Chronicle of Battle Abbey (Lower)
Having at hand certain records, which are a memorial to posterity concerning the the site and establishment of our place, namely, the Abbey of S. Martin of Battel, we have now resolved to write more at large respecting it, recapitulating some facts, and supplying others that have been omitted, in order to hand down, collected into a book, whatever we have been able to learn worthy of the remembrance of aftercoming times ; and these things we have gathered, either from verbal statements or from documents written by our predecessors. And inasmuch as the widely-spread possessions of this Abbey — the situation of its lands — its yearly revenues — and its liberties, customs, and dignities, have not heretofore been very clearly exhibited, neither yet various other matters tending to its security or advantage in such suits or negociations as may hereafter arise — although we are utterly insufficient for the undertaking, yet it has seemed to us desirable to apply our scanty abilities to the fuller elucidation of matters from the beginning.
By that providence by which all earthly affairs are arranged, the most pious Duke William, of the illustrious stock of the Normans, and of their famous prince Rollo, a man worthy to be designated the father of his country, and the landmark of his duchy and kingdom, having arisen like a morning star upon the world — (through his admirable diligence, accompanied by God's favour, his own liberality, and the assistance of the nobility of France) — after innumerable storms of calamity, happily asserted his claim to the government left him in right of heirship by his father, and at length effectually reduced it under his power.
In the mean time his kinsman, King Edward, died, and left the kingdom of England to Duke "William, whom he con stituted his legal heir. But this was seized upon by a certain perjured slave called Harold, and the duke having received information of it, relying upon the advice and assistance of his friends, devoted all his energies, either by force or stratagem, to recover his rights. He therefore prepared himself a great fleet ; and many counts, nobles, and illustrious men, and many barons who were not his subjects, but belonged to neighbouring provinces, from motives of respect associated themselves in his retinue. The duke, therefore, setting sail with a prodigious army, and attended by the divine favour, arrived safely near the castle called Pevensey.
[missing text] The soldiers leaped joyfully upon English ground at intervals along the shore [missing text] It happened as the duke left his ship, that he fell upon his face, making his nose somewhat bloody upon the beach, and grasping the earth with his outstretched hands. Many of the bystanders feared the consequences of so unlucky a jobs presage, and stood whispering together. But the duke's sewer, William Fitz-Osbert man of great merit and much ready wit, being at hand, boldly rallied the failing courage of the waverers with a word. " Cease men," said he, " to interpret this as a misfortune, for by my troth, it is a token of prosperity ; for lo ! he hath embraced England with both his hands, and sealed it to his posterity with his own blood ; and thus by the foreshowing of Divine Providence is he destined effectually to win it !"
Things thus turning out according to his wishes, the duke did not long remain in that place, but went away with his men to a port not far distant called Hastings ; and there, having secured an appropriate place, and acting upon a prudent determination, he speedily built a castle of wood. And having burnt the greatest part of the ships (lest any of his followers, relying upon the hope of returning home, should be careless in the design that they had undertaken), the duke — now shortly about to become a king — anxiously hastened to reduce the surrounding country.
Harold, the usurper of the kingdom, hearing of his arrival, quickly collected his army, resolved upon driving out the duke, or rather upon utterly destroying him and his, and marched forward, with great boldness and expedition, to the place which is now called Battel, where the duke, surrounded by his battalions of cavalry, met him courageously. Having arrived at a hill called Hechelande, situated in the direction of Hastings, while they were helping one another on with their armour, there was brought forth a coat of mail for the duke to put on, and by accident it was handed to him the wrong side foremost. Those who stood by and saw this, cursed it as an unfortunate omen, but the duke's sewer again bade them be of good cheer, and declared that this also was a token of good fortune, namely, that those things which had before kept their ground were about fully to submit them selves to him. The duke, perfectly unmoved, put on the mail with a placid countenance, and uttered these memorable words: " I know, my dearest friends, that if I had any confidence in omens, I ought on no account to go to battle today ; but, committing myself trustfully to my Creator in every matter, I have given no heed to omens ; neither have I ever loved sorcerers. Wherefore, now, secure of His aid, and in order to strengthen the hands and courage of you, who for my sake are about to engage in this conflict, I make a Vow, that upon this place of battle I will found a suitable free Monastery, for the salvation of you all, and especially of those who fall ; and this I will do in honour of God and his saints, to the end that the servants of God may be succoured; that even as I shall be enabled to acquire for myself a propitious asylum, so it may be freely offered to all my followers."
