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 A HANDBOOK 
 
 FOR THE USE OF 
 
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 TO THE AB^'^"^' 
 
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 ROMSEY. 
 
 Printed by C. L. I^ordan & Co., Market Place, Romsey. 
 
 ~ii-» 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031427333 
 
TJie Rsstoration of Romsey Abbey was begun 
 by the Bev. the Hon. Gerard Noel, 50 years ago, 
 and has been slowly progressing ever since. The 
 sum of £5000 is needed to complete the work and 
 make it the most perfect specimen of Norman work 
 among our Parish Churches. The reader of this 
 
 r 
 
 Hand-book is invited to help by sending a donation 
 however little, to the Restoration Fund, Capital & 
 Counties' Bank, Romsey, Hampshire. 
 
 July, 1895. 
 
GLOSSARY OF TERMS 
 
 USBD IN THIS HANDBOOK. 
 
 i>0-^ . 
 
 Apse — A semicircular termination to a chancel or side 
 chapel 
 
 Aumbry — A cupboard or recess in which the sacred 
 vessels were kept 
 
 Cresset — A stone receptacle for oil, in which a wick 
 was floated to form a lamp 
 
 Chantry — A Chapel founded with the object of having 
 masses said for a departed soul 
 
 Chevron — Zigzag moulding, peculiar to Norman arch- 
 itecture 
 
 Cope — A vestment like a large cloak worn by Bishops 
 and priests chiefly in solemn processions 
 
 Corbel — A piece of stone projecting from the wall of a 
 Church, either as representing the end of a 
 roof beam, or as a support for woodwork to 
 rest upon 
 
 Clerestory — The upper row of windows of a Church 
 
 Leper-window — A small window, near the ground, 
 through which the Blessed Sacrament and 
 alms might be handed to persons unable to 
 mix with the rest of the congregation in 
 consequence of their suffering from infectious 
 diseases 
 
 Miserere — A bracket carved on the underside of a 
 hinged seat, contrived so that, when turned 
 uppermost, a person could rest the back 
 against it without actually sitting down 
 
 Piey — The mass of stonework supporting an arch 
 
 Piscina — A shallow stone basin furnished with a hole 
 in the bottom to carry off the water in which 
 the sacred vessels are washed 
 
 Reredos — A carved or painted screen at the back of the 
 altar 
 
 Rood Screen — A carved screen used to divide the 
 Chancel from the Nave, surmounted by a 
 Rood or Crucifix 
 
 Triforium — or " Darkstory," the open gallery or arcade 
 below the clerestory windows 
 
^ont^etj glbbutj. 
 
 The founding The Abbey of S. Mary and S. 
 
 _ °^. , , ^thelflasda at Romsey was 
 
 Romsey Abbey. ■, . ■ ^u ^ ^- c 
 
 founded m that time of peace 
 
 which followed upon King Alfred's victories over the 
 Danes. The ninth century, towards the close of which 
 he came to the throne, was one of the darkest periods 
 of the Church's History. In England almost all her 
 stateliest buildings had been destroyed by the hands 
 of marauding Danes; Ely, Crowland, Peterborough, 
 and many another great centre of light and sanctity 
 in a dark and barbarous age, had gone up in flames, 
 and their monks had fled or died among the ruins. 
 Edmund, the last of the East Anglian Kings, whose 
 virtues earned for him the title of Saint and Martyr, 
 had been tied by the heathen invaders to a tree and 
 shot to death vvith arrows only thirty years before the 
 century closed. The whole realm of England, with 
 the exception of these downs and forests between 
 Winchester and Exeter crouched before the Sea- 
 Pirates. Learning and civilization had disappeared. 
 " When I began to reign," said Alfred, " I cannot 
 remember one man south of the Thames who could 
 
4 
 explain his service book in English." Misery, 
 degradation, want prevailed everywhere. 
 
 With Alfred's succession to the throne the tide was 
 turned. By victory after victory he drove back the 
 Danes, stubbornly fighting, until after a great fight at 
 Edington in Wiltshire they were glad to make peace. 
 The treaty of Wedmore was signed in 878 and England 
 was saved. 
 
 By degrees quiet was restored over all the land, and 
 as Wessex became more settled there arose a grand 
 effort of Church building to replace the ruined shrines 
 over which the devastating hosts had passed. Alfred 
 died in goi, and Edward the Elder, his son, after 
 defeating a fresh invasion two years later, found 
 himself at leisure to turn his attention to the work of 
 consolidating and civilizing his country. 
 
 For two centuries before this the monastery of 
 Nutcel (now Nursling), five miles from Romsey, a 
 famous school and training college for missionaries, 
 from whence S. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, 
 went forth in 716, had flourished, but one day in the 
 dark the ships of the Danes crept up Southampton 
 Water and up the tideway of the Test, and destroyed 
 the great Missionary College so effectually that only 
 a mound here and there marks where it stood. 
 
