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Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
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What was the cause of Fountains' predicament ? (22/26)
Fountains’ financial problems in the second half of the thirteenth century were partly caused by external factors, such as war, famine, taxation and disease. However, Fountains was in many ways the architect of its own downfall. By engaging in advance wool sales, a practice that was widespread despite its prohibition by the General Chapter, the community landed itself in considerable debt. Wool was the chief cash crop of Fountains – as indeed of other Cistercian abbeys in the North of England – and the community was a leading exporter to Flanders and Italy. By pledging its wool to foreign merchants in return for large sums of money, Fountains played with fire and had to face the consequences when these estimated quotas could not be met. By 1274 the abbey’s financial situation was so serious that Fountains was taken into royal receivership. The community recovered within a couple of years, but soon returned to its old ways, pledging all its goods, including the abbey, as surety for its wool. In 1291 Fountains had debts amounting to almost £7000 and the abbey was once again taken into royal receivership.
Fountains’ situation was not simply of its own making. Excessive financial demands from the Crown, the Order and the Church, as well as adverse weather conditions, cattle diseases and warfare, all contributed to the community’s plight. These problems were neither peculiar to Fountains, nor to the Cistercians, but affected the country at large and in some cases Europe. However, Fountains’ ability to bounce back time and again and to resume its role as a leading power in the religious, ecclesiastic and political life of the country, was rather exceptional. Religious communities in the North of England were particularly troubled by the Scots and their fight for independence. The Scots’ victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, meant that the North of England now lay open to invasion. Fountains was directly hit in 1318 when it was occupied by the marauders; the following year the abbey’s home estates were pillaged. Troubles in the North had prompted the king to request a loan of 200 marks from Fountains in August 1313 – the community offered at least 40 marks. In 1318 and 1321/22 the abbot of Fountains, as one holding lands beyond the Trent, was required to raise and arm his men and tenants to resist the Scots.(82) |
