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Famous English Canonists: III John Ayton (or Acton) U.J.D. († 1349)
Professor of Law, Cambridge University Canon of Lincoln
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 October 2008
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Another well known name from the golden age of the Cambridge law school was that of John ‘of Aton’. The name, however, requires some comment before proceeding to the man. In the printed edition of his work he is ‘de Athon:’ or ‘de Aton’, which Stubbs rendered as Ayton, on the assumption that it derived from the place in Yorkshire. Maitland said it was convenient to follow this spelling, though he pointed out that the papal chancery addressed him as ‘Johannes Johannis de Acton’. ‘Acton’ was used in the Dictionary of National Biography, and is now the preferred spelling, though more cautious writers have adopted the neutral ‘Athon’. In view of the strong East Anglian bias of the Cambridge law school in the time of Bishop Bateman, it is possible that the name derived from Acton in Suffolk. But that is only so if the papal chancery may be trusted; Athon is not itself a variant of Acton. If, on the other hand, the spelling in the treatise is preferred – and it certainly seems more common in all the manuscripts – Ayton (formerly Aton) remains a more likely identification than any other. Certainly the doctor's connections in his professional career seem to have been with the north rather than with East Anglia.
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References
1. Maitland, F. W., Roman Canon Law in the Church of England (1898), p.6.Google Scholar
2. See Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names (4th ed., 1960), p. 21Google Scholar. A less likely possibility is Eaton.
3. For biographical details, see Emden, A. B., Biographical Register of the University of Oxford to 1500 (1957), vol. I, p. 11Google Scholar; Biographical Register of the University of Cambridge to 1500 (1963), p. 2Google Scholar. He became a canon of Lincoln in 1329, apparently before ordination, and was Rector of Willingham by Stow, Lines., from 1330 until his death.
4. Maitland, , Roman Canon Law in the Church of England, p. 6.Google Scholar
5. Gonville and Caius College MS. 483, fo. 275; cited by Boyle, op. cit. in next note, p. 417; 105 Selden Soc. xvii–xviii. The MS. was left to the college, with a number of other books, by Elveden himself.
6. From his MS. tract Septuplum, quoted by Boyle, L. E., ‘The “Summa Summarum” and some other English Works of Canon Law’ (1965), Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress of Medieval Canon Law (Vatican City, 1965), 415–456, at p. 418.Google Scholar
7. C. Otto, c.26, Tanto, gl. Rescribere [fo. 52v in 1504 ed.].
8. C. Ottobuono, c.29, Christiane, gl. Pluralitatem [fo. 99v in 1504 ed.].
9. C. Ottobuono, c.48, Volentes, gl. Custodes hospitalium [fo. 106v in 1504 ed.].
10. Boyle, op. cit., at p. 418. There are two MSS. in Cambridge attributed to ‘Aton’: Gonville and Caius College MS. 282 (‘Johannis de Atona septuplum cum commento’, copy dated 1355); Trinity College MS. B. 14. 4 (‘Septuplum Johannis de Aton cum glossa eiusdem’). (Cf. University College Oxford MS. 71; Eton College MS. 30; Lincoln Cathedral MS. A. 2.1, which seem to be related.) See Bloomfield, M. W. and others, Incipits of Latin Works on the Virtues and Vices (1979), p. 503, no. 5826, and p. 509, no. 5892.Google Scholar
11. An early note in Peterhouse MS. 255, ad fin., says he wrote Septuplum, a Summa justiciae, and also a treatise called Qui bene praesunt: James, M. R., Catalogue of the MSS. in Peterhouse (1899), p. 321Google Scholar. The Dictionary of National Biography says there is a MS. of the Summa in Corpus Christi College, but it is not to be found in James's catalogue. There are at least three medieval treatises found in England beginning Qui bene praesunt: see Little, A. G., Initia Operum Latinorum (1904), p. 195Google Scholar. In All Souls' College MS. 42, fo. 203v, are Quaestiones et notabilia Johannis Athonis, beginning with a typical Ayton pun, ‘Abbas est nomen oneris et non honoris’; this seems to be an alphabetical digest from the gloss.
12. There is a discussion in Ayton's gloss as to whether England for this purpose included Scotland: C. Otto, pr., gl. Anglie [fo. 4 in 1504 ed.]; C. Ottobuono, pr., gl. Scotie [fo. 61v in 1504 ed.].