 The first It is very probable, therefore, that when 
 Abbess. Ethelflasda, King Edward's daughter, 
 urged her father to allow her to adopt the religious 
 life, Romsey, the "wide island" of the Test, was 
 chosen as a site which to some extent might replace 
 Nutcel, and be more safe, being 5 miles above the 
 tideway, from the still dreaded invasions of the Danes. 
 About 907, then, the first foundation was made of 
 the old grey Abbey, which still overlooks the Silver 
 Test, and in some humble buildinp^ nf wnnA ^r,A fV,of ^u 
 
5 
 
 the Royal Virgin, ^thelflasda, and her band of nuns, 
 
 began to lead their life of devotion and discipline 
 
 according to the rule of S. Benedict.* 
 
 During the 60 years which followed we hear no 
 
 more of Romsey ; the splendid work of Alfred and 
 
 Edward the Elder declined, and the Church sank back 
 
 into apathy and ignorance. But at the accession of 
 
 Edgar there came a revival of Church Life. Under 
 
 the wise statesmanship of Dunstan 
 
 ^ and the energy of Ethelwold, the 
 
 .„ , Bishop of Winchester, no less 
 
 King Edgar. . ^ . ^ . 
 
 than 40 monasteries were restored 
 
 or founded, and among them Romsey. S. Merwenna 
 
 was placed here on Christmas Day, 974, over a 
 
 convent of no less than 100 nuns. 
 
 It is to somewhere about this period that we may 
 
 ascribe the two crucifixes which probably are all that 
 
 remain to represent the then Abbey. Look first at 
 
 the smaller one which is let into the wall at the East 
 
 End of the South Chancel Aisle, now used as a chapei 
 
 for daily service. Its style is undoubtedly Saxon, and 
 
 after many changes, having been 
 The Crucifix m ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 the South ^^.^^ ^^^g inwards into the wall, 
 
 Chancel Aisle. .^ ^^^ ^^ j^^^ .^^^^^^^^ -^ i^^ 
 
 present place by the late Vicar. It is mentioned in 
 1742 as on the South wall near the Communion Table. 
 
 The Great The other Crucifix is still more 
 Crucifix. remarkable. It will be found on the 
 
 * There is still extant a beautiful M.S. which belonged to 
 the Abbey, which gives the legendary life of the first Abbess, 
 S. Etheltiseda, but it has evident inaccuracies. The first 
 authentic mention of Romsey Abbey is as follows :— " In 
 anno 967 Rex Anglorum pacificus Edgarus in monasterio 
 Rumesige, quod avus suus Rex Anglorum Eadwardus 
 senior contruxerat, sanctimoniales coUocavit, sanctamque 
 Marewynnam super eas Abbatissam constituit. ChromcLe 
 of Florence of Worcester." 
 
6 
 West wall of the South Transept in what was once 
 the cloister of the Nunnery. You will do well to 
 notice this, for it is an almost unique specimen of a 
 crucifix of the loth century. It is one of an early 
 type of crucifixes, which died out about the year looo, 
 giving place to the style which we are familiar with 
 at present. You will see that it represents not the 
 dead Christ, but Christ reigning from the Cross ; the 
 head is erect ; the eyes are open ; battered and worn 
 as it is, you can still trace a look of divine benignity 
 and sweetness on the face ; while from above the hand 
 of God the Father is extended from a cloud as if to 
 say, " This is my beloved Son in whom I am well 
 pleased." In the British Museum there is a M.S. of 
 the same period (994) — the homilies of Archbishop 
 ^Ifric— with a drawing of a crucifix almost identical 
 with it. 
 
 Curious Then go back to the East End and 
 ... behind the Altar you will see on the 
 
 Wall of the recess, which once formed 
 the Northern entrance to the Dedication Chapels, a 
 wall painting almost obliterated, but on which you 
 will be able to discern the memorial of another chapter 
 in the history of this period. One day in 994, so the 
 legend tells us, the Abbess Elwina was praying before 
 the High Altar, while the Priest was celebrating, when 
 she saw over the Priest's shoulder a vision of S. 
 ^thelflasda rising out of the Altar, and received from 
 her a warning that the Danes were coming again to 
 destroy the Abbey. She was " not disobedient to the 
 Heavenly vision," but gathering together all the 
 valuables, she betook herself with tlie Nuns to Win- 
 chester. When they returned — the Abbey was once 
 more in ruins. 
 
 When and by —i-"— -'■ — 1— -i. .. 
 
7 
 second time we do not know. Some people have 
 thought that there are marks of fire on many of the 
 stones used in the building, but it seems most probable 
 that even this third Abbey was of wood. 
 
 Abbess Christina We now come to another 
 
 and tne turning point in our history. 
 
 Princess Maud. ., ^^r^ , ^ 
 
 About the year 1090 no less 
 
 a person than Christina the sister of S. Margaret of 
 
 Scotland was Abbess of Romsey, and had under her 
 
 care the Queen's two daughters Matilda and Mary. 
 
 Matilda was the niece of Edgar Atheling, and after 
 
 his death represented the Saxon line. To the Norman 
 
 Kings, anxious to consolidate their conquest of 
 
 England, the Princess Matilda was the one person 
 
 whose alliance in marriage was most desirable. To 
 
 Romsey, then, came William Rufus, " despoiler of 
 
 Churches," to sue for the young lady's hand. 
 
