VI.—The Abbot's House at Battle

Harold Brakspear

doi:10.1017/S0261340900005373

VI.—The Abbot's House at Battle

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 July 2011

Harold Brakspear

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Hospitality was an important feature of all religious orders and for this purpose there was generally provided accommodation for distinguished visitors, ordinary travellers, and poor people, in all the larger houses. The distinguished guest was the direct responsibility of the superior, and in all the greater Benedictine monasteries he was provided with an independent house for his own lodging and for the entertainment of such guests.

Type: Research Article
Information: Archaeologia , Volume 83 , 1933 , pp. 139 - 166

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261340900005373 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1933

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^{page 139 note 1} Rites of Durham, Surt. Soc., 1902, 90.

^{page 141 note 1} Norfolk Archaeology, xii, 105.

^{page 141 note 2} Rot. Pat. 23 H. VIII, v. Gleanings, p. 85.

^{page 142 note 1} The writer begs to record his indebtedness to the Dean, the Very Reverend W. Foxley Norris, for allowing him to examine every part of the house in his company.

^{page 142 note 2} Arch. Journ., lxxix, p. 49.

^{page 143 note 1} Leland, Collect. (1774), vi, 300. On the 21 August the king spent the night in the abbot's lodging, at breakfast the day following the king, the princes, and the Scottish nobles sat apart in the abbot's great chamber, the king at a table on the west side of the abbot's bench and his sons at each end, while the Scots were at a table on the north side. The abbot meanwhile entertained the greater part of the company in his hall, sitting at the head of the high table with the bishop of Llandaff.

^{page 145 note 1} History of Battle Abbey (Anon, London, 1877), 219. For brevity this book will be subsequently referred to as Battle Abbey.

^{page 146 note 1} On the other hand this chopped masonry may possibly be the backing of an arch, across the east end of the room, erected in order to support the altar of the chapel above, though there is no indication of a similar block of masonry on the south side.

^{page 148 note 1} The present openings in the east wall are of Sir Godfrey's time, but take the place of earlier openings of Sir Thomas's work.

^{page 150 note 1} Battle Abbey, 276.

^{page 150 note 2} For many years, until Sir Godfrey remodelled the house, this was used as the front door.

^{page 152 note 1} This window was blocked in Tudor times by a stone fireplace which had a drying closet at the side: as the fire was not required in this position it has been refixed in the eastern room in the great-chamber.

^{page 152 note 2} As the partition was supported upon the vaulting, and had to carry two floors and the roofs above, it was considered wiser, in the reconstruction after the fire, to build a brick wall in its place upon the solid wall below, and the remains of the partition are now refixed as a division between the two rooms that occupy what was the abbot's great-chamber.

^{page 152 note 3} Of these windows the two northern ones remain to both floors, but as the rest were burnt they have been replaced by square-headed stone windows with mullions.

^{page 154 note 1} Battle Abbey, 276.

^{page 154 note 2} Ibid., 276.

^{page 154 note 3} Ibid. The decorations of the room were injured at the time of the fire by water coming through the vaulting, the cementing of all the original stonework has so injured it that it cannot be opened out, so to do away with the Victorian embellishments the whole room has been painted white except the oak dado.

^{page 154 note 4} This was so infected with dry rot that it had to be removed and is now replaced with a stone window designed to admit as much light as possible.

^{page 156 note 1} Though this doorway and the small bit of the wall on each side survived the fire, it had to be removed as being unsafe. It is shown on plate xxxv.

^{page 158 note 1} The present roof is more or less on the lines of the former one ; is all constructed in English oak, and is plastered between the rafters.

^{page 158 note 2} The present gallery takes the place of that of the original screens and it is intended to replace the screens below it at a future date.

^{page 159 note 1} Battle Abbey, 267.

^{page 159 note 2} The new windows are of three lights with transoms, but the sills were put at the level of the duke's windows before the remains of the earlier windows had been discovered (pl. xlii, I).

^{page 159 note 3} Battle Abbey, 267.

^{page 159 note 4} The new window is of five lights with tracery in the head.

^{page 159 note 5} In the second bay from the south is a modern fireplace that has taken the place of one inserted by Sir Godfrey Webster; and on either side of it, to light a passage on the first floor, is a wooden window.

^{page 162 note 1} Battle Abbey, 239.

^{page 164 note 1} Battle Abbey, pp. 234 and 235.

^{page 165 note 1} These round arches had certainly nothing to do with the guest-house as they occur in the new bays at the west end, but are obviously the usual relieving arches of the period.

^{page 165 note 2} Battle Abbey, 235.

^{page 166 note 1} Battle Abbey, 235.

^{page 166 note 2} Ibid., 236.

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