The church-history of Britain from the birth of Jesus Christ until the year M.DC.XLVIII endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.

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Title: The church-history of Britain from the birth of Jesus Christ until the year M.DC.XLVIII endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.
Author: Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
Publication: London :: Printed for Iohn Williams ...,; 1655.
Rights/Permissions: To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Subject terms: University of Cambridge -- History.; Great Britain -- Church history.; Waltham Abbey (England) -- History.
Cite this Item: "The church-history of Britain from the birth of Jesus Christ until the year M.DC.XLVIII endeavoured by Thomas Fuller." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A40655.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2024.

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The Seale of Armes of the Mitred Abbeys in England.

IN presenting of them, I will not be confined to the strict termes of Blazoury, the rather, because some of their Armes may be presumed so antient, as sitter to give Rules to, than take them from our moderne Heraldry: And what my pen cannot sufficiently describe, therein the Reader may satisfie himselfe by his own eye: To which these Cotes are presented in the last sheet of this Volume after the History of Waltham Abbey.

1. I will make a method of my own beginning (where the Sun ends) in the West: Tavestock in Devon shire gave Varrey Or and Azure, on a Chiefe Or, two Mulletts, Gules.

2. Glassenbury gave Vert (as I conjecture the Colour) a Crosse Bottone Argent. In the first Quarter the Woman with a Glory holding a Babe (radiated about his head) in her Armes, because [forsooth] by the direction of the Angel Gabriel their Church was first dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

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3. Middleton in Gloucester-shire gave Sable, three Baskets Argent replenished with Loaves of Bread, Gules. Had the number of the Baskets been either Seven or Twelve, some would interpret therein a reference to the Reversions preserved by Christ his command of the Loaves miraculously multiplied: whereas now they denote the Bounty of that Abbey in relieving the poor.

4. What Malmesbury in Wiltshire gave I cannot yet attain.

5. Abingdon gave a Crosse flurt betwixt Martelletts Sable, much alluding to the Armes of our English Kings before the Conquest, who, it seems were great Benefactors thereunto.

6. The Abbey of S. James in Reading, gave AZure three Scallop Shells Or. Here I know not what secret sympathy there is between S. James and Shells; but sure I am that all Pilgrims that visit St. James of Compos-Stella in Spaine (the Para∣mount Shrine of that Saint) returned thence obsiti conchis, all beshell'd about on their clothes, as a religious Donative there bestowed upon them.

7. The Abbey of Hide, juxta Winton. gave Argent a Lyon rampant Sable, on a cheiff of the second, four Keyes Argent.

8. Bataile Abbey in Sussex gave Gules a Crosse betwixt a Crown Or, in the first and third Quarter. A Sword (bladed Argent, hilted Or) in the second and fourth Quarter thereof. Hete the Armes relate to the Name, and both Armes and Name to the fierce Fight hard by, whereby Duke William gained the English-Crown by Conquest, and founded this Abbey. Nor must it be forgotten, that a Text X pierced through with a dash, is fixed in the navill of the Crosse. Now, though I have read, Letters to be little honourable in Armes, this cannot be dis∣gracefull, partly because Church-Heraldrie moveth in a sphere by it self, partly because this was the Letter of Letters, as the received character to signifie Christus.

9. S. Augustines in Canterbury gave Sable a Cross-Argent.

10. Crosse we now the Thames, where Westward we first fall on S. Peters in Gloucester, whose Dedication to that Apostle sufficiently rendreth a reason for the Armes thereof, viz AZure two Crosse Keyes (or two Keyes Saltire) Or.

11. Teuxbury gave Gules, a Cross of an antick form Or, a border Argent.

12. I will not adventure on the blazoning of the Armes of Winchcombe (having much conformity therein with Mortimers Coat) but leave the Reader to satisfie his own eyes in the inspection thereof.

13. I should be thankfull to him who would inform me of the Armes of Ci∣rencester, which hitherto I cannot procure.

14. St. Albans gave Azure a Cross Saltire Or.

15. Westminster-Abbey gave Azure a Cross flurt betwixt five Marteletts Or, and this I humbly conceive were antiently the entire Armes of that Abbey being in effect the same with those of King Edward the Confessour the first Founder thereof: But afterwards their Conventuall Seale was augmented with the Armes of France and England on a Chiefe Or betwixt two Roses Gules, plainly relating to King Henry the seventh, enlarging their Church with his Chappell.

16. The Prior of St. John of Jerusalem gave Gules a Cross Argent, which the Lord Priot sometimesa impayled with (but before) his own Coate, andb some∣times bare it in a Chiefe about it.