 We can easily imagine with what aversion the good 
 Abbess regarded the match ; hastily commanding the 
 Princess to put on the nun's habit, and go into the 
 Church to prayers, she said to the King, " Come into 
 the cloister and look at my roses." She kept him there 
 until it was too late to see the princess, and he went 
 away disappointed.* He may have been even then on 
 his last fatal journey to the New Forest, in any case 
 his death happened very soon after, and Henry I 
 seizing the crown at Winchester, hurried down to 
 Romsey, and was accepted as the husband of the 
 princess, who is known to history, as, " Good Queen 
 Maud." Their marriage was celebrated by S. Anselm 
 with an unusual burst of rejoicing, and in a few years 
 the grand Abbey, which we see before us now, began 
 to rise under Abbess Hadewis (about 1120). It is 
 
 * A full account of the enquiry, held at I/ambeth, as to 
 whether Matilda had actually taken vows is given by Badmer 
 
8 
 allowable to think of it as perhaps a thankofifering of 
 Henry I and his Queen for a marriage which brought 
 such peace and blessing to the land. 
 
 Architectural You had better now look at the 
 Details. Abbey as a whole, for more than 
 
 two thirds of it was built at this period in the very 
 perfection of the Norman Style, very likely from the 
 designs of the great architect, Henry of Blois, the 
 brother of King Stephen and Bishop of Winchester. 
 It is built of stone from the now (alas) worked out 
 quarries of Binstead in the Isle of Wight. It is 
 275 feet long, 131 feet wide at the Transepts and 74 
 across the Nave, the walls are from 4 to 6 feet thick 
 and are 70 feet high to the wall-plate above the clere- 
 story. The first building ended just where the two 
 stoves stand at the 4th bay of the Nave, where you 
 will see that the Norman gives place to Early English 
 architecture. 
 
 The general Taking your stand in the centre 
 
 character of the Nave just at the end of the 
 
 of the Abbey. , . .,, , , , 
 
 " chairs, you will have beiore you 
 
 an ideal Norman Church with the exception of the 
 two great East windows, which were inserted in the 
 13th century in place of the Norman arcading which 
 was originally carried round the East wall in a similar 
 way to that on the North and South of the Choir; you 
 can still trace, high up on the wall to the North and 
 South of these windows, some of the original arches 
 of the Clerestory. You will hardly fail to be impressed 
 by the stately character of the building. It gives one 
 indeed the idea which the great Norman Churches 
 were intended to convey, that of "a city which hath 
 foundations." The massive character of the walls, 
 the vast thickness and solidity of the piers which are 
 capable, without the aid of buttresses, of sunnnrtincr a 
 
9 
 tower at least twice the height of the present one, 
 together with an exquisite sense of proportion and 
 usefulness, more easily felt than described, fill one 
 with a feeling of satisfaction and confidence. There 
 is just enough of ornament to give relief without in 
 any way decreasing the feeling of stateliness and 
 strength, while the great height and the unusual size 
 of the Triforium arches convey the impression of a 
 far larger edifice than the Abbey really is. 
 
 As regards size, Romsey is larger than any of the 
 Welsh Cathedrals, except S. David's, as well as those 
 of Oxford, Carlisle, Rochester and Chester. 
 
 The The present nave roof, which was rebuilt 
 KOOIS. about 40 years ago, is not, unfortunately, at 
 all in keeping with the general character of the Church. 
 The original ceiling no doubt, was flat and painted in 
 designs and medallions of brilliant colours similar to 
 that of Ely Cathedral. The Chancel roof, restored 
 under the late Mr. Christian, architect to the Ecclesi- 
 astical Commissioners, is more successful, while the 
 North Transept roof, restored by the Rev. E. L. 
 Berthon in i865, is better still. The South Transept 
 roof has not been restored ; it is no doubt the original 
 high pitched roof of mediaeval times cut down by our 
 stingy forefathers in about 1750 to save themselves 
 the expense of fresh timbers for a new roof. The side 
 aisles are all groined, those of the central 
 
 The Side aj^^j eastern portions of the Churcfi being 
 .A-isle 
 
 exceedingly good specimens of Norman 
 
 building. The three westernmost bays are modern, 
 having, curiously enough, been left unfinished by the 
 original builders (who may have planned two western 
 towers or massive pinnacles) and were restored in 
 wood and plaster, about 1850, by the Rev. the Hon. 
 Gerard Noel, to whom the greater part of the restor- 
 
ation of the stonework of the Abbey is due. 
 
 Kestoration You will detect a great blemish 
 
 greatly needed, on the general beauty of the 
 Church in the fact that all the Triforium arches of the 
 nave and those of the South side of the Chancel are 
 plastered up. This was done about loo years ago, 
 partly with the aim of shutting out draughts, and 
 partly as a cheap expedient to avoid the expense of 
 re-roofing the side aisles. This is a matter of restoraton 
 urgently needed, and when completed will immensely 
 add to the grace and beauty of the Church. It is for 
 this object that we are at present endeavouring to 
 raise funds, and to this the 6d charged for each visitor 
 viewing the Church is devoted. 
 
 The Notice the variety of moulding and 
 
 JVLoulaingS. arcading in the Triforium : the double 
 arch supporting a small central pillar is a very unusual 
 and very beautiful type : also a triple interlaced arch 
 on the East side of the North Transept which is most 
 striking. 
 
 The Clerestory is a most interesting study of trans- 
 ition from pure Norman in the Chancel to Early 
 English at the West End. You will be able to trace 
 as you run your eye along it every gradation of arch 
 and moulding over a period of loo years. 
 
