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Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
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What was the cause of Fountains' predicament ? (23/26)
The catalogue of disasters that dogged the community in the second half of the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries culminated in the Black Death, the plague that swept through Europe and ravaged England in 1348-9. This had a devastating effect on numbers which in turn affected the balance of personnel within the community, for it hastened the demise of the lay-brethren; this loss of manpower altered the economic organisation of the abbey. Political developments at this time also had a considerable impact on the community and, more particularly, on the nature of the abbot’s role. The turning-point was in 1265 when Simon de Montfort summoned over one hundred prelates to attend his parliament at Westminster. This was a momentous occasion for previously only eleven prelates and twenty-three magnates had attended parliament. The abbot of Fountains was amongst those invited to Westminster - at least six of the Yorkshire Cistercian abbots were summoned. From now on he, like other heads of religious houses, would be considered a political figure who was expected to lend counsel and aid in these turbulent times.(83) This could be costly and time-consuming, involving payments and travel – for example, the abbot was summoned to parliament at Westminster in 1295, at Bury St Edmunds in 1296, at London in 1299 and at Lincoln in 1301.(84)
This was a changed and changing world. The abbot of Fountains was not simply the shepherd of his flock, but was embroiled in litigation relating to his own abbey and its daughter-houses, and engaged in local, national and international affairs. In 1287, the abbot of Fountains was one of three prelates appointed by the pope (Honorius IV), to investigate a dispute between the archbishop of York, John Romeyn, and the chapter of Durham, regarding the nature of the archbishop’s authority during a vacancy at the cathedral priory. In September 1294 he was summoned to Westminster to attend a council of the clergy regarding the recovery of Gascony.(85) In 1296 Fountains was one of the communities approached by the king, Edward I, to pray for his brother’s soul,(86) and in 1311 the abbot of Fountains was amongst those whom the archbishop of York summoned to St Peter’s, York, to attend the trial of the Knights Templar. This was attended by a number of prelates and, with the exception of the abbot of Sawley, every Yorkshire Cistercian abbot was present.(87) The commission eventually agreed that the twenty-four Templars should be absolved and dispersed amongst the various religious houses, where each would be received as a guest. Whilst Rievaulx refused to receive a Templar and Kirkstall admitted one whom they then allowed to escape, Fountains retained its Templar, a Thomas of Staunford, who was said to be unruly and insolent.(88) |
