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.

Minster in the Isle of Tenet.

Here in this Church lyeth a Lady entombed in a Monument vpreared after a strange fashion,* 1.1 inscribed with a Saxon-like character.

Ici gist Edile de Shornerepust Dame del espire.

I thinke her name was rather Thorne, then Shorne, one letter being mistaken for another in the engrauing. My reason is this, for that in this Parish there is a place called Thorne.

Neare vnto this Monument lie three flat Tombe-stones, vnder which (as I coniecture) by the effigies vpon them) three vailed Nunnes of the Saxon Nobilitie,* 1.2 and of S. Mildreds Monasterie lye interred, but the In∣scriptions are gone.

Which Monasterie was founded vpon this occasion: Egbert king of Kent aspiring to the Crowne,* 1.3 by the traiterous murder of his two young Nephewes, Ethelred and Ethelbert, to pacifie Domneua, sister to the said murdered Princes, and immediate heire to the kingdome, promised with an oath to giue her whatsoeuer shee would demand. This deuoute Lady begged so much ground to build a religious house vpon,* 1.4 as a tame De••re which she kept, would runne ouer at a breath: one Thunnor, or Thymur (one of his councell, and his assistant in the foresaid murder) standing by, blamed him of inconsideration, for that hee would vpon the vncertaine course of a Deere, depart to his certaine losse, with any part of so good a Soile. Which words he had no sooner spoken (saith the booke of Saint Au∣gustine) but that the earth immediately opened and swallowed him vp. Well, the King and the Lady proceeded in their bargaine, and the Hynde ranne ouer fourty and eight Plough••lands, before she returned. This do nation the king confirmed by his Charters,* 1.5 which I haue read in the booke of S. Austins, to the infringers whereof he added this fearefull curse.

Si cui vero hec largicio displicet, vel si quis (quod absit) hanc donationem telo ductus Diaboli,* 1.6 quoquo ingenio infringere temptauerit, Iram Dei & om∣nium Sanctorum maledicta incurrat, et subita morte intereat, sicut predictus Deo odibilis Thimur interijt, percutiatque cum Deus amentia, cecitate, ac fu∣rore m••ntis, omnique tempore columpnam maledictionis Dei sustineat, non sit qui eum liberet, nisi penitus resipiscit & digna satisfactione satisfaciat. And further of this and the race of the Hynde, these lame rymes.

Dompneue letam Thanatos fert Insula metam Seruet iter Cerue...... nesit .... proterue. Cultor siue sator huius mete violator Cum Thunor atra metit inde Barathra petit.

Hauing erected her Monasterie, which she dedicated to the blessed Virgine Mary,* 1.7 and to the name and honour of her two murdered Brethren, in which ••he placed seuentie veyled Nunnes: She departed out of this world about the yeare of our redemption, 765. and was buried in the Church of her owne foundation.

It is said by some, that when Thunnor had giuen his wicked command to king Egbert,* 1.8 his horse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 present••y a curuetin••▪ cast him off his backe, and broke his necke: and that be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, buried in the Isle of Tenet, vnder a great heape of stones, which the inhabitan••••, to this day call Thunniclan.

* 1.9Mildred the daughter of Dom••••••a, and M••rwald, a Prince of West-Mercia, succeeded in her mothers pl••••••▪ ••n which shee continued a long time: dyed in the raigne of King 〈◊〉〈◊〉, was interred by her mother, and afterwards canonized a Saint 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Mercian king, confirmed by his charter to this Mildred and her Couent, the custome of the ships which arriued in the publicke Port of London, as appeares by his charter.

Ca••utus king of England, gaue by his Charter the body of this Mildred, with the lands belonging to this Priory, to the Abbey of S. Austins, in these words.

Notum sit omnibus, &c. me dedisse Augustino, & fratribus eiusdem Mo∣nasterij, corpus beate Mildrede gloriose Virginis; cum t••ta terra sua infra in sulam ac I••anet, & extra, cum omnibus cons••etudinibus suis.

* 1.10The yeare 10▪0 her body was translated by Abbot Elstan, as I haue said before, and after that by his Successour Wulfrike, to another place of the Church. Her reliques were laid in a leaden coffin, whereupon this Epi∣taph was insculped.

Clauditur hoc saxo Mildreda sacerrima virgo. Cuius nos procibus adiuuet ipse Deus.