 The mouldings used throughout the Church are 
 chiefly, the " chevron " over many of the nave arches, 
 " billet " all along the string course above them, " egg 
 and dart " over the first arch on the South side of the 
 Nave, and some very unusual specimens at the 
 springers of the Chancel arches and above the outside 
 of the Abbess Door in the South Aisle. These, as well 
 as some of the mouldings of the capitals in the 
 ambulatory are scarcely ever met with except in the 
 Byzantine Mosques of Egypt and the Levant. 
 
II 
 
 Further westwards tliere are some beautiful speci- 
 mens of " dog tooth " moulding over the North and 
 South doors, which themselves are good specimens of 
 13th century work. 
 
 The Turning now to the Transepts it is 
 
 Chantries, worth while to notice the. interlaced 
 arcading in the West wall of the South Transept, the 
 capitals of which, cruelly damaged by a gallery which 
 once stood here, were admirably restored by a local 
 mason. 
 
 To the East of each Transept are two very striking 
 chantiies, similar in size and shape, formerly open to 
 the Church but now used as vestries. 
 
 That on the South Side woald seem to have once 
 contained a shrine of some importance as the 
 Norman Windows on the West Side of the Transept 
 have been cut away and altered in early English 
 Times apparently to let the light fall fully upon some 
 particular spot in the Chantry. The North Chantry 
 has two interesting piscinas and aumbries at different 
 elevations, showing that the Altar in Norman times 
 was generally on the level, and in Early English 
 somewhat raised. 
 
 The Ancient The Ancient arrangement of the 
 
 arrangement Ghoir was probably very different 
 of the Choir. , ^, , . • 
 
 to the present. As in many 01 the 
 
 Cathedrals it extended from the East wall to the 
 second or perhaps the third pillars of the Nave where 
 a Rood Screen probably spanned the Church— the 
 Altar being just where the Altar steps now are. It 
 is interesting to know that the ancient stone slab of 
 the high Altar still occupies its proper place, being 
 mounted on an oak frame. On each side of the Chan- 
 cel were miserere seats of massive oak, the last of 
 
12 
 
 which is still to be found in the Church in use as the 
 seat for the reader in the Chapel in the South Aisle. 
 It was restored to the Church by a Mr. Young. 
 
 The Choir The Choir Screen, at first sight, appears 
 Screen, modem, but as regards the whole of 
 the upper part, it is reall}' one of the oldest pieces of 
 wood-work in the Church. It was originally made in 
 the time of William of Wykeham (1372) to separaje 
 off the North Transept from the rest of the Church, 
 (see p. 15), and it remained in that position until the 
 close of the last century. It was then removed to the 
 3rd piers of the Nave and formed a support for the 
 Organ Gallery which was built at that time, and it 
 then received a coat of paint. The galleiy was taken 
 down some 50 years ago, and the base of the screen 
 destroyed' — the upper part being thrust away into the 
 Triforium where it was recently re-discovered and 
 used by the Rev. E. L. Berthon as a Chancel Screen, 
 the supports being restored by him in accordance 
 with the original design. When the screen stood at 
 the West End it had three triangular openings in the 
 lower part so arranged that a priest sitting within the 
 Chancel might hear confessions through them. 
 
 The present Clergy and Choir seats were designed 
 and made under the personal superintendence of the 
 late Vicar — and were carved in the town — the heads 
 represent various Kings, Saints, and Abbesses con- 
 nected with the History of the Abbey. The pulpit 
 was erected in 1891 in memory of the late R. G. Lin- 
 zee, Esq., of Jermyns, near Romsey, the design is by 
 C. H. Purdey, Esq., the figures were carved by Harry 
 Emms, of Exeter. 
 
 The Chancel Aisles are very remarkable, being 
 square externally, but apsidal inside. This arrange- 
 ment very rare in England is found occasinnAllv ,'n 
 
^'3 
 Normandy in churches of the same date as Romsey. 
 Notice here too, in the wall of the South Chapel a 
 Norman piscina, and the very remarkable carved 
 capitals of the pillars in this Aisle. 
 
 Passing round behind the high Altar, you find your- 
 self in what is called the ambulatory, and facing two 
 archways which formerly led into the Dedication 
 Chapels, which extended Eastwards about 41 feet and 
 which contained two Altars, the one on the North side 
 being to S. Ethelflasda, and that on the South to 
 the Blessed Virgin. This building, destroyed after the 
 Reformation, must have been very beautiful, and of 
 Early decorated style, but it re- 
 •'■^® placed an earlier Norman Chapel 
 
 ^' which was much shorter (21 feet). 
 We owe our knowledge of these Chapels to the exca- 
 vations carried out by the Rev. E. L. Berthon, formerly 
 Vicar. The Windows which now fill up the archways 
 were the East Windows of the Dedication Chapels, 
 and were brought in to fill up the gaps when the 
 Chapels were destroyed. They are of about the 
 year 1305. 
 
 In these recesses will be found some of the Abbesses' 
 Tombs which have been found from time to time in or 
 beneath the flooir of the Church. Behind the Altar 
 are one or two of the few relics that remain to speak 
 of the ancient magnificence of the Church. The glass 
 case contains an embroidered cope which for many 
 years formed the Altar Cloth, and which was rescued 
 from decay and placed here, by the daughter of the 
 late Vicar. Near it is an ancient Altar Slab which 
 has been used as a tombstone, and behind it a panel 
 with a figure on it of early date, which probably once 
 formed one of the panels of the roof of the S. George's 
 Chantry. 
 
