The Rose Rent
Encyclopedia
The Rose Rent is a medieval mystery novel set in the summer of 1142 by Ellis Peters, first published in 1986
. This is the thirteenth novel in the Brother Cadfael series. It was adapted for television in 1997
by Central
for ITV
.
with the Shrewsbury Abbey
in which they take rights to the property where she lived with her deceased husband and daughter. The rent to be paid for the property is a single white rose from the bush on the north wall of the property, which must be delivered to her each year on the feast day of Saint Winifred. The title may also be a pun on the fact that the rose bush is damaged (i.e. 'rent') in a significant scene.
friars of Shrewsbury Abbey are thinking of the approaching feast day of Saint Winifred. On that day the abbey
must pay the rent on a piece of property given to it by the widow Judith Perle. Her husband and child died within twenty days of each other four years before. She made a charter
with the abbey where the abbey was given her house and gardens where she had lived, in exchange for a single white rose from the garden, to be delivered to her on the feast day of Saint Winifred. Brother Eluric, who has delivered the rose for the past three years, asks Abbot
Radulfus to be released from this duty, as he is tormented by his desire for the widow Perle. Abbot Radulfus releases him and with the help of Cadfael he decides to have the rose rent delivered by Niall the bronzesmith, who rents the property from the abbey.
Judith visits the bronzesmith to ask him to repair a girdle
, and he is touched by her beauty and loneliness. Judith Perle has several suitors but is not interested in marrying again. She discusses with Sister Magdalen the option of taking the veil and living with the sisters at Godric's Ford. Sister Magdalen convinces her to wait but says that her door is always open if she is in need of a place to rest and think.
Niall, a widower, keeps his young daughter with relatives in nearby Pulley. He returns from an overnight visit and finds that the white rose bush has been hacked up. At its base lies Brother Eluric, dead with a knife by his side. While investigating the scene, Brother Cadfael finds a distinctive footprint and makes a wax impression. Cadfael tells Judith about Brother Eluric's desire for her. Before going to bed that night, Judith tells her servant Branwen that in the morning she will go to the abbey to draw up a new charter and make the gift of the property unconditional. The next day, Judith fails to arrive at the abbey and eventually is presumed missing. Sheriff Hugh Beringar, Cadfael, and Abbot Radulfus believe that Judith may have been kidnapped, perhaps to be forced into a marriage. If the rose is not delivered into her hands on the appointed day, the charter would be broken and the property would be revert to her and her husband. The search begins and Cadfael finds the bronze
tag from Judith's girdle that Niall had just repaired for her. It is found under a bridge where a boat had been hauled up in hiding. Cadfael's search of the river with Madog finds a stolen boat discarded downstream on the River Severn
.
Bertred, one of Judith's foremen, remembers that on the night that Judith announced that she would be going to the abbey to remake the charter, one of Vivian Hynde's men left suddenly after the announcement. Bertred believes he knows where she is being held. In the middle of the night, he makes his way to Hynde's old counting-house that had been securely shuttered and barred earlier that day. Bertred can hear Judith Perle inside with her gaoler, Vivian Hynde. Vivian is urging Judith to marry him, but she scornfully rejects him. Bertred has been holding onto the sill and it gives way and makes a sound, which alerts those within and the watchman. Bertred runs toward the river to escape. The watchman and his dog follow and the watchman gives him a glancing blow in the head but Bertred dives into the water, hits some rocks and is knocked senseless. He is not followed by either the watchman or the dog as they believe he is across the river.
Back in the counting-house, Judith convinces Vivian to take her to Sister Magdalen, where she will say she has been in retreat during the past days. She promises not to reveal the truth about Vivian. She just wants this episode behind her. Someone comes upon Bertred in the shallows, checks to see if he is alive, and then kicks him out into the current of the river. Cadfael, on a walk along the river the next morning, finds the dead body of Bertred. After examining Bertred's body, Cadfael notices that Bertred's boots are a match for the wax impression of the boot found near the rose bush when Brother Eluric was killed. They have apparently found the murderer of Brother Eluric. Hugh and Cadfael talk to the watchman and discover that Bertred had been at Vivian Hynde's storehouse the night before, where they find the broken window sill. They ask to search within but find nothing, even in the locked room where Judith had been held.
