66 



Ambre.sbury Monastery. 



parent Abbey. Her 1 cousin the Abbess,' of whom Mary speaks, 

 was Eleanor of Bretagne, granddaughter of Henry III., by his 

 daughter Beatrice, who had been educated at Amesbury, and sub- 

 sequently became Abbess of Fontevrand. The letter is undated, 

 but from its being written at Swainton, it was probably penned 

 subsequently to 1315, when that manor became the property of 

 the Princess in exchange for that of Cosham in Wiltshire, and 

 before the year 1317, when Eleanor of Bretagne ceased to be 

 Abbess of Fontevrand." 



The Princess Mary, to her brother King Edward II. 



" To the very high and noble prince, her very dear lord and brother, my lord 

 Edward, by the grace of God King of England, his sister Mary sends health 

 and all manner of honour and reverence. 



Yery dear Sire, as a long time has passed since God did His will upon our 

 prioress Dambert, we immediately after her death sent to our very dear cousin 

 the lady Abbess of Fontevrand, both on my part and on that of the Convent, 

 asking for a lady from this our Convent, to wit, for the Lady Isabella, whom 

 we understand to be well able and sufficient for the office, that she might be 

 granted to us for our prioress. And we thought, dear sire, that she (the Abbess) 

 would have willingly granted us our request, for she is bound to do so since she 

 was brought up and veiled amongst us, and so she should neither wish nor 

 permit that the church should be so long without prelates ; but as yet we have 

 had no answer, only we understand from certain people that she intends to send 

 us a prioress from beyond the sea there, and a prior by her counsel out there. 

 And know, certainly, my very dear brother, that should she send any other 

 than one belonging to our own Convent, it would prove matter of discord in the 

 Convent, and of the destruction of the goods of the church, which I know well, 

 sire, that you would not suffer willingly and wittingly ; wherefore I pray you 

 dearest lord and brother, and require you, both for the love of me and of our 

 Convent, which after God trust surely in you, that you would please to send 

 word to my said lady abbess, that she do not undertake to burden our church 

 with any prioress out of the Convent, nor with prior other than the one we 

 have now, but that she would grant us her whom we have requested. Do this, 

 most dearest brother, that our Convent may receive your aid and sustenance 

 in this case as they have always done in their needs. May Jesus Christ give 

 you a long life, my dearest brother. "Written at Swainton, in the Isle of Wight, 

 the 9th day of May." 



IV. Leonora, half-sister of the Princess Mary, and ninth 

 daughter of King Edward, lived at Ambresbury Nunnery with her: 

 and dying 13 LI, was buried at Beaulieu Monastery, Hants. 



V. Margaret Cobham of the great House of Cobham in Kent 

 was a Nun here in 19 Edw. Ill, 



