Battle Abbey
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Battle Abbey is a partially ruined
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...
in
Battle, East Sussex Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. ...
, England. The abbey was built on the site of the
Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William the Conqueror, William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godw ...
and dedicated to St
Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
. It is a
Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
. The Grade I listed site is now operated by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
as 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, which includes the abbey buildings and ruins, a visitor centre with a film and exhibition about the battle, audio tours of the battlefield site, and the monks' gatehouse with recovered artefacts. The visitor centre includes a children's discovery room and a café, and there is an outdoor-themed playground. The triple light window depicting the life of St John and the crucifixion of Jesus is claimed to have once adorned Battle Abbey which dates from 1045, removed during the Cromwell era to protect it from destruction. The legend goes that it was hidden for many years until it was transported to Tasmania to be fitted to the eastern end of the Buckland Church.”


History


Foundation

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
had vowed to build a monastery in the event that he won the battle. In 1070, Pope Alexander II ordered the
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
to do penance for killing so many people during their conquest of England. William the Conqueror vowed to build an
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...
where the
Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William the Conqueror, William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godw ...
had taken place, with the high
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
of the church on the supposed spot where King
Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...
fell in battle on Saturday, 14 October 1066. William started building it but died before it was completed. The
Vill Vill is a term used in English history to describe the basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit—a geographical ...
survey of 1076 and early legal documents of adjoining property refer to a hospital or guesthouse which was attached to the gate of the abbey. The monastic buildings were about a mile in circuit and formed a large quadrangle, the high altar of the church being on the spot where Harold fell. The church was finished in about 1094 and consecrated during the reign of his son William II (commonly known as William Rufus). The king presented there his father's sword and coronation robes. The first monks were from the Benedictine Abbey of Marmoutier; the new foundation was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, St. Mary, and St. Martin. It was designed for one hundred and forty monks, though there were never more than sixty in residence at one time.Burton, Edwin. "Battle Abbey." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 29 August 2022
William I had ruled that the church of St Martin of Battle was to be exempted from all episcopal jurisdiction, putting it on the level of Canterbury. The abbey was enriched by many privileges, including the right of sanctuary, of treasure trove, of free warren, and of inquest, and the inmates and tenants were exempt from all episcopal and secular jurisdiction. It was ruled by a mitred abbot who afterwards had a seat in Parliament and who had the curious privilege of pardoning any criminal he might meet being led to execution.
Walter de Luci Walter de Luci (also Walter de Lucy), Abbot of Battle Abbey, was the brother of Richard de Luci, who was Chief Justiciar of England. Walter de Luci (or de Lucy) was a Benedictine monk at Lonlay-l'Abbaye in Normandy, before being elected Abbo ...
became abbot in 1139 and made several improvements. During the reign of
Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
, rival church authorities at Canterbury and Chichester unsuccessfully tested the charter. At the Abbey was kept the famous " Roll of Battle Abbey" which was a list of all those who accompanied William from Normandy. As time went on and the honour of descent from one of these Norman families was more highly thought of, unauthentic additions seem to have been made.


Suppression

The church was remodelled in the late 13th century, but virtually destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 under King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
. At the time of the suppression of the Abbey (May, 1538), there were seventeen monks in residence. The displaced monks of Battle Abbey were provided with pensions, including the abbot John Hamond and the prior Richard Salesherst, as well as monks John Henfelde, William Ambrose, Henry Sinden, Thomas Bede and Thomas
Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, no ...
, all bachelors in theology. The abbey and much of its land was given by Henry VIII to his friend and
Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...
, Sir Anthony Browne, who demolished the church and parts of the cloister and turned the abbot's quarters into a country house.


Later history

It was sold in 1721 by Browne's descendant, Anthony Browne, 6th Earl of Montagu, to Sir Thomas Webster, MP and
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
. Webster was succeeded by his son, Sir Whistler Webster, 2nd Baronet, who died childless in 1779, being succeeded in the baronetcy by his brother. Battle Abbey remained in the Webster family until 1857, when it was sold to Lord Harry Vane, later Duke of Cleveland. On the death of the Duchess of Cleveland in 1901, the estate was bought back by Sir Augustus Webster, 7th baronet. Sir Augustus (son of Sir Augustus, 7th baronet) was born in 1864 and succeeded his father as 8th baronet in 1886. Sir Augustus was formerly a captain in the Coldstream Guards. With the death of the 8th baronet in 1923, the baronetage became extinct. The Abbot's house was an all-girls boarding school; Canadian troops were stationed there during the Second World War.


