Walter Froucester (died 1412), was

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 ...

of St. Peter's,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. Froucester had previously officiated as

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

of the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

. On the death of John Boyfield in January 1382, Froucester was elected his successor, being the twentieth abbot. Boyfield's rule had not been successful; he was weak and was in continual trouble with rival ecclesiastics, who, to the disadvantage of his monastery, generally got the better of him. Froucester, on assuming the direction, applied himself to the improvement of the brotherhood's position with marked success, taking and keeping the upper hand over all rivals, and yet without giving offence. By the prudence and economy of his domestic administration he succeeded in wiping off the greater part of the vast debt with which he found the monastery encumbered. From his private purse he supplied the church with ornaments of all kinds, books, vestments, and silver plate. He is best known for having brought to completion at great expense the beautiful

cloisters A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

, the building of which had been begun in Horton's (abbot 1351–77) time, and left unfinished for several years. With the view of securing for his monastery full title to some of its possessions he despatched to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

one of the brotherhood, William Bryt by name, who, after a stay of some years, succeeded in getting appropriated to the monastery the churches of Holy Trinity and St. Mary de Lode, Gloucester, and that of

Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population as ...

, Oxfordshire. Froucester also obtained from Pope Urban, through the influence of the Duke of Gloucester, the privileges of wearing the pontifical

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

, ring, sandals, and

dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other ...

, which his predecessor had requested in vain. The occasion chosen by Froucester for his investment with these ornaments was 10 April 1390, the day on which the remains of St. Kyneburgh the Virgin were translated to St. Peter's, the ceremony being celebrated by the Bishop of Worcester and Froucester, and a number of ecclesiastics, in the presence of the Duke of Gloucester and many noblemen and ladies. He also obtained from the pope a dispensation allowing the brotherhood of St. Peter's to eat flesh from

Septuagesima Septuagesima (; in full, Septuagesima Sunday) is the name for the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Ash Wednesday. The term is sometimes applied to the seventy days starting on Septuagesima Sunday and ending on the Saturday after Easte ...

Quinquagesima Quinquagesima (), in the Western Christian Churches, is the last Sunday of Shrovetide, being the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. It is also called Quinquagesima Sunday, Quinquagesimae, Estomihi, Shrove Sunday, Pork Sunday, or the Sunday next before ...

inclusive. By Froucester's orders the registers of the monastery were compiled afresh, and the history of St. Peter's was probably re-edited at the same time. It has sometimes been supposed, but unwarrantably, that this history, early copies of which exist in Queen's College Library,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and among the Cottonian MSS., was written by Froucester, because the chronicle closes during his abbacy; internal evidence shows that it was compiled from time to time. Froucester died in 1412, and was buried beneath an arch in the southwest portion of the choir of St. Peter's. Sir Robert AtkynsAncient and Present State of Gloucestershire, p. 66 calls him Trowcester.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froucester, Walter Year of birth missing 1412 deaths 14th-century births 14th-century English people 15th-century English people Abbots of Gloucester