The abbots and priors of late medieval and Reformation England

416 Pages·2016·6.29 MB·English

by  Heale

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THE ABBOTS AND PRIORS OF LATE MEDIEVAL
AND REFORMATION ENGLAND
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The Abbots and Priors of
Late Medieval and
Reformation England
MARTIN HEALE
1
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3
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For Jonathan and Beth
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Acknowledgements
This book has been a long time in the making. It originated as my postdoctoral
projectandhasbeenthefocusofmyattention—onandoff—forfifteenyears.Itis
fairtosaythatwritingabookaboutabbotshasbeenarathermorechallengingtask
thanIanticipatedwhenIfirstcameupwiththeideaasaPh.D.student.Without
the help, guidance, and support that I have received from numerous people and
institutions along the way, it would have taken me much longer to complete this
book,anditsshortcomingsandimperfectionswouldhavebeenallthegreater.
My greatest debt is to the British Academy, which has supported my project
from the very outset. My research on abbots began during a BA postdoctoral
fellowship at the University of York. After I moved to Liverpool, the Academy
awarded me a small research grant to purchase microfilms of several unpublished
abbots’andpriors’registers,whichgreatlyassistedmywork.Finally,thebulkofthe
writing of this book was completed during an extended period of research leave
fundedbyaBritishAcademyResearchDevelopmentAward.
I have also benefited from a fellowship at the Huntington Library andfrom an
AuthorPublicationGrantfromthePaulMellonCentreforStudiesinBritishArt,
both of which are acknowledged with gratitude. The ongoing financial and prac-
tical support I have received from the University of Liverpool has likewise much
facilitatedmyresearch.
I began this project under the mentoring of David Smith, and have profited
enormously from his scholarship, advice, generosity, and friendship over the past
fifteen years. My book self-evidently rests on the foundations of his remarkable
workontheHeadsofReligiousHousesseries;andpriortothepublicationofthefinal
HRH volume in 2008, he very kindly shared the fruits of his research with me.
I have consulted the HRH volumes constantly while researching and writing this
book,andmyadmirationforthemhasgrowneverdeeperasmyworkprogressed.
Manyotherscholars,colleagues,andfriendshavesharedtheirideasandknowledge
withme,suggestednewavenuesofresearch,andofferedhelpfulcriticism.Thethree
anonymousreviewers for OxfordUniversityPressprovidedthought-provoking and
perceptive guidance, which I have tried to take on board. I am also grateful to
everyone who has commented on conference and seminar papers, passed on refer-
ences,discussedideaswithme,orhelpedmeinsomeotherway—includingFrances
Andrews,CarolineBarron,GeorgeBernard,PaulBooth,PaulBotley,HaraldBraun,
JanetBurton,MichaelCarter,PeterClarke,MariosCostambeys,GodfriedCroenen,
JamesDavis,GwilymDodd,HughDoherty,JudyFrost,ChrisGiven-Wilson,Joan
Greatrex, Anselm Gribbin, David Griffith, Matt Houlbrook, Emilia Jamroziak,
MaureenJurkowski,JulianLuxford,DiarmaidMacCulloch,EdwardMeek,Veronica
O’Mara, Nicholas Orme, Mark Ormrod, Nigel Ramsay, Daniel Scroop, Pauline
Stafford,ChristianSteer,KarenStöber,TedWestervelt,andCindyWood.Iwould
also like to thank all of the speakers at the 2011 Liverpool conference on the late
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viii Acknowledgements
medievalprelate,whosepapersprovidedmuchstimulationformywork.Ifirstbegan
researchonthemonasticsuperiorunderthesupervisionofBarrieDobson,whosadly
passedawaybeforetheculminationofthisproject.Itowesagreatdealtohisguidance
andencouragement.
I am very grateful to all the staff at Oxford University Press—and especially
Stephanie Ireland and Cathryn Steele—for their expert guidance and assistance
throughout the production of this volume. I also acknowledge with gratitude the
helpprovidedbythelibrariansandarchivistsinthenumerousrepositoriesinwhich
Ihaveworkedwhilecarryingoutmyresearchforthisbook.
To my family, who have lived with abbots and priors for longer than they can
remember,Ioffermyheartfeltthanks.Mel’sunstintingsupport,andhertolerance
forallthosetimeswhenI(ormymind)waselsewhere,hasbeenheroic.Ihavebeen
working on this book for all, or most, of Jonathan’s and Beth’s lives, and during
thattimetheymayhavevisitedafewmoremedievalmonasteriesandchurchesthan
they would independently have chosen. They have been a source of joy, fun, and
welcomedistractionovertheyearsinwhichIhavebeenengagedinthisproject,and
Idedicatetheendprojecttothemwithlove.
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Contents
ListofIllustrations xi
ListofTables xiii
Abbreviations xv
NoteaboutNames xvii
Introduction 1
1. ElectionandSelection 15
2. AbbotsandPriorsintheirCommunity 57
3. AbbotsandPriorsasAdministrators 101
4. LivingStandardsandDisplay 139
5. AbbotsandPriorsinPublicLife 187
6. TheExternalRelationsandReputationoftheLateMedievalSuperior 227
7. TheEarlySixteenthCentury 271
8. Dissolution,Opposition,Accommodation 309
9. Epilogue:TheAfterlivesofAbbotsandPriorsinReformationEngland 354
Appendix:AbbotsandPriorsholdingHighOfficeintheHenrician
Church,1534–1547 377
SelectBibliography 381
IndexofPeopleandPlaces 417
IndexofSubjects 448