3S4 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF

lieu.' Her heart was sent tu Tewkslmrv, where her brother was Abbot. " Her grave wa.s recently discovered in front of the high altar at Beaulieu, and the body was wrapped in lead, which, being um-olled, the skeleton, head, and teeth were iu a fair sUite of i>reservation, but no rings or ornaments were found. A tombstone had some yeai-s previously been removed from that spot, and is now j)reserved in the chancel of the parish church, bearing this inscription: — 'Hie jacet Isabella prima uxor . . ' the remainder of the inscription is wanting. " There is also in the same chancel a mucli larger tombstone, with a roj-al crown, always supposed to have covered the remains of Queen Eleanor, mother of King John, but there is no inscription to indicate that such was the case; and, on the contrary, the annals of the monks of Fontevraud testify that Queen Eleanor took the veil of their order in 1202, and died two years afterwards, and was buried by the side of Hen. II., at Fontevmud, where her tomb, with its enamelled effigy, was to be seen till the French Revolution, and the beautiful statue is still preserved there. " Several of the Abbots of Beaulieu were men of note in their day, and three of them were promoted to Bishoprics. The second Abbot, Hugh de Beaulieu, was appointed third Bishop of Carlisle. The King sent him, with strong letters of commendation, to the pope, and com- manded liis treasurer to pay thirty rnaiks for his exi)ens'js in attending the Council of Verona. He built the choir of Carlisle cathedral. "In the reign of Richard II. Tidman de Winchcombe, Abbot of Beau- lieu, was jtrivate jihysician to the king, and was promoted to the Bishoi)ric of Llamlalf, and afterwards to Worcester. " In the fii-st year of Hen. VIII., Thomas Skeflington, Abbot of Beaidieu, was raised to the see of Bangor, and was a great bene- factor to the cathedral of Bangor. He finished the Bishop's j)alnco, and built the porch and oratory over, as recorded on an inscrip- tion over the gi'eat gate-way. He also built the c;ithedral and the tower as it now stands, on which are inscribed ' Hoc Campanile et Ecclesiam banc Thomas Skiftington fieri fecit.' At his death liis heart was sent to Bangor, and his body was interred at Beaulieu, close to where the gospel was wont to be read. "(In njore recent times Heaulieu has furnished a liishop to the Colonial Church. Tliu present liishop of Newcastle (Tyrrell) has been incumbent of Ik-anlieii, and has adopted the Abbey arms — a pastoral staff issuing from a royal crown — as the arms of his Austialian see.) " Many Hj>ecial privileges were granted to ISeaulieu by succe.s>ive |)Ojk;8 — the chief ones being that the Ai>ltey precinct was to be entirely free from cjiiscopal control, and to have the right of sanctuary. Hitiicr in the year 1471 came the unfortunate Margaret of . jou, with some of her Htannchest followers. She had sailed from Hartlein-, with her Hon, I'rinco Edward, and his bride, Anno {»f Warwick. She landed at Weymouth, and went thence to ('erne, but hearing of the decisive result of the battle of Kurnct, hhe (led for sanftuary to I'cau- lieu, where she wa« met by the CountesH of Warwick, who had, on her arrival at I'ortHmouth, heard of the death of her husband at I'arnot. 'I'hore rjimc also the chiefs of the l^ancastrian parly, and at IJeaidieu tht-y ln.ld tln'ir la.st CouncH, a few days only befnre the iiattle of Tewks-