The Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond Part 22

1449 Royal Charter granted, freeing the Abbot of all aids to the King for forty marks a year.

1453 Death of Abbot Babington: John Boon, or Bohun, appointed 26th abbot.

1462 General pardon granted by Edward IV to the Abbot and monks, whose sympathies had been Lancastrian.

1462 Nov. 17. A lost Abbey register bought by John Broughton, and presented by him to the monastery at the instance of Abbot Boon.

1465 Jan. 20. Abbey Church completely gutted by fire. (St. Edmund's shrine said to have been saved.) Abbot Boon spends and collects large sums for its repair and rebuilding.

1469 Death of Abbot Boon: buried in the Lady Chapel. Succeeded by Robert of Ixworth as 27th abbot.

1474 Richard of Hengham appointed 27th abbot.

1479 Thomas of Rattlesden appointed 28th abbot.

1479 May. William of Worcester visits the Abbey and takes measurements of the various buildings.

1486 Visit of Henry VII to Bury.

1497 William of Codenham appointed 29th abbot.

1513 Death of Codenham. John Reeve of Melford appointed 30th and last abbot.

1532 Abbot Reeve a.s.sists at the funeral of Abbot Islip of Westminster.

1533 July 21. Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, buried in great state at the Abbey (subsequently re-interred in St. Mary's Church).

1535 Nov. 5. Letter from John Ap Rice to Thomas Cromwell as to the state of morals and wors.h.i.+p of relics at Bury Abbey and enclosing _compertes_ of proceedings (_Compendium Compertorum_ now at Record Office).

1536 Nov. 26. Grant by the Abbey to Thomas Cromwell and his son Gregory of an annuity of 10.

1538 (_circa_). Visit of Leland the antiquary to Bury, in search of ancient books and records.

1538 Sept. Sir John Williams, Richard Pollard, Philip Parys and John Smyth report to Cromwell that they have been to St.

Edmundsbury, "where we founde a riche shryne which was very comberous to deface. We have takyn in the said monastery in golde and sylver MMMMM marks and above, over and besydes a well and riche crosse with emereddes, as also dyvers and sundry stones of great value, and yet we have left the churche, abbott and convent very well ffurnesshed with plate of sylver necessary for the same" (MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv.

229). The actual amount of plate taken at 'His Majesty's visitation' on this occasion was 1,553 oz gold plate, 6,853 oz. gilt plate, 933 oz. parcel-gilt plate, 190 oz. white plate. (_Monastic Treasures_, 1836). See also under Dec. 2, 1539.

1539 Nov. 4. Deed of surrender of Bury Abbey signed by Abbot Reeve, Prior Thomas Denysse of Ryngstede and 41 other monks.

1539 Nov. 7. Sir Richard Rich, Sir A. Wingfield, Ric. Southwell, Wm. Petre, John Ap Rice, and T. Mildmay inform Henry VIII of the surrender of the Abbey: they "have taken the plate and best ornaments of the house" for the King, and have sold the rest. They also ask whether they are "to deface the church or other edifices of the house." The lead and the bells (if the house be defaced) will be worth 4,500 marks.

1539 Dec. 2. Indent of Richard Southwell of amount of plate taken from Bury Abbey--150 oz. gilt plate, 145 oz. parcel-gilt plate, and 2,162 oz. white plate, besides a pair of birrall candlesticks (handed to the King), and an ornamented mitre (_Monastic Treasures_, 1836). [Thus, with the spoils of 1538, 1,553 oz. gold plate (all on the first occasion), and 10,433 oz. silver plate, were taken from the Abbey.]

SECTION IV

_FROM THE DISSOLUTION TO 1903_

1540 March 30. Death of ex-Abbot Reeve; buried in the chancel of St. Mary's Church.

1550 The first of the thirty grammar schools founded by Edward VI established at Bury.

1560 Feb. 14. Site of Monastery sold by Queen Elizabeth for 412 19_s._ 4_d._ to John Eyer; by him transferred to Thomas Badby.

1578 Aug. 7. Queen Elizabeth at Bury.

1599 Over a hundred books from Bury Abbey in the hands of William Smart, a "Postman" of Ipswich. Given by him to Pembroke College, Cambridge.

1606 Apl. 3. Bury made a Borough by Charter of James I. (Borough Motto: _Sacrarium Regis, Cunabula Legis_).

1634 Condition of the site of the Abbey described by William Hawkins of Hadleigh in his "Corolla Varia."

1644 Publication at Toulouse of Caseneuve's "Vie de St. Edmond,"

alleging that the body of the saint was at the basilica of St. Sernin there, and had been brought over by Louis in 1216. Caseneuve describes, misquoting Matthew Paris (II.

663) the alleged pillage by Louis of "Toutes les eglises du comte de Suffolk," refers to the fact that in those days "les Chretiens faisaient gloire d'enlever par un devot larcin les reliques des saints," and says "Il est croyable que les Francais en firent autant de celles de St. Edmond"

(_cf._ 1216, 1256, 1901).

1745 Publication at Oxford by Rev. Dr. Oliver Battely of _Antiquitates S. Edmundi Burgi ad annum MCCLXXII perductae_, written by his uncle, Dr. John Battely (died 1708).

1761 Ancient gates of town pulled down by order of Corporation.

1772 Some excavations on site of Church, made by Mr. King, and reported in vol. III. of Archaeologia.

1805 Publication of _An Ill.u.s.tration of the Monastic History and Antiquities of the Town and Abbey of St. Edmund's Bury_, by Richard Yates, D.D., F.R.S. (1769-1834).

1806 Site of Abbey comes into the hands of the Hervey family, the present possessors.

1840 Rokewode's Edition of Latin text of _Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond_, published by Camden Soc.

1843 Carlyle's _Past and Present_ published.

1843 Publication of second edition--including fragment of Part II projected in 1805--of Yates' History of Bury (Remainder of Yates' materials amongst Egerton MSS. in British Museum).

1844 T. E. Tomlins' English translation of _Jocelin's Chronicle_.

1850 S. Tymms' _Bury Wills_ (Camd. Soc.).

1865 Papers by Mr. Gordon M. Hills on antiquities of Bury St.

Edmunds in _Journal British Archaeological a.s.sociation_, vol.

xxi. _pp._ 32-56 and 104-140.

1869 July 20. British Archaeological a.s.sociation at Bury: paper on Abbey read by Mr. Alfred W. Morant.

1890 Publication of J. R. Thompson's _Records of St. Edmund_ [mostly based on Battely and the legendary chronicles].

1890 Publication of vol. I. of _Memorials of St. Edmund's Abbey_ (Rolls series), edited by T. Arnold (vol. II. published 1892, vol. III. 1896).

1893 Publication of _St. Edmund King and Martyr_, by Rev. Father Mackinlay, O.S.B. [picturesque and interesting, but uncritical].