y divorced; in 1431 his new wife, Eleanor, was admitted. John
procured by royal grant lands in various quarters, and also, in order
that he might secure himself against any charges which might be made
against him, a pardon for diverse offences, of none of which was he in
all probability guilty--treason, murder, rape, rebellion, conspiracy,
etc. A strange light is thrown by this upon monkish morals of the day;
one would have thought no abbot would ever have been supposed possible
of committing such offences. These were disturbed times, for the King,
Henry VI., was imbecile and various nobles were intriguing against each
other for power. The star of Humphrey of Gloucester, the Abbot's friend,
was setting, and other troubles threatened the nation, so Abbot John
resigned in 1440.

34. #John Stokes# (1440-1451). This Abbot ruled for eleven years, and
then either died or resigned. During his rule Eleanor, Duchess of
Gloucester, was tried for witchcraft, was imprisoned in the Tower, and
did penance in the streets of London. Her husband died, or more probably
was murdered, in 1447, and was buried in the Abbey on the south side of
St. Alban's shrine.

33. In 1451 Abbot John of Wheathampstead, though over eighty years of
age, was re-elected. Soon after his election he gave his church a "pair
of organs," surpassing all others in England in size, tone, and
workmanship.

In 1455 the Wars of the Roses began with the first battle of St. Albans
(May 23rd), fought to the east of the town. In this the White Rose party
were victorious; the King was taken prisoner and lodged for the night in
the Abbey. The victorious army plundered the town, but the Abbot by
sending out plenty of wine and food saved his monastery.

In 1459 King Henry was again at the Abbey and spent Easter there,
ordering his best robe to be given to the Prior when he left.

Another battle was fought, this time to the north of the town, on
February 17th, 1461. Henry was at this time in the hands of the Yorkists
and at St. Albans. The Queen, having defeated and slain the Duke of York
at Wakefield, marched southward at the head of an undisciplined horde of
18,000 men--Scotch, Irish, Welsh, and English--to rescue her husband.
The Earl of Warwick at first drove the Queen's troops out of St. Peter's
Street to Barnard's Heath with great slaughter, but, owing to treachery
on the part of one of the Yorkist leaders, the fortunes of the day
changed, and Margaret drove Warwick b