Abbots of Shrewsbury

The recorded Abbots of Shrewsbury run from c 1087, a scant seven years from the monastery's founding to 1540, its dissolution under Thomas Cromwell.

The abbots were mostly monks of the abbey, the first two (Fulchred and Godfred), founder monks, were Norman, the remainder English.

Fulchred c 1087 - c.1115/9

Fulchred was one of the founding colony brought from Séez in 1083 by Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. The abbey by the time of his installation, around 1087, was complete enough to house a monastic community. John Stow, Tudor historian, states he was a son of the Earl Roger.

Godfred or Godfrey c 1115/9 - 1128

Godfred, also from Séez, had a reputation as a preacher. Henry I granted, during Godfred's abbacy, the Sanctum Prisca writ, of 1121, which confirmed the abbey's rights and possessions, as held under Fulchred, and awarded the Abbey the rights to all multure, the fees charged by mill owners for grinding corn, in Shrewsbury. This reinforced the earlier grant of mills by Earl Roger.

The abbey also began to increase its estates, receiving gifts of land from country landowners.

Godfred died on 22 March 1128, suddenly, "worn out by age."

Herbert (1128-1138)

Oderic Vitalis, church historian, and former pupil of the abbey, writes of Herbert, "he usurped the rudder of the infant establishment" - implying that he was not the choice of the monks. Nonetheless he was blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and his possession of the abbey lands confirmed in 1135 by King Stephen.

Ranulph I (Ralph) (1138-1150)

Robert of Shrewsbury (c.1150-1168)

Robert of Shrewsbury (Robert Pennant) was the prior who, in 1137, led a party of monks from Shrewsbury and Chester to bring the relics of St Winifride from North Wales back to Shrewsbury.

Adam I (1168-1175)

Little is known of Adam. He was deposed after his seven years as Abbot.

Ranulph II (1175 - 1196-90)

Ranulph (or Ralph, Radulph) was a monk of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. He was probably appointed Abbot by the influence of then Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard of Dover. He is last recorded alive in 1186, and was dead by 1190.

Hugh De Lacy (1189/90 - 1215/18)

Hugh was abbot by 1190 when dealt with the disputed timber rights of woods in the Wrekin, with the Prior of Wenlock. He may have been a member of the landowning de Lacy family. In c. 1213 he assigned rents from Abbey property in Shrewsbury, Baschurch and the Clee Hills to buy food for his obit, also on the same day a rye dole from Baschurch, for the poor. He died or was deposed between c. 1215 and c. 1218.

Ranulph III (c.1215 - 1218)

Ranulph, or Ralph is said to have died in post in 1218.

William Langton (c. 1218 - 1221)

William may be a relative of Stephen Langton, then Archbishop of Canterbury who granted a letter of protections against trespassers to the abbey.

William was dead by July 1221.

Walter (1221 - 1223)

Walter was a monk of Leominster Priory

Henry (1223 - 1244)

Henry was chosen by the monks of the abbey.

Thomas Prestbury (1399 - 1426)

For more details on this topic, see Thomas Prestbury.

Richard Lye (1498 - 1512)

Richard Lye (fl 1487, d. 4 March 1512) was son of Ludovic Lye, who lived near the Abbey, and possibly related to Richard Lye, vicar of Holy Cross for a short while. Lye signed the Abbey's grant of two pastures to the Guild of St Winifide in 1487, and is recorded at Oxford as a student in 1496.

He is buried in Smithfield, in London.

References

Bibliography

Michael Webb, The Abbots of Shrewsbury Abbey 1992 (Second edition), produced and sold in aid of Shrewsbury Abbey Restoration Project.