RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



and poorest that is. There is one cope of crimson 

 velvet somewhat embroidered, one of green velvet 

 embroidered, and two of blue rusty and soiled. If 

 you wish any of these send me word and you shall 

 have the best, but so many evil I never see, the stuff 

 is like the persons. 41 



The plate was valued at 400 marks, and 

 although no details are given, it no doubt re- 

 sembled that fully catalogued in 1 420," of which 

 the most interesting items were the six ' magni 

 ciphi Haraldi de mirra,' presumably once the 

 property of the last Saxon king of England. 

 The Conqueror's cloak is said to have been 

 removed, with that most famous of genealogical 

 frauds, ' the Battle Abbey Roll,' to Cowdray by 

 Sir Anthony Browne, to whom the site of the 

 abbey was granted in August, I538. 63 



The last scene in the history of the convent 

 took place in 1557 when Thomas Twisden, alias 

 Bede, did penance and sought rehabilitation be- 

 cause that after the dissolution of the abbey of 

 Battle, where he had made his profession, he left 

 his order without papal licence and assumed the 

 status of a secular clerk, and, assenting to the 

 pernicious schism, received houses and property 

 belonging to the monastery. It was decreed 

 that these goods so received should, after the 

 death of Thomas, be applied to the use of the 

 monastery of Battle or to some other religious 

 use, 54 but before a year had passed Elizabeth had 

 ascended the throne, and all chance of reviving 

 the abbey of Battle had departed. 



ABBOTS OF BATTLE 



Robert Blancard, appointed 1076, drowned 



same year M 



Gausbert, appointed 1076, died 1095 56 

 Henry, elected 1096," died IIO2 58 

 Ralph, elected HO7, 69 died 1124 

 Warner, elected H25, 61 resigned H38 62 

 Walter de Lucy, elected H39, 63 died 1171 M 

 Odo, elected H75, 66 died I2oo 66 

 John de Dubra, elected I2oo 66 

 Richard, elected I2I5, 67 died 1235 68 

 Ralph de Covintre, elected 1235 69 

 Reginald, elected I26i, ro resigned 1281 n 



H L. and P. Hen. PHI, xiii (i), 1085. 



"Macray, Mm. ofMagd. Coll. Oxon. 11-13. 



"L and P. Hen. nil, xiii (2), 249 (8). 



* Cant. Archiepis. Reg. Pole, fol. 25. 



" Cbrm. 12. * Ibid. 46. 



"Ibid. 47. "Ibid. 52. 



" Ibid. 57. Ibid. 66. 



"Ibid. 67. "Ibid. 71. 



"Ibid. 72. "Ibid. 151. 



K Ibid. 162. * Ann. Mm. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 73. 



' Pat. 1 6 John, m. 7. 



68 Ann. Man. (Rolls Ser.), i, 99. 



69 Pat. 20 Hen. Ill, m. 4. 



70 Lower, Chron. 200. 



71 Pat. 9 Edw. I, m. 22. 



Henry de Aylesford, elected I28i, 72 died 



1297 



73 



John de Taneto, elected I2g8, 74 resigned 



1308" 

 John de Whatlington, elected I3o8, 78 died 



1 3 n 77 

 John de Nortburne, elected 1 3 1 1 , 78 resigned 



1318 n 



John de Pevense, elected I3I8, 80 died 1324" 

 Alan de Retlyng, elected I324, 82 died I35O. 83 

 Robert de Bello, elected 1351, died 1364 

 Hamo de Offynton, elected 1364, died 1383 84 

 John Crane, elected I383 85 

 John Lydbury, elected 1398, died I404 86 

 William Merssh, elected I4O5, 87 died 1417 

 Thomas de Ludlow, elected 1417, resigned 



1435 



William Waller, elected 1435, died 1437 

 Richard Dertmouth, elected 1437, occurs 



1462 88 



John Newton, elected I463, 89 died I490 90 

 Richard Tovy, elected 1490," died 1503 

 William Westfield, elected 1503, died I5o8 98 

 Lawrence Champion, elected I5o8, 93 died 



1529 94 

 John Hamond, elected I529, 95 last abbot 



The first seal depicts the abbey church from 

 the north with central tower, chapels, and ar- 

 caded walls, the details of the roof and arches of 

 the nave being clearly shown. Under the central 

 arch the abbot seated, lifting up the right hand 

 in benediction, in the left hand pastoral staff. 

 In base an arcade. 96 Legend destroyed. 



The second seal, of the early thirteenth cen- 

 tury, also shows the abbey church, with central 

 tower, four side towers, western doorway, and 

 arcaded clerestories. On each of the two highest 

 turrets a flag. 97 Legend : 



[S]IGILLVM : CONVENT[VS : SANCT]I : MARTINI : DE 

 BEL[LO] 



" Pat. 9, Edw. I, m. 19. 



" Pat. 26 Edw. I, m. 31. 74 Ibid. m. 30. 



" Pat. I Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 27. 76 Ibid. m. 24. 



77 Pat. 4 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 17. 78 Ibid. m. 10. 



79 Pat. 1 1 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 33. 80 Ibid. m. 28. 



81 Pat. 17 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 4. Here called 

 ' Roger.' 



M Ibid. pt. ii, m. 25. 



81 This and the other dates without references are 

 given on the authority of Lower's list at the end of 

 the Chron. 



84 Pat. 6, Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 17. M Ibid. m. 7. 



"Pat. 6. Hen.IV.pt. i, m. 1 8. 



87 Ibid. m. 1 6. 



88 Pat. 2 Edw. IV, pt. iii, m. 15. 



89 Pat. 3 Edw. IV. pt. i, m. 12. 



90 Chich. Epis. Reg. Story, fol. 87. 91 Ibid. 

 "Thorpe, Catal. 133. 



" Ibid. " L. and P. Hen. PHI. iv, 5934. 



M Ibid. " L.F.C. vii, 4. 



97 L.F.C. xxvii, 6 ; cf. Dugdale, Man. iii, 238. 



55 



