one instance have established a large day-school, and built a place of worship for their use. The Commissioners of the Crown have always attended to applications for help in furtherance of these objects, and have at different times granted sums to the amount of 10,3477. towards endowing the Forest churches, and in some years have devoted as much as 8007. to the maintenance of schools, which they annually aid by the following donations: St. Paul's District (Park End 301., Oldcroft 20l., and Blakeney Woodside 207.).. Christ Church District £. s. d. 70 0 0 1 30 0 0 Holy Trinity District (Trinity 30l., Ruardean 70 0 0 To the above must be added the handsome donation of 5007. from Thomas Graham, Esq., formerly clerk to the Dean Forest Commissioners. CHAPTER XI. The history of the Abbey of Flaxley, or St. Mary de Dene Its foundation by Roger Earl of Hereford in 1140 enriched by Henry II. and III., and Richard II. 1541 Confirmed and Existing remains - St. Anthony's Well - The Abbey, &c., granted to Sir W. Kingston His descendants - Mrs. C. Riches (Boevey), supposed to be Sir R. de Coverley's "perverse widow;" her benevolent life, and death in 1726 — Nature and cessation of the Flaxley iron-works Erection of the present church in 1856. THE link which connects the Abbey of Flaxley with the Forest of Dean is chiefly of an antiquarian nature; for instead of being included as formerly within the limits of the Forest, it is merely approached on one side by a promontory of Crown land, called "Pope's Hill." The incident which led to the foundation of the abbey, as related by Leland, who visited it a short time before it was suppressed, shows the Forest character of its precincts. He tells us-"ther was a brother of Rogerus "Earl of Hereforde that was kylled wythe an arowe in "huntinge in the very place where the abbay syns was "made. There was a table of the matter hanggid up "in the abbay church." The date of its institution is assigned to the year 1140, or the reign of Stephen, its chief founder being the aforesaid Roger, aided by a Bishop of Hereford "that holped much to the build"inge," and who was probably Robert de Betune, by whom the north-west transept of that cathedral is said to have been erected. They designated it "the Abbey "of St. Mary de Dene, or Dene Abbey," and devoted it to the use of the White Monks of the Cistertian order. Tintern, the other abbey of that order, established near the western border of the Forest, was founded nine years before. The dress of the monks was a white cassock, with a narrow scapulary; and from this doubtless comes the name of "St. White's," on Little Dean Hill, in the parish of Flaxley, as well as of another spot called Whitecross. 66 66 66 66 66 The institution of the abbey was confirmed, and its endowment augmented, by two charters, granted by Henry II., to the following purport:-"Know ye that I "have granted and confirmed to God and St. Mary, and "to the monks of the Cistertian order, a certain place "in the valley of Castiard called Flaxley, to build an abbey there; and all that land called Wastdean, and one iron forge free and quit, and with as free liberty "to work as any of my forges in demesne; and all the "land under the Old Castle of Dene, with liberty to "plough it up, to wit 100 acres, which remains to be assarted, and that which is already assarted; and a certain fishery at Redley called Newerre, and a "meadow of Reidley called Pulmeade, containing four acres; and all easements in the Forest of Dean, to wit, common of pasture for their young cattle and hogs "and for all other beasts, and wood and timber to repair "their houses and buildings, and for other necessaries, "without committing waste in the Forest; and I have given them tithes of chesnuts out of the same Forest, "and all my demesnes at Dymmock; and five yard "lands and a half, besides the demesnes and half my "wood at Dymmock, and half my nets which I have "in my hands, for the conveniences of my men, because I would have my monks enjoy that part of the wood peaceably and quietly, without any interfering with "any other persons; and I straightly command that no person offer to disturb them upon this account; and "the lands belonging to Walfric; but so that if Uhred "the clerk continues in the abbey with the lands he exchanged, to wit, two yard lands, that then he shall give no account of it to any body but the abbot; and all the land of Jeoffry, son of the aforesaid Walfric, which the Earl of Hereford did release, and all the "land which Leffric de Staura gave to them in alms, “and the farm which I gave them at Wallemere, out of 66 66 66 66 66 66 N 66 66 "my new ploughed ground containing 200 acres with the meadows and pastures, and all other easements; and "four acres of Northwood. I further give to them my new ploughed grounds under Castiard, called Vincent "Lands;" added to which, there was a grant of two oaks out of the Forest every seven days, for supplying their iron-forge with fuel. Few of the properties here named can now be traced. Castiard is unknown, but perhaps the "old Castle of "Dene" is identical with a circular ditch and bank, about fifty yards in diameter, on Camp Hill, between Flaxley and Little Dean. It may also be observed that the present Chesnuts Enclosure is probably the site of the chesnut groves referred to in the above grants. A century later (42 Henry III.) the two oaks weekly were commuted for a tract of woodland in the Forest, containing 872 acres, reserving, however, the herbage for the King's deer and wild beasts, and all mines and quarries, and a power to the grantee to enclose one-tenth part thereof, and to hold the same enclosed against all animals except the King's deer and wild beasts, leaving nine tenth parts always open; all which peculiarities of tenure are connected with a tract of land yet identified by the name of "the Abbot's Woods." Between the years 1206 and 1215 King John paid several visits to Flaxley. In the terms of a Papal taxation levied in 1291 by Pope Nicholas, the property of this abbey was thus valued:: Ere long it acquired the dignity of a mitred abbey, though never of a peeral one, its abbot being summoned to Parliament 21st Edward III. During the reign of Richard II. these additional grants were made to it :— "Certain tenements in Leye, Bosteley, and Rodley; the "manor and impropriate church of Flaxley; the manors 66 "of Blaisdon, Newnham, and Ruerdean; distinct manors "in the parishes of Dean Parva, Dymock, and Arlingham, with a house in Abbenhall." A document in the Chapter-house at Westminster, dated 10th Edward II., has the abbot's seal attached, representing an abbot standing erect with his crosier under a canopy slightly ornamented, with the legend s. ABBATIS. DE. FLAXLE. The counter seal is a hand with a crosier, and other ornaments, viz., a fleur-de-lis, &c., surrounded by the words CONTRA SIGILLUM ABBATIS DE FLAXLE. The names and dates of the following abbots have been preserved : Elected. 1288, Nicholas. 1314, William de Rya. Elected. 1509, John 1528, William Beawdley. The last of these, Thomas Ware, survived the suppression of the house and the dispersion of its brethren, of whom there were nine at that time, the abbey being delivered up to the King's Commissioners in 1541, valued at 1127. 13s. 1d., according to Dugdale. Tintern Abbey was suppressed four years previously. Ware retired to Aston Rowant, near Thame, in Oxfordshire, where he spent the rest of his life in seclusion, and was there buried in 1546. The vicissitudes of 300 years have left little of the original structure remaining: only in 1788 the pavement of the Chapter-house was discovered at a small depth, on the east side of the refectory, extending about 45 feet, and 24 wide. At the upper end a circular stone bench was exposed, and in the centre the carved base of a pillar. Several coffin-lids of stone were likewise found, sculptured with ornamented crosses, and upon one a hand and arm holding a crosier, under which probably one of the abbots was interred. The view of the abbey as it appeared about the year 1712, according to Sir R. Atkyns's print, exhibits traces of the ancient residence of the abbot and monks, respecting which the Rev. T. Rudge remarks-"It was low, but long in front, being 60 feet in length, 25 feet wide, and only 14 |