Samson of Tottington
Encyclopedia
Samson of Tottington was an English Benedictine
monk who became Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds
.
and taught in the school at Bury St. Edmunds
. In 1160 the monks of St. Edmunds sent him to Rome on their behalf to appeal against an agreement of the abbot and Henry II of England
, and for this on his return Abbot Hugh promptly clapped him into gaol. By 1166 Samson was a fully professed monk, and in the years following he filled a number of offices - those of sub-sacrist, guestmaster, pittancer, third prior, master of novices, and master of the workmen.
Abbot Hugh died in 1180, and on the advice of Eysteinn of Nidaros
, who resided in the abbey between 1181 and 82, he was elected abbot of Bury St. Edmunds on 21 February 1182. Samson was elected Abbott on the 21st of February, 1182 For the rest of his life, Samson worked for the abbey, for the town, and for the State. He regained the right of joint election of two bailiffs for the abbey and town, made a thorough investigation of the properties of the abbey, looked into the finances, cleared off arrears of debt, rebuilt the choir, constructed an aqueduct
, and added the great bell tower at the west end of the abbey, and two flanking towers. He did his best for the liberties of the town; helped the townsfolk to obtain a charter and gave every encouragement to new settlers. The monks resisted Samson's concessions of market rights to the townsmen, but were no match for their abbot. A hospital at Babwell, and a free school for poor scholars, were also the gifts of Abbot Samson to the townspeople.
Pope Lucius III
made Samson a judge delegate in ecclesiastical causes; he served on the commission for settling the quarrel between Hubert Walter
and the monks of Canterbury; and on the Royal Council in London, where he sat as a baron, opposing the efforts of William of Longchamp to curtail the rights of the Benedictine Order.
Samson died in 1211, having ruled his abbey successfully for almost thirty years. Thomas Carlyle
in Book 2: The Ancient Monk of Past and Present
wrote an extended essay on Samson and leadership.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk who became Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds
Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds
Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds was the title used by the head of the Benedictine monastery Bury St. Edmunds Abbey in the county of Suffolk, England. The following table lists the abbots from the foundation of the abbey in 1020 until 1216....
.
Life
After taking his M.A. in Paris, Samson returned to NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and taught in the school at Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds is a market town in the county of Suffolk, England, and formerly the county town of West Suffolk. It is the main town in the borough of St Edmundsbury and known for the ruined abbey near the town centre...
. In 1160 the monks of St. Edmunds sent him to Rome on their behalf to appeal against an agreement of the abbot and Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, and for this on his return Abbot Hugh promptly clapped him into gaol. By 1166 Samson was a fully professed monk, and in the years following he filled a number of offices - those of sub-sacrist, guestmaster, pittancer, third prior, master of novices, and master of the workmen.
Abbot Hugh died in 1180, and on the advice of Eysteinn of Nidaros
Eysteinn Erlendsson
Eysteinn Erlendsson was Archbishop of Nidaros from 1161 to his death in 1188.-Background:...
, who resided in the abbey between 1181 and 82, he was elected abbot of Bury St. Edmunds on 21 February 1182. Samson was elected Abbott on the 21st of February, 1182 For the rest of his life, Samson worked for the abbey, for the town, and for the State. He regained the right of joint election of two bailiffs for the abbey and town, made a thorough investigation of the properties of the abbey, looked into the finances, cleared off arrears of debt, rebuilt the choir, constructed an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
, and added the great bell tower at the west end of the abbey, and two flanking towers. He did his best for the liberties of the town; helped the townsfolk to obtain a charter and gave every encouragement to new settlers. The monks resisted Samson's concessions of market rights to the townsmen, but were no match for their abbot. A hospital at Babwell, and a free school for poor scholars, were also the gifts of Abbot Samson to the townspeople.
Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...
made Samson a judge delegate in ecclesiastical causes; he served on the commission for settling the quarrel between Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
and the monks of Canterbury; and on the Royal Council in London, where he sat as a baron, opposing the efforts of William of Longchamp to curtail the rights of the Benedictine Order.
Samson died in 1211, having ruled his abbey successfully for almost thirty years. Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
in Book 2: The Ancient Monk of Past and Present
Past and Present (book)
Past and Present is a book by Thomas Carlyle published in April 1843 in England and in May in the United States. It combines medieval history with criticism of 19th century British society. It was written in seven weeks, as a respite from the harassing labor of writing Cromwell...
wrote an extended essay on Samson and leadership.