17. The Armes of Waltham Abbey in Essex, appear at this day neither in glass, wood, nor stone, in, or about the Town or Church thereof. At last we have reco∣vered them (Unus home nobis) out of a faire Deed of Robert Fullers, the last Ab∣bot, though not certain of the mettall and colours, viz: Gules, (as I conjecture) two Angels (can they be lesse than Or?) with their hands (such we finde of them inc Scripture) holding betwixt them a Cross Argent, brought hither (faith our d Antiquary) by miracle out of the West, whence Waltham hath the addition of Holy Cross.

18. The Arms of S. Johns in Colchester, I leave to the eye of the Reader.

19. Burie gave Azure three Crowns Or, The Armes of the Kings of the East-Angles, assumed in the memory of King Edmund (to whom this Abbey was de∣dicated)

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martyred by the Danes, when his Crown of Gold, thorough a Crown of Thorns (or Arrows rather) was turned into a Crown of Glory.

20. St. Benet's in the Holme, in Norfolke, gave Sable, a Pastorall. Staffe Argent, picked below, and reflexed above, (intimating the Abbots Episcopal Jurisdiction in his own precincts) betwixt two Crowns-Or, pointing at England and Norway, the two Kingdomes of Canutus, the Founder thereof. The aforesaid Staffe was infulated, that is, adorned with an holy Lace or Label, carelesly hanging down, or cast a crosse, such with which their Mitres used formerly to be fastned.

21. Thorney-Abbey in Cambridge shire gave Azure three Crosses crossed fitchee, betwixt three Pastoral Staves Or.

22. Ramsey in Huntingdon-shire gave Or three Rams Heads couped Argent, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Bend Azure: The rest of the Rams must be supposed in the blue Sea, the Fennes, appearing such when overflown. Besides, such changes were common here, whereof Melibaeus complaineth in the Marishes of Mantua.

—Non bene ripae Creditur, ipse Aries etiam nunc vellera siccat. There is no trusting to the foundring bank. The Ramme still dries his fleece so lately dank.

But, since the draining of the Fennes hath (I hope) secured their Cattell from casualties.

23. The very name of Peterborough unlocks the reason why that Abbey gave Gules, two crosse Keyes betwixt four Crosses crossed fitchee, Or.

24. Crowland Abbey gave quarterly three (call them long Knives, or short) Swords bladed Argent hasted or pomelled or, Azure three Whips stringed and knot∣ted Or, the second like the third, the fourth like the first. Instruments of cruelty re∣lating to their Monks massacred by the Danes, Anno 870. whereof their Histo∣rian gives us this account, That first they were examinati, tortured, see there the Whips; and then exanimati, killed, see there the Swords. But if any will have those Whips to relate to the Whip of S. Bartholomew, the most remarkable Relique of that Monastery, I will not appose.

25. The Armes of Evesham Abbey in Worcester-shire, I cannot recover, but possibly may before the conclusion of this Work.

26. Shrewsbury gave Azure, a Lyon Rampant over a Pastorall-staffe Bendwayes, so that both the ends thereof are plainly discovered.

27. Crosse we now North of Trent, where onely two remain: Selby (founded by William the Conquerour) which gave Sable, three Swans Argent, membred Or, alluding, as I believe, to the depressed scituation of the place, where the neigh∣bouring River of Ouse affordeth such Birds in abundance.

28. St. Maryes in Yorke gave Argent a Crosse, Gules, and a Key, in the first Quarter of the same. In the midst of the Crosse a King in a circle in his Robes of state, with his Scepter and Mound: Yet hath he onely a ducall Cap (and no Crown) on his head. I humbly conceive (under favour of better judgments) this King-Dukes picture to relate partly to King VVilliam Rufus, partly to Alan Duke of Britain and Richmond, the principall Co-Founders of that Monastery.

Notes

The designe of the work.

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The Armes of Tavestocke.

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Of Glossenbury.

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See the first Cent. Paragr. 11.

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Of Middleton.

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Of Malmsbury

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Of Abingdon

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Of Reading.

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Erasm•••• in his Dialogue, called Peregri∣natio Religionis e••go.

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Of Hide.

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Of Battaile.

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Accidence of Armes.

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Of S. Augu∣stine.

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Of Gloucester.

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Of Teuxbury.

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Of Winchcomb.

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Of Cirences••er.

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S. Maryes in Coventry had no Armes in their Seale, as my good friend Mr. Dugdale informed me.

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Of S. Alban••

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Of S. Johns of Jerusalem.

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a

Thus Sir Tho. Tressam.

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b

Thus Sir Tho. Dockwray.

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Of Waltham.

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c

Mat. 4. 6.

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d

Gamd. Brit in Essex.

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Of Colchester.

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Of Bury.

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Of S. Benets.

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Of Thorny.

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Of Ramsey.

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Virgil. E•• log 9.

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Of Peterbo∣rough.

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Of Crowland.

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Ingulphus, pag. 866.

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Of Evesham.

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Of Shrewsbury.

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Of Selby.

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Of Yorke.

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