MALMESBURY ABBEY 670-1539 : patronage, scholarship and scandal

The book tells the story of Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire from the time of Aldhelm in the late seventh century to the Dissolution in 1539, using the particularly rich sources that survive for the Abbey from throughout the Middle Ages. It is an institution which has, in different ways, a national significance. The community produced two eminent writers: Aldhelm and William of Malmesbury. The Abbey was chosen as the mausoleum of Æthelstan, first king of all England. It was the setting for the marriage in 1015 of Edmund Ironside in defiance of his father, Æthelred 'the Unready'. After the Conquest Malmesbury was patronised by Queen Matilda of Scotland, wife of Henry I. The future Henry II was present in 1153 when a massacre of monks and townsfolk took place in the Abbey church.Although royal patronage dried up after the twelfth century, the Abbey remained an important institution for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The community took the side of the king and the Despensers during the violent conflict between Edward II and his baronial opponents. Largely unexamined sources will be used to shed light on abbots such as William of Colerne who transformed the economic fortunes of the Abbey and John of Tintern who was accused by Wiltshire juries of terrorising the area by his many acts of criminality.n Edward II and his baronial opponents. Largely unexamined sources will be used to shed light on abbots such as William of Colerne who transformed the economic fortunes of the Abbey and John of Tintern who was accused by Wiltshire juries of terrorising the area by his many acts of criminality.n Edward II and his baronial opponents. Largely unexamined sources will be used to shed light on abbots such as William of Colerne who transformed the economic fortunes of the Abbey and John of Tintern who was accused by Wiltshire juries of terrorising the area by his many acts of criminality.n Edward II and his baronial opponents. Largely unexamined sources will be used to shed light on Malmesbury Abbey was an institution of national significance throughout the Middle Ages and this book is the first full-length study of its history. Drawing upon particularly rich surviving documentary sources, it describes the monastery's evolution from the late seventh century to the Dissolution in 1539. The place was home to two particularly eminent Aldhelm and William of Malmesbury. The Abbey had many royal connections. It housed the mausoleum of thelstan, first king of all England, and was effectively re-founded by King Edgar as part of an elite network of Benedictine communities intended to offer prayers on behalf of the royal house of Wessex. Queen Matilda, wife of Henry I, took a close interest in the monastery's affairs. Henry Plantagenet was present when a massacre took place in the Abbey church in 1153. In the 1320s the monks became caught up in the conflict between Edward II and his baronial opponents. The Abbey was also important architecturally. The church was completely rebuilt at the behest of Bishop Roger of Salisbury, chief minister of Henry I, and the surviving south porch contains some of the finest Romanesque sculpture in England. Previously neglected or unexamined sources are used extensively. The book reveals for the first time the identity of the Malmesbury monk who wrote the chronicle known as Eulogium Historiarum in the 1360s; his name was Thomas of Bromham and he envisaged a messianic role for the Black Prince. New light is shed on the extraordinary careers of abbots such as William of Colerne who transformed the Abbey's economic fortunes and John of Tintern who was accused of murder and arson. The turbulent final years of the Abbey's existence receive considerable attention, including an account of the spectacular breakdown in discipline in 1527 when Abbot Richard Camme was attacked by a gang of rebellious monks.