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Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
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The abbacy of Marmaduke Huby (9/10)
Probably Huby’s greatest achievement was his contribution to the Cistercian college at Oxford, St Bernard’s College, now known as St John’s College, Oxford. The building and provisioning of this studium had long been a thorn in the side of the chapter in England and Wales; enthusiasm and finances were lacking, numbers were much lower than anticipated, the buildings were in a ruinous state. Indeed, in 1482 the students and provisor of St Bernard’s claimed that the college was a disgrace to the Order.(116) By 1489/90 not even a third of the buildings were complete, although seven years previous to this the English abbots had claimed that the building work was half finished. Money intended for this construction work had been channelled elsewhere and this poor state of affairs attracted contemporary criticism. The Cistercians’ apathy was quite literally the talk of the town. When Marmaduke Huby acceded to the abbacy of Fountains in 1495 he was determined to set the college on its feet, by completing the building work, providing adequate resources and instilling in his contemporaries a sense of pride in and responsibility for the studium. Huby donated books and relics to the college and urged his fellow abbots to follow his example by donating eight, ten or twelve books from their own libraries, depending on their means. This was not, however, to be an excuse for any abbot to rid himself of kitsch, for Huby intended to select the books for himself.(117) Huby also sought to raise a subscription for the studium.(118) Within a few years Abbot Huby had succeeded where his predecessors had failed, and by the time of his death in 1526 the building work had been finished. His achievement was justly acknowledged by his contemporaries, including the abbot of Rievaulx, who in 1517 wrote a glowing tribute to Huby in his letter to the abbot of Cîteaux; he remarked on Huby’s dedication and zeal, of his tremendous achievement at St Bernard’s and his willingness to use Fountains’ resources for the good of the Order.(119) |
