Source B
The religious aspect of a monk’s life is clearly shown in the first diagram of source B. It clearly points out that a monk’s life involved praying to God. This is backed up by source D, where in the timetable, praying appears more times than anything else, showing its significance, and confirms the idea that monks prayed regularly.
Furthermore, it tells us that the monks helped the poor, which is also due to religious belief (helping the poor is a teaching of the bible). We also see from here that monks looked after the sick. The site itself backs this up, as we can today see the infirmary area is still there, so therefore, there must have been some provisions to care for the ill. This again links back to deep religious belief and respect for the bible, as it is under the influence of the bible’s teachings that such actions were carried out. This is also suggestive of social involvement, and from this we can gain that a monk may have spent time during his daily life looking after the sick as part of his duty.
Again, the first diagram shows political aspects of a monk’s life. It tells us that they gave advice to the king. This was probably not the case, and it is more likely that only the abbot gave advice to the king. This makes this diagram somewhat misleading, as it is titled ‘how monks helped the country’, however at one point it seems to be referring to just one individual, i.e. the abbot.
We are told in the diagram that monks developed new ways of farming. This is very possible, as I know from my knowledge that such activities did take place in monasteries, so it is possible that such developments were made. What this suggests about a monk’s life is that as well as praying, they also did manual labour, and this fact is backed up by source D, where in the timetable, there is a title ‘work’, suggesting manual work, for example agriculture. The fountains abbey site itself supports this, as in the Swanley grange much information is displayed mostly related to such work. From this we understand that a monk’s life was not just praying, but was also of manual labour and work.
We are also told that they taught in schools. This tells us that monks did not only spend time praying and working, but also helping others to learn. Perhaps, if we look into this further, we can say that if it were monks who taught, they would have control over people’s minds, as they could teach them anything, and the people would indefinitely follow, as religion was the be all and end all, and as a monk was directly associated with religion, what he said had to be followed.
In this source (B) it is said that monks copied books. It is very likely that this book was the bible, and as religion was of such importance during the time, the bible must have been the most popular book, for those who could afford it. As these books take so much effort to copy, they were expensive, and so books that were sold would bring in large amounts of money for the monasteries. More money suggests a more lavish way of life for the monks.
The church styles, as I have mentioned before in the analysis of source A go from a simple style to a much more lavish and larger style. This would again suggest a more lavish way of life for the monks.
In this source, there is a similar limitation, as with source A, here, even though there is talk of monks, the source does at times talk about churches, which is not really all that relevant to a monk’s life.
In addition to this, the source is somewhat misleading, as it does not go into enough detail on the first diagram. For example, the source says that monks helped the poor. Yes, this may have been true, however, this was not the case all the time. The church did get more and more corrupt, as time went on, so, money was actually used to make beautiful buildings for the church, rather than actually putting it to good causes.
It is also said in the source that monks taught in a few schools. This seems a reasonable statement, however the timetable in source D does not show any sign of teaching in them, nor does the fountains abbey site or any other site, like the one in source C show any signs of a school.
Source C
There is not much mention of religion in the source nor is there much coverage of a monk’s political aspects of life or information on the social aspect of a monk’s life. Mainly here the financial side is shown. Again, as I have seen with previous sources, this source shows us the emphasis made on an adorned area for prayer, rather than a simple area suited solely to its purpose. This suggests that the monk’s life would also be one decorated with more opulence than stated in the Benedictine code.
The picture of a Benedictine monastery shows a prison, which suggests that badly behaved monks, who did not abide by the code, were put into the prison, as punishment. Please note, that this is a BENEDICTINE monastery, unlike Fountains Abbey, which is a Cistercian monastery; this may be considered a limitation of this source. Furthermore, the mill suggests that monks worked in order to provide for the monastery. The stables and barn suggest that monk’s looked after animals, and probably used them to help with manual work. And the almonry suggests that monks helped the poor, by giving them alms, and the diagram of source B backs this up.
Source D
The timetable in the source is shows us a typical monk’s day. It is useful in telling us that prayer was a big part of a monk’s life, and what makes it more useful is that the source acknowledges that this was the case in early times, and does not mislead into the fact that it was always this strict (which it was not always the case, as I know from my contextual knowledge that the rules did become more and more relaxed as time went on).
