The Abbey was founded by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, widow of William
Longspee, son of King Henry II. and Fair Rosamond.
This event took place in the year of our Lord 1229, in the reign of Henry
III. She was elected to be the first abbess, and ruled for many years
with prudence and piety. She lies buried in the cloisters, and this
inscription is read upon her tomb:
Infrà sunt defossa Elæ venerabilis ossa,
Quæ dedit has sedes sacras monialibus ædes,
Abbatissa quidem quæ sanctè vixit ibidem,
Et comitissa Sarum virtutum plena bonarum:
The cloisters, however, in their present state, are believed to be of the
time of Henry VI. They range round three sides of a quadrangle, and are
the most perfect which remain in any private residence in England. By
moonlight, especially, their effect is very picturesque and solemn.
Here, I presume, the holy sisterhood often paced in silent meditation;
though, in truth, they have left but few records to posterity to tell us
how they lived and died. The “liber de Lacock” is supposed to have
perished in the fire of the Cottonian library. What it contained I know
not—perhaps their private memoirs. Some things, however, have been
preserved by tradition, or discovered by the zeal of antiquaries, and from
these materials the poet Bowles has composed an interesting work, the
History of Lacock Abbey, which he published in 1835.
[PLATE XVII. BUST OF PATROCLUS.]