Niall goes to Pulley again to visit his daughter. He would like to bring her home to live with him, but she needs a mother. On his return in the middle of the night, he hears sounds and takes cover, believing he can hear bandits. He sees a man leading a woman on a horse and recognizes her as Judith Perle. He follows them for an hour until he hears Judith tell the man to let her go the rest of the way alone. After the man leaves, Niall approaches closer when suddenly he hears her scream as someone is attacking her with a knife. He struggles with her attacker and eventually knocks the knife away, after getting a gash on his left arm. He and Judith continue to the Benedictine nuns at Godric's Ford. Judith tells Sister Magdalene their story and she agrees to go along with Judith's deception about being with the Sisters for three days. Sister Magdalene accompanies them back to Shrewsbury
.
After her reunion at her home, Judith tells her tale of being attacked to Hugh. She tells him the truth about her abduction, adding that after being released by Vivian she just wants the matter to end and will not bear witness against him. She says Vivian was with her when they heard Bertred fall and be chased by the night watchman, so he could not have killed Bertred. Cadfael asks one of Judith Perle's servants to obtain two left shoes for him from her household. The servant returns and Cadfael examines the shoe that belonged to Bertred. It does not match the mold of the print from Brother Eluric's murder. The other shoe does match.
Thinking there might be trouble with the rose bush, Cadfael investigates and finds that the bush is on fire. Someone has covered it with oil and dropped a burning torch on it. The bush is destroyed. Hugh visits Judith Perle and her cousin Miles, who manages her cloth-making business, and asks Miles when he gave his boots to Bertred. Miles' mother reveals that he did it on the day Brother Eluric was found dead. Miles had killed Brother Eluric and later given his boots to Bertred.
Miles confesses, appearing more bewildered than guilty, and he is taken away. Cadfael reasons that Miles, hoping that Judith would enter the convent and leave her shop and property to him, had the idea of destroying the rose bush and causing the house to revert to her estate. But Eluric discovered and attacked him, and Miles stabbed him. Later, he had to kill Bertred, and attempt to kill Judith, when it looked like he was close to being found out. Cadfael and Judith reflect sadly that he never intended to do so much evil, but his first step led him down a path he could not escape.
Later, after Miles is taken away, Niall and his young daughter arrive at Judith's house with a white rose. He had picked it the night before the fire. He delivers the rose rent to her, thus securing the abbey's charter. He begins to leave, but Judith asks him to stay. The implication is that they will marry.
review in 1987 said that "twelfth century England blossoms again as Cadfael in his understated way moves through the now familiar environs of Shrewsbury piecing together a devious plan that went awry."
for ITV
. It filmed on location in Hungary
and starred Sir Derek Jacobi
as Cadfael, Kitty Aldridge
as Judith, and Tom Mannion
as Niall Bronzesmith.
The adaptation makes some changes from the book. The most significant change is that Miles (Crispin Bonham-Carter
) is motivated not by greed, but by secret love for his cousin, and first attacks the rose bush to convince her to let go of her devotion to her deceased husband.
1986 in literature
The year 1986 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Michael Grade. Controller of BBC One, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play.-New books:*Kingsley Amis - The Old Devils...
. This is the thirteenth novel in the Brother Cadfael series. It was adapted for television in 1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
by Central
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Explanation of the novel's title
A widow has entered into a charterCharter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
with the Shrewsbury Abbey
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
in which they take rights to the property where she lived with her deceased husband and daughter. The rent to be paid for the property is a single white rose from the bush on the north wall of the property, which must be delivered to her each year on the feast day of Saint Winifred. The title may also be a pun on the fact that the rose bush is damaged (i.e. 'rent') in a significant scene.
Plot summary
In the spring of 1142 the BenedictineBenedictine
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...
friars of Shrewsbury Abbey are thinking of the approaching feast day of Saint Winifred. On that day the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
must pay the rent on a piece of property given to it by the widow Judith Perle. Her husband and child died within twenty days of each other four years before. She made a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
with the abbey where the abbey was given her house and gardens where she had lived, in exchange for a single white rose from the garden, to be delivered to her on the feast day of Saint Winifred. Brother Eluric, who has delivered the rose for the past three years, asks Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
Radulfus to be released from this duty, as he is tormented by his desire for the widow Perle. Abbot Radulfus releases him and with the help of Cadfael he decides to have the rose rent delivered by Niall the bronzesmith, who rents the property from the abbey.
