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 elected on 16 Jan. 1452. Throughout the abbacy of Whethamstede Wallingford held office as ‘official general,’ archdeacon, and also as chamberlain (ib. i. 5, 173). Faction raged high among the monks, and grave charges were then or later brought against Wallingford, which are detailed at great length in Whethamstede's ‘Register’ (ib. i. 102–35). They are, however, evidently an interpolation, probably by a monk jealous of Wallingford, and Whethamstede not only took no notice of these accusations, but continued Wallingford in all his offices. In 1464 he was, as archdeacon, appointed by the abbot one of a commission for the examination of heretics (ib. ii. 22). Ramridge, Wallingford's successor as abbot, says that he first became distinguished as archdeacon for his care of education, training ten young monks at his own expense, and for the lavish attention he bestowed upon the abbey buildings and treasures. He built ‘many fair new buildings’ for the abbey, ranging from the library to a stone bakehouse, while those buildings which were falling into a ruinous state he repaired. He also presented the abbey with many rich treasures, such as a gold chalice and precious gold-embroidered vestments. Their value was 980 marks.

When, upon the death of Whethamstede on 20 Jan. 1465, William Albon, the prior, was on 25 Feb. elected his successor, Wallingford took a leading part in the election (ib. ii. 27, 30, 36, 37). On 18 March the new abbot, with the common consent of the monks, created Wallingford prior of the monastery. His previous office of archdeacon he continued to exercise (ib. ii. 50, 90). In 1473 he was granted, with others, a commission for the visitation of the curates and vicars of St. Peter's, St. Andrew's, St. Stephen's, and St. Michael's of the town of St. Albans (ib. ii. 109). As prior he kept up his interest in the maintenance of the monastic buildings, spending 360l. on the kitchen, and within eight years laying out a thousand marks on the repairs of farms and houses. He built a prior's hall, and added all that was necessary for it (, Monasticon, ii. 206 n.).

After Abbot Albon's death on 1 July 1476, Wallingford was on 5 Aug. unanimously elected to succeed him. Wallingford's register covers the years from 1476 to August 1488, though certain leaves are torn out from the end of it. Wallingford took little part in outside affairs. He resisted successfully certain claims of Archbishop Bourchier over the abbey, which were decided in the abbot's favour upon appeal to Rome (ib. ii. 206 n.;, History of St. Albans, p. 398; , p. 35). In 1480 Wallingford was appointed by the general chapter of Benedictines at Northampton visitor of all Benedictine monasteries in the diocese of Lincoln, but he commissioned William Hardwyk and John Maynard to conduct the visitation in his place (Registra, ii. 219). His government of the abbey was marked by regard for strict discipline tempered with generosity. Thus, while he deposed John Langton, prior of Tynemouth, for disobedience to his ‘visitors’ (ib. 15 March 1478, ii. 186), he gave letters testimonial for the absolution of a priest who by misadventure had committed homicide (ib. 20 Aug. 1476, ii. 246, 247). He manumitted certain villeins and their children (ib. 1480, ii. 208, 235). Wallingford sent in 1487 John Rothebury, his archdeacon, to Rome in order to try to win certain concessions for the abbey, but the mission proved a failure (ib. ii. 288, 289).

Wallingford's abbacy shows some of the weak points characteristic of fifteenth-century monasticism. There is a desire to make the best of both worlds. The lay offices of the abbey were turned to advantage. For example, in 1479 Wallingford conferred the office of seneschal or steward of the liberty of St. Albans, with all its emoluments, on William, lord Hastings (Registra, ii. 199, 200), notwithstanding the fact that Abbot Albon had already in 1474 conferred the same on John Forster for life. Three years afterwards Wallingford gave the office jointly to the same Lord Hastings and John Forster. However, Lord Hastings was put to death by Richard III soon after, and Forster, after being imprisoned in the Tower for nearly nine months, ‘in hope of a mitigation of his punishment, did remit and release all his title and supreme interest that he had in his office of seneschal of St. Albans.’ This is one instance of several (ib. ii. 267, 268) which show that the lay offices of the abbey were used for selfish ends. The attitude of Wallingford to the bishops was conciliatory as a rule, sometimes even obsequious. Thus, when he feared the loss of the priory at Pembroke, given by Duke Humphrey, through Edward's resumption of grants made by his three Lancastrian predecessors, he applied humbly to the chancellor, George Neville, bishop of Exeter, for his good offices, and through him secured a re-grant. The bishop later, in return, was granted the next presentation of the rectory of Stanmore Magna in Middlesex (ib. ii. 92). Mr. Riley, in his introduction to the second volume of Whethamstede's ‘Chronicle,’ is, however, unduly severe in his interpretation of many of Wallingford's acts.

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