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Beaulieu Abbey is in Beaulieu, Hampshire [Map], Abbeys in England.
Annals of Margam. 1204. King John fleeing to England, Philip, King of the Franks, occupies Normandy and Anjou. With a summons sent by the Cistercians, and the abbot5 in charge of them, the abbey of Beaulieu [Map] was built. The Cornish people, first, and then the Devonians, with money advanced, shake off the heavy yoke of the foresters.
Rege Johanne fugiente in Angliam, Philippus Rex Francorum Normanniam occupat et Andegaviam. Misso convontu a Cistercio, et abbate5 eis præfecto, abbatia Belli Loci construitur. Cornubienses primo, deinde Devonienses, proinissa pecunia, gravissimum jugum forestariorum a se excutiunt.
Note 5. Hugh.
On 17 Jan 1240 Nicholas Cornwall died at Berkhamsted Castle, Hertfordshire [Map]. He was buried with his mother at Beaulieu Abbey [Map].
Letters. 1471. Letter XXXVIII. Anne Countess of Warwick (age 14) to the House of Commons.
To the right worshipful and discreet Commons of this present Parliament.
Sheweth unto your wisdoms and discretions the king's true liege woman, Anne countess of Warwick, which never offended his most redoubted highness; for she, immediately after the death of her lord and husband (age 17) - on whose soul God have mercy - for none offence by her done, but dreading only trouble, being that time within this realm, entered into the sanctuary of Beaulieu [Map] for surety of her person, to dispose for the weal and health of the soul of her said lord and husband, as right and conscience required her so to do; making within five days, or near thereabouts, after her entry into the said sanctuary, her labours, suits, and means to the king's highness for her safeguard, to be had as diligently and effectually as her power would extend. She not ceasing, but after her power continiling in such labours, suits, and means, insomuch that, in absence of clerks, she hath written letters in that behalf to the king's highness with her own hand, and not only making such labours, suits, and means to the king's highness, soothly also to the queen's (age 34) good grace, to my right redoubted lady the king's mother, to my lady the king's eldest daughter, to my lords the king's brethren, to my ladies the king's sisters, to my lady of Bedford (age 56), mother to the queen, and to other ladies noble of this realm; in which labours, suits, and means, she hath continued hitherto, and so will continue, as she owes to do, till it may please the king, of his most good and noble grace, to have consideration that, during the life of her said lord and husband, she was covert baron, which point she remits to your great wisdoms, and that after his decease, all the time of her being in the said sainctuary, she hath duly kept her fidelity and liegeance, and obeyed the king's commandments. Howbeity it hath pleased the king's highness, by some sinister information to his said highness made, to direct his most dread letters to the abbot of the monastery of Beaulieu, with right sharp commandment that such persons as his highness sent to the said monastery should have guard and strait keeping of her person, which was and is to her great heart's grievance, she specially fearing that the privileges and liberties of the church, by such keeping of her person, might be interrupted and violated, where the privileges of the said sanctuary were never so largely attempted unto this time, as is said; yet the said Anne and Countess, under protestations by her made, hath suffered strait keeping of her person and yet doth, that her fidelity and liegeance to the king's highness the better might be understood, hoping she might the rather have had largess to make suits to the king's highness in her own person for her livelihood and rightful inheritance, which livelihood and inheritance, with all revenues and profits thereto pertaining, with her jointure also, and dower of the earldom of Salisbury, fully and wholly hath been restrained from her, from the time of the death of her said lord and husband unto this day. And forasmuch as our sovereign lord the king of his great grace hath set and assembled his high court of Parliament for reformations, right, and equity to all his subjects and liege people duly to be ministered, the said Anne and Countess humbly beseecheth your great wisdom to ponder and weigh in your consciences her right and true title of her inheritance, as the earldom of Warwick and Spencer's lands, to which she is rightfully born by lineal succession, and also her jointure and dower of the earldom of Salisbury aforesaid. And to shew her your benevolence, that by the king's good grace and authority of this his noble Parliament she may to her foresaid livelihood and rightful inheritance duly be restored and it enjoy, as the laws of Almighty God and of this noble realm, right, also, and conscience doth require; beseeching heartily your great goodnesses, in the reverence of Almighty God and of his most blessed mother, will of grace to consider the poor estate she stands in, how in her own person she may not solicit the premises as she would, an she might, nor is of power any sufficient solicitor in this behalf to make; and though she might, as (she; may not, there is none that dare take it upon him; to have also this poor bill in your tender remembrance, that your perfect charity and good will may solicit the eflFect of the same, which to do, her power at this time may not extend. And shall pray and do pray to God for you.
In 1486 Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick (age 59) resided at Beaulieu Abbey [Map].
Wriothesley's Chronicle. Aug 1497... and in August Perkin Warbeck (age 23) landed in Cornewale,g and by pursuit fledd to Bowdley St. Marie [Map],h but by appoyntment he came to the Kinge, followinge the Courte.i
Note g. In Whitsand Bay; and, having sent his wife, the Lady Catherine Gordon, for safety to Mount St Michael, assumed the title of Richard IV.
