This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Studies in the pre-Conquest history of Glastonbury Abbey. Blows, Matthew J The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 11. Oct. 2021 STUDIES IN THE PRE-CONOUEST HISTORY OF GLASTONBURY ABBEY MATTHEW J. BLOWS THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, KING'S COLLEGE. 1991 I LONDN. \UNIV2 ABSTRACT This thesis sets out to establish both the nature and the development of the community at Glastonbury before the Norman Conquest. It is argued that a number of preconceptions lie behind earlier discussions of the subject. The notion is challenged that there is evidence for a Celtic church at Glastonbury; the idea of an ancient wooden church is shown to have been a creation of the monks. Thus it is argued that the earliest settlement at Glastonbury was Saxon and that the monastery was founded by a West Saxon king. It is suggested that the history of the abbey can best be understood in terms, first, of its location in marginal territory between Briton and Saxon and later between Mercian and West Saxon; and second, in terms of the abbey's long-standing relationship with kings. The extent of this relationship is shown between the abbey and on the one hand, King me and his family and, on the other, King Cenwulf and his family. It is argued that to patronise the monastery was to claim both a lucrative source of revenue, and a means of asserting dynastic claims. The patronage of kings and nobles is shown to imply a degree of continuity in the life of the monastery. It has been sugged that one significant hiatus occurred during the ninth-century Viking invasions, and that the abbey was later restored and refounded by Dunstan. Against this, it is argued, in the light of recent historiography that the effects of Viking devastation have been over-estimated, that Glastonbury suffered little thereby, and was not reformed by Dunstan. It is argued on the evidence of royal burials and charter production that Glastonbury, though unreformed, maintained close links with West Saxon kings. -2- ns AcE p.5 ABEVIATI p. 6-8 1 ?4A1S 1-4 :p. 9-12 QPrR : The Sves 1. William of Malmesixiry . 13-23 2. Archive rp. 24-32 3. tharter Criticin . 32-41 4. B Life of St autan . 41-44 Notes . 45-55 QTh2ER : The Sett1nt 1. Arrival of the Saxons p. 56-59 2. Evidence of the Place-Name Glastat*iry r . 60-70 3. The Evidence for thristianity ic. 70-88 Notes r . 89-108 ThPER 11REE: The Seventh-Century Fcxzrthtion 1. S.227 r . 109-117 2. S.1666 . 117-126 3. Haatgils . 126-131 4. Wilfrid . 131-137 Notes p. 138-149 Q1APER RXJR: The Eighth Century 1. The ajil Glastczilxay ic. 150-159 2. The Evidence of the 'Bcinifaoe' letters . 159-167 3. Kirs ar Bishops p. 167-176 Notes rc. 177-192 CI1APER FIVE: !4ercian Lordship 1. Pope l' s Privilege p. 193-205 2. The Nature of the Grant ic. 205-213 Notes . 214-225 ThPER SDC: Ninth-Century Prth1 1. S.248 p. 226-239 2. thelwiLf' s Dimation tharters pp. 240-258 Notes pp. 259-270 -3- QIAPI'ER SEVEN: The late Ninth ar Early Tenth Century 1. IstrLti or itinuity? PP. 271-283 2 • A Case for itiruity PP. 283-287 3. The Akttatial Seqt.nce rc. 287-291 4. the1fla1 PP. 291-294 5. Atheistan PP. 294-299 Notes PP. 300-313 Q1APER EIc!r: The Tenth-Century 1. 'the irvnity, ainstan ai Reform PP. 314-322 2. Papal Privilege PP. 322-329 3. Outs at Glastairy PP. 329-334 4. Writir History PP. 335-338 5. Kirs ar tharter Productia PP. 338-345 6. Patrcris PP. 345-352 Notes PP. 353-373 crsias PP. 374-378 APPENDIX I. The Glastat*iry Privileges PP. 379-398 APPENDIX II. tharters in the I PP. 399-405 APPENDIX III. The Place-Naite Glastcmbury PP. 406-407 APPENDIX IV. Ct)it-Lists in the I PP. 408-413 BTRT.TCGRAiY Primary PP. 414-418 PP. 419-442 A Glastat*iry Cbit-List )xastic Estate Managnent in Pre-Ourxuest Saterset -4- Preface Glastonbury Abbey is unusual among Anglo-Saxon monasteries for the extraordinary range and diversity of its sources. Yet no modern survey of the whole Anglo-Saxon period has been undertaken; studies have rather tended to concentrate on a wider period still, from the origins to the dissolution, or on a narrower aspect of the abbey's history, such as the cults of saints, relics or royal patrons. Only if the period is studied as a whole, however, can the valuable collection of charters be understood and their historical value be assessed and only then can the monastery be