HOUSES OF BENEDICTINE MONKS
2. THE ABBEY OF BATTLE (fn. 1)
When William, duke of Normandy, looked
from the high ground of Telham Hill upon the
forces of King Harold, he vowed that if God
gave him the victory he would found a monastery
upon the place of battle. Amongst those who
heard this vow was a monk of Marmoutier,
William called 'the smith,' who when William
had obtained the crown of England urged him to
fulfil his promise; the king willingly agreed and
entrusted William with the execution of his
design. The monk, therefore, brought over
from Marmoutier four of his brethren, but as
the actual site of the battle seemed to them unsuitable for a great monastery, they began to
build on the lower ground to the west. When
the Conqueror heard of this he angrily insisted
that the foundations should rest upon the very
spot where he had achieved his victory, and upon
the monks pleading a scarcity of water he replied, 'If God spare my life I will so amply
provide for this place that wine shall be more
abundant here than water is in any other great
abbey.' (fn. 2) The further complaint of lack of
building stone was met by the king's undertaking
to provide stone from Caen, but a quarry was
actually found close to the site of the abbey.
The Conqueror at the same time bestowed upon
his new foundation all the land within a radius
of a league (1½ miles), the valuable estate of
Alciston in Sussex, the royal manor of Wye in
Kent with its member of Dungemarsh on the
coast, Limpsfield in Surrey, Hoo in Essex,
Brightwalton in Berkshire, Crowmarsh in Oxfordshire, churches in Reading, Cullompton
(Devon), and St. Olave's, Exeter. (fn. 3) For various
reasons, however, building progressed slowly, and
it was not until 1076 that things were sufficiently advanced for an abbot to be appointed. (fn. 4)
Robert Blancard, one of the four monks who had
first come over, was elected, but on his way back
from Marmoutier he was drowned. Accordingly
William 'the smith' was sent to Marmoutier to
fetch Gausbert, who came with four of his
brethren and was consecrated abbot of St. Martin's of the place of Battle. (fn. 5)
At first Stigand, bishop of Chichester, endeavoured to compel Abbot Gausbert to come to
Chichester for consecration, but the king commanded that the consecration should be in the
abbey church, and further ordered that the
bishop and his attendants should not even have
lodging or food within the monastery that day,
to show the complete exemption of the abbey
from episcopal jurisdiction. (fn. 6) The privileges
granted to Battle (fn. 7) were indeed more remarkable
than the extent of its endowments: within the
Lowey (a circle of 1½ miles radius round the
abbey) the abbot was absolute; neither bishop
nor royal officer could interfere there, danegeld
and other dues were not levied. When the
abbot was summoned to attend the king's court
he was to have an allowance of food, wine, and
wax candles for himself and two monks, and his
attendance was further simplified by the grant of
a residence in London and in Winchester; but
perhaps the most striking privilege was that the
abbot when passing through the king's forests
might kill and take one or two beasts with his
dogs.
The remoteness of the abbey's estates in Exeter
and Cullompton necessitated one of the brethren
residing there to manage them, and it was soon
found advisable to convert St. Olave's into a cell
(dedicated in honour of St. Nicholas), (fn. 8) and the
same course was followed with the church and
estates given them in Brecknock. (fn. 9)
When the Conqueror died he bequeathed to
his votive abbey his royal embroidered cloak, a
splendid collection of relics, and a portable altar
containing relics, probably the identical one on
which Harold had sworn his famous oath. (fn. 10)
Rufus further added the monastery of Bromham
in Wiltshire, and in February, 1095, when at
last the abbey church was consecrated in the
presence of the king, the primate, and seven
bishops, gave nine churches and twelve dependent
chapels in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. (fn. 11) Though
the abbey had thus a considerable number of
churches in its gift its Sussex patronage was surprisingly small, consisting only of Alciston with
the chapel of Lullington, until in Henry I's reign
Wening, by permission of William son of Wibert,
added the church of Westfield with a wist of
land and the remarkable accessory of a pit for the
ordeal by water. (fn. 12) The church of Icklesham was
given by Nicholas Haringod in 1226, (fn. 13) and the
chapel of Whatlington by Simon de Echingham. (fn. 14)
The temporalities of Battle were swollen by
gifts and still more by purchase, and also by
exchange, for Henry I, wishing to found a monastery 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 10s., of which £211 came from Sussex. (fn. 15)
In 1535 the gross income of the abbey was
£987, the clear value being £880 14s. 7¾d. (fn. 16)
Abbot Gausbert having died in July, 1095, 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. (fn. 17) William, however, delayed
for some time, and at last by the advice of Archbishop 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. (fn. 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. (fn. 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. (fn. 20)
At last, in 1124, at the age of eighty-four, this
most worthy abbot died, (fn. 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. (fn. 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. (fn. 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
and Hilary, bishop of Chichester. (fn. 24) Against the
