The Argonaut. THE HISTORY OF KING HAROLD'S CHURCH AT. WALTHAM HOLY CROSS,* FROM ITS FOUNDATION IN A.D. 1060, TO THE REIGN OF HENRY THE SECOND. BY WILLIAM WINTERS, F.R.Hist. Soc. WENTY years had elapsed since the death of Harold, when his great foe and successor to the throne of England finished his part in the drama of life. History informs us that William died early in the morning of the 9th of September, 1087, while his physicians were regarding the tranquil night he had passed as a sign of his recovery. It appears that the King received some internal injuries from a fall, or, as some say, "by the leap of his horse," which caused his death, being a rather corpulent man. The body of this monarch ("the mightiest commander of his age"), when scarcely cold, was left exposed for many hours on the floor almost in a state of nakedness; and even his bones in after years were taken from the tomb, and scattered about "with great derision, some whereof were afterwards brought to England." This was in 1562, when Chastillion took the city of Caen. Some of the monks of St. Gervais proposed performing mass for the "soul of the departed," but no one appeared ready to perform this Popish ceremony. Eventually a "simple knight," named "Herluin," resolved VOL. V. The parish is generally called Waltham Abbey. + Sandford's Gen. Hist. Eng. (Stebbing). F to provide for the cost of the conveyance, hired a carriage, had the body borne to Seine, and from thence to Caen. The clergy of the abbey prepared to give the body an honourable reception; but as soon as the funeral service began a fire broke out in the city, and both clergy and laity hurried away to extinguish the flames. However, when the interment of the royal corpse in the church was to take place, several ecclesiastics of note had assembled, the stone coffin was already sunk in the earth, and the body lying on the bier was ready to be placed in it. Gilbert, Bishop of Evreux, gave a funeral oration. At this moment Ascelin Fitz-Arthur, a vavassor, stepped forward, and declared that the ground on which the assembled multitude was standing had been the property of his father, of which he had been robbed by the King; that he solemnly demanded its restitution, and forbade, in the name of God, the interment of the King in that place. The justness of this charge was incontestably proved by the neighbours, so that the prelates agreed to pay sixty ⚫ shillings to Ascelin for the much-coveted spot of land. According to Malmesbury, Prince Henry was present at the funeral, and was content to pay Ascelin a hundred pounds of silver. The corpse, we are told, was lifted up for the purpose of being deposited in a vault, when an accident occurred. The coffin was found too narrow to admit the corpse, which, in the act of pressing it, "burst and filled the bystanders with the most insupportable exhalation of corruption." The officiating priests could with difficulty perform their duty to its conclusion,* and the church was soon afterwards deserted. A portion of his epitaph, translated from Ordericus Vitalis by Stebbing, runs thus :— "This great King William lieth here, entomb'd in little grave: And twenty-three degrees had passed, ev'n at that time he died." When William Rufus, on his way to England, had been apprised of his father's death, at the port of Wissant, near Calais, he immediately set sail and hastened to Winchester, where the royal treasure was deposited, and gaining over by his promises Guillaume de Pontde-l'Arche, the keeper of the treasury, he obtained possession of the * Vide Lappenberg's "Norman Kings," p. 214. keys. He had it carefully weighed and an inventory taken, and found sixty thousand pounds of fine silver, with a large quantity of gold and jewels. He next convoked all the powerful Norman barons at that time in England, and announced to them the circumstances of the King's death, whereupon he was elected king, and anointed by Bishop Lanfranc. Many of the Normans were desirous that the two countries should remain under one and the same government, and were anxious to secure the royal succession to Duke Robert, who had just returned from exile; but the activity of William Rufus forestalled their design.* * * The Fole of Normandie Among us woneth yet, and schulleth ever mo : Of the Normannes beth thys hey men, that beth of thys lond, The life and death of this monarch is briefly told in the continuation of Robert' of Gloucester's Chronicle, taken "out of the MS. of Robert of Gloucester, that belongs to the Herald Office:" A Petegreu, fro William Conquerour, of the Crowne of Engelonde, Ipanpally descendyng, bn to Kyng Henry the VX. TT Westmynster William i crovned was, A gret thyng aftur dude he than, Made the kyng of Scottis his lege man. Also of euery hede in that lond by and by En Normandy he dyed att hame, And was buryed in toune of Cane. * Vide Thierry's "Norman Conquest," p. 131. He yaf his eldest son, Normandy, Willelmus Bastard, dux Normanniæ, venit in Angliam KING EDWARD THE CONFESSOR'S GIFT TO HAROLD. The original endowment of Waltham appears somewhat insignificant when compared with the Confessor's rich foundation at Westminster.