Alma Mater
Run 3: 26th-29th March 2026
Phillippa
the Treasuress
Age:
30s - 40s
Psalm 94: Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
Themes:
Stress; financial crisis; feeling like an outsider; hearing of domestic abuse (of her sister)
Work. This is what dominates your days and your nights. But what work? You came to Whitwood for spiritual toil, but instead you seem mired in the works of man - more particularly, the financial works of the Abbey and its tenants.
You are the fifth daughter of a successful lawyer — your elder sisters’ successful marriages brought more than enough money into the family to allow you some flexibility in your chosen path. You had a golden childhood, always the favourite of your father and treated to the finest things he was able to provide. Your parents could have arranged a good marriage for you, but you told them you preferred a religious life. Your father sang praises of your Godliness and found you a place at Whitwood Abbey.
You have risen through the years to be an Ordinary: you are the Treasuress. You care deeply for the Abbey’s work for the local community: in accumulating heavenly wealth for the salvation of souls, and also in providing employment and social security. You see your role as making sure that the Abbey’s finances will always allow those dual functions to proceed smoothly. Sadly, that is proving very difficult — Whitwood has been losing money for the last decade and is now deeply in debt. Desperate (and sometimes dubious) measures have kept the creditors at bay, but each night you lie awake, staring at the ceiling of the dortoir as the dwindling figures in the account books run through your mind. Often, you dream about a simple life of prayer and contemplation, of a world where the weight of responsibility does not crush down on your shoulders… but what other sister at the abbey could, even would, do what you do?
Role:
As the Treasuress, you are in charge of accounting for the community’s finances and keeping track of its lands and rents. It is your responsibility to make sure that the House remains financially solvent and able to discharge its duties to the Sisters and to the wider community.
The potential consequences of your failure are severe. In the past, completely bankrupt houses have always been taken by the church authorities to be broken up or dissolved. This is what happened to the double houses at Grantham Abbey a while back: new homes were arranged by the Bishop, for first the nuns (Agnes came to Whitwood), and then a few years later the monks as well. Now that the King is the Head of the Church, you know well that they passed a new law requiring the dissolution of all religious communities whose annual income falls below £200. It is vital that you keep the apparent income above that level, since the Abbey’s accounts are examined during visitations.
Connections:
Joan, the Abbess
When you were a novice, Joan was the Novice Mistress. She was kind, gentle, and allowed you to find your own way through the challenges of life in the abbey. You’ve always appreciated that, and were delighted to elect her as abbess. She must have thought highly of you too, since she appointed you Treasuress, and since she has left you to get on with your work without interference. You have always tried to live up to that trust - indeed, you’re doing the best you can - but what would Joan think if she were to find out how dire the abbey’s financial situation was? The thought of her disappointment sends a chill through your heart. You do your best to hint to Joan about the situation - to guide her away from poor choices, but sometimes you just can’t get her to listen. Not long ago, she spent a huge sum on a new clock for the abbey after the old one was broken. Perhaps you should have just told her directly it was not affordable, because she certainly didn’t pick up on your hints suggesting getting the old one repaired.
Bess, the Novice Mistress
Secrets:
The abbey is insolvent
Abbeys are now dissolved if their income falls below £200. Whitwood’s has been below that for some years now, and has debts equal to several years’ income. The tenant farms seem to be producing fewer crops each year. The rents go unpaid or underpaid. The repair costs of the abbey’s buildings keep mounting. But you have told no one - how could you bear the shame of such a failure? You have kept the account books hidden, but you are afraid of the searching eye of the Bishop’s inspector - what will he find?
You did not collect Mary’s dowry sum