Abbot of Burton

The Abbot of Burton was the head of Burton Abbey, the Benedictine monastery of St Mary and St Modwenna at Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, England. Allegedly the church was begun by a wandering Irish holy woman, but it was actually founded c. 1003 as a Benedictine abbey by Wulfric Spott. A continuous series of abbots, which slight possible interruptions, can be traced thereafter until the English Reformation.

List of abbots

Abbots of the church of Burton
Incumbent	From	Until	Citation(s)	Notes
Wulfgeat	c. 1004	c. 1026	[1]	The Annals of Burton state he died Thursday 20 April 1026, after 22 years in office. This date was in fact a Wednesday, though 20 April 1027 fell on a Thursday, meaning that the source was out by a year his abbacy lasted from c. 1005 to 1027.[1]
Brihtric I	c. 1027	c. 1050	[2]	The Annals of Burton state he died Saturday 20 April 1050, after 24 years in office. This date was in fact a Friday.[1]
Leofric	c. 1051	1066	[3]	Also Abbot of Peterborough (1052–1066), as well as Coventry, Crowland, and Thorney, he was the nephew of Leofric, Earl of Mercia.[4]
Brihtric II	c. 1067	1085	[3]	Previously Abbot of Malmesbury, he was appointed by William the Conqueror soon after Abbot Leofric's death in either 31 October or 1 November 1066.[5]
Geoffrey de Mala Terra	1085	1094	[3]	He was expelled from his position in 1094.[3]
Nigel	1094	1114	[3]
Geoffrey	1114	1150	[3]
Robert I	1150	1159	[3]	He was expelled in 1159, but returned in 1176.[3]
Bernard	1160	1174	[3]	Previously Abbot of Cerne[3]
Robert I (again)	1176		[3]	Previously Abbot of Cerne[3]
Roger Malebranche	1177	1182	[3]
Richard	1182	1187	[3]
Nicholas	1187	1197	[3]
William Melburne	1200	1213	[3]
Stephen de Lucy	1214		[3]	Elected but resigned in January 1214[6]
Roger	1214	1216	[3]
Nicholas de Wallingford	1216	1222	[7]
Richard de Insula	1222	1229	[7]
Laurence de St Edward	1229	1260	[7]
John de Stafford	1260	1281	[7]
Thomas de Packington	1281	1305	[7]
John de Burton	1305	1316	[7]
William de Bromley	1316	1329	[7]
Robert de Langdon	1329	1340	[7]
Robert de Brykhull	1340	1347	[8]
John of Ibestock	1347	1366	[8]
Thomas of Southam	1366	1400	[8]
John de Sudbury	1400	1424	[9]
William Matthewe	1424	1430	[9]
Robert Ownesby	1430	1433	[9]
Ralph Henley	1433	1455	[9]
William de Bronston	1455	1473	[9]
Thomas de Felde	1473	1493	[9]
William Fleghe	1493	1502	[9]
William Beyne	1502	1530 x 1531	[9]	Associated with Abbot Beyne School
William Benson	1531	1533	[9]	Became Abbot of Westminster[9]
John Beaton	1533	1534	[9]
William Edys	1534	1539	[9]	Surrendered the abbey as part of the dissolution of the monasteries[9]

Notes

1. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, p. 30
2. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, pp. 30–31
3. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, p. 31
4. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, p. 60
5. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, pp. 31, 55
6. Knowles, Brooke,and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. i, pp. 31, 80
7. Smith and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. ii, p. 25
8. Smith and London, Heads of Religious Houses, vol. ii, p. 26
9. Greenslade and Pugh (eds.), "The Abbey of Burton"

References

• Knowles, David; Brooke, C. N. L.; London, C. M, eds. (1972), The Heads of Religious Houses : England and Wales. 1, 940—1216, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-08367-2
• Greenslade, M. W.; Pugh, R. B., eds. (1970), "Houses of Benedictine Monks: The Abbey of Burton", A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3, British History Online, pp. 199–213, retrieved 2009-07-09
• Smith, David M.; London, C. M, eds. (2001), The Heads of Religious Houses : England and Wales. 2, 1216—1377, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-80271-7