Among those who heard this vow, was a monk of Marmoutier, one William, surnamed Faber, who formerly, while in the service of the duke, had obtained the name of Faber (or 'the smith') from this circumstance :—
As he was one day a-hunting with his companions, they happened to be short of arrows, and thereupon had recourse for more to a neighbouring smith, who proved to be unacquainted with such sort of work. William therefore seized his tools, and presently, with great ingenuity, fabricated an arrow. This man, afterwards changing his profession, betook himself to a religious life at Marmoutier, the fame of which for sanctity was then very great. And when the descent of the duke upon England was everywhere extolled, he, in order to advance the interests of his Church, attached himself to the army. Immediately on hearing the duke's vow, which was exactly suited to his wishes, he proposed that the monastery should be dedicated to the blessed bishop S. Martin. The pious duke favoured his suit, and benignly promised that it should be so.
The duke, then, by his heralds, thrice offered conditions of peace, which were thrice refused by the enemy; and at length, conformably to the prophecy of Merlin " that a Norman people in iron coats should lay low the pride of tht English," it was manfully fought with arms.
Upon the hill where the Abbey now stands, the English supported their king in a compact body [missing text] But at length, by a preconcerted scheme, the duke feigned a retreat with his army, and Eustace, the valiant count of Boulogne, nimbly following the rear of the English, who were scattered in the pursuit, rushed upon them with his powerful troops ; meanwhile the duke returned upon them, and they, being thus hemmed in on both sides, numbers were stricken down. The miserable English, feeble and on foot, are scattered abroad. Pressed upon, they fall; they are slaughtered, and killed ; and their king being overthrown by a chance blow, they fly in all directions, and seek their hiding places. And then, after an innumerable multitude had been slain on the field, or rather in their flight, a very great calamity presented itself before the eyes of all.
There lay between the hostile armies a certain dreadful precipice, caused either by a natural chasm of the earth, or by some convulsion of the elements. It was of considerable extent, and being overgrown with bushes or brambles was not very easily seen, and great numbers of men — principally Normans in pursuit of the English — were suffocated in it. For, ignorant of the danger, as they were running in a dis orderly manner, they fell into the chasm and were fearfully dashed to pieces and slain. And the pit from this deplorable accident is still called Malfosse.
Amid these miseries there was exhibited a fearful spectacle : the fields were covered with dead bodies, and on every hand nothing was to be seen but the red hue of blood. The dales all around sent forth a gory stream which increased at a distance to the size of a river ! How great, think you, must have been the slaughter of the conquered, when that of the conquerors is reported upon the lowest computation to have exceeded ten thousand ? Oh ! how vast a flood of human gore was poured out in that place where these unfor tunates fell and were slain ! What dashing to pieces of arms ; what clashing of strokes ; what shrieks of dying men ; what grief; what sighs, were heard! How many groans; how many bitter notes of direst calamity then sounded forth who can rightly calculate ! What a wretched exhibition of human misery was there to call forth astonishment ! In the very contemplation of it our pen fails us. Yet it is proper to add that, the battle being at length concluded, upon that triumph England submitted to the Normans.
The place being marked where the standard of this rash and hostile invasion fell, the duke went forward with all haste to extend his authority. Having at length reached Loudon, the chief city of the realm, he offered the citizens a treaty of peace, which they unwillingly accepted, though in the end they joyfully received him as the heir and lord. And some portion of the kingdom being now prudently pacified ; by the consent of the magnates and nobles of the state, he was dignified with the throne and crown of the English monarchy, and invested with his well-deserved diadem, at the Nativity of Our Lord, as the one thousand and sixty-seventh year since his incarnation was coming in.