Note h. The Sanctuary of Beaulieu [Map] in the New Forest, written in Arnold "Bewdeley sent wary," which has been erroneously transcribed in our MS. "St. Marie."
Note i. In Arnold this passage is, "and so remained following the Court."
Polydore Vergil. Around 20 Sep 1497. Learning of his enemies' departure, Henry (age 40) headed straight for Taunton, Somerset [Map]. Duke Edward of Buckingham (age 19) arrived there, a young man endowed with great spirit and virtue of character, and he was followed by a host of right noble knights with armor and all the other things requisite for warfare. In that number were Giles Briggs, Alexander Baynham, Maurice Berkeley, Robert Tames, John Guise, Robert Point, Henry Vernon, John Mortimer, Thomas Tremayle, Edward Sutton, Amyas Powlet (age 40), John Bicknell, John Sapcot, Hugh Luterell, John Wadham and his son Nicholas, John Speck, Richard Beauchamp of St. Amand, Francis Cheney, Rogerd Tokett, Thomas Long, Nicholas Lattimer, John d'Urbeville, William Storton, Roger Newberg, William Martin, Thomas Lind, Henry Rogers, Walter Hungerford, John Semery, Edward Carell, Maurice Borroughs, William Norris, John Langford, Richard Corbett, Thomas Blount, Richard Lacon, Thomas Cornwallis, and many other excellent soldiers. Meanwhile, when the king had come up, either to avoid delaying the fight or fearing the fortune of war, he sent ahead Robert Lord Broke, Richard Thomas, and Giles Daubney (age 46) to begin the battle, while he followed after, so that, when he saw the battle begin, he could either come to the aid of his men or launch a simultaneous attack on the enemy rear. But the king's plan was unnecessary. For Peter (age 23) was so far from standing his ground, that after he learned the enemy were in arms, he furtively slipped away in the night and quickly fled to the asylum at Beaulieu Abbey [Map]. Whether he did this out of cowardice (with which he was well supplied), or because he suspected trickery, is not known, but it is well enough agreed that it was a good thing for the king that he was not compelled to come to blows with the Cornishmen, whose strength was so enhanced by despair that they had all determined on conquering or dying to the last man in that battle.
Chronicles of London. 22 Sep 1497And vpon the ffriday John Heyron, Mercer, which before tyme had fledde the Citie of London for dette, and one Skelton wt one Asteldy, a Scryvainer, which iij persones wer the moost worthy of his [Perkin Warbreck (age 23)] Counseill, came vnto Bewdely [Map], a Sayntwary beside Southampton; and there Registred theym self. And in this while one James a Rover, which had gadered in his cumpanye to the numbre of vj or vij C. Rebelles, Sechyng the forsaid Perkyn to haue assisted hym, mette wt the Provost of Peryn, and brought hym vnto Taunton aforsaid; and there in the Market place slewe hym pytuously, in such wise that he was dismembred and kutte in many and sundry peces. The cause as it was said was for that he was one of the Occasioners of the Rebellyng of the Cornysshe men; for he was one of the commyssioners in that Cuntre and gadered, as they said, more money than came vnto the kynges vse. But what so euer the cause was, foule and piteously was he murderid; vpon whose Soule and all Cristen Jhesu haue mercy! Amen!
Oct 1497. Perkin Warbreck (age 23) was captured at Beaulieu Abbey [Map].
Chronicles of London. 01 Oct 1497. And vpon the Sonday next folowyng came certeyn tydynges from the kyng vnto the Maire, of the takyng of the said Perkyn wt in the Sayntwary of Bewley [Map] aforsaid; wherfore the Mair, wt his Brethern assemblid, went forthwt aboute x of the Clok iii the mornyng vnto poules, and there caused Te Deum. to be solempnly songen, which was the first day of Octobre.
Polydore Vergil. [After 04 Oct 1497]. While staying at Exeter, Devon [Map], the king (age 40) scarcely imagined he had conquered or had removed all occasion for rebellion, unless he were to lay his hands on Peter (age 23), the head man of that plague. First he surrounded the asylum [Map] by two squadrons of horse so that no hope of escape would remain for Peter. Then, proposing a pardon and amnesty for everything he had done, he sent trusty messengers to make trial of the young man, to see if he would submit. Peter, now lacking in hope, lacking a home, lacking a fortune, when he saw he was enmeshed in these supreme difficulties because he was relying on that desperadoes' refuge, and calculated that all future ability gain to success had slipped through his hands, and had heard that a pardon was being offered, at length, relying on the faith of the nation, voluntarily came out of the asylum, and placed himself in Henry's power. And so this great rising was suddenly put down. Having waged this war with success and wonderfully happy, the king went to London. Wherever he went, men came running to have a look at Peter, a source of wonderment for everybody. For he, a foreign-born man relying on nothing else but the recommendation of his betters (although it was proclaimed otherwise), had dared cause trouble for such a great kingdom with his pranks and by his wily schemes, and had led so many people and sovereigns to believe the lies he had said about himself, not without their great harm.