A historian searching through manuscripts in the United Kingdom’s National Archive in Kew has uncovered a fourteenth-century document that describes the extraordinary criminal career of John of Tintern, abbot of a Benedictine monastery in Wiltshire.
Tony McAleavy came across Tintern’s story when researching a new book on the history of Malmesbury Abbey. McAleavy was astonished by what he discovered. He says, “I think Tintern has a strong claim to be seen as the most corrupt and disreputable monk of the entire Middle Ages.”
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John of Tintern’s early crimes included theft, brawling, and misappropriation of £10,000 of government funds – equivalent to £9 million today. In the 1330s his criminality reached new heights. He ordered a group of men to burn down the house of a member of the local gentry and abduct the man’s wife. After the abduction, Tintern lived openly with this woman as his lover, despite his vow of chastity. Witnesses also claimed that John had ordered the murders of four people in disputes over land and money, over the space of several years.
The church of Malmesbury Abbey – photo by Medievalists.net
By 1343, it looked like justice had at last caught up with the abbot. Multiple accusations of murder and arson were made against him by local people, and the courts ordered his arrest. Tintern responded by going on the run with his lover. The couple roamed the countryside of southern England before eventually surrendering to the authorities. Luckily for Tintern, at that time the crown was more interested in funding King Edward III’s war with France than punishing wrongdoing, and the multiple murderer paid a large fine to secure a pardon.
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The story of John of Tintern features in Tony McAleavy’s new book, Malmesbury Abbey 670-1539: Patronage, Scholarship and Scandal, published by Boydell & Brewer. McAleavy also explores other stories from the history of the abbey – including its many royal connections, and its architectural importance. If you buy the book directly from Boydell & Brewer, use the promo code BB202 to save 40% off the price.
Top Image: An abbot and his posse, from an early 14th-century manuscript – British Library MS Royal 2 B VII fol. 295v
A historian searching through manuscripts in the United Kingdom’s National Archive in Kew has uncovered a fourteenth-century document that describes the extraordinary criminal career of John of Tintern, abbot of a Benedictine monastery in Wiltshire.
Tony McAleavy came across Tintern’s story when researching a new book on the history of Malmesbury Abbey. McAleavy was astonished by what he discovered. He says, “I think Tintern has a strong claim to be seen as the most corrupt and disreputable monk of the entire Middle Ages.”
John of Tintern’s early crimes included theft, brawling, and misappropriation of £10,000 of government funds – equivalent to £9 million today. In the 1330s his criminality reached new heights. He ordered a group of men to burn down the house of a member of the local gentry and abduct the man’s wife. After the abduction, Tintern lived openly with this woman as his lover, despite his vow of chastity. Witnesses also claimed that John had ordered the murders of four people in disputes over land and money, over the space of several years.
By 1343, it looked like justice had at last caught up with the abbot. Multiple accusations of murder and arson were made against him by local people, and the courts ordered his arrest. Tintern responded by going on the run with his lover. The couple roamed the countryside of southern England before eventually surrendering to the authorities. Luckily for Tintern, at that time the crown was more interested in funding King Edward III’s war with France than punishing wrongdoing, and the multiple murderer paid a large fine to secure a pardon.
The story of John of Tintern features in Tony McAleavy’s new book, Malmesbury Abbey 670-1539: Patronage, Scholarship and Scandal, published by Boydell & Brewer. McAleavy also explores other stories from the history of the abbey – including its many royal connections, and its architectural importance. If you buy the book directly from Boydell & Brewer, use the promo code BB202 to save 40% off the price.
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