The principal families of the kingdom have at all times regarded with deep interest the Roll of Battle Abbey, the earliest record of the Normans. And the Roll is also regarded by those who show their descent directly from the chiefs of the Conqueror's host, as well as by those who have established an indirect but similar lineage of descent. In fulfillment of a vow made by William the Conqueror prior to the battle, which won for him the diadem of England, the notable Abbey of Battle was a written memorial of one of the most important events in English history. The written memorial was erected upon a plain called Heathfield, which was situated a distance of about seven miles from Hastings.
Within a year, the foundation was laid on the very spot where the Battle of Hastings had been fought. Only a brief period subsequently passed until the monastery itself arose in all its magnificence. It was richly endowed and highly privileged, dedicated to the honor of the Holy Trinity and St. Martin, with the high altar standing where Harold and the Saxon standard fell.
It appears that the Conqueror at first designed that this great religious house should accommodate one hundred and forty monks, but at its completion provisions were evidently made for only sixty monks. The first community, a society of Benedictines who came from Marmonstier, in Normandy, were readily enjoined to pray for those who died in the battle, and to whom's duty it was to preserve a faithful record of all who shared in the glory of the victory. Thus arose the celebrated Abbey of Battle, which at some time later in history became known as The Roll of Battle Abbey.
The endowments of the royal founder upon the abbey and the holy brethren were in the extreme liberal and munificent. Aldsiston in Sussex; Lymsfield in Surrey; Craumere in Oxon; Briswalderton in Berks; and How in Essex–together with a league of land around the house itself–were but a portion of their vast domains. They had beside the churches of Radings and Colunton, a church in Devon and St. Olave in Exeter. The immunities they enjoyed were alike considerable. Their grand charter exempted the brethren of battle from episcopal jurisdiction, treasure-trove, and free-warren. The abbot wore the mitre, and was invested with a power to pardon any felon whom he might chance to meet with going to execution. From the foundation to the dissolution of The Abbey of Battle, it had a succession of thirty-one mitred abbots. The last abbot, John Hammond, was chosen in 1529.
King Henry VIII granted the sight of the dissolved abbey to Richard Gilmer, who sold the estate to Sir Anthony Browne. From Sir Anthony's descendants, the Brownes, Viscounts of Montague, the abbey and lands passed again by sale to Sir Thomas Webster, Baronet, in whose family they are yet vested. The still extant ruins, which contain the dimension of not less than a mile of ground, bear ample testimony to the splendor and the magnificence of the celebrated Monastery of Battle.
The Victorian Roll is a reproduction of the original Roll of Battle Abbey. There is a document somewhere that indicates that the original roll was stolen from Battle Abbey in the fourteenth century.
Most authorities agree that the names on theVictorian Roll are authentic. They agree that the Coat of Arms of Bagot shown on the Victorian Roll on the link below, the arms of one of the principal knights shown on the roll, is the authentic Coat of Arms borne by Bagod de Arras and other Bagots during the Battle of Hastings. This is apparently where Burke's General Armory got the oldest Coat of Arms of Baggett (or Bagot) illustrated on this site in full dress. After all, this is the oldest known recording of the family arms in England. Similar arms are found in France and former Flanders, the chevron gules or two chevrons azure.
A list of 485 names was prepared in 1866 by French scholars and a bronze plaque was erected in the Church at Dives, and another list in 1931 includes 315 names, which was placed in the chapel of the Chãteau at Falaise. These names include those of Guillaume Bigot, Robert de Toeni, Robert Bigot, Néel de Toeni, Roger Bigod, Bagod de Arras, and Guillaume de Toeni. There are several reproductions of the original Roll apparently, but those in the Church at Dives, the chapel of the Chãteau at Falaise and others, are not available to be posted on this site at this particular time.
A copy of the reproduction Victorian Roll of the honorable list of names from Battle Abbey is presented below. At the top is the title of the honor roll, surrounded by the shields of the honorable knights at the Battle of Hastings. The pointer indicates the name Bagot on the roll and to its left in the circle is the name Bigot. The Bagot Coat of Arms is the third from the top right corner. Underneath the Roll and the shields is written: “With ye Shields of ye Principal Knights in Arms at ye Battle of Hastings.”
|
