Just doing his job, the sad tale of the monk, John Lakenheath

An impression of the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds prior to the Reformation

Don’t be too efficient because it could end in tears.

This is the message that might be taken away from a recent article on the British Library's Mediaeval Manuscripts site.  This tells the sad story of one John Lakenheath, a monk at th abbey in Bury St Edmunds at the time of the Peasants Revolt that took place in the summer of 1381.

Of course in Sudbury we all know about the late Fourteenth Century disturbances due to the sticky end that was met by our very own Simon of Sudbury, who was unfortunate enough to be Archbishop of Canterbury at the time.

This story from nearby Bury St Edmunds is no less gruesome and the fate of the victim possibly even more undeserved.

Lakenheath had made the mistake of reconstructing the abbey's  manor records which had been damaged in a much earlier riot by the local townspeople in 1327.  He created a book containing the information called the Lakenheath Register, which has survived to this day in the British Library.  

John Lakenheath;s introduction to his Register

 John was very proud of his work which was completed just a couple of years before the later troubles.   The existence of the Register meant, of course, that the monks were better able to continue to collect dues and fines from their properties.   It seems that they had set about this work with a vigour that was not much appreciated by the locals.  As a result when the abbey was attacked during the Revolt,  Lakenheath was singled out, among others,  for revenge.  The full story, with quotes from Lakenheath himself, and a witness of his fate,  can be found HERE.

Suffolk school sport in the spotlight this morning.

I wonder how many people caught the broadcast from King Edward Vl School in Bury St Edmunds on the Today programme this morning.  It was great to hear something so positive coming from Suffolk schools on national radio, and I am sure that more of the same will be heard in the future.

The feature was a response to Sir Michael Wilshaw (the OFSTED chief)'s complaint that too many top athletes come from the private sector and that state schools literally need to 'raise their game' in the area of competitive sport.

Whatever the rights and wrongs about this, it was good to hear the enthusiastic contributions from both the head and also from the children from Bury.  Clearly the featured sports event was not just for the host school but also other local schools, and even the young person who came 'at the back, towards the middle' of his race was enjoying himself.

The head seemed to have no problem in using the word 'competition'.  Not long in the context of school sport this particular word was anathema to educationalists, and there is no doubt that lack of team sports and a competitive ethos, made it hard to bring on talented youngsters in some parts of the state sector.  Many children who have succeeded from less well off families have done so because of huge sacrifices made by parents, who until recently have received little support from their child's school.  Changing attitudes, realisation of the health benefits of exercise, and also of course last year's Olympics, are now bringing about a change in culture, which can only be a positive.

Competitive sport allows children who may not be talented in other ways to have their chance to shine, and it is amazing how confidence built up in one area can quickly lead to success in other spheres too.

Mayor making in Bury

On Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the mayor making ceremony in Bury St Edmunds.

My good friend Robert Everitt, pictured above with his deputy, Patrick Chung, has been elected Mayor of the Borough for the current year.  Nick and I enjoyed making our way to the Apex to watch the ceremony.  It was a fine and sunny afternoon and the dignified procession and grand regalia reflected the historical importance of this ancient town.  We were reminded that next year will be the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta,  The town of Bury had a pivotal role in this,  hosting what we would today call a 'pre-meeting' in 1214 at which barons vowed to enforce the charter on bad King John. The original Lincoln copy of the Charter is currently on display in the Cathedral.

In his speech Robert told a story about how he had recently visited a local school.  The children had been told that the  'Mayor of Bury'  elect would be visiting them.  The level of excitement was very high apparently, which Robert found hard to fathom.  It turned out however that the children had been expecting a visit from the celebrity TV chef Mary Berry, rather than a middle aged man in a suit!

I wish Robert the best of luck during his mayoral year.