Judith visits the bronzesmith to ask him to repair a girdle
Girdle
A girdle is a garment that encircles the lower torso, perhaps extending below the hips, and worn often for support. The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English, the term girdle is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity...
, and he is touched by her beauty and loneliness. Judith Perle has several suitors but is not interested in marrying again. She discusses with Sister Magdalen the option of taking the veil and living with the sisters at Godric's Ford. Sister Magdalen convinces her to wait but says that her door is always open if she is in need of a place to rest and think.
Niall, a widower, keeps his young daughter with relatives in nearby Pulley. He returns from an overnight visit and finds that the white rose bush has been hacked up. At its base lies Brother Eluric, dead with a knife by his side. While investigating the scene, Brother Cadfael finds a distinctive footprint and makes a wax impression. Cadfael tells Judith about Brother Eluric's desire for her. Before going to bed that night, Judith tells her servant Branwen that in the morning she will go to the abbey to draw up a new charter and make the gift of the property unconditional. The next day, Judith fails to arrive at the abbey and eventually is presumed missing. Sheriff Hugh Beringar, Cadfael, and Abbot Radulfus believe that Judith may have been kidnapped, perhaps to be forced into a marriage. If the rose is not delivered into her hands on the appointed day, the charter would be broken and the property would be revert to her and her husband. The search begins and Cadfael finds the bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
tag from Judith's girdle that Niall had just repaired for her. It is found under a bridge where a boat had been hauled up in hiding. Cadfael's search of the river with Madog finds a stolen boat discarded downstream on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
.
Bertred, one of Judith's foremen, remembers that on the night that Judith announced that she would be going to the abbey to remake the charter, one of Vivian Hynde's men left suddenly after the announcement. Bertred believes he knows where she is being held. In the middle of the night, he makes his way to Hynde's old counting-house that had been securely shuttered and barred earlier that day. Bertred can hear Judith Perle inside with her gaoler, Vivian Hynde. Vivian is urging Judith to marry him, but she scornfully rejects him. Bertred has been holding onto the sill and it gives way and makes a sound, which alerts those within and the watchman. Bertred runs toward the river to escape. The watchman and his dog follow and the watchman gives him a glancing blow in the head but Bertred dives into the water, hits some rocks and is knocked senseless. He is not followed by either the watchman or the dog as they believe he is across the river.
Back in the counting-house, Judith convinces Vivian to take her to Sister Magdalen, where she will say she has been in retreat during the past days. She promises not to reveal the truth about Vivian. She just wants this episode behind her. Someone comes upon Bertred in the shallows, checks to see if he is alive, and then kicks him out into the current of the river. Cadfael, on a walk along the river the next morning, finds the dead body of Bertred. After examining Bertred's body, Cadfael notices that Bertred's boots are a match for the wax impression of the boot found near the rose bush when Brother Eluric was killed. They have apparently found the murderer of Brother Eluric. Hugh and Cadfael talk to the watchman and discover that Bertred had been at Vivian Hynde's storehouse the night before, where they find the broken window sill. They ask to search within but find nothing, even in the locked room where Judith had been held.
Niall goes to Pulley again to visit his daughter. He would like to bring her home to live with him, but she needs a mother. On his return in the middle of the night, he hears sounds and takes cover, believing he can hear bandits. He sees a man leading a woman on a horse and recognizes her as Judith Perle. He follows them for an hour until he hears Judith tell the man to let her go the rest of the way alone. After the man leaves, Niall approaches closer when suddenly he hears her scream as someone is attacking her with a knife. He struggles with her attacker and eventually knocks the knife away, after getting a gash on his left arm. He and Judith continue to the Benedictine nuns at Godric's Ford. Judith tells Sister Magdalene their story and she agrees to go along with Judith's deception about being with the Sisters for three days. Sister Magdalene accompanies them back to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
After her reunion at her home, Judith tells her tale of being attacked to Hugh. She tells him the truth about her abduction, adding that after being released by Vivian she just wants the matter to end and will not bear witness against him. She says Vivian was with her when they heard Bertred fall and be chased by the night watchman, so he could not have killed Bertred. Cadfael asks one of Judith Perle's servants to obtain two left shoes for him from her household. The servant returns and Cadfael examines the shoe that belonged to Bertred. It does not match the mold of the print from Brother Eluric's murder. The other shoe does match.
