Battle Abbey

The Benedictine abbey of St. Martin at Battle, Sussex; founded by William the Conqueror to commemorate his victory over Harold at Hastings. The abbey possessed lands in Sussex, Berkshire, Essex, Surrey, and Kent. After the Dissolution, the abbey and its immediately adjacent lands, together with the lands in Sussex and Kent, were sold to Sir Anthony Browne, Henry VIII's Master of the Horse, whose son Anthony was created 1st Viscount Montague in 1554. In 1721 the lands were sold to Sir Thomas Webster, a prosperous London merchant. The Battle estate remained in the family until 1976. Since then it has been the property of the Department of Environment.

From the description of Archives of Battle Abbey, 1077-1780. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122383124