Historic prayer book reveals life after Battle of Hastings

A historic prayer book that contains details of the religious life of monks following the Battle of Hastings has been revealed.

Although the original prayer book is lost, it was reconstructed from its Latin text which shows the Norman-French influence at Battle Abbey in East Sussex.

Dr Michael Carter of the University of London, who studied and reconstructed the prayer book, said it provided evidence of the monks who "actively maintained memory of 1066 through chronicles, ritual feasting, and even engraved objects".

He added the abbey was constructed by William the Conqueror as an act of penance over the deaths in the conflict.

"If you look at the details of the Bayeux Tapestry, it depicts scenes of unbelievable horror, sort of like a medieval Game of Thrones," he said.

"At the time, the idea of purgatory was beginning to become more widespread, so William wanted to seek salvation for his sins.

"The prayerbook also suggests the battle was not just remembered, but continually lived and prayed just before the Dissolution."

Carter said monks were asked to continuously pray for those who died in the conflict and to pray for William.

He said the prayer book, dated from the 16th Century, also contained practices of feast days that celebrated little-known saints including St Gatianus and St Florentius.

He added such information was "scarcely found in England".

"Even more strikingly, the prayerbook also preserves older practices long after continental reforms moved on," he added.

The prayer book is now at Trinity College's Wren Library in Cambridge.

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