- medieval hospitals
- bloodletting
- [Burton Abbey and its monks]
- St Modwen
- the Manor House
Burton Abbey and its monks
 |
Burton Abbey remains by Rev. Stebbing Shaw, 1798 |
the monks
The Benedictine abbey at Burton was headed by an abbot and housed up to 30 monks. On entering fully into the religious order, they took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but their chief duty was the opus dei -- the 'work of God' -- which consisted of praying at set times throughout the day and night for the souls of the departed. The abbey provided employment for many Burton people, and it would have been a scene of much activity except for the cloister, where the monks worked or meditated quietly. The latter's main cultural achievement was the production of the Annals, a compilation of the main events -- both local and national -- of every year, covering the period 1004-1258, with notes on Burton's abbots to 1455.
Some of the monks were appointed to act as obedientiaries -- that is, they held offices connected with the abbey's administration to which certain revenues were earmarked. The almoner distributed alms to the poor (Almoner's Lane, near the abbey site, was presumably where such distributions were made). The cellarer was the abbey's treasurer. The sacrist was responsible for the fabric of the abbey and its shrines, including St Modwen's. The chamberlain looked after all matters connected with the well-being of the monks, including the heating of the water (the monks were supposed to take baths three times a year). And the fraterer had duties in the refectory (dining hall), including making sure that the beer jugs were washed once a week.
the abbots
Each abbot was elected by the monks with the permission of the king, patron of the abbey, and was inaugurated into his office by the bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. His second-in-command was the prior, who would act as head of house when the abbot was away. The latter had absolute authority over the brethren, and his character would set the tone for the abbey -- for good or ill. For instance, Abbot Geoffrey Mauland and Abbot Robert -- in, respectively, 1094 and 1159 -- were expelled for dissipating the abbey's lands and/or goods. In 1455, Abbot Ralph Henley was suspended by the bishop for maladministration, absence from night services, gaming and drunkenness. Even worse, on Christmas Day 1404 Abbot John Sudbury ravished Margery, wife of Nicholas Taverner, in his chamber (he was pardoned for this and for offences of violence and theft three years later); in 1422, he was charged with maladministration and was also found guilty of adultery; and he resigned in 1424, probably because of the confused state of the abbey's financial affairs. However, some of the abbots were assets to their order: the scholarly Abbot Geoffrey (1114-50) wrote a life of St Modwen; Richard de Lisle and William Boston went on to become abbots of even greater monasteries; and many of Burton's abbots added to or restored the abbey fabric.
As great lords, the abbots often played a role in national affairs. Abbot Lawrence attended Henry III's Great Council at Westminster in 1257, and between 1295 and 1322 and after 1532, the abbots of Burton were regularly summoned to the House of Lords. At least two of them became embroiled in political intrigues. After the battle of Burton bridge in 1322, Abbot William Bromley was fined on suspicion of having given refuge to the earl of Lancaster and of retaining some of his treasure, but he later received a pardon from Edward II. And in 1412, the infamous John Sudbury -- never long out of trouble -- was pardoned on condition that he did not support any of Henry IV's adversaries.
Because of their high status, the abbots commanded (and demanded) respect from their underlings. All the people bowed as they passed by, and when they returned from a journey with their retinue, they were met in procession by the brethren and led to the high altar where prayers were offered for their safe homecoming. Later in the Middle Ages, the abbots had their own apartments and kitchen in the west range of the abbey, and this dislocation and their duties tended to separate them from the routine life of the monks. At the bishop's visitation of 1422, the latter complained that their abbot did not sleep in the dormitory or eat in the refectory.
villeins and obligations
Although Burton was a town, many of the inhabitants had to work on the abbey lands in return for holding their own tenements (tenancies). For example, here are the 'obligations' owed in the early 14th century by one villein:
John le Bonde holds one virgate [about 30 acres] of land for which he pays annually 2 shillings at the terms of St Martin and St John. He shall find one man for lifting hay for one whole day ... he shall carry two cartloads of hay to the barn of the lord ... He must hoe for one day with one man before the feast of the nativity of St John the Baptist ... and he must reap for one day in autumn ...
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the abbots appear to have imposed greater burdens on their villein tenants than ever before. During a legal dispute with some of his tenants in Mickleover, Abbot John of Stafford (1260-81) emphasised his rights as feudal lord by commenting that villeins 'possessed nothing but their bodies and their stomachs'. Meanwhile, the tenants' obligations to the abbey increased: in 1297, Reginald le Broune was paying a rent of 8d. per acre -- a rate eight times higher than that a century before. Other villein obligations included carting services, payment of merchet (a fine imposed when a villein's daughter married) and payment of a heriot. The latter -- a fine levied when an heir succeeded to a tenement -- could be particularly expensive, often consisting of three beasts: an ox, a cow and a mare.
Despite these fines and rents, financial troubles plagued the abbey throughout its history. In 1319, Edward II appointed one of his officials to act as 'keeper' of the abbey, and in 1400, Henry IV excused it of a debt incurred by the 'improvident governance' of Abbot Thomas. However, not all of the financial difficulties were the result of mismanagement. In 1382, for example, it is recorded that the abbey was so impoverished -- because of the high cost of corn, the mortality of its cattle and the expensive lawsuits it had been engaged in -- that the monks were no longer able to live decently. It appears likely that, when the abbey finances fell into deficit, the abbots enforced their seigneurial rights even more rigidly.
Back to history
