Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

Feuersham.

The funerall Monuments of this Church are more carefully preserued, then in any other (that I haue seene) in all Kent. Diligunt decorem Domus Domini.

Hic probus,* 1.1 et dignus, vir honestus, amans, que benignus, Vt vere scitur Semanus Tong sepelitur. Hic vir oportunus, Baro de portubus vnus, In Thrughleigh natus suit, in Feuershamque moratus. Mortuus ipse die celsa fuit Epiphanie. Anno milleno C. quater, quarto quoque deno,

Huius Semani sucrant quadraginta bis anni Tempus in hac vita; sibi celica sit via scita. Amen.

* 1.2Orate pro animabus Iohannis Wigmore gen. quondam de Grayes Inn.... Consortis sue & omnium filiarum, & Richardi filij, qui ob. Octob. 23. Ann. 1492. Viue memor Lethi.

* 1.3Hic iacet Willelmus Norton istius ville de Feuersham Ar. & Elisab. vx. or eius ••ilia Marci Hussey Ar. qui quidem Willelmus fuit istius ville ter Maior et obijt April 27. 1468.

* 1.4Hic iacet electus Willelmus Thorne, bene tectus, Marmore deiectus heu mortis vi quoque rectus. Aprilis dena luce cessit ab hacque Calendas Anno milleno quatuor cent. bis quater addas, Ex istis ••inis vicenis rexit & annis. Cuius nos anime rogitemus cuncti potentem, Vt precibus nostris nunc miserere velit.

* 1.5Orate.:. Richardi gen. filii Willelmi Norton, Ar. et Iohanne consortis ••ue ac matris sue Elizabethe qui quidem Richardus suit istius ville Maior, ob. Decemb. 10. 1500.

* 1.6Hic iacet Iohannes Rust Capellanus .... 1464.

Es testes Christe quod non iacet hic lapis iste, Corpus vt ornetur sed spiritus vt memoretur. Hem tu qui transis, magnus, medius, puer ansis Pro me funde preces quia sic mihi fit venie spes.

* 1.7Hic iacet Iohannes Read sexies Maior istius ville de Feuersham qui obiit .... 1503.

Vermibus hic donor et sic discedere conor Qualiter hic ponor ponitur omnis honor.

* 1.8Hic iacet Willelmus Vpton; qui ob. Ian. 2. 1432. Cuius.

Hic iacet Henricus Par Ar. qui obiit in crastino Annunciacionis beate Marie. Ann. 1419.

Vermibus hic esca iaceo, quam tu tibi sortem Qui legis expecta, neque fas tibi fallere mortem.

* 1.9Hic iacet Agneta vxor Iohannis Feuersham que obiit 16. Septemb. 1427.

* 1.10Hic iacet Willelmus Leedes qui obiit die Sabbati ante festum omnium Sanctorum. Ann. 1419. Cuius anime propitietur altissimus.

* 1.11Here lyeth Henry Hatcher Merchant aduenturer, and Ione his wife.... 1500.

Christopherus iacet hic Anna cum coniuge Finchus.

* 1.12Who so him bethoft inwardly and oft How hard it were to flit from bed vnto the pitt, From pitt vnto peyne, that nere shal cease certeyne He wold not doe one sinn, all the world to winn.

These rimes are faire inlaid in brasse vpon a marble stone with this In∣scription

following about the Verge.

Hic iacet Richardus Colwel quondam Maior istius ville de Feuersham, qui obiit .... 1533. And at euery corner of the stone this word Col, with the liuely forme of a well,* 1.13 expressing his name of Colwell. An vsuall fashion in former times fetched from the French, which they call rebus, or name-de∣uises: examples of the same are frequent.

Neare to this Church sometime stood that goodly Abbey,* 1.14 founded by Stephen king of England, grandchilde to the Conquerour, dedicated to Saint Sauiour, replenished with blacke Monkes of Cluni; valued at the sup∣pression to be well worth (according to the fauourable rate of such endow∣ments in those dayes) 286. l. 12. s. 6. d. ob. yearely, such was the charter of his donation.

Stephanus Rex,* 1.15 &c. Archiepiscopis, Episcopis, &c. salutem. Sciatis me pro salute anime mee, & Matildis Regine vxoris mee, & Eustachij filij mei, & aliorum puerorum meorum, & antecessorum Regum Anglie dedisse, &c. Ma∣nerium meum de Fauresham ad fundand. Abbatiam vnam ibidem ae ordine Monachorum Cluniacensium, &c.

Sciatis etiam quod dedimus ego et Matildis Regina mea Willelmo de Ipra, in Escambium pro eodem Manerio de Fauresham. Lillechire cum pertinencijs suis de hereditate Regine. Teste H. Episcopo Winton. fratre meo, Rogero Epis∣copo de London Richardo de Lucy, Hen. de Essex, &c.

This king died at Douer,* 1.16 of an Iliack passion, mixed with his old disease, the Emrods, Octob. 25. 1154. hauing raigned 18. yeares, ten moneths, and odde dayes: and was buried in this Church of his owne foundation. Of which heare these ancient rimes.

Aftur king Harry euyn,* 1.17 Then regnyd king Stevyn The Erlys son Bloys he was truly: He wedded Mold the doghter of Mary. A good man he was bedeme, I trow king Harry was his Eme; He regnyd here XUIII yere And to Feuersham in Kent men him bere He deyed without issue truly, Then regnyd his cosin Harry.

