William de Lode
Encyclopedia
William de Lode also known as William Gilbert, was the Prior
of Spinney Abbey
in Cambridgeshire
from 1390 to 1403. He is recorded as having been fatally stabbed at his place of worship.
, which is near the village of Lode
. It seems likely that William was born in the village whose name he subsequently took.
on 20 July 1403, their subsequent fate was also unrecorded.
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Spinney Abbey
Spinney Abbey
Spinney Abbey, once known as Spinney Priory, is a house and farm on the site of a former monastic foundation close to the village of Wicken, on the edge of the fens in Cambridgeshire, England.- Monastic origins :...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
from 1390 to 1403. He is recorded as having been fatally stabbed at his place of worship.
Origins
Little is known of William's origins. His secular name was William Gilbert, and before becoming Prior at Spinney he was a canon at nearby Anglesey AbbeyAnglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey is a country house, formerly a priory, in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles northeast of Cambridge, England. The house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public as part of the Anglesey Abbey, Garden & Lode Mill property, although some parts remain...
, which is near the village of Lode
Lode, Cambridgeshire
Lode is a small village in East Cambridgeshire on the southern edge of The Fens. It lies just north of the B1102 between Quy and Swaffham Bulbeck, to the north east of Cambridge....
. It seems likely that William was born in the village whose name he subsequently took.
Death
William's murder, which occurred on a Sunday, was committed by three of William's own canons, William Hall, John Lode and Thomas Smyth, who stabbed him in the priory church. The reason for the attack, if offered, has been lost to history, and although the three canons were found guilty at Cambridge CastleCambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is located in the town of the same name in Cambridgeshire, England. Originally built after the Norman conquest to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conflicts of the Anarchy, the First and...
on 20 July 1403, their subsequent fate was also unrecorded.