A cautionary tale

Most fairy stories begin with ‘Once upon a time’. It’s a lovely opening line but it’s all a bit vague isn’t it?

Here’s a story that’s isn’t about fairies (although I imagine they could well have the same problems) and a time line that isn’t in the least bit vague. In this promised tale of 700 years ago we know the actual days involved (thankfully not of the cause, but certainly of the effects!)

But it’s such a good beginning that I’m going to use it anyway. Grab a cuppa and enjoy….

Once upon a time the little village of Dode was very much under the control of the local ‘Lords of the Manor’ – the de Boclonds, it was them who gave their name to Great Buckland the area in which Dode is now situated.

An upstanding and important member of that family in the early 14th century was one Thomas de Bolond (as with everything written at that time, the spellings changed almost on a day to day basis!)

By 1325, Thomas had sadly died, leaving behind his “relict” (widow) a lively sounding soul named Mabel.

During the spring and early summer of that year Mabel, anxious to live life to the full once again, formed ‘an attachment’ with a man named Simon Heyroun, a peasant from Wouldham. Unfortunately and perhaps unbeknown to Mabel, Simon was a married man and adultery was much more serious than it is usually considered today. Indeed it was a crime, as she was about to find out!
The Bishop of Rochester at that time was Haymo de Hythe, an interesting chap but being a 50 year old clergyman probably somewhat uptight and unforgiving, particularly in ‘matters of the flesh’.

The following abridged information was retrieved from his Registriam Hamonsis Hethe – Diocesis Roffensis.

Originally unearthed in the Cathedrals archives 25 years ago, l had largely forgotten it until Mary and I were in Galicia last January.

This is Mabel’s story:

On the 25th of June 1325.
Mabel was brought before the Bishops court in Rochester, on charges of adultery, being an honest sort of person she immediately ‘fessed up’ and threw herself on the mercy of the court.

It didn’t work and she “receives penance of three beatings with rods”.

Three additional beatings were “also to be carried out in the public markets of Rochester, Malling and Dartford” but thankfully all three were later ‘respited’.

On the 24th of September
It was Simons turn. He also confessed, but perhaps because he was a man, he was not ordered to be beaten but rather sent on a series of holidays!

His punishment “for seven years he shall make an annual pilgrimage to St. Thomas of Canterbury, feed one poor man every Friday, and within the same period make three pilgrimages each to St. Thomas of Hereford, St. Edmond of Bury and St. Mary of Walsingham”.

On the 4th October
Poor Mabel found herself back before the court, she obviously hadn’t learnt her lesson, or perhaps the allure of Simon was completely irresistible.

Again she confessed, and this time the beatings were doubled, with additional beatings to be carried out “round each of the markets of Rochester, Malling and Dartford before Christmas”.

There was no mention of Simon, perhaps he’d already legged it to Canterbury or Walsingham!

On the 9th November
Bishop Haymo, at this time at his beloved palace in Halling and presumably in a better mood clearly had second thoughts, as he commuted her forthcoming beatings in the three markets to “a penance of a pilgrimage to Santiago, to be begun by Candlemass following”.

So there you have it, Love? Lust? Longing? in these ‘Hidden Vales of Kent’. All neatly wrapped up in dusty documents.

Here’s a thought; Geoffrey Chaucer, a writer of great panache, a man well versed (if you’ll excuse the pun) in peasants, pilgrimage, beatings and bonking would have been regularly passing through Rochester at around this time.

If, by chance, he had heard our little tale, Mabel might now be internationally famous along with the Wife of Bath and the Millers ‘bum story’ – rather than simply a footnote of history, pedestrianly posted 700 years later by yours truly.

It is a story that’s as old as the hills, but it still raises so many questions:
Even by the standards of the time, did the ‘crime’ warrant such punishment?
Was she made an example of because Mabel was ‘of the better sort’ and Simon was not!
Did Man Friday ever get his meal or was Simon too busy travelling to have time to cook?

But, for me personally, the biggest question of all:
At this time last year I was within an hour or so of Santiago Cathedral, a visit (pilgrimage if you prefer) that had been on my wish list for many years, but fate intervened.

As I realised that I was not going to get there I thought of Mabel and wondered if she made it and enjoyed a little Spanish holiday to help assuage those beatings, even a foreign romance perhaps! – I hope so.

Dode does that to you!

Wassail Blessings – Doug.

#historybooks #ancientarchitecture #romanesque