Stephen was a most worthy Souldier (saith one) and wanted nothing to haue made him an excellent king,* 1.18 but a iust title, but that was wanting.

The whiche he found,* 1.19 whyles he was liuing so, And reigned here, in much trouble and wo. And had this Realme without any ryght, Fro th'emprise Maude that faire Lady bryght.

And this was the cause that he was driuen (perforce) to defend his vsur••ped authoritie by the sword, which must needs procure him the hatred of many, who thus speake of him in old English:

King Stephen his luthenesse withdrew yers a fewe,* 1.20 But er Uyer were goo he ganne to wex a shrewe.

For he wende aboute and robbyd the lond, and to grownd broght, Then the toune of Wyrcester he brent all to noght.

* 1.21But to conclude with the words of a late writer. This Stephen was a man so continually in motion (saith he) that we cannot take his dimension, but onely in passing, and that but on one side which was warre: on the other, we neuer saw but a glaunce on him, which yet for the most part, was such as shewed him to be a very worthy Prince for the gouernment. Hee kept his word with the State,* 1.22 concerning the relieuement of Tributes, and neuer had Subsidy that we finde.

But which is more remarkable, hauing his sword continually out, and so many defections, and rebellions against him, hee neuer put any great man to death. Besides it is noted, that notwithstanding all these miseries of war, there were more Abbeyes built in his raigne, then in an 100. yeares before: which shewes though the times were bad, they were not impious; the king himselfe being mente piissimus,* 1.23 as he was miles egregius.

His body rested here in quietnesse vntill the dissolution, when for the gaine of the lead wherein it was encoffined, it was taken vp and throwne in∣to the next water. So vncertaine is man, yea greatest Princes, of any rest in this world, euen after buriall.

* 1.24Here sometime likewise lay interred Maud his wife, the daughter of Eustace, Earle of Bulloigne, the brother of Godfrey, and Baldwin of Bul∣loigne, kings of Ierusalem, by her mother Mary, sister to Maud, Queene of England, wife of Henry her predecessour, who dyed at Heueningham Castle in Essex, the third of May, 1151. Whose Epitaph I found in a namelesse Manuscript.

* 1.25Anno milleno C. quinquagenoque primo: Quo sua non minuit, sed sibi nostra tulit. M••thildis selix coniux Stephani quoque Regis Occidit, insignis moribus et titulis; Cultrix vera Dei, cultrix et pauperiei, Hic subnixa Deo quo frueretur eo. Femina si qua Polos conscendere queque meretur, Angelicis manibus diua hec Regina tenetur.

* 1.26Eustace the sonne and heire apparant of Stephen, and Queene Maud, liued not long after his mother, for being highly displeased with the agreement betwixt his father, and Henry Fitzempresse, afterwards king of England, by which he was made hopelesse euer to haue the Crowne as his fathers Suc∣cessour: in a fury he departed the Court, purposing to raise himselfe by his owne meanes; and so marched along, destroying the countrey alwayes as he went,* 1.27 vntill he came to Saint Edmundsbury; where he was honourably receiued of the Monkes of that Monastery. But hee came not for meat but money: and thereupon (vngratefully) vrged them for a great summe to set forward his heady designes; yet the wiser amongst them, vnwilling to be wagers of new warres (which though ill for all sorts, yet proued euer worst for the Clargie mens possessions) denyed his request. Wherewith e••raged be commanded his owne men to carry their corne and other prouision into his owne Castle,* 1.28 situated hard by. But being set at dinner, the very first

morsell he put into his mouth, draue him into a Frensie, whereof shortly after he dyed.* 1.29 His body was brought to this Abbey, and here interred by his mother. His death happened the tenth day of August, 1152. He was married to Constance sister of Lewis, the seuenth king of France, daughter of king Lewis the Grosse, by whom he had no issue. In this Abbey (saith Robert of Glocester) is a pece of ye hely croys which Godfrey Boylon forkyndred had sent to king Stephene.* 1.30

Notes

• * 1.1

  Semane Tong, Baron of the fiue ports.
• * 1.2

  Io. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and his wife.
• * 1.3

  Wil. Norton and Elisabeth his wife.
• * 1.4

  Will. Thorne.
• * 1.5

  Richard Norton and Ioane his wife.
• * 1.6

  Iohn ••••st.
• * 1.7

  Thomas Read.
• * 1.8

  William Vpton.
• * 1.9

  Agnes Feuer∣sham
• * 1.10

  William Leedes.
• * 1.11

  Henry Hatcher and Ioane his wife.
• * 1.12

  Richard Colwell.
• * 1.13

  Camden Re∣maine••.
• * 1.14

  Foundation of Feuers••am Abbey.
• * 1.15

  Ex Arch Turris London.
• * 1.16

  The death and buriall of King Stephen.
• * 1.17

  Addition to Rob. Gloc. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.18

  Paris An. 1154
• * 1.19

  Harding c. 12••.
• * 1.20

  Rob. Glocest.
• * 1.21

  S. Daniel.
• * 1.22

  No subsidies in K Stephens time
• * 1.23

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••omp. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in bib. Cot. Sp••••d.
• * 1.24

  Maud the wife of K Stephen
• * 1.25

  In bib. Cot.
• * 1.26

  Eustace King Stephens sonne.
• * 1.27

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. Monk•• of Chester.
• * 1.28

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 D••rob.
• * 1.29

  His death and buriall.
• * 1.30

  Rob. Gloc.