A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and in building," he also incurred great expense 

 in presiding over the provincial chapter *• 

 1351-63, in visitations of monasteries, probably 

 those undertaken at the request of King 

 Edward,^ in presents to royal and noble 

 patrons,** and especially in entertaining. He 

 added new accommodation for noble guests," 

 and hospitality must have been continual and 

 generous, for a staff of huntsmen and falconers 

 was maintained, though neither the abbot nor 

 his monks even looked on at sport.** 



The Black Prince was probably a frequent 

 visitor*'; the King of France was received with 

 all fitting ceremony '" ; and among the many 

 admitted to the fraternity of the convent, appa- 

 rently while the abbot's guests, '^ were the Prin- 

 cess of Wales with her daughter and two eldest 

 sons in 1376,'^ King Richard and Henry Earl of 

 Derby in 1 377,"" the Duke of Gloucester in 1 380,'* 

 and in 1386 the Duchesses of Gloucester and 

 Lancaster."^ Archbishop Sudbury visited the 

 monastery in 1380,*' and Courtenay, his 

 successor, came by the abbot's invitation in 

 1382 and was splendidly entertained." 



The outlay was not impohtic nor without 

 return : the abbey gained a great reputation 



^ He rebuilt the Great Gate, part of the wall and 

 the almonry, &c. {F.C.H. Herts, ii, 509). Altogether 

 he spent considerably over j^z.ooo in this way {Gesta 

 Abhat. iii, 387-9; Cott. MS. Nero, D vii, fol. 

 22 J.-24). 



** Gesta Abbat. iii, 4 14- 1 8. He became president 

 in I 35 I (ibid, ii, 402), when he published constitu- 

 tions for the province, interesting for the light they 

 throw on the general condition of the order (ibid, 

 ii, 449-62). As president he gave pecuniary and 

 moral support to Ralph Archbishop of Armagh in 

 his contest in 1357 with the mendicant friars (ibid, 

 ii, 405 ; Knighton, Chron. [Rolls Ser.], ii, 93-4). 

 He presided, moreover, in 1363 {Chron. Angl. 

 1328-88, p. 52). 



*' Eynsham, Abingdon, Battle, Reading, Chester, 

 where the abbot was forced to resign (Cat. Pat. 

 I 361-4, p. 2 14), and St. Edmundsbur)' {Gesta Abbat. 

 ii, 405-6). 



** Gesta Abbat. iii, 390. 



^ Ibid. 387 ; Cott. MS. Nero, D vii, fol. 22 d. 

 The difficulties of the office of sub-cellarer under 

 Abbot Thomas {Gesta Abbat. iii, 390) were caused 

 partly by the great number of guests who came to 

 the monastery. 



*' Gesta Abbat. iii, 400. 



*' This seems the conclusion to be drawn from 

 ibid, ii, 377. 



^^ ' Curialiter et laudabiliter ' (ibid. 408). 



'1 It seems to be mentioned when those who 

 became capitular brothers or sisters were not present. 



^^ Besides gentlemen and ladies of her household 

 (Cott. MS. Nero, D vii, fol. 129). 



93 Ibid. fol. 129 d. 



and numerous friends, to its incalculable advan- 

 tage. The list of benefactions in Abbot Thomas's 

 day in itself is remarkable,"' but the good feeling 

 towards the monastery was manifested not only 

 in gifts. The Black Prince,»» Richard H,"" 

 John of Gaunt,' Archbishop Sudbury* and 

 others * rendered services of more or less 

 importance to the abbey. 



The abbot was attacked by plague during the 

 second pestilence,* and in his old age suffered 

 constant pain from strangury.* Yet not until 

 he was physically prostrate did he yield to 

 remonstrance and forgo his accustomed penance 

 and abstinences. He was very infirm when the 

 Idng visited him at the abbey in March 1394, 

 and told him to ask what he wanted of him.* 



" Ibid. fol. 1 3 I d. 

 9= Ibid. fol. 132 d.-] 

 s« Chrcn. Angl. I 32 J 

 " Ibid. p. 348. 



33- 



-88, p. 280. 



'* Richard II gave a gold collar in offering to 

 the shrine (Trokelowe and Blaneforde, Chron. App. 

 p. 433 ); Joan Princess of Wales gave a collar of 

 gold, a silver-gilt cup to the abbot, and a cask 

 of wine annually for many years (ibid. 435); 

 Robert de Hatfeld, Bishop of Durham, bequeathed 

 100 marks to St. Albans (Cott. MS. Nero, D vii, 

 fol. 87) ; Mary Countess of Pembroke, a silver-gilt 

 image of St. Vincent containing a relic (ibid. fol. 

 103d.); Adam Rous, the king's surgeon, gave vest- 

 ments, a silver-gilt chalice and a tenement in Dowgate, 

 London (ibid. fol. 104 d.) ; Robert de Walsham, at 

 one time confessor of the Black Prince, gave altogether 

 to the work of the cloister 400 marks (ibid. fol. 

 105 d.), and bequeathed to the church a silver-gilt 

 basin, an ornament of gold and jewels to the abbot 

 and convent for pious uses, and 100 marks to the 

 monastery in relief of its poverty (Harl. MS. 602, 

 fol. 6 d.) ; Richard de Threton, executor of Sir Robert 

 Thorp, chancellor, gave 140 marks (Cott. MS. 

 Nero, D vii, fol. 106) ; Sir Robert Knolles, jfioo 

 to the fabric of the convent kitchen (ibid. fol. 1 10) ; 

 the Duke of Gloucester, 6 cloths of gold and a collar 

 of gold and enamel set with sapphires (ibid.) ; 

 Constance Duchess of Lancaster, j^io to the fabric 

 of the kitchen, to the abbot a light blue cloth of 

 gold for the orphreys of the copes given by the Duke 

 of Gloucester, and a gold vestment trimmed with 

 flir which was afterwards sold for the benefit of the 

 church (Trokelowe and Blaneforde, Chron. 435, ice). 



»3 Gesta Abbat. ii, 377, 403-4 ; iii, 395. 



iwibid. iii, 1 5 1-8. 



"^ The duke's interposition in 1 39 1 saved St. Albans 

 from lending 500 marks to the king (Walsingham, 

 Hist. Angl. ii, 199). 



^ He confirmed the indulgences offered on the 

 abbey's behalf and granted another {Chron. Angl. 

 1328-88, p. 280). 



' Archbishop Courtenay, for instance (see above and 

 Gesta Abbat. iii, 281), and the Earl of Warwick, a 

 chapter brother (Cott. MS. Nero, D vii, fol. 1 29 d.), 

 who in 1383 renounced the claim to Redbourn 

 Heath, which had caused the abbey 30 much annoy- 

 ance and loss {Gesta Abbat. iii, 257-62). 



■* That of I 362. 



° Gesta Abbat. iii, 403. 



' ' Annales Ric. II ' in Trokelowe and Blaneforde, 

 Chron. 167. The abbot's request for the confirmation 

 of the abbey's charters remained, however, unfulfilled. 



396 



