own needs and a prodigal
one where others are concerned; he must ever be a consoler of those in
affliction, a refuge to those who are sick; he should be sober and
retiring, and really love the needy, that he may assist them as a
father and helper; he should be the hope and aid of all in the
monastery, trying to imitate the Lord, who said, ‘He who ministers to
Me, let him follow Me.’”
The long list of duties for the kitchener to attend to set forth in the
monastic Custumals, and the grave admonitions which accompany them, show
how very important a place that official occupied in the monastery. He had
to attend daily in the larder to receive and check the food. When the eggs
were brought, for example, by the “vitelers,” he had to note who brought
them, and whence they came, and to settle how they were to be used. He was
to see that the paid “larderer” had meat and fish, salt and fresh, and
that the fowls and other birds were fed whilst they were under his charge,
waiting for the time they would be wanted for the table. After having made
his daily inspection of the outer larder, the kitchener was to visit the
inner larder, in order to see that all the plates and dishes were properly
scoured, that all the food ready for cooking was kept sweet and clean, and
that all the fish was well covered with damp reeds to keep it fresh.
Moreover, he was to inspect the fuel, to see that the supply was always
kept up by the doorkeeper of the kitchen, with the help of the
turnbroach.
The kitchener was warned, not without reason, no doubt, to be careful
about his keys. They were to be kept in his room, and no one might touch
them without having first obtained his leave. “And,” says the Custumal,
“he should prudently take heed not to put too much trust in the cooks and
the servants, and on account of the danger of temptation” should not let
them have his keys without going personally to see what they wanted them
for. In this way only was it possible to guard against waste and
alienation of the monastery goods.
In discharge of his duties, which were exercised for the common good, the
kitchener might easily be excused from choir duties. During the morning
Office he was permitted, for example, to say his Mass, and his first daily
duty was to visit the sick to see if there were anything they would relish
that he could get, and to cheer them with a few kindly words.
Among the many things that the kitchener might be called upon to provide
at various times for the brethren, it may be mentioned that he had to
furnish the cantor with some of the best beer when he desired to mix the
ink for the writers.
6. THE WEEKLY SERVERS IN THE KITCHEN
Closely connected with the office of kitchener is that of the weekly
servers, for they were among his chief, though constantly changing,
assistants. They entered upon their weekly duties on the Sunday after
Lauds, when those who were finishing their week and those who were
beginning had to ask and receive the triple blessing. Immediately after
receiving the benediction, the new officers went to their work. They drew
water to wash with, and after their ablutions went to the kitchen to be
ready to do whatever might be needful.
During their week of service, if there were two Masses, one server went to
the first, the other to the second. Whilst the community were in the
cloister at reading-time, both were to be at work in the kitchen. They had
to be in the refectory ready to serve at meal times, and before all
refections they were to see that the lavatory was prepared for the
brethren. If there were a frost they had to provide basins of hot water
and put them near the washing-place, and they were to make ready the
water, towels, and other things requisite on shaving days. After each meal
one of the weekly servers in an apron went to the kitchen to assist in
washing up the dishes and plates.
On Saturdays they had to prepare hot and cold water, with towels, in the
cloister, for the weekly feet-washing; to clean out the lavatory and scour
the pot used for boiling water in the kitchen; to help to sweep up and
tidy the kitchen, and to prepare wood for the fire next day. In the
evening, as the last day of their weekly service, they performed the
_mandatum_, or feet-washing: the first server washed the feet of the
brethren, beginning with those of the abbot, and the second wiped them
with the towels he had already dried and warmed. As a last act they
returned and accounted for all the vessels and other things they had
received when entering upon their duties on the previous Sunday.