Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-18T10:12:27.702Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

IV - DETAILS OF ADMINISTRATION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2011

Get access

Summary

When Lanfranc came to Canterbury, he drew up for the regulation of the monks of Christ Church a book of Customs, which found its way into many of the English monasteries and was known sometimes as the Customs of Canterbury and sometimes as the Customs of Bec. It represented the result of the experience of Lanfranc and Anselm, as gained and formulated in the eager life of Herluin's new foundation; but it rested largely on earlier codes which can be traced back through Fécamp and Dijon to Cluny and even to that strenuous reformer Benedict of Aniane. Lanfranc made some modifications in detail in deference to English traditions, though in general he was not sympathetic in dealing with the religious life of his new fellow-countrymen. We can hardly doubt that this code, which Gilbert must have seen in force at Canterbury, was brought by him to Westminster. As a matter of fact, considerable portions of it are embodied word for word in the thirteenth century Customary of Abbot Ware. Vitalis, who had come to Westminster from Bernay, which was a cell of Fécamp, must have paved the way for the peaceable introduction of the new regulations. From Lanfranc's book a picture might easily be drawn of the daily life of Westminster Abbey at the close of the eleventh century; but we must confine ourselves here to the more laborious task of gathering together such scattered notices as can be found in charters or elsewhere of Abbot Gilbert's rule.

Type
Chapter
Information
Gilbert Crispin Abbot of Westminster
A Study of the Abbey under Norman Rule
, pp. 28 - 50
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010
First published in: 1911

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×