divested of the wealth of myths and legends which surround it to this day. I would like to acknowledge, in particular, the very generous help and support of Jinty Nelson. For long-term encouragement I am especially grateful to Julia Smith. I am also indebted to the following: Lesley Abrams, Michelle Brown, Tom Cain, Wendy Davies, David Dumville, Sarah Foot, Simon Keynes, Patrick McGurk, Oliver Padel, Jane Roberts, Richard Sharpe, Alan Thacker, Ann Williams and Patrick Wormald. -5- Abbreviations AD Adami de Domerham Historia de Rebus gestis Glastoniensibus, ed. T.Hearne, 2 vols (Oxford, 1727) AJ Archaeological Journal ANS Anglo-Norman Studies ASC Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The edition cited is that of C.Plummer, ed., Two of the Saxon Chronicles Parallel, 2 vols (Oxford, 1892-89) ASE Anglo-Saxon England BAR British Archaeological Reports BBCS Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies BSC Birch, W.de G., ed., Cartularium Saxonicum, 3 vols (London, 1885-99) BIHR Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Studies BL British Library CBA Council for British Archaeology § Chapter DA The Early History of Glastonbury Abbey. An Edition, Translation and Study of William of Malmesbury: De Antiquitate Glastonie Ecciesie, ed. J.Scott (Woodbridge, 198 ) DB Domesday Book, cited from The Somerset Domesday, ed. R.W.Erskine and A.Williams, Alecto Historical Editions (London, 1989) DR Downside Review EcHR Economic History Review ECW H.P.R.Finberg, The Early Charters of Wessex (Leicester, 1964) ECWM H.P.R.Finberg, The Early Chart4rs of the West Midlands (Leicester, 1961) EETS Early English Text Society EHD English Historical Documents I c.500- 1042, trans. D.Whitelock, 2nd edn (London, 1979) -6- EHR English Historical Review GC The Great Chartulary of Glastonbury Abbey, ed. A.Watkin, 3 vols, SRS 59, 63-4 (Frome, 1947-56) GP Willelmi Malmesbiriensis Monachi De Gestis Pontificum Anglorum, ed. N.E.Hamilton, RS 52 (London, 1870) OR Willelmi Malmesbiriensis Monachi De Gestis regum Anglorum, ed. W.Stubbs, 2 vols, RS 90 (1887-89) HE Bede, Historia Ecciesiastica Genus Anglorum, cited from the edition of C.Plummer, ed., Venerabilis Baedae Opera Historica, 2 vols, (Oxford, 1890) JEH Journal of Ecclesiastical History JO The Chronicle of Glastonbury Abbey. An Edition, Translation and Study of John of Glastonbury's Chronica Sive Antiquitates Glastoniensis Ecclesie, ed. J.Carley (Woodbridge, 1985) JSA Journal of the Society of Archivists LISTS A-D Lists of single-Sheet Charters, cited from LT LT S.Keynes, The Liber Terrarum of Glastonbury Abbey MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica MIOG Mitteilungen des Instituts für Osterreichische Geschichtsforschung MSD Memorials of St Dunstan, ed. W.Stubbs, RS 63 (London, 1874) RB Revue Benedictine RS Rolls Series S. P.Sawyer, Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography (London, 1968) SANHS Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society SCOTT J.Scott, ed. DA SDNQ Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries SETTIMANE Settimane di Studio del Centro Italiano di Studi Sull' Alto Medioevo SRS Somerset Record Society -7- TANGL M.Tangl, ed., Die Briefe des Heiligen Bonifatius und Lullus, MGH Epistolae Selectae 1, 2nd edn (Berlin, 1955) TRHS Transactions of the Royal Historical Society -8- -9- -10- -Ii - MAP OF ESTATES HELD BY GLASTONBURY IN 1066 WITH BOUNDARIES PLOTTED AGAINST SOIL TYPE .- / 34ffl 2 I •1 Shae.i areas indicate 12 CRANNORE 3.3 IEARE AND NiLAND soil of grades one ano 13 SATCONBE 34 SHAPWICK two (where one is goco 4 DOULTING 35 GREINTON ano five is 000r). 15 SHEPTON 36 OTHERY After the Soil Survey 16 CROSCOMBE 37 MIDDLEZOY for England and Wales 17 PILTON 38 WESTONZOYLAND Mao 14, Estates are 18 PYLLE 39 SUTTON based on Parisn 19 PENNARD E 40 SIAWELL boundaries 20 DITCHEAT 41 CATCOTT 21 ORNBLOT1ON 42 £DINGTON I HUTTON D ELBOROtJGH 22 LAMYATI 43 CHILTON 2 WINSCUMBE 2) ENNARO 44 COSS1NGTON 3 WR1NGTON 24 NORTH WOCTTON 45 400LAVINGTON 4 MARKEBURY 25 GLASTONBURY 46 )IJRBCROUGH S CAMERTON 26 SALTONESOROUSH 47 NONKION W 6 BRENT 27 SUTLIEGH 42 KINGSTONE 7 STRATTON 29 COMPTON 49 STOKE X2 8 MELLS 29 STREET 50 PODIMORE 9 UHATLEY 30 WALTON 51 LYDEORD E I') DOWNHEAD 31 HIGH HAM 52 BLACKFORD 11 CHEDZIJY 32 ASHC3TT 53 LATTIFORD -12- CHAPTER ONE The history of Glastonbury has been written and rewritten over the past thousand years.