CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Central Archive at the University of Reading NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Medieval History. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in the Journal of Medieval History, 32.3 (2006), DOI: 10.1016/j.jmedhist.2006.07.001 ‘Leger est aprendre mes fort est arendre’: Wool, Debt, and the Dispersal of Pipewell Abbey (1280-1330). Adrian R Bell, Chris Brooks and Paul Dryburgh* Abstract It has long been known that English Cistercian monasteries often sold their wool in advance to foreign merchants in the late thirteenth century. The abbey of Pipewell in Northamptonshire features in a number of such contracts with Cahorsin merchants. This paper looks again at these contracts in the context of over 200 other such agreements found in the governmental records. Why did Pipewell descend into penury over this fifty year period? This case study demonstrates that the promise of ready cash for their most valuable commodity led such abbots to make ambitious agreements – taking on yet more debt to service existing creditors - that would lead to their eventual bankruptcy. * Dr Adrian R Bell, ICMA Centre, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6BA email:
[email protected] (address for correspondence); Professor Chris Brooks, CASS Business School; Dr Paul Dryburgh, Kings College London.