“Strictly speaking, the task should have been left to Prior Henry who was nominally in charge of the abbey following the death of Abbot Brunyng. William preferred to do the job himself. That way there would be no silly disputes over the wording. A scribe sat at a desk with a writing block and waited for him to start. 'It is to be addressed to our lord bishop.' A single mark on the block sufficed to say that the letter was to be opened in standard form. William started to dictate. 'Abbot John of ...good memory went the way of all flesh. Soon after we had laid his body to rest, our brothers and fellow monks set out with letters patent to wait upon the king with tidings of our abbot's death and seek the royal licence for the election of his successor.' William continued to pace and the scribe scribbled furiously, using a form of shorthand developed for dictation and the transmission of messages by carrier pigeon. 'When all had been arranged, I, Prior Henry, sent letters to all the brothers of our dependent cells, informing them of the date fixed and summoning them to Sherborne so they might take part.MoreLessRead More Read Less
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