latter haughty prelate's claims he waged a determined and eventually successful battle. (fn. 25) 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. (fn. 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 therefore 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 renewal 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 priorship 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 Malling. (fn. 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. (fn. 28) During the long and
bitter struggle between Archbishop Baldwin and
the monks of Canterbury, Odo played a prominent part, acting on the pope's behalf against
the primate. (fn. 29) In March 1200 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 undertook never again to outlaw clerks. (fn. 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, (fn. 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
with robbery and plunder; King Henry had
visited the abbey in 1225, and his successor,
Edward I, was there in 1276 and 1302, and
Edward II in 1324. Licence was obtained in 1338
for the erection of an embattled wall round the
abbey precincts, (fn. 32) but whatever protection this
may have afforded against more tangible enemies
it could not keep out the terrible Black Death,
which wrought great havoc here in 1350, the
abbot falling a victim and the material prosperity
of the house being greatly injured. (fn. 33)
Hamo de Offynton, who was elected early in
1364, was a man of considerable character; one
of his first acts appears to have been the exercise
of one of the most remarkable privileges of his
position, for, meeting on his way to London a
felon condemned to death by the king's court, he
liberated him, establishing from his charters his
right to do so, though his action was much disapproved by the king and his nobles. (fn. 34) In 1375
he was appointed visitor of the Benedictine
monasteries in the dioceses of Canterbury and
Rochester, but was foiled in his attempt to
visit the cathedral priory of Canterbury. (fn. 35) Two
years later he gained immortal fame by his gallant defence of Winchelsea against the French, (fn. 36)
so that upon the occasion of his sudden death
while administering the mass in 1382, he is
described as 'sub habitu monachico belliger
insignis.' (fn. 37) Though the most distinguished, Hamo
was not the first abbot to display a military
patriotism, as in 1338 we find the abbot of
Battle excused from finding men to guard the
coast line from his manor of Wye because he
had caused all his servants, and others as well, to
be arrayed and patrol the coast near Winchelsea. (fn. 38)
The Conqueror is said to have intended to
place in his votive abbey at least sixty monks
and further to increase their number up to
seven score, but how far his intention was
carried out is not known. In 1393 there appear
to have been twenty-seven brethren, (fn. 39) exclusive
of the officials, who were probably about six in
number, and in 1404 after the death of Abbot
Lydbury, the prior and thirty brethren (exclusive
of the representatives of their cells of Exeter and
Brecknock) took part in the election. (fn. 40) The
numbers, however, seem to have been temporarily
reduced not long after this by a devastating
attack of plague, for at the Benedictine chapter
at Northampton in 1423 the proctor of the
abbey of Battle was a monk of Rochester, who
explained that he had been appointed by them
to visit the houses of the order in Kent and
Sussex, because, since the last chapter, at which
the abbot of Battle was appointed visitor, very
many of the monks at Battle had died, and those
that remained were but newly professed and not
suitable for the work of visitation. (fn. 41) At the
same time the abbot of Reading said that he had
visited Battle and found the state of religion
there satisfactory. Another visitation was made
by Archbishop Warham, when nothing appears
to have been found amiss. There were present
on this occasion the abbot, prior, cellarer, preceptor (sic), sacrist, and sixteen brethren, one
other was lying in the infirmary and another
was on a pilgrimage to Rome. (fn. 42) An election was
held in 1490 by the prior and thirty brethren, (fn. 43)
but at the time of the dissolution there were
only seventeen monks and a novice besides the
abbot. In accordance with the rules of the
order, the abbey was obliged to support at least
one of its members as a scholar at the university,
and in 1393 we find £10 paid to a scholar
studying at Oxford, (fn. 44) while in 1502 several small
sums were expended in connexion with the two
'scholars of this monastery,' half a mark being
given 'to the warden of Canterbury College in
Oxford, to show his goodwill to our brethren
studying there.' (fn. 45)
During his visitation of the southern monasteries
in October, 1535, Richard Layton came here
and declared to Cromwell that the abbot and all
but two or three of his monks were guilty of unnatural crimes and traitors, further terming the
abbot 'the veriest hayne betle and buserde' and
the arrantest churl, adding the sweeping condemnation, 'the black sort of devilish monks, I
am sorry to know, are past amendment.' (fn. 46) His
master, however, knew what value to attach to
his words, and Battle continued its existence as
one of the 'great solemn monasteries where
(thanks be to God) religion is right well kept and
observed,' the abbot remaining undisturbed until
27 May, 1538, when he surrendered the house (fn. 47)
on a pension of £100, (fn. 48) which he enjoyed for
some years, making his last will in December,
1546. (fn. 49) Sir John Gage reported to Cromwell
that the furniture and vestments were very poor, (fn. 50)
his associate Layton expressing himself with more
vigour in a letter to Wriothesley:—
So beggary a house I never see, nor so filthy stuff.
