THE MONASTERY IN REVOLT
Now when the abbot had obtained the favour and grace of King Richard
by gifts and money, so that he had good reason to believe that he
could succeed according to his desire in all his undertakings, the
King died, and the abbot lost his labour and outlay. However, King
John, immediately after his coronation, setting aside all other
affairs, came down to St. Edmund, drawn thither by his vow and by
devotion. We, indeed, believed that he was come to make offering of
some great matter; but all he offered was one silken cloth, which his
servants had borrowed from our sacrist, and to this day have not paid
for. He availed himself of the hospitality of St. Edmund, which was
attended with enormous expense, and upon his departure bestowed
nothing at all, either of honour or profit, upon the saint, save
thirteen pence sterling, which he offered at his mass on the day of
his departure.
About that time some of our officials made complaint, stating in our
chapter that Ralph the porter, our servant, maintained causes and
actions against them to the damage of the church and to the prejudice
of the convent. It was ordered by the prior, with the assent of us
all, that he should be punished according to the custom whereby our
servants are usually punished, that is, by the withholding of their
stipends. It was therefore ordered that the cellarer should withhold
from him, not the corody which of right belonged to his office
according to the tenour of his charter, but certain additions and
perquisites which the cellarer and sub-cellarer allowed him without
knowledge of the convent at large. Now the aforesaid Ralph,
accompanied by certain of the abbot's table, complained to the abbot
on his return from London, that the prior and convent had disseised
him of his corody, whereof he was seised when the abbot had first come
to the abbacy. They also stated to the abbot that this act was done
without his sanction, and to his dishonour, and unreasonably, without
his advice, and without investigation. The abbot indeed believed him,
and, in other wise than was either fitting or customary, became
excited. He instantly justified Ralph, and affirmed that he was
innocent. Coming into chapter and complaining thereof, he said that
what had been done was to his prejudice and without his consent. And
it was answered by one of us, the others all joining him, that this
was done by the prior, and with the assent of the whole convent.
The abbot was confused at this, saying, "I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled against me." Not overlooking this
(as he ought to have done) for the sake of peace to the many, but
rather exhibiting his power with a resolution not to be over-mastered,
he openly gave command to the cellarer that he should restore to
Ralph, fully and wholly, all that had been taken from him, and that he
should drink nothing but water till he had restored everything. But
Jocell the cellarer, hearing this, chose for that day to drink water,
rather than restore the corody to Ralph against the will of the
convent. When this came to the abbot's knowledge on the morrow, he
forbade both meat and drink to the cellarer until he restored all.
With these words the abbot immediately departed from the town, and
stayed away for eight days.
On the same day on which the abbot had departed, the cellarer arose in
chapter, and exhibiting the precept of the abbot, and holding his keys
in his hand, said that he had rather be deposed from his office than
do anything in opposition to the convent. And then there began a great
tumult in the convent, such as I had never before seen; and they said
that the precept of the abbot was not to be obeyed. But the seniors
and more prudent men of the convent, discreetly holding their tongues,
upon being urged gave it as their opinion that the abbot was to be
obeyed in everything, except in things manifestly against God's
pleasure; and intimated that we must bear with this scandalous
behaviour for a time for the sake of peace, lest worse should befall.
Now when the prior had begun to sing "Verba mea" for all deceased, as
is the rule, the novices withstood him, and with them nearly the half
of the convent; and raising their voices, they all cried out in
answer, and opposed it. Nevertheless, the senior part of the convent
prevailed, although they were few as compared with the rest.
The abbot, although absent, yet by his messengers terrified some by
threats. Some others he drew over to him by fair words; and the more
influential men of the convent, as though they were afraid even of his
garment, he caused to secede from the counsel of the generality, that
that gospel should be fulfilled which says, "Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation." Moreover, the abbot said
that he would by no means come amongst us, by reason of the
conspiracies and oaths which, as he said, we had made against him,
that we should kill him with our knives. However, returning home, and
sitting in his inner chamber, he gave orders to one of our brethren
whom he vehemently suspected, that he should come to him; and because
he would not come, fearing to be taken and bound, he was
excommunicated; and the whole day after he was put into fetters,
remaining till morning in the infirmary. Three others the abbot also
included in a lighter sentence, in order that the others might fear.