The bodies of the most esteemed godly in former ages, tooke the least rest in their graues, for they were still remoued, and their bodies clattered toge∣ther from one place to another; as it doth, and will appeare, both by the premisses and sequele of this my Treatise. You haue read before how often the body of Saint Augustine was tost from porch to pillar, and besides his Reliques were diuided, and subdiuided into certaine vessels. For the day after the solemnitie of Prior Marisco (before remembred) vpon the find∣ing out of his Stone-coffin, there was found, vnlooked for, a Lead of seuen foot long, hauing this Inscription.

* 1.11Hic habetur pars ossium & cineris beati Augustini Anglorum Apostoli, qui olim missus à beato Gregorio, gentem Anglicam ad fidem Christi conuertit, cuius preciosum capud, & ossa maiora, Guido Abbas honorifice transtulit, si∣cut tabula plumbea cum eisdem ossibus posita indicat.

But Henry the eight made an end of all this vnnecessarie trouble, and charges, by remouing once for all, as well Reliques, as Religious houses. Now to returne.

* 1.12Ethelinga the third Prioresse of this house, seeing the Church builded by her predecessour Domneua, not capable to containe so many holy Vir∣gins; built another Temple farre more sumptuous then the first, which was consecrated by Archbishop Cuthbert to the honour of S. Peter and Paul. She dyed ann. 751. and was buried in her owne new Church.

* 1.13Sexburga (saith the booke of Saint Augustine) the daughter of Anna, king of the East Angles, the wife of Ercombert, the mother of Egbert, and ••othaire, all kings of Kent; after the death of her husband tooke vpon her the habite of a Nunne, and was admitted and consecrated Prioresse of this

place, by Archbishop Cuthbert. In her time those furious Beare-whelps, Hungar and Hubba (Nam vt fertur filij fuere cuiusdam vrsi,* 1.14 qui illos contra naturam de filia cuiusdam Regis generabat) two Danish Pagans with a fierce armie first inuaded this kingdome. She dyed about the yeare 797. and was buried in this new Church. Capgraue saith at Ely.

Seberitha was the first Votarie admitted, and consecrated Lady Prioresse of this house, by Ethelard Archbishop of Canterbury, who was no sooner well setled in her gouernment, then that the Danes came backe againe, and in their sauage furie ouerwhelmed the Island of Tenet, destroyed, and vt∣terly demolished this Monasterie; and her, with her holy Sisters, inclosed in secret caues for feare of the enemie; they found out, and burned them all to ashes.

Capgraue,* 1.15 a Kentish man borne, reporteth that Eadburgh the daughter of good king Ethelbert, by his vertuous Queene Berta, was brought vp a Nunne in this Monasterie, vnder the foundresse Domneua, that she suc∣ceeded Mildred in the Monasticall gouernment; that shee was buried here in this Church, and that long after, her reliques (the chiefe and most fre∣quent way in those times to enrich any new built Church) were remoued by Lanfrank, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Church of Harbaldowne of his owne foundation,* 1.16 and there had in great veneration. But Camden, to whom I must needs giue more credit, speaking of S. Eadburghs Well at Liming in this Tract, will haue her to be the first veiled Nunne in all Eng∣land. And that she liued here in a Monastery of her owne building, that here shee dyed,* 1.17 and here at Lyming was buried, saith Speed, that she was surnamed, Tace, a fit name for a woman, and that she had beene the wife of Edwin king of Northumberland.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••dila Lady Thorne.
• * 1.2

  Thr••e vailed Nunnes
• * 1.3

  The foundati¦on of Minster Abbey.
• * 1.4

  Io. Ca••graue in v. ••a Dom.
• * 1.5

  Mss••a bib. Cot
• * 1.6

  A Maledicton.
• * 1.7

  The death of Domneua.
• * 1.8

  The buriall of Thunnor. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Dom.
• * 1.9

  ••. Mildred.
• * 1.10

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 on of Mildred.
• * 1.11

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.12

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉.
• * 1.13

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.14

  Hungar and Hubba the sonnes of a Beare. M••ss••in bib C••••t Caygraue i••••nia 〈◊〉〈◊〉 b. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.15

  Eadburgh 〈◊〉〈◊〉 first English Nunne, surna∣med 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.16

  Camden in K.
• * 1.17

  Speed. Hist.