I will not 20s. for all the hangings in this house, as
the bearer can tell you. The revestry is the worst
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. (fn. 51)
The plate was valued at 400 marks, and
although no details are given, it no doubt resembled that fully catalogued in 1420, (fn. 52) 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, 1538. (fn. 53)
The last scene in the history of the convent
took place in 1557 when Thomas Twisden, alias
Bede, did penance and sought rehabilitation because 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, (fn. 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 (fn. 55)
Gausbert, appointed 1076, died 1095 (fn. 56)
Henry, elected 1096, (fn. 57) died 1102 (fn. 58)
Ralph, elected 1107, (fn. 59) died 1124 (fn. 60)
Warner, elected 1125, (fn. 61) resigned 1138 (fn. 62)
Walter de Lucy, elected 1139, (fn. 63) died 1171 (fn. 64)
Odo, elected 1175, (fn. 65) died 1200 (fn. 66)
John de Dubra, elected 1200 (fn. 66)
Richard, elected 1215, (fn. 67) died 1235 (fn. 68)
Ralph de Covintre, elected 1235 (fn. 69)
Reginald, elected 1261, (fn. 70) resigned 1281 (fn. 71)
Henry de Aylesford, elected 1281, (fn. 72) died
1297 (fn. 73)
John de Taneto, elected 1298, (fn. 74) resigned
1308 (fn. 75)
John de Whatlington, elected 1308, (fn. 76) died
1311 (fn. 77)
John de Nortburne, elected 1311, (fn. 78) resigned
1318 (fn. 79)
John de Pevense, elected 1318, (fn. 80) died 1324 (fn. 81)
Alan de Retlyng, elected 1324, (fn. 82) died 1350. (fn. 83)
Robert de Bello, elected 1351, died 1364
Hamo de Offynton, elected 1364, died 1383 (fn. 84)
John Crane, elected 1383 (fn. 85)
John Lydbury, elected 1398, died 1404 (fn. 86)
William Merssh, elected 1405, (fn. 87) died 1417
Thomas de Ludlow, elected 1417, resigned
1435
William Waller, elected 1435, died 1437
Richard Dertmouth, elected 1437, occurs
1462 (fn. 88)
John Newton, elected 1463, (fn. 89) died 1490 (fn. 90)
Richard Tovy, elected 1490, (fn. 91) died 1503
William Westfield, elected 1503, died 1508 (fn. 92)
Lawrence Champion, elected 1508, (fn. 93) died
1529 (fn. 94)
John Hamond, elected 1529, (fn. 95) last abbot
The first seal depicts the abbey church from
the north with central tower, chapels, and arcaded 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. (fn. 96) Legend destroyed.
The second seal, of the early thirteenth century, 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. (fn. 97) Legend:—
[S]IGILLVM : CONVENT[VS : SANCT]I : MARTINI : DE BEL[LO]
Abbot Odo
A pointed oval counterseal. The abbot on a
corbel, in the right hand a pastoral staff, in the
left hand a book. (fn. 98)
Legend:—
SIGILLVM . ODONIS . GSA . DEI . ABBATIS . SBI . MARTINI . DE . BELLO.
Abbot Richard
A small pointed oval counterseal. The abbot,
full-length, on a corbel, in the right hand a
pastoral staff, in the left hand a book. (fn. 99)
Legend:—
. . . . . RA . A . . . . SBI . MARTINI . DE . BELLO
Abbot Reginald
A pointed oval counterseal. The abbot, on a
corbel, in the right hand a pastoral staff, in the
left hand a book. The background diapered
lozengy with a reticulated pattern. (fn. 100)
Legend:—
. . . . . IA : ABB . . . . .
Abbot Walter de Lucy
Pointed oval. The abbot seated on a chair-like
throne, in the right hand a pastoral staff, in the
left hand a book. (fn. 101)
Legend:—
. . . . ILLV . . . . SBI MAR . . . . . BELLO.