At the beginning of his abbacy Roger had
to contend with problems relating to Byland’s rather ambiguous constitutional
status. Furness had arguably renounced any claim to authority which
it had over the community in 1138, when it turned away Abbot Gerold and
his band of
monks who had fled from Calder, and reclaimed their site in Cumberland.
Yet, this assertion of independence was shaky and with the refoundation
of Calder (Calder II) the situation
grew increasingly complex since Abbot Hardrad of Calder could,
in theory, claim authority over Byland. In
1149/50 Hardrad claimed Byland as a daughter-house.
It seems that this assertion of power was essentially for economic
reasons, as
Calder was at this time
facing financial hardships and probably hoped to benefit from Byland’s
success. The matter was resolved when Abbot Serlo of Savigny visited
England and Calder was effectively bought off. In return for eight
oxen, six cows
with their calves, five mares with their foals, one palfrey and
a full set of priestly garments, Calder agreed to back down and
to support Byland in
any future dispute with Furness.(30) This
checklist of gifts significantly duplicates and expands upon the
list of resources that the original
Calder community
took from Furness to York in 1138, and suggests that Abbot Hardred
was chiefly concerned to exact from Byland what he believed his
community was entitled
to receive – with
interest.(31)
Calder may have been appeased, but Furness
remained a problem and challenged Byland’s subjection to Savigny.
This initiated a dispute which was only resolved with the intervention
of
Aelred, abbot of Rievaulx,
c. 1155. The abbot of Garendon presided
over the investigation as judge and the verdict was witnessed by
an impressive Cistercian gathering
that
included the abbots of Fountains, Newminster, Louth
Park, Basingwerk,
Rufford, Jervaulx, Kirkstall, Meaux and Ford,
Prior Thurstan of Rievaulx and three
monks of the house (Maurice, Galo and Daniel), three monks of Fountains
(Robert, Richard and Alan), and Alan of Revesby.(32) This
was clearly regarded as an important affair. Aelred decided in
favour of Byland and
Savigny;
interestingly, his decision was influenced, in part, by the fact
that Roger de Mowbray,
had made a personal visit to the Cistercian General
Chapter,
to assign his foundation at Byland to the abbot of Savigny. The
outcome of this important delegation was copied by Abbot Philip
into his history
of Byland and forms the climax of the work.(33)