14 0 1
of Hereford, at
,, Bath and 11 0 0
Wells
,, Worcester 7 5 0
-- - -
Total 32 5 1
Ere long it acquired the dignity of a mitred abbey, though never of a
peeral one, its abbot being summoned to Parliament 21st Edward III.
During the reign of Richard II. these additional grants were made to
it:--"Certain tenements in Leye, Bosteley, and Rodley; the manor and
impropriate church of Flaxley; the manors of Blaisdon, Newnham, and
Ruerdean; distinct manors in the parishes of Dean Parva, Dymock, and
Arlingham, with a house in Abbenhall." A document in the Chapter-house
at Westminster, dated 10th Edward II., has the abbot's seal attached,
representing an abbot standing erect with his crosier under a canopy
slightly ornamented, with the legend S . ABBATIS . DE . FLAXLE. The
counter seal is a hand with a crosier, and other ornaments, viz., a
fleur-de-lis, &c., surrounded by the words CONTRA SIGILLUM ABBATIS DE
FLAXLE. The names and dates of the following abbots have been
preserved:--
Elected.
1288 Nicholas.
1314 William de Rya.
1372 Richard Peyta.
1509 John ---.
1528 William Beawdley.
1532 Thomas Ware.
The last of these, Thomas Ware, survived the suppression of the house and
the dispersion of its brethren, of whom there were nine at that time, the
abbey being delivered up to the King's Commissioners in 1541, valued at
112 pounds 13s. 1d., according to Dugdale. Tintern Abbey was suppressed
four years previously. Ware retired to Aston Rowant, near Thame, in
Oxfordshire, where he spent the rest of his life in seclusion, and was
there buried in 1546.
The vicissitudes of 300 years have left little of the original structure
remaining: only in 1788 the pavement of the Chapter-house was discovered
at a small depth, on the east side of the refectory, extending about 45
feet, and 24 wide. At the upper end a circular stone bench was exposed,
and in the centre the carved base of a pillar. Several coffin-lids of
stone were likewise found, sculptured with ornamented crosses, and upon
one a hand and arm holding a crosie
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