'4 
 
 Passing round into the North Chapel you will see 
 some beautiful tiling, and an unused altar of Jacobean 
 times, then a tomb of one of the Abbesses, and near it 
 a model of the Dedication Chapels as they once existed, 
 made under the direction of the late Vicar. The two 
 curiously shaped stone bowls are ancient cressets or 
 lamps found in restoring the Church, very possibly 
 used by the very builders themselves and built into 
 the wall when done with. 
 
 Curious Here also may be seen a curious relic in 
 Kelic. the shape of a head of auburn hair which 
 was found under the following circumstances. In 
 1839 a grave was being dug in the South Aisle near 
 the Abbesses' door, when at a depth of about 5 feet, a 
 coffin of lead, very much corroded, was found project- 
 ing from beneath the foundations of one of the great 
 piers. Its position was very unusual, being North 
 and South. The coffin was 18 inches wide at the head 
 and tapered gradually to 13 inches at the foot. It was 
 only 5 feet long. The only remnant of humanity 
 within was a perfect head of hair of a bright auburn 
 colour, gathered in a plait of 18 inches in length. It 
 was resting on a block of wood which formed a pillow 
 — All else in the coffin had gone to dust. 
 
 Ancient Still going Westward along the North 
 KeredOS. Aisle you will see fastened against the 
 wall a very remarkable and almost unique specimen 
 of a fourteenth century painted Reredos. In all 
 probability this was at one time the Reredos of the 
 high altar. It was originally much larger, having had 
 a row of figures above those still existing and having 
 extended another four inches lower. It was found at 
 the back of the high altar at the beginning of this 
 century having had the Lord's Prayer and Ten Com- 
 
15 
 mandments (now at the West end of the North Aisle) 
 nailed in front of it. It has evidently been repainted 
 in rougher style at an early date ; under the paint of 
 the soldier's armour may still be discerned the remains 
 of gilding. 
 
 The subject is the Resurrection of Our Lord, with 
 a likeness of an Abbess, probably the donor of the 
 reredos, in the left corner. The figures above are, — 
 beginning from the East End, — a Bishop, probably 
 S. Augustine of Hippo ; S. Anthony, with a quaint 
 representation of the Devil at his feet ; S. Roche, with 
 the wound in his thigh; S. Benedict, founder of the 
 Benedictine order ; S. Scholastica, his sister; a Bishop, 
 perhaps S. Augustine of Canterbury, who introduced 
 the rule of S. Benedict into England; S. Sebastian; 
 S. Francis of Assisi, with S. Clara at his feet ; and a 
 Cardinal, probably S. Jerome. 
 
 An Episode in Going on into the Transept, we 
 
 tne illStOry come to the memorials of another 
 of the Abbey. . ^ ^. • j • .. 
 
 •' very mterestmg episode m the 
 
 history of the Abbey. The Town grew up round the 
 Abbey. In the year 1333 we find the Abbess endow- 
 ing a Vicarage for the people of Romsey, and 
 probably for some time previous to that the North 
 Aisle had been set apart For their ' accommodation, 
 and was called the Parish Church of St. Laurence. 
 Towards the close of that century, as the town 
 increased in size, the congregation grew too large for 
 the aisle, and used to break in in a disorderly 
 manner into the great Church on High Festivals. 
 Hence arose disputes between the Abbess and the 
 town, and it is said that William of Wykeham, 
 the great Bishop of Winchester, who undoubtedly lent 
 the Abbess large sums of money about this time,* 
 came to Romsey to settle the difficulty. He persuaded 
 * He remitted some of the loans in his will (1404). 
 
i6 
 the Nuns to give up the North Transept to the people 
 and the people to build an outside aisle called the 
 Chantry of S. George, extending to and embracing 
 the North door, pulling down for the purpose a 
 beautiful porch, 40 feet long, in the style of that 
 at Christchurch, which then stood there. They 
 then pierced arches in the North wall of the Aisle 
 and in the West wall of the Transept and thus 
 got a "Parish Church," consisting of a Chancel and 
 two Aisles with a new doorway in the North wall of 
 the Transept. This doorway is now disused and a 
 leper window, which you will notice close to it, is 
 also built up and used as a cupboard. 
 
 At the Reformation, this outer Chapel was pulled 
 down and the windows of it wei;e brought in to fill up 
 the arches that had been cut in the wall of the North 
 Aisle. Two of these windows have been removed and 
 replaced by Norman windows constructed on the old 
 mouldings which still remained in the wall. The old 
 windows which are good specimens of early perpendi- 
 cular style are preseryed in the Vicarage garden. 
 
 The Font. We now come to the Font, which 
 although a modern one of about 1850 
 stands where the original Font of the " Parish 
 Church " stood, as may be seen from the carved ribs 
 of the groined roof above it. The remains of stone- 
 work placed along the wall were mostly found when 
 restoring the two Norman windows before mentioned, 
 and give an idea of the architecture of the " Chantry 
 of S. George." A square font supported on low 
 pillars and raised on a platform formerly stood at the 
 West End of the Church. 
 
 We have now completed the circuit of the Church 
 and may resume again the thread of its history. 
 
I? 
 
