A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



a long cross in his right hand and in his left a 

 globe and a palm-branch. Legend : 



SIGILLUM : SCI ALBANI : ANCLOR? : STOMARTIRIS 



The seal of Abbot Simon »* (1167-83), also 

 a pointed oval, shows the abbot arrayed in 

 vestments and mitre, standing on a platform, 

 with a crozier in his right hand and in his left 

 a book. 



The seal of Abbot John de Hertford is 

 attached to a charter of 1 258.*' On the obverse, 

 a pointed oval, is depicted the abbot, mitre on 

 head, raising his right hand in benediction and 

 holding in his left, from which hangs a maniple, 

 a pastoral staff. All that remains of the 

 legend is the letters 



ALBAN 



The counterseal, a smaller pointed oval, 

 shows the martyrdom of St. Alban and the 

 headsman's eyes falling into his left hand ; 

 above a hand issuing from clouds holds a crown 

 above the saint's head. Legend : 



MARTIR OBIT VICTOR PRIVATVR LVMINE LICTOR 



The seal of Abbot Thomas de la Mare appended 

 to a document of 1389" is of pointed oval 

 shape. The abbot, who wears a mitre and 

 embroidered vestments, stands in a carved 

 niche under a triple canopy ; he has in his right 

 hand his crozier and holds in the other a richly 

 ornamented book. In a small canopied niche 

 above is a representation of the martyrdom of 

 St. Thomas of Canterbury. On tabernacle work 

 at each side and between two flowering branches 

 is an elaborately cusped panel containing on 

 the left St. Alban's head with a sword across 

 the neck, on the right a bust, probably of 

 St. Amphibalus ; the field is powdered with 

 roundels. The corbel is adorned with a carved 

 string-course and fohage. Legend : 



.... OME : DEI : CRA : abbatis : monasterii : 



SCI : ALBANI 



A seal of the early i6th century, •* probably 

 belonging to Abbot Thomas Ramryge, shows 

 our Lord enthroned and blessing, between two 

 small canopied niches, that on the left contain- 

 ing a saint, the other a king wearing a crown 

 and ermine tippet and holding a sceptre and 

 orb. The legend is missing. 



There is a fine but imperfect seal ad causas 

 of the 14th century in style, but attached to 

 a charter of 1510.^"'' It depicts in a carved and 

 canopied niche the martyrdom of St. Alban 

 with the miracle of the executioner's eyes. In 



86 B.M. Seals, Ixiv, 59. 



" B.M. Chan. L. F. C. vii, 6. 



»8 Add. Chart. 199 11. 



"Ibid. 18184. 



ii^Ibid. 21377. 



the base, upon masonry, is a (hield of the 

 arms of the abbey. Legend : 



m[artir : obJit : victor : priuatur : lum[inb : 

 lictor] 



2. REDBOURN PRIORY 



The cell of St. Amphibalus at Redbourn was 

 established as the result of the miraculous 

 discovery of the remains of St. Amphibalus and 

 his fellow-martyrs in 1 1 78.* St. Alban appeared 

 at night to an inhabitant of St. Albans called 

 Robert, and told him that he wished to make 

 known the burial-place of Amphibalus, who had 

 converted him to Christianity. Robert rose, 

 was led by the saint to Redbourn, and shown 

 the spot where Amphibalus and his companions 

 lay. After marking the place for future identi- 

 fication, Robert returned with St. Alban, who 

 disappeared when they arrived at his church. 

 The story was spread abroad, and in the end 

 reached Abbot Simon, who sent some monks 

 with Robert, and set a guard over the ground, 

 the holiness of which was attested by miracles 

 of healing. Exploration there was rewarded by 

 the discovery of several bodies, one of which 

 was identified as that of St. Amphibalus from 

 the received account of the manner of his death. 

 The remains were removed to the abbey, and on 

 their way were met by a procession of monks 

 with the shrine of St. Alban, who showed his 

 joy by wonderful signs. 



The foundation by the Abbot of St. Albans 

 of the cell on the portion of Redbourn Heath 

 which included the grave of St. Amphibalus 

 and the chapel of St. James* is left unnoticed, 

 possibly because it was regarded as part of the 

 events just recorded,' but the house existed in 

 the time of Simon's successor, Warin (1183-95), 

 who used it as a health resort for the convent of 

 St. Albans.* The priory and monks were 

 plundered unmercifully by the soldiers of Louis 

 of France on i May 12 17.* One of the treasures, 

 however, a silver-gilt cross containing a piece of 

 the holy cross, was soon recovered. The man 

 who, unknown to his fellows, had stolen it was 

 seized with a fit after leaving the priory, and 

 became so violent that his comrades had to bind 

 his hands and take him thus to Flamstead 

 Church, which they meant to raid. At the 

 entrance the cross fell from his bosom, and was 



1 Matt. Paris, Chroit. Maj. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 301-8. 

 The remains, there is little doubt, were those of a 

 pagan Anglo-Saxon burial. See r.C.H. Herts, i, 

 256-8. 



2 Gesta Abbat. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 400. 



'An agreement of 1383 concerning the heath 

 says the priory was built immediately after the trans- 

 lation of St. Amphibalus (ibid, iii, 260). 



* Ibid, i, 211. 



' Matt. Paris, Chron. Maj. iii, 16-17. 



416 