The source does not directly attempt to link politics with a monk’s life, however, some political influences on a monk’s life radiate through the thick foliage of other, perhaps irrelevant information. We are told that the Normans rebuilt cathedrals and churches, and elevated their beauties to even higher levels than before. This influence by the Normans suggests to me that the life of a monk would get more and more luxurious, as, if the buildings are intended to be beautiful, rather than purposeful, then the minds of the monks would be withered gently towards comforts rather God. This is clearly shown to us also in the fountains abbey site, where in the guesthouses (opposite cellarium), basic architecture has been removed to put in a chimney, suggesting a fire, for warmth and comfort.
This source is slightly useful in telling us about the social aspect of a monk’s life, as it tells us how they were trying to detach themselves from the community, and actually live a life in the typical Christian way.
Not much information of is given about the financial aspect of a monk’s life, however with some prior knowledge, we can infer that where in the timetable it is written ‘work’, that some of the produce made during this time, especially during later periods, was indented to be sold, resulting in more wealth for the monastery.
Perhaps, we may say that the fact that the Normans made the buildings much bigger and more luxurious is related to a more rich and lavish lifestyle of the monks, however this is not directly mentioned in the source.
Also in this source, there are similar limits, as mentioned earlier with sources A and B; at points, the source is describing a church not a monastery. It also goes into to too much detail into the life of priests, and only gives a basic overview into the life of monks.
Source E
Religion is discussed in the source in the first two dates (1132 and 1133), under the title ‘History’. Here the source talks about, the piety of the monks, who left their original monastery, as they felt it was too relaxed, and was deviating from St. Benedict’s original rules. This is evidence that the life of these monks in the early stages must have been one of self-defiance, in order to try and survive in such harsh conditions, while still concentrating on God.
Political aspects of a monks life are not really covered in this source, however we can deduce by the fact that in 1536 Marmaduke Bradley actually paid his way into becoming abbot that the monastery by this time was very corrupt. This suggests more political involvement and control (of Thomas Cromwell), and from this we can gather that even the life of monks had more emphasis on the intricate political and financial relations, rather than the simple divine relation with God.
The time period 1150-1200 gives us a good insight into the social and economic aspects of a monk’s life. Here we are told that vast amounts of land were gifted to the abbey, allowing it the space and financial capability to build up large sheep flocks on the moors, west of the abbey. This means that more and more time would be required to manage such areas, and so we can infer that monks at this point were not spending as much time in the church, and spending more time on the fields, managing their sheep, crops and so on.
Again in the time period of 1150-1200 it is implied that more goods were produced, usually, more than what was required by the monks in the abbey. Therefore much of the excess produce was sold, and the money gained by this could be used in improving the abbey and providing better food for the monks, as shown to us in the time period of 1300-99, where the source says that monks started eating meat on a regular basis. Also to add to the comfort, hired servants were actually managing the estates, rather than the monks. This shows us the way in which even the monks of this monastery, which were originally supposed to be of people devoted only to sole worship have fallen into the ‘trap’ of comforts, all due to the power they received with wealth.
Unfortunately, this source paints only half a picture, where it does not explain much of the key facts, to do with political aspects and even some social aspects. It is useful in some areas, but in other areas it is too general to be able to extract useful information.
The Site
Religious aspects of the abbey are shown to us firstly, and most obviously in the churches themselves (there are 2 – the lay brothers’ church and the choir monks’ church). Each of the churches has associating night stairs, which connect to the dormitories of the monks respectively. This shows us that the monks were very devout in their religion, that even during late hours of the night/early hours of the morning, they were prepared to sacrifice sleep, in order to pray for god. This is backed up in source D, where the timetable shows the monks starting prayer at 2:00 am.
Furthermore, the chapter house shows us that monks regarded their set code very highly, as it is here that they sat and read chapters from St Benedict’s book. This is supported by the fact that there are the remains of a cupboard (most probably for books and perhaps other religious items) adjacent to the chapter house, suggesting that the monks used the area for reading.
