The first Parliament after the Conquest was assembled by Henry I. in this abbey, and the young King, Henry III., (then but nine years old,) was crowned in the church, October 28, 1216. Richard II. held a Parliament in the great hall of the abbey, in November, 1378.
[A.D. 1072-1104.] SERLO, who laid the foundation of the present church, dedicated in the year 1100. [A.D. 1113-1130.] WILLIAM, in whose time (1122) Serlo’s church was greatly injured by fire, (see Pt. I.) [A.D. 1139-1148.] GILBERT FOLIOT, who in the latter year became Bishop of Hereford, and in 1163 was translated to London. He was the well-known opponent of Becket. [A.D. 1306-1329.] JOHN THOKEY, who built the south aisle of the nave, (see Pt. I. § VII.,) and received the body of Edward II., (Pt. I. § XII.) [A.D. 1329-1337.] JOHN WYGEMORE, who commenced the great change in the architecture of the church by his reconstruction of the south transept, (Pt. I. § VIII.) [A.D. 1337-1351.] ADAM DE STAUNTON; and [A.D. 1351-1377] THOMAS DE HORTON; who carried forward the work in the choir and north transept. (Pt. I. §§ IX., X.) [A.D. 1381-1412.] WALTER FROUCESTER, the historian of the Abbey, (see Pt. I. § XVIII.,) who built much of the cloister and who procured the grant of the mitre from Urban VI. [A.D. 1420-1437.] JOHN MORWENT, who rebuilt part of west end of the church, (Pt. I. § VII.) [A.D. 1450-1457.] THOMAS SEABROKE, who built the tower, [A.D. 1457-1472.] RICHARD HANLEY; and [A.D. 1472-1498] WILLIAM FARLEY, who built the Lady-chapel. [A.D. 1515-1539.] WILLIAM MALVERNE, or PARKER, the last abbot, who subscribed to the King’s supremacy in 1534, and died soon after the Dissolution.
Robert of Gloucester, whose rhyming “Chronicle of Englonde,” is important, both historically and as an example of “middle English,” was a monk of this abbey, during the reigns of Henry III. and John. His Chronicle was edited by Hearne.
Until 1541 the whole of Gloucestershire lay within the diocese of Worcester. In that year the see of Gloucester was erected, and the abbey church, which was re-dedicated to the “Holy and Individed Trinity,” became its cathedral. The first bishop was--
[A.D. 1541-1549.] JOHN WAKEMAN, who had been Abbot of Tewkesbury, and one of Henry the Eighth’s chaplains. He was a person of considerable learning, and had revised the translation of the Book of Revelation, in Cranmer’s Bible.