The Last Abbot of Glastonbury

This is the story of Richard Whiting, a faithful steward of Glastonbury Abbey, chosen by Henry VIII's most faithful servant, agreeing that Henry was the head of the Church of England, and who believed that his abbey was safe from Henry's intention to close down all monasteries.

In September 1539, Glastonbury was the last abbey in southwest England. In September, Thomas Cromwell (Lord of the Privy Seal) sent a small delegation whose purpose seemed to be to find reasons to close the place down.

One of the purposes of shutting down monasteries was so the king could assume their property. Glastonbury was a wealthy abbey and the delegation expected to find treasure, but it was not readily apparent. They then made a more determined search and found money and valuable items hidden away in vaults, and assumed there might have been other valuables sent to other locations to hide them from the king.

Whiting was sent to the Tower of London to be examined by Cromwell himself, who wrote:

Item, Certayn persons to be sent to the Tower for the further examenacyon of the Abbot, of Glaston... Item. The Abbot, of Glaston to (be) tryed at Glaston and also executyd there with his complycys... Item. Councillors to give evidence against the Abbot of Glaston, Rich. Pollard, Lewis Forstew (Forstell), Thos. Moyle.

From Whiting's entry in the online New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia we can learn that the French ambassador at the time wrote:

The Abbot of Glastonbury. . . has lately, been put in the Tower, because, in taking the Abbey treasures, valued at 200,000 crowns, they found a written book of arguments in behalf of Queen Katherine. [link]

Whiting was sent from the Tower to Wells where he was tried and convicted of robbing Glastonbury. He and his treasurer and sacristan were taken to Glastonbury on the following day, dragged by horses to the top of Glastonbury Tor, then hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Whiting is considered a martyr for the Church and was beatified in 1895 (immortalized in the stained glass window above).

There was an earlier abbot of Glastonbury who also fell afoul of a king, which was even more interesting because the king was his brother.