Gerold led the Savigniac group
from Furness to
Calder in 1134, to establish a new community in Cumberland. These
were difficult times. The area was devastated by the Scots, who
were led by the king’s nephew, William. The monks
were, accordingly, forced to abandon the site and return to Furness.
There they met
with
little support and Gerold had little choice but to lead his community
to York, to seek help from Archbishop Thurstan. Fortunately, they
received support from a noblewoman, Gundreda d’Aubigny, and
her son, Roger de Mowbray, and
established a thriving Savigniac community at Hood in 1138. The
group soon attracted recruits, including
several notable men from Roger de Mowbray’s household, who
entered as lay-men. They
brought with them resources which contributed significantly to
the monks’ economic stability. Ambiguity
concerning the community’s independence prompted Gerold to
formally break ties with Furness. The abbot thus travelled to the
general chapter at Savigny in 1141, to subjugate his abbey directly
to Savigny. This was Gerold’s last official act as abbot,
for he died at York on his return home in February 1142 and was
buried at Hood.(1)