The Grandisons Their Built & Chivalric Legacy Ann Darracott The Grandisons Their Built & Chivalric Legacy by Ann Darracott Maidenhead Civic Society The Grandisons Their Built & Chivalric Legacy By Ann Darracott Published by Brian W. Darracott 6, Medallion Place Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 1TF Copyright © Ann Darracott Printed edition: ISBN 978 0 9544919 3 2 CD edition: ISBN 978 0 9544919 4 9 First published 2014 Contents Preface v A Family Called Grandison 1 Town Walls & the Franciscan Friary at Clonmel, Ireland 6 Castles & Churches at Ashperton, Stretton Grandison & Eaton 10 Tregoz, Herefordshire Dore Abbey & Vale Royal Abbey 12 Hereford Cathedral 17 St Katherine’s Hospital, Ledbury & St Mary’s Church, Dymock 21 Westminster Abbey 26 Castles in Wales 29 Edward’s Welsh Castles: similarities with Chateau Grandson and the 30 castles of the Counts of Savoy and Pope Clement V Yverdon & Flint 30 Conwy & Caernarfon 33 Harlech & Villandraut 34 The Role of Master James of St. George 35 The Role of Otho Grandison 36 The Grandison Brothers and Caernarfon 37 Bisham “Abbey” 38 Castles & Monasteries in Vaud (Switzerland) 50 Chateau Grandson 50 The Rebuilding 52 Interchange of Craftsmen 57 Other Buildings in Vaud Linked to Otho Grandison 58 St Jean (Baptiste) de Grandson 59 Franciscan Monastery at Grandson 60 Carthusian Monastery at La Lance 61 Memorials to Otho Grandison 62 i Exeter Cathedral 65 The Nave and West Front 66 Bishop Grandison’s Armorial Glass 67 St Gabriel’s Chapel 68 The West Window 74 Portraits and other Armorials of the Bishop and his relatives at Exeter 74 Church at Ottery St Mary 76 Lambourn, Berks, and Lydiard Tregoze, Wilts 83 Lambourn 84 Lydiard Tregoze 85 Windsor Castle and the Orders of Chivalry of Edward III 88 The 1344 Round Table Order 89 The 1348 Order of the Garter 91 A Grand Legacy 101 The Grandison Built Legacy 104 The Chivalric Legacy 107 Appendix 1: Summary of Buildings Linked to the Grandison 110 Family Appendix 2: The Dedication of the Grandison Family and Their 118 Kings to King Arthur, the Virgin Mary, St George & St Edward the Confessor King Arthur 118 The Virgin Mary, St George, St Edward the Confessor 119 The Virgin Mary 119 St George 120 St Edward the Confessor 121 ii Appendix 3: The Countess of Salisbury & the Founding of the 123 Order of the Garter The Name 124 The Date and Place of the Rape 124 The Meaning of “Honi soit qui mal y pense” 127 Notes to Accompany Main Text & Appendices 130 Table 1 Popes from 1271 to 1352 176 Table 2a Armorial glass seen by Richard Symonds in 1644 178 in St Gabriel’s Chapel, Exeter Cathedral Table 2b Armorial Glass seen by Richard Symonds in 1644 in the 180 West Window of Exeter Cathedral Table 3 Heraldry on the cornice of the Altar Screen in the 181 Collegiate Church of Ottery St Mary for the founder, John Grandison, Bishop of Exeter, his family and his King Table 4 Obits kept at the Collegiate Church of Ottery St Mary, 182 founded by John Grandison, Bishop of Exeter (1327- 1369) Tree 1 Early Grandisons 183 Tree 2 The Cantilupes showing their links with the Tregoz family, 184 the Grandisons and the Courtenays Tree 3 The Grandisons 185 Tree 4 Descent of the 14th Century Courtenays 186 Tree 5 The Descendants of Katherine Grandison - the Montacutes 187 & Nevilles of Bisham “Abbey” Notes to Accompany Family Trees 188 Abbreviations 191 Bibliography 192 iii iv Preface Since 1960 Maidenhead Civic Society has been an effective voice in the local community, promoting high standards of planning and architecture in Maidenhead, and working to secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest in the town and surrounding areas. In a few cases the Society has taken the lead and undertaken specific projects on particular aspects of Maidenhead’s history and historic buildings, including detailed studies of Ockwells Manor, Shottesbrooke Church and Bisham Abbey. This book grew out of the background investigations into the history of Bisham Abbey. Bisham Abbey is located not far from Marlow on the River Thames and is currently owned by Sport England. It is now run as a sports and conference centre and is where various sports teams representing England can practise. The original building on the site was a preceptory put up by the Knights Templar in the 13th century. In the following century it was held by the Montacute earls of Salisbury and later their descendants, the Nevilles. The building still retains in the bay window of what is now called the Elizabethan Room remnants of schemes of armorial glass ranging from the 14th to the 17th centuries. In 1562, the then owner, Sir Thomas Hoby, put up “a gallery of noble men’s arms” almost certainly glass saved when the priory church was demolished during the dissolution of the monasteries. The glass included a 14th century shield representing William Montacute, Earl of Salisbury (d.1344), impaled with that of his wife, Katherine Grandison (d.1349). A