ed a great scandal at the time. She was the youngest daughter
of the king, and a granddaughter on her mother's side of Mary, whom
Christine had brought up with her sister Eadgyth. She was educated at
Bourges, then was transferred with other French nuns to the abbey at
Stratford le Bowe, but as the original English nuns and the imported
French ones did not agree, the latter went to a Benedictine house near
Rochester, which had been founded by Stephen, and later on, about 1155,
Mary became Abbess of Romsey. Her brother William, Count of Boulogne, died
about 1159, and his estates passed to his sister. Matthew of Alsace cast
covetous eyes on her broad lands and encouraged, it is said, by Henry II,
who thought thereby to gain a powerful friend on the continent and, at the
same time, annoy Thomas Becket, sought the abbess's hand in marriage. He
persuaded her to leave Romsey and become his wife: it is thought that
Henry II may have brought some pressure to bear upon her to induce her to
take this step. Anyhow, she was married in 1161. Her new people gladly
received her, and her kindness of heart won and held their affection. For
ten years Matthew and Mary lived happily together, or would have been
happy if it had not been for the ban of the church. Then either on account
of conscientious scruples about their past conduct, or on account of
the disabilities imposed on them by the church, they separated, and Mary
once more took on her the religious life, but not at Romsey. No doubt she
thought it better to go to a convent entirely new to her, that at
Montreuil, where she would not be constantly reminded of her former
misconduct. Here she died in 1182, aged forty-five. It is noteworthy that
her two daughters were legitimatized, their names were Ida and Maud. Ida,
the elder, married first Gerard of Gueldres, and then Reginald of
Damartin, and the younger, Maud, married the Duke of Brabant, so that it
would seem that the pope did not take a very serious view of the Abbess
Mary's broken vows.

[Illustration: PIER IN THE NORTH NAVE ARCADE]

The thirteenth century abbesses followed one another in quick succession,
no good thing for the discipline of the abbey. When Matilda died in 1219,
the old gallows on which the abbess had had the right of hanging offenders
condemned by her court, fell into disuse, but the right was restored by
the King to Amicia. Towards the end of the century, episcopal visitations
began, and the Bishop of Winches