Why opportunistic noblemen? Why former buildings?
Why opportunistic noblemen? Why former buildings?
The passage below is from The Library A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree.
The commissioners had a natural interest in the manuscript charters and muniments of monastic houses, which they needed to document their estates and privileges. The fate of the remaining papers, manuscripts and printed books was mixed. Many were left in situ, others carted off, some vandalised. Their future often depended on the new owner of the monastic house. Many opportunistic noblemen purchased the former buildings from the crown during the 1540s, so the former libraries also came into their possession. The Welshman John Prise, for example, fashioned his country house out of the monastic buildings of St Guthlac in Hereford, and filled its library with the spoils of religious houses in the west of England. Over time, the fine pickings from the monasteries attuned noblemen to the delights of manuscript collecting. We can identify in this period the early traces of the commercial exchange of manuscripts among collectors that would ultimately blossom into a significant branch of connoisseurship. Yet not all new owners of rare manuscripts recognised their cultural value. Fragments of the Ceolfrith Bible, one of the three earliest English Bibles in existence, were found at Kingston Lacy House in 1982, wrapped around estate documents. Sir William Sidney used leaves from prayer books and service books from Robertsbridge Abbey to bind the account books of his iron works.
In the passage above I have some questions.
Above all, why are noblemen in the sentence ‘opportunistic’? In the context they seem ‘opportunistic’ because they bought ‘the former buildings from the crown’. (Am I right?)
But I don’t understand how buying ‘the former buildings from the crown’ can make noblemen ‘opportunistic’.
Actually I’m not so sure about the meaning of ‘the former buildings from the crown’. It seems to be the dissolved monasteries. (Am I right?) Former in this context literally seems to mean previous. (Am I right?) The crown seems to represent the king. (Am I right?) But even if all of these are right, I don’t see why the noblemen buying them are opportunistic (=taking immediate advantage of any circumstance of possible benefit).
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
Stenka25 Actually I’m not so sure about the meaning of ‘the former buildings from the crown’. I had to ponder that myself. He means the buildings that were once monastery buildings, the ones that formerly housed the monastery, but he put it poorly.
- Stenka25 Actually I’m not so sure about the meaning of ‘the former buildings from the crown’.
- I had to ponder that myself.
- He means the buildings that were once monastery buildings, the ones that formerly housed the monastery, but he put it poorly.
- They became former monastery buildings once they were adapted for some other use.
- Stenka25 The crown seems to represent the king The Crown is the monarchy the way the White House is the executive branch of the US federal government.
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Stenka25Actually I’m not so sure about the meaning of ‘the former buildings from the crown’.
I had to ponder that myself. He means the buildings that were once monastery buildings, the ones that formerly housed the monastery, but he put it poorly. They became former monastery buildings once they were adapted for some other use.
Stenka25
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