The shape of the church itself suggests importance of religion in a monk’s life. It is shaped like a crucifix, signifying the deep religious beliefs of the monks that they even paid attention to such small details to try and keep everything as close to religion as possible.
The existence of the infirmary also suggests that religion was important in a monk’s life, as the Christian faith that actually encourages caring for the sick, so it implies that monk’s were doing their utmost best to try and keep to their religion.
The chapter house was a place of political meeting. It was here that the abbot along with other monks met with significant political figures, perhaps even the king. Politics was so important to monks as it was due to the power of political figures that they were actually able collect funds that they wanted to improve the abbey. It can be described as a 2-way system, as the church invests the power in the king, and says he is the one chosen by God to be in his position, and in return, the king gives money to support religious buildings. This all adds to the wealth of the abbey.
The vast amount of land owned by the abbey suggests economic and social involvement. This is because it is very likely that previously the land around the abbey was not originally that of the abbey, but was given to the abbey by rich owners, in order to secure a place in heaven. This is backed up by source E, where between the periods of 1150-1200, the names are given of the landowners who have gifted land to the abbey.
The infirmary is also suggestive of social involvement. As it is an infirmary, it is likely that the sick were cared for there. This implies that a monk may have had to work and help in the infirmary to care for the sick during his daily life.
The Swanley grange provides a good view into the financial part of a monk’s life. It gives clearly information on the abbey’s wool monopoly, and tells us that all monks did manual labour for at least one hour per day. This is related to finance, as when there were excess amounts of produce, it could be sold, and the money would come directly to the abbey!
The cellarium can also be described as the financial centre of the abbey. It was here that the main ‘financial transactions’ took place. Also, here monks were permitted to talk about monastic business, suggesting that prayer was not the only part of a monk’s life, but money was also of significant importance.
The huge window in the choir monk’s church, facing the east is also a sign of the importance of money in a monk’s life. If you look closely, the older, simpler designs of window are visible, and you can see that the original circular shape has been blocked up, and replaced with the much larger and fancier window. This tells us that the abbey is obviously wealthier, and is also evidence that there was a gradual transition from simple to lavish in the style of a monk’s life.
Also as we look down the aisles in the church we see the transition from simple windows to decorative windows, which further suggest the simple to lavish lifestyle modification.
Money also brings comforts, and this is reflected in the guesthouses, where the basic architecture, has been removed to put in a chimney for a fire, in order to get warmth and comfort.
Similar to the sources, the site also has some limitations. The immediate limitation, which springs to mind, is the cider press, placed in the centre of the cloister. This was not originally there, and was placed there by Victorians, and can be misleading. Similar is the case with the altar, which is currently in a place where it usually would not be. Therefore, it is vital that you research into such facts, and consider such unreliable and misleading items of the abbey.
Another limitation is the fact that not all the time can you use architecture to show the transition of simple to lavish, as sometimes architects used the same styles of architecture that were use 200-300 years before in order to make the style blend together. A classic example of this is the front of the cellarium.
Furthermore, the fact that the Abbey is a ruin is a definite limitation. This is because it is much more difficult to pick up on certain things, which may have otherwise easily been seen as evidence, as they are so subtle due to the fact that they are in such poor condition.
Conclusion
After studying the sources and the site, I feel that in many areas, the sources work in harmony with the site and at times, the site compliments the sources, for example the diagram in source B tells us that monks helped the sick – this is backed up by the site, as we can see the remains of an infirmary. This leaves me to conclude that a more accurate idea of a monk’s life can be gained, when we draw together each individual fibre of the sources, with the perforated strings from the fountains abbey site itself, to create one smooth rope, which ties together the scattered pieces of evidence, and together directs us to a more accurate idea of a monk’s life.
Appendix
In the middle of the lay brother’s and choir monk’s church towards the Galilee porch
West end of church
West range – to tower
The nave with approximate position of rood screen between Choir monks and lay brother’s church
South aisle
Markings on architecture along south isle
Lay brothers night stairs
The cloister – notice the cider press in the centre
The chapter house
The refectory – notice the raised platform for reading out prayers on the right hand side of the photo
