Bolton Abbey

Paradoxplace BRITISH ABBEYS AND CATHEDRALS

Bolton Abbey

aka the Priory Church of St Mary & St Cuthbert

(West Yorkshire Dales)

Descriptive words to follow - but there are some personality clues lower down.

The gallery below is King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault (or Edward II and Isabella), King Henry III and Archbishop (of York) William de Gray, and William de Fortibus, Earl of Albemarle. De Gray (advisor) and de Fortibus (baron) were both present at the signing of Magna Carta by a reluctant King John (father of Henry III) on 12 June 1215.

Norman and Plantagenet Monarchs of England

King Edward II and (below) Isabella OR King Edward III and (below) Philippa of Hainault

King Henry III

Archbishop (of York) Walter de Gray

Walter de Gray was Chancellor of England under King John from 1205, and was present as a witness to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215, by which time he was briefly Bishop of Worcester. Walter also attended the important 1215 4th Lateran Council convened by Innocent III. Later in 1215 he was made Archbishop of York (where his tomb can be found) by order of Innocent III, urged on by King John and cash, after the Canons of York had exercised what they (mistakenly) thought was their prerogative and elected the much (like much) better educated Simon Langton (brother of Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury) to the post. The York job lasted for 40 years until his death in 1255.

More about Walter de Gray in Wikipedia

Norman and Plantagenet Monarchs of England

Kings and Queens of England

William de Fortibus, Earl of Albermarle

William de Fortibus, Earl of Albemarle (? - 1242) (who was not a very nice person even by the standards of 1215) was a junior baron at the 1215 signing of Magna Carta at Runneymede. Whilst he was one of the baron boys, he also switched to the King's side (both King John and later his son Henry III) whenever it was to his advantage, and he demonstrated quite extraordinary survival skills doing this over a period of 25 years. He died at sea in 1242 on his way to see the Holy Land.

This statue, said to be of him, is outside the south west nave wall of the abbey (to which he gave a lot of moolah).

The photo below was taken from just south of the porch location. On the far side of the cloister area is the remaining south transept wall, to the right of which is the entrance to the octagonal chapter house area. In the wall on the left can be seen the roof lines of two different monastic buildings. And yes, those are pumpkins and it was Halloween!