 Continuation In the year 1 159 Mary the daugh- 
 
 01 tne ^gj. Qf Kins: Stephen and great 
 
 History. , . , J' ^^ ., , , ^ 
 
 Abbess Marv niece 01 Queen Matilda became 
 
 Abbess of Romsey — a sad and 
 romantic history attaches itself to this poor lady's 
 name. She fell in love with Matthew, the younger 
 son of Theodoric Earl of Flanders, and was pre- 
 vailed upon by him to break her vov/s and secretly 
 quit the Convent. She was married to him and after- 
 wards became Countess of Bouloge and Mortagne, 
 and had two daughters, Ida who became Countess of 
 Daumartin, and Maud who became Countess of Bra- 
 bant. Her married life was not, apparently, a happy 
 one, the consciousness of her broken vows, or the fear 
 of the spiritual penalties of the Church, induced her 
 to separate from her husband and to return to a 
 monastic life. She did not however return to Romsey. 
 
 Judging from the Architectural style it was not very 
 lotig after the time of Abbess Mary that the West 
 End of the Nave was built; perhaps in the time of 
 Amicia (1262), who was an active and energetic ruler 
 of the Convent. She succeeded in getting restored to 
 the Abbesses of Romsey the right of trying and hang- 
 ing criminals which had been granted to them in King 
 Edgar's time, but which had fallen into disuse^ She 
 also established Romsey Fair in the 56th year of 
 Henry III. 
 
 Several Chantries were founded in the Abbey 
 during this period. That of S. George was founded by 
 the Earl of Arundel in the 15th year of Ed. IV. in the 
 Parish Church of S. George, Romsey (probably the 
 outer aisle referred to above). 
 
 The Dissolution We now come to the Reforma- 
 
 of tne tion, and the Dissolution of the 
 
 ^' Religious Houses, when Henry 
 
i8 
 VIII induced Parliament to pass Acts placing the 
 Religious Houses of England in his hands "to be dealt 
 with according to the King's Pleasure," on the 
 pretext that the morals of the nuns and monks had 
 sunk so low that immediate reform was necessary. 
 The King undertook that the property should be used 
 to found new Bishoprics, Colleges, and Grammar 
 Schools, but the Royal Promise was not kept. " No 
 one at the present day doubts but that avarice and 
 irreligion were the real springs of these suppressions.""- 
 The most atrocious charges were fabricated in order to 
 supply a ground for the confiscation of the nunneries. 
 In some of the smaller convents there were indeed 
 irregularities which formed abundant reason fcr some 
 measure of wide-spread reform, but as regards the 
 greater monasteries and Abbeys, in almost every case 
 the charges brought against the inmates were un- 
 founded.! What Henry and his nobles professed to 
 seek was the purification of the Church, — what they 
 really wanted was the money and the lands belonging 
 to the monastic bodies. One has only to ask how 
 the money was spent to prove the truth of this. 
 The " Royal Pleasure " of the King, of w bom 
 it was said, that he spared neither man in his 
 avarice, nor woman in his lust, was carried out by 
 a herd of unscrupulous agents whose only hope was 
 that some of the plunder might stick to their own 
 fingers. 
 
 The account of the Dissolution of Romsey Abbey 
 is an excellent illustration of the way in which those 
 establishments with which no fault could be found 
 were despoiled. No charge whatever was alleged 
 against the Nuns of Romsey, but the convent steward 
 * Milinan. 
 
 t During the 600 years of the existence of the Nunnery 
 there are only two cases recorded iu which the nuns werp 
 censured for irregu- , 
 
19 
 
 at this time was a certain John Foster who lived at 
 Baddesley near Romsey. His position gave him 
 accurate information as to the extent and value of the 
 property of the Abbey, and his intercourse with the 
 Nuns afforded him the means of bringing influence to 
 bear upon them to induce them to surrender quietly. 
 He wasapparently selected for this delicate service, 
 and sounded the Nuns as to their dispositions to 
 satisfy Henry's desire for their property. 
 
 His letter to Sir Thomas Seymour, the King's 
 brother-in-law, is so interesting that we give it in full. 
 It may be found among the Royal M.S.S. at the 
 British Museum. 
 
 " In my most harty wise. Right Worshipful Syr., I 
 recommend me unto you, and according to your 
 request I doo herein signify and subscribe unto you 
 the state of the House of Romesey, the Rents of 
 Assize, and where they do lie, and the riches of the 
 same. 
 
 " First you shall understand that the House is outt 
 of dette, also the plate and jewels is worth cccli. and 
 better, VI belles be worth cli. at the lest, also the 
 Chyrche is a great sumptuus Thynge all of freestone 
 and covered with lede which as I esteme it is worth 
 iij or iiij cli. or rather myche better. 
 
 He here gives a list of the manors and lordships 
 belonging to the Convent, amounting to about ^528 
 10/- annually. He continues : — 
 
 " And when you wrote unto me by Mr. Flemynge, 
 that I should acerten you, whether I thought the 
 Abbas wt. the rest of the Nunys wolde be content to 
 surrender up their house, the truthe is I doo percyve 
 throwght the mocyon that yr. kinswomen and others 
 yr. fryndes made for you the wilbe content at all 
 tymes to doo you any pleasure they may but I perceyve 
 
20 
 
 they wolde be loth to trust to the commyssioners 
 gentylnes ffor they heresay that other houses have 
 been straytely handeled and this fare you harteley 
 well at Romesey the xxviiith day of December. John 
 Foster, Rec." 
 
