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HASTINGS 353 |
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their own residence. And thus by an evil example at first, things were put off from day to day, and the royal treasures allotted for the furtherance of the undertaking were improperly spent, and many things conferred upon the place by the King's devout liberality carelessly squandered."
A fragment of the south-west corner of the church shows original Norman work with a shaft both within and without; in what is left of the south aisle wall is a sepulchral recess with short stone coffin, supposed to be that of the excellent Abbot Odo (1175-1200), who was brought much against his will from Canterbury, and was in office at the time the Battle Abbey Chronicle comes to an end. A modern French monument marks the site of the high altar, beyond is the crypt under the east end, a work of Early English character; there are three little chapels, each with a three-sided apse, the central one retains a stone altar, the southern a trefoiled piscina. Between were arches and the base of a single round pillar remains each side, stairs led down into the outer corners from the quire aisles.
South of the nave was the cloister garth ; there are traces of Norman walling and along the west side are nine bays with four-light blind windows of Decorated and Perpendicular character. The Chronicle speaks of Abbot Walter de Lucy (1139-1171) rebuilding the cloister of marble slabs and columns, of smooth and polished workmanship, but of this there seem to be no remains.
There are practically no traces of the chapterhouse, &c, which must have been on the eastern side of the cloister, but extending southward from its site is the most striking part of the ruins, the monks' dormitory, which on account of the falling
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