The Abbot of Abingdon was the head (or abbot) of Anglo-Saxon and eventually Benedictine house of Abingdon Abbey at Abingdon-on-Thames in northern Berkshire (present-day Oxfordshire), England.
The following is a list of abbots of Abingdon:
Fictional abbots Historian Susan E. Kelly regards the traditional first six abbots as fictional: "There is good reason to think that in most cases their names were simply plucked from early charters available in the abbey's archive, the majority of which would seem to have had no connection with an early minister at Abingdon; there is no very convincing evidence that the historians had access to independent, reliable sources of information. The 'history' of the pre-Æthelwoldian minister seems to a very large extent to represent a fictional reconstruction".Kelly, Charters of Abingdon, part 1
Probably fictional abbots:
Name Comments Hæha, also Hean The legendary first abbot of Abingdon, but, according to Kelly, more probably an abbot of Bradfield, his name having been plucked from a charter dated 704,S 245 with others, in order to replace the lost early history of Abingdon Abbey. Cumma Cumma is mentioned in a forged charter of King Æthelbald,S 93 but "no Abbot Cumma is known from other sources". It is, however, generally considered that the village of Cumnor is named after him. Hræthhun A Hræthhun was styled abbot of Abingdon in a charter dated 811,S 166 but the charter was forged, probably using the name of Hræthhun (d. 839/40), bishop of Leicester. Kelly therefore excludes him from the list of Abingdon abbots. Alhhard Kelly suggests that the name was plucked from the witness list of a charter,S 1201 with others, in order to reconstruct the lost early history of the Abbey of Abingdon. Cynath A Cynath, abbot of Evesham, mistakenly listed by the compiler of the De Abbatibus Abbendoniae as an abbot of Abingdon. Godescealc Godescealc's name occurs in three charters, all of them forgeries, and was later extracted from these documents and used in the construction of a spurious early history of the Abbey of Abingdon.
Abbots
The historic abbots, right up to the dissolution of the abbey in 1538, are as follows:
Name In office Comments Saint Æthelwold of Winchester c. 955 – c. 964 later Bishop of Winchester Osgar c. 964 – 984 Eadwine 985 – 990 Wulfgar 990 – 1016 Æthelsige 1016 – 1018 Æthelwine 1018 – 1030 Siward 1030 – 1044 Æthelstan c. 1044 – 1047/1048 Spearhafoc c. 1047/1048 – 1051 a famous goldsmith, later Bishop-Elect of London, who absconded with a large treasure Rodulf 1051 – 1052 Ordric 1052 – 1066 Ealdred 1066 – 1071 Adelelm 1071 – 1083 Norman abbot Rainald 1084 – 1097 Norman abbot Faritius 1100 – 1117 Norman abbot vacant 1117 – 1121 Knowles, Brooke and London (2001), The heads of religious houses: England & Wales, I. 940–1216, pp. 24-5. Vincent 1121 – 1130 Ingulph 1130 – 1159 Walkelin 1159 – 1164 vacant 1164 – 1165 held by the king none 1165 – 1175 held in commendam by Godfrey, bishop of St Asaph vacant 1175 Roger 1175 – 1185 vacant 1185 – 1186 vacant for half a year Alvred 1186 – 1189 Hugh 1189/1190 – c. 1221 Smith and London (2001), The heads of religious houses: England & Wales, II. 1216–1377, pp. 16-8. Robert of Hendred (Henreth) 1221 – 1234 Luke 1234 – 1241? John de Blosmeville 1241 – 1256 William of Newbury 1256 – 1260 Henry of Frilford (Frilleford) 1260 – 1261 Robert of Hendred 1261 – 1289 Nicholas of Culham 1289 – 1306 Richard of Bishops Cleeve 1306 – 1315 John of Sutton 1315 – 1322 John de Canyng (Canynges) 1322 – 1328 Robert of Garford 1328 – 1332 William (of Cumnor (Comenor(e)) 1332 – 1335 Roger of Thame (Tame) 1335 – 1361 Peter of Hanney 1361 – 1399 Richard de Salford 1401 Ditchfield and Page, ed, Victoria History of Berkshire, pp. 57-62. John Dorset 1415 Richard Boxore 1421/2 – 1427 Thomas Salford 1427 Ralph Hamme 1428 – 1435 William Ashendon 1435 John Sante 1468 Thomas Rowland 1496 Alexander Shottisbrook 1504 John Coventry 1508 Thomas Pentecost (= Rowland) 1511/1512 – 1538
Notes
References