It was now late in the evening, but such was the obstinacy of the vanquished, that they continued the struggle in many parts of the bloody field long after dark. . . . The carnage was great. On the part of the conquerors, nearly sixty thousand men had been engaged, and of these more than one-fourth were left dead on the field. The number of the English and the amount of their loss are unknown. The vanity of the Normans has exaggerated the army of the enemy beyond the bounds of credibility; but the native writers reduce it to a handful of resolute warriors. The historians of both countries agree, that with Harold and his brothers perished all the nobility of the south of England."
The erection of Battle Abbey (the Abbatia de Bello, as it was called in Latin) was commenced by the Conqueror in the course of the following year, in conformity, it is said, with a vow which he had made before the fight, but was not completed till 1094, in the reign of Rufus. The high altar is asserted to have been placed at the spot where the dead body of Harold was found. It is more probable, however, as other authorities record, that the spot was that on which the royal standard was raised at the commencement of the battle. The house was originally intended to contain one hundred and forty monks, but only sixty were placed in it, who were brought from the monastery of Marmoustier in Normandy. Many manors, chiefly in the counties of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Oxford, and Berks, were bestowed upon it, along with the most ample privileges,—exemption from all taxation, the rights of free warren, treasure trove, and sanctuary; independence of episcopal jurisdiction; and, to the abbot, the singular prerogative of pardoning any condemned thief or robber whom he should meet on his way to execution. Numerous charters, granted by the Conqueror, by William Rufus, by Henry I., and by other kings, down to Henry IV., in favour of this establishment, are still preserved, copies of several of which may be seen in Dugdale's Monasticon. Its possessions, in course of time, were greatly extended, through the liberality of its regal patrons. The abbot enjoyed the dignity of wearing the mitre, and was always summoned to parliament so long as the ancient religion lasted. The last individual who held the office was named John Hamond. He was elected in 1529, and in 1538 he surrendered the monastery to the King. According to the valuation which had been taken a few years before, its revenues amounted to £880, according to Dugdale, but Speed says to £987. Hamond retired on a pension of £66. 13s. 4d. Alter the dissolution the property was granted to a person named Gilmer, who, after pulling down a great part of the buildings and disposing of the materials, sold the place to Sir Anthony Browne. The latter soon after commenced the erection of a dwelling-house on the site of part of the old monastery, which was finished by his son, the first Lord Montague. This building, however, fell afterwards into ruins; but the estate having been purchased by Sir Thomas Webster, the ancestor of the present Sir Godfrey Webster, a new house was erected, which still exists. It forms one of the sides of what appears to have been originally a complete quadrangle, of great spaciousness. The entire circuit of the ruins of the abbey, indeed, is not much short of a mile. Only a fragment of the church now remains, from which it is impossible to trace either its form or extent; but there are still to be seen some arches of the cloisters, a hall called the refectory, about 150 feet in length, and another building detached from the rest, exhibiting the remains of an immense room, 166 feet in length by 35 in breadth, the walls of which are still adorned by twelve windows on one side and six on the other. This is supposed to have been the great hall, in which the abbot and his monks gave their more solemn entertainments. Good living seems to have been cultivated in the establishment. The ample kitchen still exhibits the remains of no fewer than five fire-places.
One of the most striking parts of the ruin is the great gate at the entrance of the quadrangle, of which the wood-cut above is a representation. It is supposed to be of the reign of Henry VI., and, with its battlemented tower», is a very imposing structure. Until about forty years ago, the apartment over the gateway was used as a town-house; but on the 18th of September, I794, the roof was driven in by a violent storm of wind and rain, and it has not since been repaired.