Present day

In 1976, Augustus Webster's heirs sold Battle Abbey to the British government and it is now in the care of
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
. In 2016,
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
commissioned tree-ring analysis of oak timbers from the
gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mo ...
,
dorter A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university ...
and
reredorter The reredorter or necessarium (the latter being the original term) was a communal latrine found in mediaeval monasteries in Western Europe and later also in some New World monasteries. Etymology The word is composed from dorter and the Middle ...
to help identify when these areas might have been built. Findings imply phased building and local timber acquisition, with samples indicating early and later fifteenth century building work. The church's high altar reportedly stood on the spot where Harold died. This is now marked by a plaque on the ground, and nearby is a monument to Harold erected by the people of
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in 1903. The ruins of the abbey, with the adjacent battlefield, are a popular tourist attraction, with events such as the Battle of Hastings reenactments. All that is left of the abbey church itself today is its outline on the ground, but parts of some of the abbey's buildings are still standing: those built between the 13th and 16th century. These are still in use as the independent
Battle Abbey School Battle Abbey School is an independent coeducational day and boarding school in the small town of Battle, East Sussex, England. The senior school occupies part of the town's ruined abbey complex, and it is from here that the school derives its ...
.Battle Abbey School
/ref> Visitors to the abbey usually are not allowed inside the school buildings, although during the school's summer holidays, access to the abbot's hall is often allowed.


Burials

*
Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the ...
II


Gallery

File:Battle Abbey - geograph.org.uk - 3303729.jpg, Battle Abbey File:Battleabbey-wyrdlight-0227.jpg, Monument to Harold File:Battleabbey-wyrdlight-0204.jpg, Battle Abbey – Novices Common Room File:Battle Abbey Novices' Chamber, Sussex, England - 23-04-17.jpg, Novices' Chamber File:Battleabbey-wyrdlight-0244.jpg, Battle Abbey – Dorter, remains of cloister and
Battle Abbey School Battle Abbey School is an independent coeducational day and boarding school in the small town of Battle, East Sussex, England. The senior school occupies part of the town's ruined abbey complex, and it is from here that the school derives its ...
File:Battle Abbey re-enactment - geograph.org.uk - 1156944.jpg, Battle Abbey re-enactment -


See also

*
Abbot of Battle Abbot of Battle was the title given to the abbot of Battle Abbey Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tour ...
, a list of abbots of Battle Abbey *
Battle Abbey Roll The Battle Abbey Roll is a commemorative list, lost since at least the 16th century, of the companions of William the Conqueror, which had been erected or affixed as a memorial within Battle Abbey, Hastings, founded ''ex-voto'' by Duke William o ...
*
List of monastic houses in East Sussex The following is a list of the monastic houses in East Sussex, England. See also * List of monastic houses in England Monastic houses in England include abbeys, priories and friaries, among other monastic religious houses. The sit ...
* Senlac Hill *
Odo of Canterbury Odo of Canterbury (died 1200), also known as Odo Cantianus or Odo of Kent, was a theologian and abbot of Battle. Odo was a monk of Christ Church, who later became a subprior. He was sent by his friend Thomas Becket in 1163 to attend an appeal ...


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links

*
"Battle Abbey and Battlefield Walk", All Trails
{{Authority control Benedictine monasteries in England Buildings and structures in East Sussex English Heritage sites in East Sussex Monasteries in East Sussex Ruins in East Sussex Norman conquest of England Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Grade I listed buildings in East Sussex Museums in East Sussex History museums in East Sussex Religious museums in England Military and war museums in England 1070s establishments in England Gardens by Capability Brown Ruined abbeys and monasteries Battle, East Sussex 1538 disestablishments in England Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation William the Conqueror William II of England