Isabel Jordayne (died c.1534) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

abbess of

Wilton Abbey Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury, probably on the site now occupied by Wilton House. It was active from the early tenth century until 1539. History Foundation Wilton Abbey is first reco ...

. She was the penultimate abbess whose election was debated by

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

and

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

before

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, the abbey's patron, chose her.

Life

Jordayne's birth and early life are not known. Her sister, Agnes Jordan, was the abbess at

Syon Monastery Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th century, on the l ...

and Isabel was well respected as a nun at Wilton Abbey who was "ancient, wise and discreet". The abbess of Wilton Abbey, Cecily Willoughby, died on 24 September 1528, and Jordayne was the heir apparent and her name was put forward to

. The job vacancy came in difficult times, as thirty convents had been closed and converted to supplying education. The wealthy Wilton Abbey was not an obvious candidate for closure, as it was a royal foundation, although with Henry VIII as patron the abbey was obliged to supply favours at the monarch's request. The abbey nominated the election of the prioress, Isabel Jordayne, described as 'ancient, wise and discreet', while

favored her brother-in-law William Carey's sister Eleanor Carey.British History Online (.ac.uk) Abbey of Wilton
/ref> Henry VIII eventually agreed to Jordayne when Eleanor Carey's candidacy was destroyed by serious charges of immorality against her. One source says that it was Wolsey who appointed Jordayne. Eleanor Carey admitted that she had given birth to two children fathered by priests. Eleanor's elder sister, who was a nun at Wilton, was also a contender, but she was rejected too. Although Isabel won the appointment, she was deprived of control of the abbey's finances until November 1528, and the abbey's reputation was damaged by the scandal surrounding its potential leaders. The abbey was then visited by the plague, there was a fire in one of the dormitories, and Jordayne struggled to bring the nuns into line with discipline. The

bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

's vicar-general, Richard Hilley, also tried to impose order amongst the nuns in 1533. It is not clear when Jordayne died, but her position was said to be vacant in 1533.

Cecily Bodenham Cecily Bodenham (before 1511-after 1543), was the last abbess of Wilton Abbey. Her tenure as abbess was from 1534 to 25 March 1539, when she surrendered the abbey to the commissioners of King Henry VIII of England during the Dissolution of the Mo ...

a new abbess was appointed and she was the last of Wilton Abbey's abbesses. She had paid to be named abbess.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordayne, Isabel 1534 deaths English Roman Catholic abbesses