E S N E S B B E Y N I I K N THE PAR SH O F ER TH , E T E C LA PHA M P A FR D W . L . S . A . , e n the om lete e ort of the Invest at ons rc h tec t ral B i g C p R p ig i , A i u a nd stor c al c arr ed ou t b the W o rk s omm ttee of the Hi i , i y C i Wo olwic h Antiquarian S oc iety du ring the years 1 9 0 9 - 1 9 1 3 LO N DON T HE CA S S I O PR E SS , FR C S W RE DER M GER AN I . A , ANA , LAMB ’ S C N D UIT STR E ET W O . C . 5 , l 9 l 5 C ON T EN T S INTR OD UCTI O N LI ST OF ILLUS TR ATI ONS THE ABBE Y THE SITE AF TE R THE DIS S OLUTION BUI LD INGS PR E CINCT GRE AT BAR N CHUR CH ‘ CLOISTE R THE SACR I S TY CHAPTE R -HOUS E PAR LO UR D ORTE R AN D WAR MI NG-HOUS E RE R E -D ORTE R FR ATE R KI TCHE N WES TE R N RAN GE INF I R MAR Y MI S E R I COR D ’ ABBOT S LOD GING WATE R SUP PLY III— OBJE CTS F O UN D IN THE EXCAVATI ON S ' (i) S E P ULCHR AL MoNUME NTs (ii) PAVING TILE S (iii) GLAS S (iv) AR CHITE CTURAL FR AGME NTS (v) MIS CE LLANE OUS OBJE CTS A — OF O E PP E D S S TC . A N IX . LI T ABB T , — THE LE OF R R O S E B . RU A UAI — R CH E C R L E I F C. A IT TU A R MA NS O THE AUGUSTINIAN O R D E R — C O S OF R CH S HOP E KH D . INJUN TI N A BI P C AM - E . O E ON T E S POS L OF THE E C S TC N T H DI A OBJ T , E . ‘ IN D E X I N T R O D UCT I O N THE intention of the present volume is to provide an adequate account of the history and extant remains of an Augustinian Abbey which in both its aspects has hitherto a Lesnes filled but small space in Arch aeological literature . The Abbey of never _ ‘ ’ occupied a place amongst the great solemn abbies of England , but its history presents certain points of more general interest than a dry catalogue of successive Abbots , or a series of petty squabbles with its neighbours , which forms the staple material for the Lesnes story of many a monastic house . furthermore occupies a very limited space in the standard works on monastic history , and this in spite of the fact that the documentary sources of information are unusually prolific . These circumstances are , f . I think , su ficient to excuse the somewhat extended account which is here presented With regard to its architectural history, the extensive remains which have been brought to light by the recent excavation of the site are amply worthy, as the sequel will show , of a full and complete description . The excavation of the site of the Abbey was primarily due to the energy and initiative of Mr . W . T . Vincent , President of the Woolwich Antiquarian Society, who 19 09 in collected the nucleus of the excavation fund and himself started the work . 19 13 Since that time the work has gone on , mostly under my own supervision , until , when it was decided that its continuance would be unlikely to provide any adequate return . The result has been the recovery of the complete plan of the church and i nfirmar claustral block, of the y, and of some subsidiary buildings , and in View of the comparatively low expenditure must be looked upon as eminently satisfactory . Of In the elucidation the various features of the plan , I have to acknowledge the . S ec s A valuable help of Mr C R Peers , Hon . , Sir W . H . St . John Hope , M . A . , and other gentlemen , who visited the site during the progress of the work and kindly gave me their views . To Mr . Peers also I am deeply indebted for having read the proofs of this volume and for many corrections and suggestions which have added considerably to its accuracy . The executive work of the excavations was carried on by a Works Committee of the Woolwich Antiquarian Society, whose support and sustained interest in the under . w taking has added greatly to its success In this connexion Mr Frank Spiers , h o ii INTRODUCTION a a s a o m a h a s a. a i su cted Cur t r of the te por ry museum , completed v luable serv ce by per intending the a rr a ngement of such of the finds as have been removed to the pari sh church of Erith . w W : . i The follo ing is a list of the Works Committee Mr T . Vincent , Pres dent , W w n a a Cha i rma n a nd T eas u o Wo o ool ich A tiqu ri n Society ( r rer f rks C mmi ttee) ; Mr . V r/c S . D i r ctor o l o s . a . a a F . A . e A W . Cl ph m . ( f ) ; Mr Fr nk E Spiers , Hon Sec , Upper w r — W w H . ec . o k s Corn n e Cu r a to . ort S Nor ood Athe a um ( ) ; Mr F C Elliston Er ood ( , r -i W B . ll . a n . a n A m ce . ) ; Mr J J Collins , Mr F M che ; Mr W H M dy , ; V w i a \ nn Ho n . a . Mr . F . Nu , Sec , Green ich Antiqu r n Society ; Mr Francis W . Reader ; * R i . a r esi d Mr n . ne . Er est H Wr ght , Hon Sec , Woolwich Antiqu ian Society ( g ) , * 19 11 Mr n decea s d a 19 11 e . October , ; . J . Borthwick Panti g , ( ) , J nuary , The excav a tions were rendered possible by the kind permission of the Governors ’ a of C hrist s Hospit l , the freeholders , whose attitude was uniformly sympathetic , and - c o . also by the operation of their tenant , Mr Baldock The gre a ter part of the historical information contained in th e first two chapters a a i has lready ppeared in the Transactions of the Woolwich Antiquar an Society , but a further investig tion has modified some of my earlier conclusions , and many additional a facts h ve since come to light . Most of this additional information has been collected B A . by Mr . W . H . Mandy , . , who has very generously placed it at my disposal o w With regard to the illustrations of this volume , the phot graphs are almost ithout . u nr emi t exception provided by Mr F W Nunn , whose work in this respect has been o f f ting . The photographs the e figy are reproduced by permission of the Victoria - a nd Albert Museum . Mr . F . C . Elliston Erwood is responsibl e for the pages of f architectural details , the drawing of the e figy, for other drawings which bear his name , a nd . t w for the index to this volume Mr H J . Powell kindly provided wo dra ings of l . i . D or n the stained glass , and I am personally indebted to the Rev . E E g , for his excellent delineation of the Abbey arms , which appears upon the cover , and to Mr . i n J W Bloe for rev sing the English rendering in Appendix B . The historical grou d plan has been plotted from my own measurements by Mr . E . G . Newnum . L P H . A W . C A AM L ondon , 19 15 . h e t e nd 9 . E mm 1 18 e . R er and . F r a me on h e ee i e At of M ssrs A og s R . C ost c t Co itt n pl ac of thm two m m e b ers . iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES F aci ng P age L E ffi th e F r een en w n r na eme ucy gy of ou t th c tury , sho i g o igi l colour sch Genera l V iew of E xcava tions looking West 1 Lesnes e F a m a s E n a nd Lesnes a r n r 8 Abb y r xisti g M sh , looki g No th m11 Th e e S e in 1 2 nd Th F r a r i B M 75 a e e n 175 2 S e e aw n r . e Abb y it t ( tuk l y Dr i gs, it us u ) Th e Abbey S ea ls 14 ’ ’ Th e L n r m th e -ea a nd th e L n r m th e S Abbots odgi g , f o North st , Abbots odgi g f o outh east A B a n e r a n e B r TE .