Cecilia Penifader
Though the court rolls and manorial records of Cecilia's time offer a
wealth of information about her actions, there is virtually no documentation
that offers an accurate glimpse into Cecilia's thoughts and feelings. We can
assume, however, that Cecilia was a survivor and a striver and that she likely
possessed characteristics that promoted the prosperity she enjoyed. At the core
of Cecilia was her hardiness. Blessed with good health and a family that
nurtured and provided for her into adulthood, Cecilia demonstrated a resilience
that was the hallmark of peasant life. From a young age, she likely helped with
chores, including watching animals, supervising her younger sister, cooking,
gardening, brewing ales, tying bundles of grain at harvest, and foraging for
nuts and berries. As she grew older and had several acres of land to manage, she
probably did some of the harder work that men did, which indicates both
hardiness and independence. Further evidence of both her hardiness and
independence rests in Cecilia's choice of lifestyle. A
singlewoman her entire life, Cecilia eschewed the economic
security that marriage typically guaranteed in favor of living on her own.
In order to succeed as Cecilia did, she had to be flexible, intelligent,
and even ruthless. Because she was a woman and could not reap the benefits of
being an officer, Cecilia probably relied on her network of family and friends
to protect her interests at court. With so much land, she had much at stake, and
she walked a fine line between garnering either respect or resentment from her
poorer peasant neighbors. This balance required a shrewdness that Cecilia likely
employed in the management of her lands as well as in her social relationships.
Perhaps inherent in Cecilia's shrewdness was a willingness to get ahead at the
expense of others in the community. Bennett notes several instances of Cecilia's
neighbors accusing her of stealing grain from them, an act that seems unusual
and risky given Cecilia's relative affluence. Additionally, Cecilia's seminal
land acquisitions occurred during the Great Famine, when lands could be
purchased at a bargain, which suggests that she was profiteering. In this light,
Cecilia's surname Penifader—derived from Pennyfather, or
pennypincher—was perhaps well-deserved.
The most interesting mysteries about Cecilia are those that surface in the
records just enough to titillate our curiosity before receding into darkness and
uncertainty. One such aspect is Cecilia's appearance. Beside the court record
detailing Cecilia's will and last testament, there is a scribble of a tall,
thin, curly-haired, pointy-nosed woman that may very well be the clerk's
rendition of the deceased Cecilia, drawn from memory. The most apparent question
about Cecilia, though, is why she decided not to marry, a somewhat unusual life
choice in the Middle Ages. Bennett offers a practical explanation: marrying
would have required Cecilia to cede herself and all her lands to her husband, a
concession she may have been unwilling to make. But there are other explanations
as well. Cecilia came of age during the Great Famine and certainly saw many
acquaintances die. While highly improbable, it is not implausible that the love
of Cecilia's life numbered among the dead. Perhaps slightly more probable,
Cecilia may have had a lover who was her social inferior and could not marry him
for fear of losing her standing in the community. Bennett wonders what
relationship Cecilia had to Robert Malin, to whom she bequeathed a third of all
of her landholdings. Once again, it is improbable but not implausible that
Cecilia may have had an intimate relationship with Malin.