After this, he was engaged with numerous and weighty affairs, and could by no means in a short time execution of unite and quiet the kingdom. This of course delayed the performance of many things which he had proposed to execute earlier. For the storming of towns, and the subjugation of stiff-necked rebels, occupied, for a long period, all his energies. In the end, however, prosperity attended the monarch so evidently chosen and promoted by God ; so that neither the hostile machinations of his fellow-countrymen, nor the craft of his enemies, nor the threatening inroads of foreigners availed to injure him ; while he, ever relying upon the assist ance of Heaven, was mightily strengthened in the glory of his kingdom. And deservedly — since he was excellent in morality, munificent in liberality, remarkable for clemency, powerful in genius, constant in temper, valiant in arms, magnanimous in enterprise, successful in acquisition, pacific in government, studious in reforming and keeping the laws, a diligent cultivator of religion, entirely devoted to the welfare of the churches,16 and what must needs be still more admired, while he himself ruled so many nations, Discretion, the nourisher of the virtues, so governed him, that he who was otherwise invincible, easily yielded to the gentle suggestions of reason. Thus he both largely augmented the limits of his empire, and beyond the hope of all in his time energetically governed his now quieted dominions, which he happily transmitted to his posterity. Thus far of these matters.
Now, since we may appear unnecessarily to have extended this exordium of our proposed narration, it will be proper more closely to examine, by diligent investigation, the materials thereof, and to show, as we have promised, the first beginnings of our place as it were by rule. The most illustrious King William, then, being engaged as we have shown with many cares, although he never lost sight of the obligations of his vow, yet by reason of the affairs which occupied his attention, he for some time delayed its fulfilment.
At length the demands of his conscience from within, and the constant suggestions of the monk William Faber from without, prevailed, and the king acceded to his wish; and inasmuch as he was considered a proper person, the king committed the erection of the work to him, and ordered him to fetch over certain brethren of his abbey, in order to found, on the field of battle, without further delay, an appropriate monastery.
This he cheerfully undertook to do, and going at once to Marmoutier brought over to England four monks of great reputation and piety, namely, Theobald, surnamed Vetulus, William Coche, Robert of Bolonia, and Robert Blancard. These personages having viewed the scene of the battle, judged it an unsuitable site for so noble a building, but thought a lower place on the western side of the hill more eligible ; and there, not to seem remiss in their undertaking, they built some little dwellings. The place is to this day called Herst; and a certain thorn-tree growing there is a memorial of this circumstance.
The king on making careful enquiries as to the progress of the work, was told by the monks that the place where he had determined to build the abbey was situated upon a hill with a parched soil, dry, and destitute of water; and they entreated him that a more convenient spot in the immediate vicinity might be chosen for so important a work. Upon this the king grew angry, and commanded them with all haste to lay the foundations of the temple on the very place where he had achieved the victory over his enemy. Not daring to resist him, they complained about the scarcity of water ; to which the king is reported to have replied in these memorable words: " 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 ! " They next complained of the unfitness of the place, because, the ground being woody for some distance round, proper stone for the edifice could not he obtained ; but the king, undertaking to defray all expenses out of his own treasury, sent ships to the town of Caen to bring over abundance of that material for the work. And when, in compliance with the royal order, they had imported some part of the stone from Normandy, in the meantime, as is said, it was revealed to a certain religious matron, that upon digging in the place indicated to her in a vision, they would find plenty of stone for this purpose. They commenced a search accordingly, and, at no great distance from the boundary which had been marked out for the Abbey, they found such an ample supply, that it plainly appeared, that a concealed treasure of it had been the divinely laid in that very place from eternity, for the building there to be erected !
Thus at length were laid the foundations of this most ex cellent work, as it was then considered ; and in accordance with the king,s decree, they wisely erected the high altar upon the precise spot where the ensign of King Harold, which they call the Standard, was observed to fall. But although skilful men, influenced by no love of filthy lucre, had the super intendence of the work, the building went on but slowly, on account of some extortioners, who sought their own things rather than those of Jesus Christ, and laboured more in appearance than in truth. Meantime, also, the brethren built within the intended circuit of the monastery mean dwellings of little cost, for their own residence. And thus, by an evil example at first, things were put off from day to day, and the royal treasures allotted for the furtherance of the undertaking were improperly spent, and many things conferred upon the place by the king,s devout liberality carelessly squandered.
