Excerpt from The Roll of Battle Abbey: Annotated The Roll of Battle Abbey, the earliest record of the Normans, has at all times been regarded with deep interest, by the principal families of the kingdom - by those who shew descent directly from the chiefs of the Conqueror's host, as well as by those who indirectly establish a similar lineage. The Abbey of Battle, a memorial of one of the most important events in English history, was erected upon a plain called Heathfield, about seven miles distant from Hastings, in fulfilment of a vow made by the Conqueror prior to the battle which won for him the diadem of England. Within a year, the foundation was laid on the very spot where the battle of Hastings had been fought, and but a brief period subsequently passed, until the Monastery itself arose in all its magnificence, richly endowed and highly privileged, dedicated to the honour of the Holy Trinity and St. Martin, the high altar standing where Harold and the Saxon standard fell. The Conqueror at first designed that this great religious House should accommodate one hundred and forty monks, but provision appears to have been made for sixty only. The first community, a society of Benedictines, came from Marmonstier, in Normandy, and were enjoined to pray for those who died in the battle, and to preserve a faithful record of all who shared in the glory of the victory. Thus arose the Abbey of Battle, and thus the Roll of Battle Abbey. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.