Abbot number 17:  John Stanley
Abbot John Stanley ruled for 22 years from 1472 to 1491. At least, that is the perceived wisdom of earlier writers; the arithmetic does not seem to me to add up! The list of Abbots was compiled during this abbot’s rule, so perhaps he was confused as well.  

It is recorded that in this period there were 16 or 17 canons, but four were living away, presumably as vicars of Ilkeston, Heanor, Kirk Hallam and Stanton churches. They are named in the records for 1475: John Stanley as abbot, Richard Draykott prior, Nicholas Grentham subprior, Richard de Nottingham vicar of Ilkeston, John Monyash vicar of Kirk Hallam, Richard Bredon subcellarer, John Grene chaplain at Stanton, Richard Blackwall novice, Richard Nottingham cantor, William Blakburn circator, John York alias Wytton, Thomas Stanley sacrist, William Langley sacrist’s assistant, John Wghtbrygh [sic], William Lammas, Henry Hawkeslowe and Robert Aston novices; there were also William Tykhill vicar of Heanor until his resignation in 1475 and John Middleton; William Langley  was recorded in May as cantor and sacrist, and William Cassall alias Wydoson, formerly a canon of St Mary’s, was at Beauchief Abbey.

Three years later, the records tell us that Robert Aston was custos infirmatorii; there is no mention of canons Draykott, Grentham or Wghtbrygh, and there is no prior; John Middleton was vicar of Heanor, and William Lammas is recorded as sine voce et stallo, presumably as the result of some misdemeanour. In May of 1478 Edward Hampton is recorded as sub-sacrist, Henry Hawkeslowe as succentor, Richard Bredon as cellarer, William Blackburn as subprior and senior canon. Otherwise, things seemed to have stayed the same.

At the beginning of his tenure, in about 1472, Abbot John covenanted with the vicars of Lichfield for them to say a daily mass. In the following year St Mary’s Abbey was licensed to appropriate the rectory of Heanor. By 1490 all the land between Littlehay Grange and West Hallam belonged to the abbey, as did Thoroton Wood in Cossall.

There is a record that in 1474 the reputation of St Mary’s Abbey became gravely stained; one can only wonder how this came about. However, a few years later, in 1478, it is recorded that John Saunders, circator of Halesowen Abbey who had been convicted of incontinence (not what we mean by the word nowadays) and apostasy, returned there after 80 days' punishment; perhaps St Mary’s stain had been removed by then; he went on to become subprior at Halesowen in 1488, prior in 1491, vicar of Hales in 1497 and was still alive in 1500.  

In 1478, work on building the cloister began; it was almost finished by 1482.  On 26th April 1479 Abbot John was elected diffinitor; this meant he became a member of a select committee which did the real work in provincial chapters. Also in that year, an endowment was made by a man variously named as Richard Kyffton, Kurston or Curzon.