Thinking there might be trouble with the rose bush, Cadfael investigates and finds that the bush is on fire. Someone has covered it with oil and dropped a burning torch on it. The bush is destroyed. Hugh visits Judith Perle and her cousin Miles, who manages her cloth-making business, and asks Miles when he gave his boots to Bertred. Miles' mother reveals that he did it on the day Brother Eluric was found dead. Miles had killed Brother Eluric and later given his boots to Bertred.
Miles confesses, appearing more bewildered than guilty, and he is taken away. Cadfael reasons that Miles, hoping that Judith would enter the convent and leave her shop and property to him, had the idea of destroying the rose bush and causing the house to revert to her estate. But Eluric discovered and attacked him, and Miles stabbed him. Later, he had to kill Bertred, and attempt to kill Judith, when it looked like he was close to being found out. Cadfael and Judith reflect sadly that he never intended to do so much evil, but his first step led him down a path he could not escape.
Later, after Miles is taken away, Niall and his young daughter arrive at Judith's house with a white rose. He had picked it the night before the fire. He delivers the rose rent to her, thus securing the abbey's charter. He begins to leave, but Judith asks him to stay. The implication is that they will marry.
Characters in The Rose Rent
- Brother Cadfael is a BenedictineBenedictineBenedictine 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...
monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and herbalistHerbalistAn herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
at Shrewsbury AbbeyShrewsbury AbbeyThe Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
in ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. - Hugh Beringar — Sheriff of ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
- Abbot Radulfus — Head of Shrewsbury AbbeyShrewsbury AbbeyThe Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
- Judith Perle — Widow and sole mistress of the Vertiers' clothier business
- Brother Eluric — a brother at Shrewsbury AbbeyShrewsbury AbbeyThe Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
- Sister Magdalen — A sister at the Benedictine cell at Godric's Ford
- Niall — a bronzesmith who had a shop and workshop on the property give to the abbey by Judith Perle
- Miles Coliar — Judith Perle's cousin, he manages the family business for Judith.
- Vivian Hynde — Suitor of Judith Perle, owned the biggest sheep flock in the central western uplands of the shire
- Branwen — Servant girl in the house of Judith Perle.
- Godfrey Fuller — Suitor of Judith Perle, a local merchant
- Bertred — Judith Perle's foreman weaver.
- Madog of the Dead-Boat — An expert in locating people who have drowned in the river Severn.
Literary significance and reception
The Library JournalLibrary Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
review in 1987 said that "twelfth century England blossoms again as Cadfael in his understated way moves through the now familiar environs of Shrewsbury piecing together a devious plan that went awry."
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The Rose Rent was adapted into a television program as part of the Brother Cadfael series by CentralCentral Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. It filmed on location in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and starred Sir Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
as Cadfael, Kitty Aldridge
Kitty Aldridge
Kitty Aldridge is a British actress and writer.-Biography:After training as an actress at the Drama Centre London, Aldridge worked in film, theatre and television as an actress. She released her first novel Pop in 2001, and her second Cryers Hill was published on 1 March 2007. Aldridge is married...
as Judith, and Tom Mannion
Tom Mannion
Tom Mannion is a British actor.His television credits include Brookside, Up the Garden Path, The Bill, Boon, Cadfael, Doctor Finlay, Doctors, Eleventh Hour, Holby City, Hustle, Life on Mars, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks, Red Cap, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Spatz, Taggart, The Agatha Christie...
as Niall Bronzesmith.
The adaptation makes some changes from the book. The most significant change is that Miles (Crispin Bonham-Carter
Crispin Bonham-Carter
Crispin Bonham-Carter is an English actor and theatre director.Bonham-Carter is a distant cousin of Helena Bonham Carter. He is the son of Peter Bonham-Carter and Clodagh Greenwood. Educated at Glenalmond College, he graduated from the University of St Andrews, Scotland with a degree in classics...
) is motivated not by greed, but by secret love for his cousin, and first attacks the rose bush to convince her to let go of her devotion to her deceased husband.