On the morrow it was resolved that the abbot should be sent for, and
that we should humble ourselves before him, both in word and
demeanour, so that his anger might be appeased; and it was done
accordingly. He, on the other hand, answering meekly enough, but
always alleging his own rectitude, laid the blame upon us. Yet when he
saw that we were willing to be overcome, was himself fairly overcome.
Bursting into tears, he swore that he had never grieved for any one
thing as he had upon the present occasion, as well on his own account
as on our account also, and more especially for the scandal, the evil
report which had already gone abroad concerning our dissension, to the
effect that the monks of St. Edmund wished to kill their abbot.
And when the abbot had told us how he went away on purpose till his
anger had cooled, repeating this saying of the philosopher, "I would
have taken vengeance upon thee had I not been angry," he arose,
weeping, and embraced all and every one of us with the kiss of peace.
He wept, and we also wept. The brethren who had been excommunicated
were immediately absolved; and thus "the tempest ceased, and there was
a great calm." Yet for all this the abbot gave private orders that the
accustomed corody should be given without stint to Ralph the porter,
as heretofore; to which matter, however, we shut our eyes, being at
last made to understand that there is no lord who will not bear rule,
and that battle is perilous which is undertaken against the stronger,
and is begun against the more powerful party.
In the year of grace one thousand two hundred a marshalling took place
of the knights of St. Edmund and of their fees, whereof their
ancestors had been infeoffed.
Alberic de Vere holds five knights' fees and a half: namely, in
Loddon and in Brome, one knight's fee; in Mendham and Preston, one
knight's fee; in Rede, one knight's fee; and in Cockfield, half a
knight's fee; and in Livermere, two knights' fees.
William of Hastings holds five knights' fees: to wit, in Lidgate, and
in Blunham and in Harling, three knights' fees; and in Tibenham and
in Gissing, two.
The Earl Roger holds three knights' fees in Norton and Brisingham.
Robert Fitz Roger holds one knight's fee in Marlesford.
Alexander of Kirkby holds one knight's fee in Kirkby.
Roger of Eu holds two knights' fees, in Mickfield and in Topscroft.
Arnald of Charneles and his co-parceners, one knight's fee, in
Oakley, and in Quiddenham, and in Thurston, and Stuston.
Osbert of Wachesham, one knight's fee in Marlingford and in Wortham.
William of Tostock, one knight's fee in Randestune.
Gilbert Fitz Ralph, three knights' fees: namely, in Thelnetham and in
Hepworth, one knight's fee; in Reydon (in Blithing) and in Gissing,
one knight's fee; and in Saxham, one knight's fee.
Ralph of Buckenham, half a knight's fee in Buckenham.
William of Bardwell, two knights' fees in Barningham, and in
Bardwell, and in Hunston, and in Stanton.
Robert of Langtoft holds three knights' fees, in Stow, and in
Ashfield, and in Troston, and in Little Waltham in Essex.
Adam of Cockfield, two knights' fees: namely, in Lavenham, and in
Onehouse, one knight's fee; and in Lelesey.
Robert Fitz Walter, one knight's fee, in Great Fakenham and in
Sapiston.
William Blund, one knight's fee in Thorp (in Blackbourn).
Gilbert of Peche, two knights' fees: namely, in Waude and in Gedding,
one knight's fee; in Felsham, and in Euston, and in Groton, one
knight's fee.
Gilbert of St. Clare, two knights' fees, in Bradfield and in
Wattisfield.
Geoffrey of Whelnetham and Gilbert of Manston, one knight's fee, in
Whelnetham and in Manston.
Hubert of Ansty, half a knight's fee in Briddinghoe.
Gervase of Rothing, one knight's fee, in Chipley and in Rothing.
Robert of Halsted, one knight's fee in Halsted, and half a knight's
fee in Brockley.
Reginald of Brockley, one knight's fee in Brockley.
Simon of Patteshall, half a knight's fee in Whatfield.
Peter Fitz Alan, half a knight's fee in Brockley.
Ralph of Presseni, half a knight's fee in Stanningfield.
Richard of Ickworth, two knights' fees, in Ickworth and in Wangford.
Robert of Horning, half a knight's fee in Horning.
Walter of Saxham, one knight's fee, in Ashfield and in Saxham.
William of Wordwell, half a knight's fee in Whelnetham.
Norman of Risby, half a knight's fee in Risby.