* Yet, had this monarch's life been prolonged, he would have doubtless carried out his good intentions respecting Waltham, and have bestowed even greater gifts upon the Abbey than he had already done. In the Carte Antique, Roll M. Public Record Office, the reader will find a very early copy of King Edward the Confessor's royal grant to Harold. (This copy, which the writer by permission has traced, is as early as the original, probably copied out the same time as the grant was made, A.D. 1062.) The charter is entitled "Carte Canonicor. Sce. Crucis De Waltham." The Proem states that the King had granted a certain piece of land, called of old by the inhabitants of Waltham, to one of his earls named Harold, who had constructed to the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Cross a monastery, granting to it first the land called Northlande. This was divided into portions of fifteen acres, one * Earl Harold's College at Waltham stands in distinct opposition-almost in distinct rivalry-to King Edward's Abbey at Westminster. Vide "Norman Conquest," vol. ii. p. 442 (Freeman), Ed. 1870. + As to Northland, says the Translator of Domesday Survey, it appears originally to have consisted of three hides, divided into twelve portions, one for each Canon. We are told in the Register of the Bishop of Durham's land that half a hide is still in the possession of the Holy Cross. The remaining two and a half hides appear to have been taken from them by Walchere, the previous Bishop, when he took possession of Harold's property in Waltham, and they are no doubt included in the lands registered as belonging to the present Bishop; for we find that Maud, first wife of Henry I., restored them to the Canons between 1108 and 1118. (Domesday Surv. Trans. 1864, 4to.: page xxxi.: C. Marsh.) Simon of Durham states that the firmness of Walchere not only did not permit any damage to occur in regard to the possessions of the Church, but, further, he augmented them by obtaining from the King that valuable property called Waltham Sanctæ Crucis, "along with its noble church, celebrated for its body of Canons." Lambarde remarks that "William the Conquerour toke from this House (the church) the Town of Waltham, and gave it to Walter the Byshop of Durham to of which was given to each canon, in order that they might not be distressed by any accidental stoppage of their supply from the outfarms. Some writers call the land "Northfield." It is, no doubt, that land lying north of the church, now called "the Abbey Fields," where at some remote period stood portions of the ancient Abbey, the foundations of which, together with "Harold's Bridge," may still be seen. This bridge spans the old "Corn Mill Stream," and is situated north of the Abbey gates. It has an arch eighteen feet wide, with five ribs. These ribs are broad and chamfered, and the joggles are fixed with lead. The face and parapet of the bridge is quite gone. It is a choice piece of antiquity, and is no doubt quite as old as the church. The charter goes on to state that the King "found the church of the Vill to have been endowed from old time; and after the foundation of the monastery, he caused it to be dedicated according to the King and his wife Editha,* and his father and mother and all relations, and enriched the same with many relics of saints, apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins, and not only with lands whose names are afterwards recited, but also with gospel books, vestments, and divers kind of ornaments; and, moreover, he found there an assembly of brethren living according to the canonical rule of the fathers, whose office it was by day and by night to sing to the praise of God and His saints." The Proem states also the names of the repose himself at, when he should be called to counseil out of the North Countrye. William Rufus, his son, spoyled Walthom of 6666 poundes of money, besides Jewels and Churche Ornamentes, al which he transported to Cane in Normandie. Howbeit afterward in part of Amendes, he restored to theim the Towne of Waltham, with al the Landes therto of old Tyme apperttayninge. This was the state of Waltham before the Tyme of Henry II." (Hist. Dict. 433.) * The restoration of the Saxon line was chiefly owing to Godwine, whose daughter the Confessor married. The chastity of Editha, and the cruelty of her father, gave rise to the proverb, "Sicut spina rosam, genuit Godwinus Editham.' "King Edward was absolutely father-in-law-ridden," says Fuller. "This Godwin, like those sands in Kent which bear his name, never spared what he could spoil, but swallowed all which came within his compass to devour. The following is told by Raymond, how Godwine, desirous of possessing the rich manor of Bosham, in Sussex, proceeds to the Archbishop of Canterbury, exclaiming, “Da mihi Basium" (give me a kiss), a usual favour from such a prelate. The Archbishop returns, "Do tibi Basium," on which Godwine posts off to Bosham, and takes possession of the same. See Chronicles of Eng. (Raymond). † Among other rich gifts Harold bestowed on his new college of Waltham were seven little caskets or boxes (scrinia) for precious things-three of gold and four |