Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid: "Falsely Indicted" Monks?

Summary: Abbot Wenlok petitioned King Edward I about 81 "falsely indicted" Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid suspects even though only 23 obtained indictments.

Edward I issued his Oct. 12, 1303, writ concerning Westminster Abbey monks from Kinloss Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey in Moray, northeastern Scotland, where he resided for six weeks in autumn 1303; barley fields before ruins of Kinloss Abbey: Richard Webb, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Geograph Britain and Ireland

The days before the king's writ Oct. 12, 1303, authorizing investigation of monks imprisoned for the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid appear aggrieved in the Abbot's appeal and those after somewhat arighted.

The Abbot's appeal from London, England, brought up to the king in Kinloss, Scotland, the business of the entire Benedictine community being in the Tower Prison. He considered them "falsely indicted of the breaking of the Treasury at Westminster and of carrying away treasure to the value of a hundred thousand pounds." King Edward I (June 17, 1239-July 7, 1307) directed Roger Brabazon, William de Bereford, Walter de Gloucester, Roger de Hegham and Ralph de Sandwich to deliberate.

Abbot Wenlok (died Dec. 25, 1307) exited Nov. 10/14, 1303, when Edward's writ exhorted the quintet to "end that business per our kingdom's law and custom."

Confessions, indictments and searches June-July 1303 fit into the Tower Roger de Bures, John de Butterley, Robert de Cherring, Thomas de Dene and Thomas de Lichfield. They likewise got into the Tower fellow Westminster Abbey monks Ralph de Morton, John de Noteley, Alexander de Pershore, John de Prescot and Adam de Warfield. They herded into prison Warfield's Sacristy pages John de Caumpes, Walter de Ecclesford, Hugh de Eye, Adam the Skinner, Hamo de Wenlok and Roger de Wenlok. Westminster Palace deputy Keeper William Palmer's confession July 6, 1303, imprisoned Abbey mason John of St. Albans and monks Walter de Erksdale/Erskdale and Simon de Henley.

Pershore's acquaintance John de Lenton, Abbey page Roger de Prestok, John FitzGeoffrey of Lalham and linen draper Gerin of St. Giles joined them Aug. 6, 1303.

The king's commissioners kept the entire community in the Tower to search Abbey buildings and grounds for Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid gems, jewelry and metals.

Searches let royal commissioner John de Drogensford 1269-May 9, 1329), Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, look for Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury loot throughout buildings and grounds. Indictments summer 1303 and Jan. 9 and 13-14, 1304, and Palmer's confessions mentioned monks moving Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid from Abbey hideaways to the Thames. Wenlok's appeal no longer noted Caumpes and Eye, despite their numbering among Abbey door-barring, gate-locking, traffic-stopping raiders; or Prescot, despite Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid plunder.

Some Abbey appellants never overlapped with Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid suspects even though others obtained indictments in July and August 1303 and in January 1304.

Wenlok presented a perpetrator-free community even though Bures, Butterley, Cherring, Dene, Lichfield, Morton, Noteley, Pershore and Prescot purloined £100 in silver from Edward for chantry Masses.

Ecclesford, Gerin, Skinner, Warfield and Hamo and Roger de Wenlok queued up among hiders and transporters of Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury raid precious metals and stones. Edward released Abbot Wenlok and some servants Nov. 10/14, 1303; all but 10 by March 14, 1304; and the last 10 the beginning of April 1304. Only Lenton and St. Albans from the 81-member, "falsely indicted" Abbey community likely suffered hanging with John of Newmarket, Palmer and John Rippinghale March 5, 1304.

Edward told Sandwich to tender Bures, Butterley, Cherring, Dene, Lichfield, Morton, Noteley, Pershore, Prescot and Warfield their freedom twice before the Tower Constable turned them out.

The Tower of London, where indicted Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid monks were imprisoned, began with William the Conqueror's White Tower (center) in 1078 and reached current contours through expansions by Henry III and his son, Edward I; model of Tower of London as it appeared after final period of expansion under Edward I: Hchc2009 derivative work of Scale Model Of The Tower Of London In The Tower Of London by Onofre Bouvila, CC BY 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Edward I issued his Oct. 12, 1303, writ concerning Westminster Abbey monks from Kinloss Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey in Moray, northeastern Scotland, where he resided for six weeks in autumn 1303; barley fields before ruins of Kinloss Abbey: Richard Webb, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Geograph Britain and Ireland @ http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4114763

The Tower of London, where indicted Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid monks were imprisoned, began with William the Conqueror's White Tower (center) in 1078 and reached current contours through expansions by Henry III and his son, Edward I; model of Tower of London as it appeared after final period of expansion under Edward I: Hchc2009 derivative work of Scale Model Of The Tower Of London In The Tower Of London by Onofre Bouvila (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scale_Model_Of_The_Tower_Of_London_In_The_Tower_Of_London.jpg), CC BY 2.5 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_London_model_close_up.jpg

For further information:

Doherty, Paul. 2005. The Great Crown Jewels Robbery of 1303. New York NY: Carroll & Graf Publisher.

Harvey, Barbara F., ed. 1965. Documents Illustrating the Rule of Walter de Wenlok, Abbot of Westminster 1283-1307. Vol. II. Camden Fourth Series. London, England: Offices of the Royal Historical Society.

Keay, Anna. 2011. The Crown Jewels. London UK: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

Marriner, Derdriu. 20 April 2018. "Richard Puddlicott and the Westminster Abbey Royal Treasury Raid, 1303." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/richard-puddlicott-and-westminster.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/05/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/05/mysteries-of-april-may-1303-westminster.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/king-edward-is-letter-on-westminster.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_8.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_22.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_29.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_13.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/07/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid_27.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/westminster-abbey-royal-treasury-raid.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/edward-is-second-letter-on-westminster.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/09/westminster-abbey-refectory-raid-and.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/edward-is-third-letter-on-westminster.html

Palgrave, Sir Francis, ed. 1836. "Appendix: Records Relating to the Robbery at the Treasury, 31 Edw. I." The Antient Kalendars and Inventories of His Majesty's Exchequer Together with Other Documents Illustrating the History of That Repository. Vol. I: 251-299. London England: Commissioners of the Public Records of The Kingdom.
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