Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/674

 664 ^^- ^^^- Trenholme townsmen resolved to take violent measures and to incite a rebellion in the town. The meeting dispersed with threats of violence to- wards the abbey and its inmates, but the monks had some friends in the town who warned them to be on their guard/ This first meeting seems to have been held on a Monday, about the middle of May, and another meeting was called for the Wed- nesday night following. The people again assembled at the church of St. Helen, the parish church of Abingdon, when the bell tolled the hour of midnight. It was a midnight meeting of conspirators to organize an attack on the abbey, rather than a public meeting of burgesses. Captains were appointed and armed bands organized. At daybreak the rioting began with an attack on the new gild or market hall, recently erected by the abbey authorities because, as the chronicler remarks, "the town and market were theirs." The new hall was set on fire and totally destroyed. The next place to be attacked was the little church of St. Nicholas, which lay close to the abbey's great gate. The church was set on fire, but the fire was extinguished and the rioters were dispersed from in front of the gates by armed men, engaged by the abbey for its defence, who sallied out. Two of the townsmen were slain and several others captured and thrown into prison, there to await trial before the royal justices, as malefactors. The courage of the attacking party was somewhat dampened and the monks given a breathing space. Of this they took advantage to issue a proclamation, in the king's name, offering pardon to such of the rioters as would submit and surrender. Many took advantage of this offer and were taken into custody by the monks. The mild and easy-tempered abbot, John de Canynge, who had just returned from his country residence, smoothed matters down and freed those who had been captured in the conflict.- Many of the townsmen, however, wished for revenge on the monks for the death of their comrades, and, not feeling strong enough by themselves, they sent messengers to Oxford, five miles away, to call the townsmen there to aid them. No English town in the Middle Ages had a more riotous or unruly populace than Ox- ford. There had been frequent conflicts betwixt town and gown ; now both were given an opportunity to unite against a powerful monastic corporation, owning large property near the city, and against which they no doubt had a common feeling of hostilit% The invitation of the Abingdon malcontents was readily accepted 'Wood's Historia, p. 162; Brit. Mus. MS. 2S666, p. 155; Egerton Collection (B. M.), 2S2, p. 20. 2 Brit. Mus. MSS., 2S666, p. 156; Egerton MSS., 2S2, p. 20.