RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Abbots of Bermondsey 



John Attilborough, made Bishop of Athel- 



feld, 1399 

 Henry Tompston, 1400, died 141 3' 

 Thomas Thetford, 1413, died 1432° 

 John Bromley, 1432, resigned 1473^ 

 John Marlow, 1473, died 1516* 

 R(obert) Shuldham, 15 16, resigned 1525 ^ 

 Robert Wharton,' 1525-38 



Imperfect impression of eleventh cen- 

 tury circular seaF representing the Saviour 

 seated, with right hand raised and left hand 

 holding a book. Legend : sigillum sci 

 SAL .... 



Thirteenth century prior's seal,® attached 

 to a document of 1266 ; small oval, repre- 

 senting the Flight into Egypt ; with tonsured 

 head in base under trefoiled arch. Legend : 



SIGI . . . ORIS • BERMUNDESEYE. 



Another thirteenth century oval prior's 

 seal,^ representing the Saviour seated under a 

 trefoiled canopy, with sun on right and moon 

 on left ; in base a tonsured head. Legend : 



. . . ORIS . S . . . BMONDSE . . . On 



the reverse a small circular counterseal of 

 seated Virgin and Child. Legend : mater . 



DEI . memento . MEI. 



There is an imperfect impression of a fine 

 pointed oval ^° thirteenth century seal attached 

 to a document of 1439 : Obverse — Our 

 Lord seated, with right hand uplifted in 

 blessing, and orb in the left ; the field a seme 

 of stars. Reverse — The small figure of our 



Lord transfigured in a vesical frame of clouds, 

 with hands uplifted. 



The fourteenth century circular seal (im- 

 pression" attached to document of 1356) 

 bears : Obverse — Our Lord transfigured on 

 the mount between Moses and Elias. In the 

 base the half lengths of Sts. Peter, James and 

 John. Legend : — sigill' | eccl'ie \ sci \ 

 SALVATORis \ DE Bermundeseye. Reverse — 

 A small circular counterseal, bearing our Lord, 

 half length, with right hand raised in blessing 

 and holding the orb in the left. Legend : 



+ EGO I sum • VIA • VERITAS • ET \ 

 VITA. 



Fine circular fifteenth century seal ; *' good 

 impression attached to foundation charter of 

 Henry VII. chapel at Westminster. Obverse — 

 Our Lord, with uplifted hands, transfigured in 

 rays of glory, with half-length of Moses and 

 Elias emerging from the clouds ; the field 

 sem6 with stars, and the sun and moon on 

 each side of our Lord. Below are the three 

 disciples seated in natural attitudes. Legend : 



SIGILLUM COMMUNE MONASTERII SANCTI SAL- 

 VATORIS DE Bermondesey. Reverse. Our 

 Lord seated on a rainbow, with right hand 

 blessing, and orb in left. Demi-angels on each 

 side bearing arms of France and England, 

 and England respectively ; the field sem^ 

 with stars, and sun and moon below the 

 shields. Beneath the rainbow are five half 

 lengths, the mitred crozier bearing abbot and 

 four of the monks. Legend : — salve nos 



XPE SALVATOR PER VIRTUTEM SANCTI CRUCIS. 



HOUSE OF CISTERCIAN MONKS 



3. ABBEY OF WAVERLEY 

 A peculiar interest and importance attaches 

 to the history of the abbey of the Blessed 

 Mary of Waverley, inasmuch as it was the 

 first house established in England of that 

 great order which William de Malmesbury 

 described as ' the surest road to Heaven.' " 



1 Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 483. Pat. I Hen. 



IV. pt. V, m. 23. Pa'pal Letters, V. 349. 



2 Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 484. Pat. i Hen. 



V. pt. ii, m. 25. 



3 Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii. 487. Pat. 13 Edw. 

 IV. pt. I, m 13. 



4 Ibid. L. and P. Hen. VIII. ii. pt. i, 1832. 

 6 Ibid. iv. pt I, 1621. 



8 Ibid. 



' Engraved in Wilkinson's Londina lUustrata. vol. 

 ii. pi. vi. 



8 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 



i» Harl. Chart. 44 B, 16 

 " William de Malmesbury (Rolls Ser.), ii. 380. 



This Cistercian monastery was founded on 

 24 November 11 28 by William GifFard, 

 Bishop of Winchester,'* who brought over 

 from the abbey of Aumone in Normandy 

 twelve brethren with their abbot'^toform the 

 first colony. The name of the superior was 

 John. Both he and the bishop lived only to see 

 the foundation ; the former died at Midhurst 

 1 128-9 returning from a general chapter." 



The bishop's foundation charter bestowed 

 on the house all the land at Waverley with 

 meadow and pasture and two acres of meadow 

 at Elsted, together with pannage for their 



12 B.M. Ixxii. 56, 57. Wilkinson, of. cit. 



13 Engraved in Wilkinson's Londina Illustrata, 

 vol. ii. pi. vii. 



i« Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), ii. 221. 



16 It was the practice of pioneer colonies to pro- 

 ceed in such numbers typical of Our Lord and the 

 Twelve Apostles. 



IS Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), ii. 221. 



77 