chance visit to Exeter cathedral led to the recognition of very similar 14th century armorials located in the south window of St Gabriel’s Chapel in the choir of the cathedral and the realisation that Katherine Grandison’s brother John, who had been Bishop of Exeter from 1327-1369, had built most of the nave and had evidently glazed the windows of the chapel. Further investigation revealed that both Katherine’s uncle Otho Grandison and her father William, both from Vaud, now in Switzerland, had been involved in the building of castles in Wales for Edward I. Otho, in particular, would have known the famous Master James of St Georges who built castles in Vaud and elsewhere for both Count Peter and Count Philip of Savoy before coming to work for Edward I. Otho’s castle at Grandson on Lake Neuchatel is now thought to have been designed by Master James. The study then expanded in order to learn more about the Grandison family, including where they came from; what families they were related to; what places they were linked with; where they were buried and what was their extant legacy, such as buildings, effigies, armorial glass and paintings. v The Grandisons, especially Otho, worked with various popes, one of whom – Clement V – had a replica of Harlech Castle, thought to have been designed by Master James, built in his home town of Villandraut. Otho was close to Edward I. Katherine Grandison’s husband, William Montacute, was similarly close to Edward III, grandson of Edward I. Both kings had an interest in chivalry, especially relating to King Arthur and Saint George. The Grandisons and their relatives made a contribution to each king’s chivalric activity. Katherine Grandison is one of the contenders to be the Countess of Salisbury said to have inspired the garter legend connected with the founding of the Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle. The present work demonstrates the impact this family has had on the history of not only England and Wales but also Ireland and what is now Switzerland. I have set the text into a number of chapters, which broadly reflects the chronological order of the various buildings, though those in Switzerland overlap to a large extent. I have also included more extensive endnotes than might be thought usual to provide more detail on the historical and social context of the building works. The Grandisons left a built legacy over a wide area of Europe and the following people, linked to buildings they were connected with, assisted me in a variety of ways; I apologise if I’ve missed anyone out: Ireland Marie Boland, Clonmel Library John O’Gorman, Tipperary Studies, Thurles England Sue Strutt, Church Warden, Ashperton Church Ann Willoughby, historian for Exeter Cathedral and Ottery St Mary Church Michael Howarth, Assistant Librarian, Exeter Cathedral Library David Risdon, Education Officer, Exeter Cathedral Ruth Richardson, historian for Dore Abbey James Anthony, Hereford Cathedral Kirsty Clarke, Library & Archives Assistant, Hereford Cathedral Joe Hillaby, historian for St Katherine’s Chapel, Ledbury Caroline Allington, Curator, Swindon Borough Council Rev. Brian Carne, historian for Lydiard Tregoze Dr Richard Mortimer, Keeper of the Muniments, Westminster Abbey Dr Eileen Scarff, former Archivist, St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Wales Prof. R E Griffiths, University of Swansea Switzerland Dr Peter Jezler, Director, Berne Historical Museum Flora Tarelli, Bern Historical Museum Karen Christie, Conservator, Bern Historical Museum Michel Schaer, Chateau Grandson Dr Daniel de Raemy, Research Director, Service des Biens Culturels, Fribourg vi And I am also indebted to the many church wardens for giving me access to their churches. Many others kindly offered their assistance - help that ranged from providing reference material or photographs, to reading sections of the text and making comments. I am particularly grateful to Dr de Raemy for giving me a copy of his book on the castles, donjons and great towers of Savoy; to Peter and Eileen Goford and Julie Le Maitour for help with French translation; and Pat Cobb and Andl Fischer for help with German translation. Any remaining mistakes are therefore mine entirely. I am also grateful to the following for giving permission to reproduce images that are in their copyright: The Dean & Chapter of Westminster Abbey for permission to reproduce an image of a drawing by E.W. Tristram of the painting on the side of the tomb of Eleanor of Castile featuring a kneeling Otho Grandison (Fig 12a). The Bern Historical Museum for permission to reproduce an image of the altar frontal featuring a kneeling Otho Grandison (Figs 12b and c). The Duke of Buccleuch and the V & A Museum for permission to reproduce an image of Bisham Priory Church from the Salisbury Roll made for Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick which appears in Gothic Art for England 1400-1547 (Eds.