| dc.description.abstract | Most of the published work on Glastonbury Abbey has focused on its architecture, archaeology, myths, and legends but has neglected its monks. This study offers a fresh approach using prosopography, quantitative and network data analysis to produce a picture of the abbots and monks, their careers, secular lordship and their relationship with the crown, parliament, papacy and church.
This study compiled a database of over 560 Glastonbury monks and abbots between 1100 and 1539 from relevant sources, including manuscripts, books, journals, archives, and state documents. The list of monks and their biographies is provided in Appendix E. The data was then collated, categorised, and placed into datasets so cohort analysis could occur across various conditions, chronologies, kings, popes and bishops and be compared with other monasteries.
The study reveals a nationally recognised provincial monastery that was conservative in outlook, did not privilege university education, and was reluctant to change its administrative practices, yet was believed to be the wealthiest monastery in England at the Dissolution. Glastonbury survived and thrived by staying somewhat aloof from politics and other constituencies, but in the Modern Era, it has gained a remarkable, legendary reputation, which the study challenges in some respects.
Glastonbury shows some divergence from its Benedictine peers in its approach to university education, its appointment of abbots and officeholders, and the fact that there were few opportunities for monks to progress to officeholding. Also, Glastonbury selected local men who understood its ethos and were able to manage its estates to be its leaders and managers. The study demonstrates that Glastonbury does not fit neatly into the template of an independent Benedictine monastery because it had similarities to Cathedral priories. However, in some ways, it was more akin to a rural house, which made finding comparators challenging.
Glastonbury can now be viewed differently as a dynamic living community of resilient monks, resisting change but carefully curating its spirituality and antiquity and maintaining its traditions and estates. The study develops and tests different methodologies, which, hopefully, others will build upon to provide fresh historical insights. | en_GB |
