Abbot Samson's brethren: Benedictine monastic leadership in later twelfth century England

The English Benedictine abbots in the latter half of the twelfth century were men of political, social, and ecclesiastical importance, but they are too often treated as shadowy, undifferentiated figures. They should be seen as individuals in a landscape, among people, working with problems and ideas, men varied in talents and temperament. Law and custom, pastoral care and politics, the interests of the monastic family and those of the outside world intermingled in the process by which the abbots were chosen. Occasionally choices were spectacularly bad, but in general the abbots were competent and conscientious. Most served for life. Of those who did not, some voluntarily gave up responsibility they could no longer bear. Others were removed as unfit stewards (some wicked, some merely inept) or, more rarely, as political irritations. Within the monastery each abbot was ruler, father, administrator, and pastor. Abbots had to protect the resources of their houses by careful management and litigation when necessary, and ensure the wise use of those resources. In theory they supervised the daily life of their monks and molded the intellectual and spiritual ambience of their communities; in practice their abilities and interests in this regard varied. Officials of church and kingdom, the abbots helped to run both, as counsellors, administrators, and judges. Their cooperation contributed to the effectiveness of ecclesiastical reforms and secular political innovations. In times of crisis their caution worked in favor of stability and order. As papal judges delegate the abbots participated in a developing canonical process bound up with important aspects of centralization and renewal within the church. This judicial and pastoral task helped shape subsequent legislation and practice. The careers of abbots like Adam of Evesham, largely overlooked by historians, reveal the complexity and richness of the Benedictine abbots' role in their society.