Antonia Gransden 
A History of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, 1257-1301 [PDF ebook] 
Simon of Luton and John of Northwold

Completes what will become the definitive history of the abbey of Bury St Edmunds in the thirteenth century.


St Edmund’s Abbey was one of the most highly privileged and wealthiest religious houses in medieval England, one closely involved with the central government; its history is an integral part of English history. This book, the second of two volumes, offers a magisterial and comprehensive account of the Abbey during the latter part of the thirteenth century, based primarily on evidence in the abbey’s records (over 40 registers survive). It begins with an account of the two abbots of this period, Simon of Luton and John of Northwold, who showed outstanding ability in steering the abbey through difficult times, including conflict with the Friars Minor in the town, straitened financialcircumstances (partly caused by oppressive taxation from king and pope), and domestic issues. This is followed by consideration of such matters as the abbey’s mint, its economy, religious, intellectual and cultural life, and the abbey’s architecture — especially the charnel chapel constructed by John, which survives to this day. The monks’ dietary regime (with examples of actual recipes from the time) is examined in a detailed appendix.


Dr Antonia Gransden is former Reader at the University of Nottingham.

Table of Content

The Abbots, Simon of Luton and John of Northwold

Abbot Simon of Luton’s Early Problems

Repercussions on the Abbey of the Barons’ War

Record-Keeping and the Codification of Customs

Relations between Abbot Simon and the Convent

John of Northwold’s Early Problems and Reforms

St Edmunds and the Crown – Introduction

St Edmunds’ Mint

Interaction and Co-operation with the Crown

The Abbey and Edward I

The Abbey’s Influential Friends

William of Hoo, Sacrist 1280-94

Debt and its Causes

Retrenchment and Reform

Loss and Recovery

Taxes and other Financial Impositions

The Town and Trade

Estate Management

Abbatial Vacancies: Problems and Solutions

Religious Life under Abbot Simon

Religious Life under Abbot John

The Monks’ Intellectual and Cultural Life under Abbot Simon

The Monks as Chroniclers and Historians under Abbot John

Afterword – The Deaths of Abbots Simon and John

Appendix I: The identity of the abbot’s justices, Henry of Guildford and Henry of Shenholt [in 1287]

Appendix II: The monks’ dietary regime; their food and drink

Select List of the Registers and Customaries Cited

Select Bibliography