 Then follow the names of the Abbess Elizabeth 
 Ryprose and 25 nuns. 
 
 ." Apparently Mr. Foster was not successful in 
 persuading the poor ladies to make a voluntary 
 surrender of their property. There is no surrender 
 deed of the Abbey, neither are the names of the 
 Abbess and her nuns found in the pension lists. No 
 doubt they were ejected without any provision for 
 their maintenance." (The Dissolution of the English 
 Monasteries by Dom Gasquet). 
 
 For a long time a rhyme ran current in the neigh- 
 bourhood about this John Foster. 
 
 " Mr. Foster of Baddesley was a good man 
 Before the marriage of Priests began. 
 For he was the first that married a nun, 
 For which he begat a very rude son." 
 Apparently Mr. Foster's share of the plunder was 
 the three mills situate in Romsey and formerly 
 belonging to the Abbey. The Abbey lands were 
 granted to Lord High Admiral Seymour and the 
 Abbey House to the Town. 
 
 The people of the town came forward and bought 
 the Church, despoiled however of much of its mag- 
 nificence, from the King for the sum of one hundred 
 pounds. The deed of sale may be seen framed at the 
 East End of the Church. 
 
 Kemaius of All that now remains of the Abbey 
 tlie Nunnery, buildings is the Refectory standing 
 on the South side of the Church, and converted into 
 two dwelling houses. An ancient archwav of sixtpp.nth 
 
eentury work formerly stood between the Bank aiid 
 the Congregational Chapel, and probably marked the 
 gate-house of the Nunnery. 
 
 Outside the Passing round now to the outside of 
 Abbey. (-jjg church, you will get a very 
 
 striking view of it from the North East, a few yards 
 up the path leading alongside the Churchyard. Just 
 at this point you will see a low shed painted red with 
 iron roof, which now stands on the site of the 
 ancient Belfry Tower of S. Laurence. This tower 
 was pulled down in Jan. 1625, and the bells removed 
 to the wooden case which was then made for them on 
 the roof of the Tower of the Abbey. This was a most 
 unfortunate proceeding for the Church, for, in order 
 to provide for a belfry the ceiling of the Tower was 
 brought down 2 stories and the beautiful Lantern was 
 sacrificed. The full effect of the Lantern will not be 
 visible until we can place another story or a spire on 
 the Church to accommodate the bells and ringers. 
 
 The It will be noticed that the North 
 
 North Side, f^nt of the Transept on this side is 
 pitted over with round holes. There seems no doubt 
 that it has been fired at with artillery, more especially 
 as for some time a cannon ball was visible sticking in 
 the face of the wall. There was a skirmish here 
 between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians in 
 1642, concerning which there are several entries in the 
 Parish Registers, but it seems more likely that the 
 Church was used as a target for practising at the time 
 when these shot holes were made. 
 
 *0n the North side will be seen the traces of the 
 outer Chapel or Chantry of S. George which was built 
 
 * The following Chapels existed at former times within the 
 Abbey,— S. George, S. Ivaurence, S. Nicholas, Holy Cross, 
 The Blessed Virgin, S. Catherine, and the Infirmary Chapel; 
 
22 
 
 by the townspeople, and the traces of groining over the 
 North W. Door showing the style of the ancient porch. 
 The Clerestory windows in this side of the Nave are 
 inserted in fine arcading of Early English style, but 
 on the South side there is none. 
 
 The Corbel One of the most beautiful features of 
 Table. the Church externally is the " Corbel 
 
 table " which runs all round the building above the 
 windows. The corbels, which represent the projecting 
 ends of roof-beams, are carved into every kind of 
 fantastic device, one of the leading ideas being to 
 represent the evil spirits and lost souls which are 
 without God's Kingdom and in contrast to the calm 
 and beautiful faces sculptured within. 
 
 Near the West End of the clerestory on the North 
 Side there may be discerned a corbel carved into the 
 likeness of a grindstone. This is said to commemorate 
 the circumstances under which the West End of the 
 Building was built, at least according to local tradition. 
 A certain nobleman persuaded a blacksmith's wife to 
 leave her husband for him, but afterwards becoming 
 penitent, was enjoined by the Pope to complete the 
 building of Romsey Abbey as a penance. The grind- 
 stone being placed on a corbel as an emblem of the 
 blacksmith's trade. This legend is very doubtful ; an 
 inscription formerly existed inside the Church giving 
 the names of the builders of the West End. 
 
 The "West Taking a look at the \^'est End you 
 End. ^Yill be struck by the magnificent size 
 
 of the triple lancet windows, they are in the perfection 
 of Early English style. The absence of a West door 
 has often been remarked. It was not usual to have one 
 in a Benedictine Church. 
 
 A large patch of brickwork at the South West 
 corner of the Church shows where the nunnery wag 
 
23 
 
 torn away from it — a door close by no doubt was their 
 entrance to the Church just as the fine doorway near 
 the Crucifix at the other end of what was once the 
 cloister was reserved for the Abbess. 
 
