A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



for economy. The revelations at the abbot's 

 first visitation of the convent ^' made plain the 

 need of reform. Many were accused of carnal 

 sin, though some cleared themselves, but, says 

 the chronicler, how God knows ^° ; others were 

 found guilty of disobedience,'* some of holding 

 property, and certain, of obtaining entrance 

 into the convent by simony. Richard dealt 

 gently with all the offenders,^* but required 

 those who had paid to become monks to re- 

 nounce the order publicly. If his mildness was 

 construed as weakness by any they were soon 

 undeceived. Five obedientiaries, after repeated 

 admonitions, continued to neglect payment of 

 their share of the clerical tenth. The abbot 

 therefore proclaimed them in chapter, removed 

 them from office, excommunicated them and 

 sentenced them to corporal discipline twice a 

 week. It is true he was persuaded immediately 

 to remit the sentence on a promise of amend- 

 ment.^ The episode was a revelation of 

 Richard's determination to be master, and was 

 like a challenge to the disaffected. A con- 

 spiracy was set on foot to depose the abbot on 

 the ground of his illness, for he was believed to 

 be suffering from leprosy,** or to get the king to 

 appoint one of their party as warden. Richard, 

 outwardly unperturbed, said it was a matter of 

 indifference to him whether he remained abbot 

 or not, but he cared enough to excommunicate 

 all who were trying to wrest his temporalities 

 from him.^^ Thi s may have quelled the sedition, 

 for it was not successful. The abbot in due 

 course visited the cells, published constitutions 

 of reform,*' the nature of which is probably to 

 be gathered from those for Redbourn,*' paid the 

 poorest and most pressing creditors or came to 

 terms with them,*^ repaired the abbey's pro- 

 perty *' and replenished stores.*" He found time 

 too for his own pursuits, compiling books on 



^^ Gesta Abbat. ii, 196-7. 



'" The prevalence of sexual immorality shows that 

 the women of the district may have had ground for 

 their complaints of the monies made to Queen Isabella 

 in 1 327 (ibid, iii, 367), and explains the villeins' 

 hatred of the abbey then. 



31 To Abbot Hugh. 



3' He felt he must go very carefully at first {Gesta 

 Abbat. ii, 196). 



" Ibid. 198. 



'* Immediately after his return from Avignon he 

 had something wrong with one of his eyes (ibid. 

 193), and he was ill within a few months of his 

 arrival at St. Albans (ibid. 197). 



3* Ibid. 199. 



3^ And saw that they were observed (ibid. 201). 



^' Ibid. 202-5. S^^ Redbourn Priory. 



3^ Gesta Abbat. ii, 201. In one instance he com- 

 pounded by payment of ^^40 for a debt of j^i 27 10/. 

 (ibid. 3^6-8). 



3» Ibid. 280-1. 



^^ Ibid. 281. He made at least one agricultural 

 experiment. 



astronomy and geometry," and constructing a 

 wonderful clock, to which he gave the punning 

 name Albion.*^ In this work he received no 

 encouragement. The brothers thought it sheer 

 folly, and the king, when on a visit to the 

 monastery, told the abbot reproachfully that 

 he ought rather to bestow his attention on the 

 south side of the church still in ruins. Richard 

 made an apt rejoinder : his successors could 

 restore the church, for builders were always to 

 be had, but if he left his clock unfinished, so it 

 must remain.** Absorbed as he might appear 

 in his occupations, his vigilance for the abbey's 

 interest never failed. The attempt of the nuns 

 of Sopwell at independence was quietly frus- 

 trated,** and the abbey's hold over St. Mary 

 de Pre was strengthened.*^ 



To regain the rights of which the monastery 

 had been deprived by the villeins was a more 

 serious enterprise, and for this he had long to 

 scheme and wait. With unobtrusive care he 

 prevented the possibility of complications 

 through ties of relationship between townsmen 

 and convent and provided himself with friends 

 among the neighbouring gentry.*' When the 

 moment seemed propitious he began the contest 

 by a legitimate exertion of his ecclesiastical 

 authority which was resisted,*' as he had 

 doubtless expected it would be. The villeins 

 further put themselves in the wrong by indicting 

 the abbot and archdeacon of the murder of the 

 two men killed in the scuffle.*^ The abbot easily 

 cleared himself, and then assuming the offensive 

 brought a counter-charge of conspiracy against 

 the coroner of the liberty, and accused the 

 villeins of having extorted privileges from the 

 abbot and convent by force. After winning a 

 verdict as to his right to multure, he frightened 

 or cajoled the townsmen into complete sub- 

 mission.*' They entered into bonds of 3,000 

 marks to keep their agreements, gave up their 

 common chest and mill-stones,*" and in April 

 1332 surrendered their charter and seal into 

 Chancery.^i Once triumphant he made friends 

 with them unreservedly and delighted them all 

 in spite of his disfigurement,** for uncertainty 



*i Gesta Abbat. ii, 201. 



« Ibid. 281. All by one. 



*' In this, said the chronicler (ibid. 282), he spoice 

 truly, for in that art he left none lilce him. A star 

 placed conspicuously over his head on his mutilated 

 grave slab in the abbey church evidently commemo- 

 rates his proficiency as an astronomer. 



" See Sopwell Priory. 



'" See St. Mary de Pr6. 



*' Gesta Abbat. ii, 202. 



<' Ibid. 217-18. 



** One of whom was the abbot's marshal. 



*5 Gesta Abbat. ii, 218-54. ^ Ibid. 254-;. 



" Cal. Close, 1330-3, p. 558 ; Gesta Abbat. ii, 

 256-7. 



=2 Gesta Abbat. ii, 256. 



388 