13. For this legislation, see Powicke, F. M. and Cheney, C. R., Councils and Synods relating to the English Church. II. 1205–1313 (1964), pp. 238–240, 738–743.Google Scholar
14. Ibid., p. 739. The Latin text occupies pp. 747–792.
15. Description based on the Cambridge University Library copy (Sel. 3. 1262). In these descriptions the punctuation and capitalisation have been modernised.
16. Description from the copy in St Catharine's College Library, Cambridge (H. II. 272). This has the ownership inscription ‘Ricardus Cowall Anno Domini 1527’. The foliation in this edition is very irregular, and renders the tables nearly useless.
17. According to Duff, E. G., A Century of the English Book Trade (1905), p. 18Google Scholar, these are Bretton's arms. But they appear to have been originally Lyndwood's: 1 and 4, Argent a fess crenelly between three fleurs de lys sable (Lyndwood); 2 and 3, Crusilly a unicorn rampant (? Donne).
18. The text of this version is printed in Renouard, P., Bibliographic des impressions et des oeuvres de Josse Badius Ascensius (1908), II, pp. 52–53.Google Scholar
19. C. Otto, c.6, Sacer ordo, gl. Titulo [fo. 9 in 1504 ed.]: ‘Et sic fertur determinatum per omnes auditores palatii contra religiosos sancti Bartholomei London’.
20. Some citations are ‘secundum beatum Bernardum’.
21. C. Otto, c.16 Licet ad profugandum, gl. Contagium [fo. 34 in 1504 ed.]. The citation to Giraldus Cambrensis is ‘Geraldus Menevensis archidyaconus li. de salubri exhortatione ad continentiam’.
22. C. Ottobuono, c.8, Quam indecorum, gl. Professionis vinculo [fo. 72v in 1504 ed.].
23. Maitland, , Roman Canon Law in the Church of England, p.7d.Google Scholar
24. C. Ottobuono, c.22, Cum mortis, gl, Cum approbatione regis [fo. 95 in 1504 ed.].
25. C. Ottobuono, c.6, Cum honestatis, gl. Privilegiis [fo. 70v in 1504 ed.].
26. Maitland, , Roman Canon Law in the Church of England, pp. 9–10.Google Scholar
27. Op. cit., p. 418.
28. Quoted from Seneca (Ep. Lucil. VI, 5) by Ayton at C. Otto, c.22, Quid ad venerabiles, gl. In exemplum.
29. He is fond in particular of Seneca, and cites his letters to Lucilius in several places: e.g. last note.
30. C. Otto, c. 16, Licet ad profugandum, gl. Detinent, Concubinum [ff. 35–35v in 1504 ed.].
31. C. Ottobuono, c.5, Cum sancti, gl. Portare [fo. 68v in 1504 ed.].
32. Unless this is another instance of literal construction: C. Ottobuono, c.2, Quoniam ceca, gl. Cum reverentia.
33. C. Otto, c.14, Quoniam de habitu, gl. Decentes [fo. 30v in 1504 ed.].
34. C. Otto, c.14, Quoniam de habitu, gl. Tonsuram [fo. 30v in 1504 ed.].
35. C. Otto, c. 3, Ad baptismum, gl. Exponant [fo. 9 in 1504 ed.].
36. C. Ottobuono, c. 5, Cum sancti, gl. Brevitate nimia [fo. 68v in 1504 ed.]: ‘ad modum forte armigerorum nostri temporis diversimode pompantium vix usque ad poplices.’
37. C. Ottobuono, c. 48, Volentes, gl. Ridiculosas: ‘exemplo histrionis joculatoris vel fatui quales proprie ad hominis risum et derisum parantur.’
38. Ibid.: ‘Unde ad immensam burdam astantium fertur quendam fatuum uni magnati inordiante degysato sic anglice improperasse domine cujus stolidus estis vos. ego ci. sum stolidus abbatis monasterii beati Marie Eborum.’
39. ‘Nullius boni sine socio quasi omnimoda est possessio’, borrowing from Seneca (Ep. Lucil. VI, 4), at C. Ottobuono, c. 41, Monachos, gl. Periculosum.
40. Peroratio domini Joannis Athonensis [fo. 120v in 1504 ed.].
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