RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



gifts and still more by purchase, and also by 

 exchange, for Henry I, wishing to found a mon- 

 astery at Reading, gave the abbot of Battle in 

 exchange for his Reading estate the manors of 

 Funtington and Appledram near Chichester. 

 By 1291 the property of the monks was valued 

 at ^528 los.y of which 21 1 came from Sussex. 15 

 In 1535 the gross income of the abbey was 

 987, the clear value being j88o 14*. "]\d. 



Abbot Gausbert having died in July, I095,some 

 four months after the consecration of the abbey 

 church, the monks applied to the king for leave 

 to elect a fresh head, who should be taken, in 

 accordance with their foundation charter, from 

 their own number. 17 William, however, delayed 

 for some time, and at last by the advice of Arch- 

 bishop Anselm promoted Henry, prior of Christ 

 Church, Canterbury, to the abbacy in June, 

 1096. He, though a truly religious man, took 

 the unfortunate step of allowing Bishop Ralph to 

 compel him to go to Chichester for consecration. 18 

 After the death of Abbot Henry in 1102 the 

 abbey was put under the control of various 

 clerks appointed by the king, the most important 

 being Geoffrey, a monk of St. Carileff, an able 

 business man though unlearned, and Gunter, 

 formerly a monk of Battle but then abbot 

 of Thorney. 19 At last in 1107 King Henry 

 appointed Ralph, a monk of Caen and prior 

 of Rochester, to the long-vacant abbacy. He 

 proved a ruler as prudent as pious, and under 

 him the buildings of the abbey, its possessions, 

 and its good fame alike grew, while excellent 

 relations were established with his namesake the 

 venerable bishop of Chichester, who expressly 

 proclaimed the exemption of the abbey and 

 parish church of Battle from episcopal control. 20 

 At last, in 1124, at the age of eighty-four, this 

 most worthy abbot died, 21 and was succeeded by 

 Warner, a monk of Canterbury, who proved an 

 able administrator, and duly upheld the privileges 

 of his abbey against Seffrid, bishop of Chichester, 

 even to the extent of refusing hospitality when it 

 was demanded as a right instead of as a favour. 22 

 Warner, however, offended King Stephen in 

 some way, and found it prudent to resign his 

 abbacy and retire to the priory of Lewes. In 

 January, 1139, Walter, brother of the great 

 Richard de Lucy, became abbot of Battle. 23 

 Thanks to his powerful connexions and his own 

 ability he was able to advance the prosperity of 

 his monastery, recovering much land that had 

 been misappropriated, and obtaining from Henry II 

 the confirmation of the abbey's charters though 

 bitterly opposed by the archbishop of Canterbury 

 arid Hilary, bishop of Chichester. 24 Against the 

 latter haughty prelate's claims he waged a deter- 



li Taxatio (Rec. Com.), passim. 

 16 Valor. Eccl. (Rec. Com.), ii, 438. 

 " Lower, Chron. of Battle Abbey, 46. 

 18 Ibid 48. 19 Ibid. 52-7. 



Ibid. 63. 



"Ibid. 66. "Ibid. 70. "Ibid. 72. "Ibid. 80-4. 



mined and eventually successful battle. 26 Upon 

 his death in 1171 his brother Richard de Lucy 

 placed the control of the abbey in the hands of 

 Sir Peter de Criel and Hugh de Beche, who 

 managed its affairs with prudence during the 

 four years' vacancy that ensued. 26 



At last, in 1175, the king decided to fill up 

 the vacant abbeys, and summoned a deputation 

 of the monks of Battle to attend at Woodstock ; 

 neither of their nominees, however, proved 

 acceptable, nor was the king willing to give 

 them time to consult their convent ; they there- 

 fore fixed upon Odo, prior of Canterbury, a 

 man of great piety and learning, who chanced 

 to be at the court for the purpose of examining 

 the charters of Battle as precedents for the re- 

 newal of those of his own priory, which had 

 lately been consumed by fire. The king and 

 archbishop accepted this nomination, but Odo 

 himself absolutely refused the honour, appealing 

 to the pope and even offering to resign his prior- 

 ship sooner than become abbot ; but at last, 

 fearing that he might be refusing the call of God, 

 he unwillingly agreed, subject to the consent of 

 his convent. Again the bishop of Chichester 

 tried to interfere, but this time the consecration 

 was performed by the archbishop of Canterbury 

 at South Mailing. 27 Odo soon proved that his 

 reputation alike for sanctity and wisdom was 

 well deserved, and in 1184 he was chosen for 

 the vacant primacy of Canterbury, but was 

 rejected by the king. 28 During the long and 

 bitter struggle between Archbishop Baldwin and 

 the monks of Canterbury, Odo played a promi- 

 nent part, acting on the pope's behalf against 

 the primate. 29 In March 1 200 this saintly abbot 

 died, leaving behind him two works, on the 

 Psalms and the Book of Kings, which were still 

 treasured in the library at the dissolution, when 

 Leland noted their existence. Another monk 

 of Canterbury, John of Dover, succeeded Odo. 

 During his rule the abbey was four times visited 

 by King John, who on one occasion gave to it 

 a fragment of the Holy Sepulchre brought from 

 Palestine by King Richard ; he also granted a 

 charter giving the monks the custody of the 

 abbey during vacancy, and it was while here in 

 1213 that he annulled his previous sentences of 

 outlawry against certain ecclesiastics and under- 

 took never again to outlaw clerks. 30 



When the English prelates made their protest 

 to the king against the extortion of the pope in 

 1240, Ralph, abbot of Battle, was one of their 

 spokesmen, 31 but we hear little more of the abbey 

 until 1264, when Henry III, on his way to meet 

 the baronial troops, repaid the monks' hospitality 



"Ibid. 86-115. K Ibid. 153. 



"Ibid. 162-77. 



* Gervase of Cant. (Rolls Ser.), i, 310. 



" Epist. Caniuar. (Rolls Ser.), passim. 



M Pat. 15 John, m. 1 1. 



"Matt. Paris, Chron. Majora (Rolls Ser.), iv, 17. 



53 