Peter of Livermere and Alan of Flempton, one knight's fee in
Livermere and Ampton.
Roger of Morieux, one knight's fee in Thorpe.
Hugh of Eleigh, in Eleigh, and in Preston, and in Bradfield, two
knights' fees.
Stephen of Brockdish, one fourth part of a knight's fee in Brockdish.
Adam of Barningham, one fourth part of a knight's fee in Barningham.
William of Wordwell, in Little Livermere and in Wordwell, one fourth
part of a knight's fee.
The total is fifty-two fees and one-half and one quarter.
Now Geoffrey Ruffus, one of our monks, although he deported himself
in somewhat too secular a manner, yet was a useful person to us in
the keeping of the four manors of Barton, Pakenham, Rougham, and
Bradfield, where there had often been heretofore a deficiency in the
farms. But the abbot, although hearing of the evil report of his
continence, yet winked at it for a long time, most likely because
Geoffrey seemed to be serviceable to the community. At length, when
the truth was known, the abbot suddenly made a seizure of his chests,
put them in the vestry, and caused all the stock of the different
manors to be kept most closely, and remanded Geoffrey to the
cloister. There was found much gold and silver, to the value of two
hundred marks, the whole of which the abbot said was to be laid by
for the purpose of making the front of the shrine of St. Edmund.
On the feast of St. Michael it was decreed in chapter that two
brethren, not one alone, should succeed to the keepership of the
manors, whereof one was Roger of Hingham, who promised before us all
that he was willing and able to undertake the charge of the manors
and cellary together. The abbot gave his assent thereto, but the
convent was reluctant. And Jocell, who had well and carefully managed
his office, and for two years had been in charge of the cellary
without incurring debt, as other cellarers had used to do, was
deposed from the cellary and was made sub-cellarer. But at the end of
the year, Roger, on rendering account of his receipts and outgoings,
affirmed that he had received sixty marks from the stock of the
manors to supply the deficiency of the cellarer. Therefore, upon
counsel being taken, it was resolved that Jocell should be restored
to the cellary; and Mildenhall and Chebenhall and Southwold were
granted to him. The other manors were committed to Roger and Albin,
and were divided from the cellary, lest the manors should be ruined
by the cellary, or the cellary be ruined by the manors.
Adam of Cockfield being dead, the abbot could have had three hundred
marks for the wardship of the only daughter of the same Adam; but
because the grandfather of the damsel had taken her away privily, and
inasmuch as the abbot was not able to obtain seisin of the damsel,
unless by the aid of the archbishop, the abbot granted that wardship
to Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, for the consideration of one
hundred pounds. The archbishop, for five hundred marks, granted to
Thomas de Burgh, the brother of the King's chamberlain, that same
wardship; and the damsel was delivered to him, with her rights, by
the hand of the abbot. Thomas, therefore, at once required the seisin
of these manors, which we had in our hands after the death of
Adam--Cockfield, Semer, and Groton--we believing that we had power to
retain all of them in our demesne, or at least two of them, Semer and
Groton; both because Robert of Cockfield, being on his deathbed, had
publicly affirmed that he could claim nothing by right of inheritance
in these two manors, and also because Adam, his son, had re-assigned
to us those two manors in full court, and had made his charter
thereof, wherein it was contained that he holds those two manors by
the permission of the convent during his life only.
Thomas, therefore, suing a writ of recognition thereof, caused the
knights to be summoned, that they should come to be sworn before the
King at Tewkesbury. Our charter read in public had no force, for the
whole court was against us. The oath being administered, the knights
said that they knew nothing about our charters, or of any private
agreements; but this they said they did believe, that Adam and his
father and his grandfather, for a hundred years back, had holden the
manors in fee-farm, one after the other, on the days of their
respective deaths. Thus we were disseised by the judgment of the
court, after much trouble and many charges expended, saving
nevertheless our ancient fee-farm rents payable annually.
The lord abbot seemed to be "misled by a certain appearance of
right," because, forsooth, the Scripture saith, "I will not give my
glory to another." The abbot of Cluny coming to us, and received by
us in such wise as he ought, our abbot would not give place, either
in chapter or in the procession on Sunday, but he must needs sit and
stand in the middle between the abbot of Cluny and the abbot of
Chertsey. Wherefore divers thought different things, and many
expressed their feelings in various ways.