 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
|
The three Johns: Fountains in the first half of the thirteenth century (17/26) At that time the church of Fountains flourished
like a vine planted by the hand of God, Fountains made a quick recovery after the hardships of the late twelfth century and under the guidance of abbots John of York (1203-1211), John of Hessle (1211-1220) and John of Kent (1220-1247), withstood difficulties in the early thirteenth century to enjoy a period of prosperity. This was a high point in the abbey’s history. Fountains experienced an economic boom and undertook an extensive building programme. The community and its abbots were widely reputed - and in the highest circles. The abbot of Fountains was requested to attend court on several occasions to counsel King John (1199-1216) and Henry III (1216-1272). Members of the nobility, such as Matilda, countess of Warwick (d. 1203), asked him to act as an executor of their wills. Matilda, who was a member of the renowned Percy family, was a ‘formidable benefactor’ of Fountains and also requested to be buried at Fountains. (68) The abbot of Fountains was invited to participate in several important commissions. He joined the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of Coventry to investigate the life and miracles of Hugh of Lincoln, which paved the way for the canonisation of Hugh in 1220. In the 1220s Abbot John of Fountains and the abbot of Rievaulx were chosen to investigate the alleged miracles at the tomb of William FitzHerbert, the former archbishop of York, whose deposition in 1146 was strongly supported by the Cistercians in general and Abbot Henry Murdac of Fountains in particular. In 1220 John of Hessle was plucked from the abbacy of Fountains to preside over the see of Ely, where he remained until his death.(69) Other members of the community were widely respected, and in 1228 Abbot Stephen of Lexington wrote to the abbot of Fountains, enjoining him to send Brother S. de Chatriz, who had briefly served as cellarer at Fountains, to take up the abbacy of St Mary’s, Dublin, where he had been unanimously chosen by the community, ‘without any coercion or pressure.’(70)
|