William Bradford paced back and forth in the chapter house and prepared to dictate. 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. This morning we gathered and offered prayers for guidance. Having done so, we agreed that the election should be conducted by a small body of delegates whose duty is to nominate the brother considered most apt and suitable as our pastor and father. The names of the seven delegates appear below.'
William handed a slip of paper to the scribe.
'Charged with this onerous duty, they withdrew and weighed carefully the claims of all candidates. At length, they announced the name of our brother William Bradford. We humbly petition Our Lord Bishop to confirm this choice and grant William Bradford the seal of his Episcopal Benediction.'
William stopped pacing and turned to the scribe.
'Have the first draft ready by Evensong. The final must be in the hands of the Father Prior for his signature by Tierce tomorrow.'
*** The vicar announced the election of William Bradford as the new Abbot of Sherborne. The bells of All Hallows tolled and a small crowd gathered. John Baret was there with Richard Rochell. As trustees of the almshouse, they had a special interest in the appointment. They listened in silence then went outside. It was a pleasant day and they made their way to a stone bench on the abbey green.
'How could they be so stupid?' John shook his head in disbelief. 'They had a wealth of talent to choose from. Why in the Lord's name did they elect William Bradford?'