No apology will be necessary for our having mentioned these things, to prove the good will of this noble king ; for although by reason of his being concerned with so many affairs of importance, he was prevented, to his great grief, from visiting the place, and from doing for it what he had proposed to do ; yet even from the circumstances named it most plainly appears, that from the first he designed so ample a provision, that his devotion is worthy of continual remembrance.
While affairs were in this condition, it was suggested to the king that he should appoint as abbot, one of the brethren who had been brought over, and that the rest should be subservient to him. Robert Blancard was therefore elected to this office. And, influenced by devotion he immediately went over to Marmoutier, his own abbey ; but as he was returning, amidst the congratulations of all, and had nearly reached the English shore, by the mysterious judgment of God a tempest arose, and he was swallowed up by the cruel waves. Thus being taken from this world, he transmitted the rule allotted him to another, who by the divine dispensation had been fore ordained. When this intelligence arrived, and was carried to the king, he took advice upon the subject, and sent William Faber, who still managed all the affairs of the place, to Marmoutier, to fetch over another of his brethren, named Gausbert, to undertake the government of the abbey. This Gausbert was a man of the greatest piety and clemency, and endowed with manifold virtues. Four of his monkish brethren accompanied him to his destination, namely, John, Hameline, Ainard, and Leffelm, who after a pros perous voyage arrived joyfully with him at the appointed place. Thus was that venerable personage, Gausbert, by the royal pleasure, happily promoted to the government of the abbey, and consecrated before the altar of S. Martin of Battel, about the one thousand and seventy-sixth year of our Lord's incar nation ; and being settled in his office, both the buildings of the Abbey and the number of the brethren steadily increased under his superintendence.
The king, not unmindful of the work he had undertaken, in order to perpetuate the memory of his victory, ordained that the place should hence-forward be called Battel.
To the monastery he first granted and gave the Leuga lying around it, entirely free from all exaction and subjection of bishops, and from the domination and customs of earthly service of all other persons whatsoever, as is proved upon the testimony of his charters. And since the Abbey was the pledge of his royal crown, he determined in various ways to enrich it, not only with a liberal donation of lands, dignities, ornaments, and various riches, but also in the grace of religious service and in the number of its brethren — but, alas ! he was prevented from executing his intention by death.
The lands of the Leuga, as described in the King's Book, consist of these portions : The Abbey of Battel holds a leuga lying around it. It holds Boccham [that is Vochehant], and has there half a hide. Of this half hide there is one virgate lying without the leuga, and belonging to Croherste, which Walter Fitz- Lambert exchanged for a certain wood within the leuga, and it holds it for that reason. In Bece, which Osbert holds of the Earl of Eu, three virgates. In Wasingate [that is Bothherstegate], says the King's Book, the Abbey has a virgate ; in fact, however, it is but half a one. In Wilminte, says the same record, the Abbey possesses six virgates, though it has really but five. In Nirefeld [Nedrefeld] it has six virgates. In Peneherste half a hide. In Hou half a hide. In Philesham one virgate. In Cattesfelde three virgates. In Bulintune two hides, wanting one virgate. In Croherste one virgate. In Wiltinges one virgate. In Holintune one virgate. Total : six hides and a half virgate.
All these lands are within the Leuga as has been stated, and the Leuga is composed of them, which the abbey of Battel possesses. This King William made free and quit of every custom of earthly service and of all subjection of bishops, especially of the Bishop of Chichester, and from the domination, oppression, and exaction of all other persons whatsoever, as before said, and confirmed it by his charter. Now eight virgates make one hide and a wist consists of four virgates. The English leuga contains twelve roods ; and forty perches make a rood. The perch is sixteen feet in length. The acre is forty perches in length and four in breadth. But if it be twenty in length, it shall be eight in breadth, and so forth.
From without Bodeherste, on the east, is the boundary of the Leuga, near the land of Robert Bos, and it runs near the land of Roger Moin as far as Hecilande, and includes Hecilande, near the land of William Fitz-Robert-Fitz-Wido and the land of Croherste on the south. Thence it passes by the land of Cattesfelde and by Puchehole as far as Westbece near the land of Bodeham to the west. After this it passes along by the land of Itintune as far as to the north. Thence there is a boundary by the land of Wetlingetuna, and the land of Wicham and by Setlescumbe, and thus it returns to the first limit, namely without Bodeherste on the east.