Thomas Stevens (monk) facts for kids
Thomas Stevens (born around 1490, died 1550) was an English monk and church leader. He was an Abbot at Netley Abbey and later at Beaulieu Abbey. As an abbot, he had the right to be part of the House of Lords, which is a part of the British Parliament.
Not much is known about Thomas Stevens' early life. He became a monk at Netley Abbey in Hampshire. This was a small and not very rich monastery. He became a priest there and moved up in the ranks. By 1529, he was chosen to be the abbot of Netley. He took over from John Corne.
Thomas Stevens as Abbot
Stevens was a very good manager and farmer. Even though Netley Abbey often had money problems, he kept it financially stable. This was hard because the abbey didn't have much money given to it. Also, they had to spend a lot on looking after visitors and the king's sailors.
He managed to build up a lot of extra farm goods worth more than £100. This was a huge amount of money back then. He also paid off the abbey's debts. Thomas Stevens made sure the monks kept high religious standards. He and his seven monks were well-respected by local important people. They even sent good reports about him to the king.
The government also trusted Abbot Stevens. He was asked to look after two Franciscan friars. These friars had disagreed with the king's new rules about religion.
However, the king's new rules soon changed Stevens' life dramatically. In 1535, a survey of church money called the Valor Ecclesiasticus found Netley's income. It was £160 gross and £100 net. This meant that the next year, Netley Abbey fell under the first Suppression Act. This was King Henry VIII's first step in closing monasteries. This act closed all monasteries that earned less than £200 a year. In 1536, Abbot Stevens and his seven monks had to give their abbey to the King.
But this was not the end of Thomas's time as an abbot. Soon after Netley closed, King Henry made him abbot of Beaulieu Abbey. Beaulieu was Netley's "mother house" and a very rich royal monastery. This was unusual because the abbot's job was usually chosen by voting.
In 1536, Thomas and six of his monks moved across Southampton Water to Beaulieu. One monk decided to leave and become a regular priest. At Beaulieu, Stevens continued to try and stay on the government's good side. He especially tried to please Thomas Cromwell, King Henry's main minister. Cromwell had a lot of power over the English church. Stevens also gave gifts, like fine horses, to Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton. Wriothesley was another minister who wanted to take over the abbey for himself. Stevens hoped these actions would save Beaulieu.
There was a problem, though. Stevens had only been abbot of Beaulieu for about a year when a crisis happened. In September 1537, a man named James Manzi was hiding from the government for serious reasons. He found a safe place at the abbey. Cromwell sent people to arrest him, but the abbot was away. Manzi escaped while they were waiting.
The abbot looked into what happened, and Manzi was soon caught again. But people suspected that Stevens might have helped Manzi escape. This was because of old laws about sanctuary. Stevens had to ask Cromwell and Wriothesley for mercy.
By early 1538, it was clear that Beaulieu Abbey would also be closed. The abbot started to plan for his future. One of his last actions was to give the mill and parsonage of Beaulieu to a friend. He also gave a manor house belonging to the abbey to his sister. This was a common thing for abbey leaders to do. It was a way to make sure they would get a good pension after their abbey closed.
The king's officials arrived at the abbey in March 1538. After talking, the large monastery was given to the king on April 2, 1538. Thomas and 20 monks signed the document. Stevens probably felt differently about things by now. His time at Beaulieu was not for his whole life, and becoming abbot there had been unexpected good fortune. He was going to get a large pension of 100 marks a year. This made him a rich man. He didn't feel much sympathy for his fellow monks. In a letter to Thomas Wriothesley, he called his monks at Beaulieu "monks I am now rid of."
However, he showed more care for the people who had found safety at the abbey. These people lived on the abbey grounds. He asked the government to spare them. As a result, they were given pardons or protection. They were allowed to keep living in the area that used to be the abbey.
Later Life and Family
Thomas continued his church career after Beaulieu Abbey closed. In 1539, he became the rector of Bentworth in Hampshire. In May 1548, he also became the Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. He was given the prebend of Calne while still being rector of Bentworth. This meant he couldn't be in both places at once.
He was appointed during the time of King Edward VI, who was making the church more Protestant. This suggests that Stevens had changed his religious beliefs. At some point, he also got married and had children. They are mentioned in his will.
Thomas wrote his will on August 9, 1550. He might have been sick already. He added a codicil (an addition) three days later. His will tells us more about his later life. He had a daughter named Mary Stevens. He left all his property to her. This included his valuable plate and an estate he had recently bought in Alton.
Mary was clearly young. Thomas set up a trust managed by a friend, Christofer Wallison. This trust would manage Mary's property and help her find a suitable marriage. Mary was there when the will was made. She agreed not to marry anyone without Christofer's permission.
When he died, Thomas was a rich man. He left large gifts to his friends and servants. This was a big change from being a poor Cistercian monk at Netley Abbey.
He likely died soon after writing his will. His will was officially approved by the Archbishop of Canterbury in London on September 9, 1550.
See also
Images for kids
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The abbot's two-storey vaulted house (right) at Netley Abbey was Steven' lodging in 1529-1536.
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The seal of the abbots of Netley. Thomas Stevens would have used this to authenticate official documents as abbot.
