Monastic Wales.








Event detail for site: Whitland

1220: Burden of hospitality

Abbots travelling from Ireland to the General Chapter at Cîteaux often broke their journey at Whitland.

This placed tremendous pressure on the Welsh house, particularly when guests stayed for up to two weeks. Whitland requested that the General Chapter absolve it from these duties.

Bibliographical sources

Printed sources

Statuta Capitulorum Generalium Ordinis Cisterciensis ab Anno 1116 ad Annum 1786, 8 vols, ed. Josef Canivez (Louvain, 1933-1941) vol. I, p. 521 (1220: 22 )

Kerr, Julie E., Life in the Medieval Cloister (Continuum: London and New York, 2009) p. 35

Williams, David H., The Welsh Cistercians (Leominster, 2001) p. 144

Other events in the history of this site

pre 1145: Foundation - Whitland was the first of two houses in Wales to be colonised direct from Clairvaux and spawned a number of daughter-houses.
 [2 sources]
c.1151: Relocation - Following the death of Bishop Bernard of St David's, the community relocated to Whitland. [3 sources]
1160s (late): Patronage - Rhys ap Gruffudd assumed patronage of the house and added to the community's endowments. [2 sources]
1164: Founds daughter-house - Whitland founded its first daughter-house at Strata Florida. [1 sources]
pre 1166: Patronage - By 1166 Rhys ap Gruffudd had confirmed and extended the abbey's original grant of Hendy-gwyn ar Dâf. [1 sources]
1170: Founds daughter-house - Whitland founded its second daughter-house at Stata Marcella. [1 sources]
1176: Founds daughter-house - Whitland founded a daughter-house at Cwmhir. [1 sources]
1186: Burial - Rhys's son, Cadwaladr, was buried at the house. [1 sources]
1188: Visit - Gerald of Wales and Archbishop Baldwin stayed at the abbey while preaching the Crusade. [1 sources]
1200: Founds daughter-house - On 25 January Whitland founded a daughter-house at Comber, Co. Down, Ireland. [3 sources]
1220: Burden of hospitality - Abbots travelling from Ireland to the General Chapter at Cîteaux often broke their journey at Whitland.  [3 sources]
1224: Founds daughter-house - A second daughter-house was founded in Ireland - at Tracton, Co Cork. [4 sources]
1247: Abbey invaded - Nicholas, lord of Cemais, Patrick de Chaworth, lord of Kilwelly and of Carew, accompanied by Stephen Bauzan and a band of knights, invaded the abbey.  [1 sources]
1258: Plundered - Whitland was plundered by royalists on 4 February; abbey servants were killed in the skirmish. [2 sources]
1271: Burial - Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg WAS buried at the front steps of the High Altar. [1 sources]
c.1291: Wealth - According to the Taxatio Ecclesiastica Whitland had an estimated income of £43 15s 4d, a rather insignificant amount and perhaps a consequence of damages incurred during the Edwardian wars. [5 sources]
1295: Royal visit - Edward I stayed at the house on 5 June 1295, during the revolts. [1 sources]
1377: Clerical poll tax - Payments demanded from the community. [1 sources][1 archives]
1379: Clerical poll tax - Payments required from the community. [1 sources][1 archives]
c.1405: Glyn Dŵr rebellion - The abbot of Whitland was accused of being a rebel and of supporting Glyn Dŵr. [3 sources]
c.1440: Decline - Abbot David (1433-43) claimed that his house had been devastated to such an extent by warfare and fire that the monastery's revenues and resources could barely support him and his eight monks. [2 sources]
1491: Deposition of abbot - Abbot Huby of Fountains, reformator of the Cistercian houses in England and Wales, deposed the abbot of Whitland. 'for moral laxity and illicit contracts' [Williams, The Welsh Cistercians, p. 63]. [2 sources]
c.1496: Murder - A monk of Neath Abbey who was staying at Whitland killed a secular priest in the cloister. [3 sources]
c.1535: Wealth - According to the Valor Ecclesiasticus the house had a net income of £135 3s 69d. [3 sources]
1539: Dissolution - While Whitland was dissolved following the 1536 Act of Suppression, it was re-founded in April 1537 but finally closed in February 1539. [4 sources]
 
Graphic.