 The On the West side of the Cloisters, which 
 
 Cloister, jjg^jj rooms above them, were probably 
 the Guest-rooms of the Nunnery, on the S.W. the 
 Kitchen, then came the Refectory (now two dwelling 
 houses), then probably the Infirmary and Library and 
 other living rooms, on the East side the Chapter 
 House, of which only the barest traces remain, the 
 Treasury and a little passage called the Slype between 
 it and the South end of the South Transept. 
 
 Notice an opening in the wall near the Crucifix — it 
 is probable, from a chimney that is cut in this recess, 
 that a light was kept burning here for general purposes 
 and probably to light the incense used at Mass and 
 Vespers. 
 
 The view of the South East corner of the Church is 
 very beautiful, the grey stone walls and their recessed 
 arches being covered with delicate lichen, which gives 
 them a very venerable appearance. 
 
 Th.e We have now made the circuit of the 
 Tower, church, but there is still much of interest 
 yet to be seen. If you should care to ascend the tower, 
 you will find much to interest the archeologist.. The 
 view of the interior of the Church from the Clerestory 
 (which at this part is carefully railed to prevent any 
 accidents) will give an idea of its great height, while 
 if you ascend a story higher you will find yourself in a 
 beautifully contrived arcade running round the inside 
 of the central tower. Above this is a wide and 
 spacious. Belfry, while passing up a narrow stair, the 
 entrance to which may be found in the opposite corner. 
 
24 
 
 you at last malie your way out on to the roof of the 
 tower and get a spacious view over the tiles of Romsey 
 and, looking southward, as far, as the Isle of Wight, 
 which is distinctly visible on a fine day.- 
 
 The Bells. The fine peal of bells, 8 in number, are 
 inside the wooden turret. The original 
 peal of 6 was recast in 1791 and added to to make 8 
 at a cost of £(>']S 6s. gd. They are now in perfect 
 order and form a noble peal, the tenor weighing 26 cwt. 
 
 Sepulchral The tombs and monuments in 
 Memorials. Romsey Abbey are unfortunately 
 but few, the building having been so completely 
 despoiled after the Reformation. It is stated in the 
 Saxon Chronicle that Edward the Elder, his son 
 Alfred, his daughter Eadburga, and Edmund brother 
 of King Ethelred were buried here, but there are no 
 memorials of them. Besides the sepulchral slabs of 
 Abbesses, which we have mentioned, there is a 
 handsome recumbent figure in Purbeck marble under 
 a 15th century canopy at the South side of the South 
 Transept. Some have thought that it commemorates 
 Isabella de Kilpec, the mother of Alicia Walrand, 
 who was Abbess here in 1290. It is certainly of 13th 
 century work and not cpnnected with the canopy. 
 Close to it is a characteristic 17th century (1659) tomb 
 of John and Grissel S. Barbe whose family possessed 
 the estate of Broadlands close to the town for nearly 
 2 centuries before it came into the possession of Lord 
 Palmerston. There is on it a curious anagram on the 
 names of the two persons it commemorates. 
 
 In the chantry to the East of the North Transept 
 there is another Altar Tomb of later date, and at the 
 West End there is a recumbent figure by Westmacott 
 in freestone of Sir William Petty the founder of the 
 
2-5 
 Lansdowne family, who was born at Romsey in 1623. 
 
 In 1845 a large slab of marble in the floor of the 
 Nave was raised in the course of some restorations, 
 and under it was- found a stone coffin containing the 
 skeleton of a Priest who had been buried in albe and 
 tunic with maniple of brown velvet fringed and lined 
 with silk. In his hand was a pewter chalice and paten. 
 There was nothing to indicate the date of this grave. 
 
 Stained The Glass in the Church is all modern. 
 Qlass. "pjjg great West Window is by Clayton & 
 Bell, and was erected to the memory of the late Lord 
 Palfnerston, died 1865, who lived at Broadlands, 
 Romsey. The two East Windows are in memory of 
 Lord Mount Temple who died Oct. 17, 1888. They 
 are the work of Messrs. Powell, as are also the two 
 middle windows in the S. Transept, to the memory of 
 the Hon. Ralph Button, who died in 1893, ^^^ that 
 in the North Chancel Aisle to Sybilla, the wife of the 
 Rt. Hon. E. Ashley,' the present owner of Broadlands. 
 The two Dedication Chapel Windows behind the 
 altar are by Clayton & Bell, and were erected to the 
 memory of G. B. Footner, Esq., in i88g. 
 
 We now draw this brief account of the Abbey to a 
 close. Many more objects of interest there are which 
 we have not space to describe in a guide of such small 
 compass. Enough, it is hoped has been said, to show 
 what a valuable example our Abbey is of some of the 
 most characteristic of our national styles of architec- 
 ture, but more than this, it takes us back through 
 long ages of the history of our land. It links together 
 the Church of to-day with the Missionary efforts of 
 Saxon times — with the splendour of mediasval ages, 
 with the fierce struggles of the Reformation and the 
 Commonwealth, and it still remains, a glorious symbol 
 
26 
 
 of the continuity of the Church and an incentive to us 
 to walk worthily in the footsteps of those who have 
 gone before. 
 
 In ten years more we hope to celebrate the i ,oooth 
 anniversary of its foundation. May God grant that 
 by that time we may have completed the work of 
 restoration. We trust that by so doing we may 
 advance the greater glory of God, and revive within 
 ourselves something of the spirit which animated its 
 founders. 
 
 
 
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Cornell University Library 
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