Adam of Damerham (sometimes Adam of Domerham;
died after 1291), was a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk of
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction.
The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It wa ...
, who wrote a history of the abbey, and was active in the ecclesiastical politics of his time.
Biography
Adam is thought to have been a native of
Damerham
Damerham is a rural village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located near Fordingbridge, on the River Allen. Damerham has notable Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows. It was the site of an Anglo-Saxon religious community, mentioned in the ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, a village belonging to Glastonbury Abbey. He wrote a history of the abbey entitled ''Historia de Rebus gestis Glastoniensibus'', which exists in a manuscript in the library of
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, possibly the author's own copy. It has been published by
Thomas Hearne in two volumes. The first volume, however, does not contain any part of the work of Adam. Adam's history forms a continuation of the treatise of
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury ( la, Willelmus Malmesbiriensis; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a ...
, ''De Antiquitate Glastoniæ''. It begins at 1126, when
Henry of Blois
Henry of Blois ( c. 1096 8 August 1171), often known as Henry of Winchester, was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death. He was a younger son of Stephen Henry, Count of Blois by Adela of Normandy, da ...
, afterwards
bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...
, became
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
, and ends with the death of Abbot
John of Taunton in 1291.
A large part of the history is taken up with
papal bulls, charters, and other documents. From some expressions used by Adam about the character of Abbot
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
(1235–1252) it may be supposed that he entered the convent in his time. He was, therefore, a member of the fraternity during part of that period of difficulty and discord which followed the annexation of the abbey to the
see of Wells
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
...
by
Bishop Savaric, a proceeding which brought on Glastonbury heavy expense and loss of property, and which endangered its independence. He relates the history of these troubles at considerable length, and says in his preface that his object in writing his book was to incite his readers to protect or to increase the prosperity of his church, which once enjoyed privileges above all others, but was then bereft of her liberties and possessions.
On the deposition of
Abbot Roger Forde by
William Button, bishop of Bath, in 1255, Adam, with four other monks, was appointed by the convent to elect an abbot by ‘compromise,’ or on behalf of the whole fraternity. The choice of the electors fell on
Robert of Petherton
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
. Roger was, however, restored to his office by the pope. On his death Robert again became abbot.
Adam was
cellarer
A cellarium (from the Latin ''cella'', "pantry"), also known as an ''undercroft'', was a storehouse or storeroom, usually in a medieval monastery or castle. In English monasteries, it was usually located in or under the buildings on the west range ...
to the monastery, and the entry with which he opens the list of good deeds done by
Abbot William Vigor, stating that inprimis he added to the strength of the beer, possibly shows that the writer entered with some zest into the details of his office. He afterwards became
sacristan
A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.
In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...
. On one important occasion he seems to have shown considerable firmness of character. A sharp dispute had been carried on between the bishops of Bath and Abbot Robert about the lordship of the abbey. The bishops claimed to be the
mesne lord
A mesne lord () was a lord in the feudal system who had vassals who held land from him, but who was himself the vassal of a higher lord. Owing to ''Quia Emptores'', the concept of a mesne lordship technically still exists today: the partitionin ...
s, while the abbot declared that his house held immediately of the crown. When Robert died in 1274, the monks tried to keep his death secret, avowedly because it happened at Eastertide, but doubtless from the more cogent reason that they desired time to secure the recognition of their immediate dependence on the crown. The bishop's officers, however, found out how matters stood. They came to Glastonbury and caused all the servants of the abbey to swear fealty to their master, and put bailiffs in all the manors. The king's
escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...
or appeared at the abbey gates and was refused admission by the bishop's men. Adam, however, was not daunted, and on behalf of the prior, who apparently was absent at the time, and of all the convent, appealed in set terms against this usurpation. The next day he had the satisfaction of seeing the constable of
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...
arrive. The king's escheator was enabled to take
seisin Seisin (or seizin) denotes the legal possession of a feudal fiefdom or fee, that is to say an estate in land. It was used in the form of "the son and heir of X has obtained seisin of his inheritance", and thus is effectively a term concerned with co ...
of the monastery, and the bishop's men were forced to retreat in haste.
Adam, who was an eyewitness of the proceedings, gives an interesting account of the visit of
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
and his queen to Glastonbury in April 1278, when the tomb of
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
was opened, and his bones and the bones of
Guinevere
Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First ment ...
were borne by the English king and his queen to a new resting-place before the high altar. Adam appears to have followed the example of his abbot, John of Taunton, in doing his best to recover for the monastery some of the treasures which it had lost. His history is generally said to end at 1290, the date assigned by him to the death of John of Taunton, with which he concludes his work. This date seems, however, to be incorrect, for he records the burial of
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
, queen of Edward I, as taking place 27 December 1290. He says that after that event Abbot John was summoned by the king to the funeral of his mother,
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253.
...
, which was performed at
Ambresbury on the festival of the Nativity of the B. V. Mary, 8 September 1291. Abbot John was sick at the time, but did not like to fail in obedience to the king's command. His death on the festival of St. Michael is the last event recorded by Adam of Damerham, who therefore brings down his story to 1291.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam of Damerham
13th-century English writers
Benedictine scholars
English Benedictines
People from Glastonbury