Battle

Who holds it

Name

Odo

Title

Abbot of Battle

Since

Elected 1175

Confidence

high

Formerly prior of Christ Church, Canterbury, a man of piety and learning, put forward for Canterbury in 1184 but rejected by the king. He dies on 20 January 1200 (campaign notes; the Victoria County History gives the year). The monks then claim a free election under their foundation charter; John de Dubra becomes abbot in 1200, and King John later visits Battle four times, granting charters and relics.

What it holds

• The leuga (the Lowey): the town of Battle and the land within about one and a half miles of the abbey, under the abbot alone
• Exemption of the abbey and Battle parish church from the bishop of Chichester
• The royal manor of Wye in Kent with Dengemarsh on the coast
• Other Conqueror's gifts: Alciston (Sussex), Limpsfield (Surrey), Hoo (Essex), Brightwalton (Berkshire), Crowmarsh (Oxfordshire); Bromham (Wiltshire) from William Rufus
• Sanctuary, treasure trove, free warren, inquest, and the abbot's right to pardon a criminal he meets on the way to execution

How it was acquired

The Conqueror's foundation on the battlefield of 1066 and its endowment; the exemptions were tested by Canterbury and Chichester under Henry II without success.

How things stand that morning

Odo is dying; within three weeks the abbey and the leuga pass into royal custody.

Wealth

Wye's rich Kentish farmland and marsh grazing; Battle's market; rents of the scattered royal manors.

Threats

• Royal custody in the coming vacancy
• The king's claim to control the election

Advocates and rivals

The bishop of Chichester and the archbishop of Canterbury, who contested the exemption; the king, who has custody in each vacancy and a say in elections.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 20 January 1200Abbot Odo dies; the abbey and its liberties pass into the king's custody.Depends on: His natural death. Stopped by: Nothing likely.
2. During 1200 (not pinned)John de Dubra becomes abbot after the monks press for a free election under their foundation charter.Depends on: The king allowing an election. Stopped by: John keeping the abbey vacant and its revenues in hand.

Places of note

• Battle Abbey: The Conqueror's abbey on the field of Hastings

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The Battle chronicle and the Victoria County History document the leuga, the exemption and the abbots.

On the map: The leuga is drawn as the circle the charters describe; Wye is shown as a district round the village.

Primary sources for England

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
• Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
• Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
• English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
• Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
• Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online

22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.