Peter, Abbot of Vale Royal facts for kids
Peter was an important Abbot (a leader of a monastery) at Vale Royal Abbey in Cheshire, England. He served from 1322 until his death around 1339 or 1340. Many historians believe he wrote the abbey's official history, called the Ledger of Vale Royal Abbey.
When Abbot Peter took charge, the abbey buildings were in bad shape. Construction had started way back in 1277 but was never finished. The monks' living areas were almost falling apart. Abbot Peter decided to move the abbey to a new, better location. However, much of his time was spent dealing with arguments. He had to defend the abbey's rights over its tenants (people who lived on and farmed the abbey's land). These tenants wanted to be free, but the abbey wanted them to remain under its control.
These disputes often ended up in court. Abbot Peter even had to defend himself to the King. In 1337, some unhappy villagers followed him all the way to Rutland. This led to a fight where one of the abbey's servants was killed, and Abbot Peter himself was captured and put in prison. Luckily, the King stepped in and freed him and his group.
Abbot Peter also had arguments with other powerful people. He was involved in a long legal battle with the Abbot of Shrewsbury over who owned the rights to Kirkham Church. He also had a serious disagreement with local wealthy families. This last dispute sadly led to his death. In 1340, while trying to protect his abbey, he was killed during an attack where many abbey buildings were burned. After him, Robert de Cheyneston became the new abbot.
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Who Was Abbot Peter?
Abbot Peter is known as one of the most important leaders of Vale Royal Abbey. He likely started writing the abbey's history, known as the Ledger Book, around 1338. This book recorded the abbey's past, its abbots, and important legal documents.
Early Challenges at Vale Royal
Vale Royal Abbey was founded by King Edward I in 1277. The King wanted it to be the biggest and grandest Cistercian church in Europe. However, building work was often delayed. The King had promised to build it in 1263, but wars and other problems stopped the work.
Construction continued until the 1280s. Then, King Edward I invaded Wales. He took money meant for Vale Royal and even forced the builders to work on his castles in Wales. By the 1330s, the monks had only managed to finish the east part of the church.
Abbot Peter decided to move the abbey in 1330. The old buildings, used since 1281, were "unsightly and ruinous," meaning they looked bad and were falling apart. The abbey didn't have enough money to finish the original buildings. In 1336, Abbot Peter reported that parts of the church, like the roof and windows, were still not done. He had to ask for money from the main Cistercian leaders.
Abbot Peter's Legal Battles
Abbot Peter spent a lot of his time in legal fights. He was a strong defender of his abbey's rights and property. These battles often involved powerful people and other religious institutions.
Fighting for Church Rights
Around 1327 or 1328, Abbot Peter was sued by Shrewsbury Abbey. This was about who had the right to choose the priest for Kirkham Church. This argument had started before Peter became abbot.
Kirkham Church originally belonged to Shrewsbury Abbey in the 1100s. But in 1196, it was taken by Theobald Walter through a lawsuit. Later, King Edward I gave these rights to Vale Royal Abbey as part of its funding.
Even with these grants, Abbot Peter was called to appear before the Archbishop of York. He had to prove why Vale Royal owned Kirkham Church. He brought many written documents and witnesses. This showed that the original grant might have had some weaknesses. The case was not fully settled until after Abbot Peter's death.
Disputes with Sir William Clifton
In 1337, Abbot Peter had a dispute with a knight named Sir William Clifton. This was over the church's tithes, which were payments (usually a tenth of income) from the villages of Clifton and Westby. Abbot Peter claimed Sir William had taken money that belonged to the abbey.
Abbot Peter also accused Sir William of using violence. He said Sir William threatened the priest of Kirkham Church and stopped him from collecting the payments. He also sent his followers to invade the church, stop a religious service, and interrupt a baptism. Abbot Peter also claimed Sir William hurt the priest's horse. Sir William also took one of the Abbot's clerks, Thomas, and punished him in the streets of Preston.
Thanks to the help of the Abbot of Westminster, who was the head of the Cistercian Order in England, Sir William Clifton had to give in. Abbot Peter got his money and a promise from Sir William to behave better.
The Conflict with Villagers
Vale Royal Abbey was not popular with the local villagers. The abbey's land grants often took away the villagers' traditional freedoms. Arguments between the abbey and its tenants were common. In 1275, just a year after the abbey was founded, tenants from Darnhall tried to stop paying the Abbot. They continued to fight for their freedom for the next fifty years.
Abbot Peter continued the fight to keep his tenants under the abbey's control. He was a strong defender of the abbey's rights. The tenants first tried to use the law. But they found Abbot Peter's political connections too strong. So, their protests became more violent.
The Rutland Incident
The tenants of Darnhall, joined by people from nearby villages, were very angry with Abbot Peter. In June 1337, a group of them followed him across England. The Abbot had been visiting King Edward III at his hunting lodge.
As Abbot Peter and his group were returning through Rutland, the Cheshiremen attacked them. The abbey's history book, the Ledger, says a "great crowd of the country people" attacked. In the fight, the Abbot was "ignominiously taken," meaning he was captured in a humiliating way. His servant was killed.
The next day, the King ordered Abbot Peter's release. His captors quickly obeyed and were then put in prison themselves. Later, the King ordered Abbot Peter to return goods he had taken from the rebellious tenants. However, the Abbot refused to do so.
How Abbot Peter Died
We don't know all the details about how Abbot Peter died. However, he was involved in a serious dispute with a local wealthy man named Thomas de Venables. The argument was almost certainly because Abbot Peter was fiercely defending his abbey's rights.
Just before he was killed, several of the Abbot's buildings were destroyed. Much of his harvest was burned, goods were stolen, and some animals were killed. A fellow monk, Walter le Walche, also died with him. Walter had been a loyal friend to the Abbot and had defended him before. In the fight in Rutland three years earlier, Walter had rushed to defend the Abbot "like a champion sent from God."
After Abbot Peter's death, one of his monks, Robert de Cheyneston, became the new Abbot. Robert had been a senior official in Abbot Peter's administration since 1337.
