[Harleian MS. 53 76a] When William Bastard had conquert all Englond, and was crownet kyng, and had receyvet his homages and stablisshet his pees, he passet ouer see ageyn in-to Normaundy. And att Ester next folowynge he come ageyn in-to Englond, and landit at Dover, and brought with hym Maude his wif, and many faire ladies and gentillwemen with hir, and from thens so to London, with gret nobley. and on the Wittesonday after folowyng, she was crownet be the Archbisshope of Euerwik at Westemynster, with gret solempnyte and wurshipe. And þe Kyng William, by counsail of his baronry, ordeynt how his Reame shuld be gouernet for the wele of the land. And he bethought hym howe he had causet gret shedynge of bloode wrongfully; wherfore he foundet an Abbay in the same place where-as the batail was, & made for to clepe it þe Abbay of Bataile; and he gave there-to gret lordshippes, londes and rentes, for to pay for al the sawles that were slayn ther for his love.
¶ And after the discomfiture of the batail, ich wurthy knyght of Normaundy that was there, laft a scochon of his armes, with his name peyntet, in a place of the batail clepit Southope, which was clepit 'the peyntit chamber,' in remembraunce of their honour and wurshipe for euer; and there thei stode so long, till þei fell doune to the erth, and many of hem were lost. And In that same tyme there was one Thomas Sayntlegerd, squyer, dwellynge with the Abbot of Batail, and sawe þe gret myschef and perill that myght aftirward fall of disherytyng of hem of whome the Armes were lost. And of all the scochons and names that were lafte clere, and not lost, he made for to make a faire boke, and peyntet hem therin, for cause they shuld be there founden in remembraunce for euer, that al men myght fynde there their armes if thei hem not knewe. And that same boke was kept in the Abbay of Bataile vnto the tyme that Kyng Henry the .Vte. shuld passe in-to Normaundy,